Sniper Elite 5 Isn’t Revolutionary, and That’s Fine
Playing Sniper Elite 5 feels exactly like playing Sniper Elite 4. Sure there is a change of scenery, but at it’s core there isn’t some grand change that makes this a brand new experience. Now, this may seem like I am about to rip into this game like a LMG, but I’m not! I love the Sniper Elite series. Am I coming to play it for huge innovations with sweeping game overhauls? Absolutely not! Am I coming to play it to watch a sniper bullet hit a Nazi in the dick? You bet your god damn hat I am!
I played Sniper Elite 5 on Playstation 5, which could have been why the game didn’t look like much more than a port of a Playstation 3 game, but I didn’t play Sniper Elite for next gen graphics! I played it to kill some fascists and that’s what I did! Playing on the PS5 did give me access to haptic controls on my triggers, which was nice! Being able to jump between a down the sights view right into a full on scope was nice. I do think it’s something more games should do, because I despise being stuck on only being able to use a scope or no scope. I want a little flavor, a little spice if you will to switch between both depending on my mood.
While there are some janky elements to the gameplay such as the combat with any weapon other than the snipers, it is still a blast to play. The game has more of a focus on castles and bunkers, which I actually didn’t love despite it bringing some variety to the locals. What I really wanted was just a bunch of open areas where I could pick off each of the scum one by one at my lesiure until I was ready to go full American and rush in without a single thought in my mind other than “fight”.
Listen, you aren’t coming to this review of Sniper Elite 5 thinking that I am going to tell you the story blew me out of the water with a rich deep thoughtful narrative that weaves together every piece of story in one beautiful web of wonder and mystery. You came here to see if you still get a bad ass slow motion camera POV of your bullet slamming through a Nazi’s skull like a grapefruit hit by a cannon. I am here to tell you that you do! It’s awesome. For me, it’s worth the ticket price because it’s such a unique game element that no one else has conquered other than maybe Mortal Kombat with their X-Ray moves.
Did I love Sniper Elite 5? Absolutely. It’s free on Xbox Gamepass if you want to check it out! I wouldn’t suggest dropping the full price amount for it right now otherwise, though, I’d suggest waiting for a sale or buy 4. You’re still going to have a blast, but I am not sure there is enough here to make it worth a full $60 of your hard earned cash.
But it is a testament that not all games need to be Triple A games that try to reinvent the wheel while just being a empty sandbox full of collecting and other boring crud like that. Some game NEED to be wild B-movie romps where you can watch your bullet pop a fascists eye like you’re stepping on a grape.
