Sniper Elite
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| Sniper Elite | |
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| Developer(s) | Rebellion Developments |
| Publisher(s) |  Atari Ubisoft Namco |
| Release date(s) | September 30 2005 October 18 2005 |
| Genre(s) | First-person shooter, Third-person shooter |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Rating(s) | PEGI: 16+ |
| Platform(s) | PS2, Windows PC, Xbox |
| Media | DVD‑ROM |
Sniper Elite is a first/third person shooter developed by UK based video game developer Rebellion Developments. The main character is an American OSS agent, Karl Fairburne, disguised as a German sniper inserted into war torn 1945 Berlin with the objective of obtaining German weapons technology before the Soviet NKVD do.
One of the main selling points of the game was the option of realistic sniper gameplay, bringing values such as bullet drop, wind strength, breath, and heart rate when attempting a shot. All 'sniper' gameplay is in first person scope view, whereas movement and use of all other weapons is in third person view. Possibly the most memorable highlight of the game is the fact that when the player makes an extreme sniper shot, the game shows a short 'cutscene' following the path of the bullet, in slow motion, while the camera spins around the bullet. Another fairly original feature is the ability to pick up and carry around fallen comrades in rescue missions. The game is unlike most other first- or third-person shooters in that most of the gameplay involves stealth and patience, occasionally punctuated by a sniper shot. There are no intense, blazing firefights among dozens of other soldiers, in the style of other successful games of the genre like Medal of Honor: Allied Assault. To reinforce the 'stealth' aspect, there is a camouflage index measured in percentage that displays the visibility of the protagonist. This feature is reminiscent of the other stealth title, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater.
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[edit] Factions
[edit] German Soldiers
They wear field green uniforms, with the ordinary soldiers wearing brown helmets, the officers wearing officer caps, and the snipers ironically wear Soviet style smocks with hoods over their heads. Later in the game, Waffen SS soldiers wearing camo appear. The soldiers are fighting a losing battle against the Red Army for control over Berlin.
[edit] Soviet NKVD
They wear dark brown uniforms, with the ordinary soldiers wearing grey fur-lined hats, the officers wearing officer caps, and the snipers wearing (ironically) German Waffen SS masks to conceal their faces. They are slowly but surely bringing Berlin under their control.
[edit] Red Army Soldiers
Mainly made up of Russian civilians and less experienced soldiers. They are relitivley weak, but come in large number.
[edit] German Resistance
They often wear grey jackets and carry sub-machine guns. Karl Fairburne aids them in their mission to repel the Nazis and the NKVD throughout the game. Many of the German Resistance agents work undercover as spies in order to gain the upper hand on their enemies.
[edit] Characters
[edit] Karl Fairburne
An American OSS agent disguised as a German sniper in order to thwart the Soviet NKVD's plans to obtain Nazi nuclear weapon technology, and to obtain it himself for the OSS. He is the game's protagonist, and the character the player controls throughout the game. Very little information is known about his background.
[edit] Martin Bormann
An extremely powerful figure within the Third Reich, he plans to meet up with an NKVD contact at the Brandenburg Gate in order to defect to the Soviet Union, guaranteeing his safety. However, he knows too much, so he is assassinated by Fairburne before he is able to do this.
[edit] Vasily Kralovek
The NKVD contact who attempts to meet with Bormann in order to organise Bormann's defection to the Soviet Union. The Kremlin has given Kralovek a huge amount of power within the NKVD. Fairburne has the option of either killing him or letting him live, as his assassination is only a sub-objective, and is therefore optional. As a result, whether he is killed canonically is debatable.
[edit] NKVD Fuel Depot Commander
The NKVD officer who is in command of the Karlshorst fuel depot that Fairburne is tasked with destroying. He also holds a codebook that Fairburne must retrieve. The fuel depot is the forward base for the NKVD units attacking Berlin.
[edit] Dr. Max Lohmann
A scientist who Fairburne is assigned to help capture and escort out of Berlin, back to America, in order to prevent him from falling into the hands of the NKVD. He played a key role in helping the Nazis develop nuclear weapons plans, and is therefore wanted by the NKVD for his knowledge on the subject.
[edit] Niklas Huber
Huber is the officer in command of the Nordsig Heavy Water Plant. He has strong links to the Nazi party. Apparently, he has "no stomach for personal pain", which makes it easy for Fairburne to interrogate him for the safe code he needs. Once Huber hands over the code, Fairburne kills him with the silenced pistol.
[edit] Thomas
Thomas is the pilot, who flies Fairburne and Lohmann out of Berlin. He is rescued from the NKVD by Fairburne.
[edit] Stephan
Stephan is Thomas's brother. Fairburne rescues Stephan from the NKVD, but he wishes to remain in Berlin to aid the people relying on him.
[edit] Vehicles
[edit] Tanks
Tiger I - German tank. Very dangerous, equipped with machine gun turret and 88mm cannon turret.
T-34 - Soviet tank. Similar to the Tiger I, but lighter, and therefore faster. Equipped with machine gun turret and 85mm cannon turret.
JS-2 - Soviet tank. Heavier armour than the T34, and a larger cannon. Plus a dangerous machine gun located in the rear of the turret.
King Tiger - German Tank. Heavier armored than the Tiger I, but slower. Armed with a machine gun turret and 88mm cannon turret.
[edit] Other
Truck - Very common. Ordinary military supply and troop transport trucks. Its fuel tanks are handy for creative killing of enemies who stand near it.
Armoured Car - Bulletproof armour plating. However, the windows are not bulletproof and are therefore the vehicles' weak point.
Motorcycle with Sidecar - Very weak. Used for one thing: Fast transport for individuals (e.g. for messengers, etc.). Destroyed using machine gun fire, or by using a trip wire grenade.
[edit] Problems
- Although the game revolves around stealth, players will find themselves in an enemy crossfire once they shoot an enemy. Once an enemy's comrade is down, the player's position is instantly compromised; this makes stealth totally useless when engaging the enemy.
- The enemies are usually armed with submachine guns that are presented in game as highly accurate at long distances, though this is not the case in reality; this can be said to detract from the realism of the game’s ballistic system.
[edit] Online Multiplayer Tactics
While the single player campaign mode has an intriguing storyline, the added feature of human intelligence boosts the realism of Sniper Elite. Naturally, multiplayer runs the gamut of playing styles, and intense close range firefights are possible rather than duels between several snipers.
Naturally, experienced "snipers" from other online multiplayer games (SOCOM series, Halo, Battlefield) exploit the impatience of younger players.
The basis of multiplayer mode is set in either a deathmatch, team deathmatch, or the unique assassination mode
