Sniper Elite: Resistance Review – Deja Vu

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While not every game needs to emulate IO Interactive’s Hitman, some could benefit from incorporating more of its notable qualities, as demonstrated by Rebellion with Sniper Elite 3 in 2014. In this game, they abandoned the linear levels for a broader, open-ended experience where players could decide their own path through each map and complete missions flexibly. The series also incorporated situations reminiscent of Agent 47’s, allowing players to eliminate Nazis in unusual ways. Sniper Elite: Resistance revives this proven formula again, yet I find myself experiencing a sense of familiarity as I traverse the French countryside.

As a dedicated gamer, I’d say Sniper Elite is my go-to third-person shooter, set in the backdrop of World War II. Just like its predecessors, it offers the unique option to switch to first-person view when you’re aiming for precision. This game stands out with its intricate ballistics model that factors in wind, bullet drop, and positioning, making every shot feel strategic and satisfying. But what truly sets Sniper Elite apart is the X-ray killcam – a grisly yet thrilling feature that lets you witness in slow-motion, the devastating impact of each bullet on Nazi soldiers. From popping out their eyes to exploding their hearts or even disintegrating their… well, let’s just say certain sensitive areas, it’s a testament to the game’s attention to detail and the art of sharpshooting.

Similar to its previous versions, this game offers an enjoyable and dependable shooting experience, particularly when it comes to sniping. However, I find myself growing tired of the killcam feature. Nowadays, I either skip the killcam or change my settings to minimize headshot montages. I understand that it’s cool technology, but it accumulates during a mission, which usually lasts me around two hours due to my preference for stealthily completing missions rather than watching extended clips of distant surgeries.

As a devoted fan, I’m thrilled about the change of perspective in Sniper Elite: Resistance! Instead of following our usual hero, Karl Fairburne, this time we’ll be taking on the role of Harry Hawker, a character previously known as Player 2 from the game’s co-op campaign. Being a British soldier, Harry finds himself undertaking missions that are reminiscent of the feats for which Fairburne has garnered numerous medals: infiltrating bustling Nazi strongholds, sabotaging submarines, trucks, or missile command centers, and leaving the brains of every fascist we cross paths with splattered.

In certain regions, there’s a resurgence of fascism, leading some to find appeal in simulating intense Nazi destruction. However, unlike some games that portray their antagonists as zombies or aliens for added suspense, Sniper Elite has consistently depicted its adversaries as simply The Bad Guys. These characters can appear somewhat cartoonish, but this fits within the context of the game, where story has never been a primary focus.

Each mission initiates with a primary goal, yet as you delve deeper, you’ll discover additional objectives and hidden extras. There’s a significant target who can be eliminated in innovative ways, such as placing a rodent-shaped bomb in the kitchen for him to trigger. Other useful finds include weapon stations and alternate launch points for revisited missions. The protagonists in Sniper Elite aren’t particularly robust, so while it’s technically possible to dash across each vast map and complete all tasks within 20 minutes if desired, it wouldn’t be enjoyable or straightforward–in the open, they perish swiftly. Instead, a cautious, stealthy strategy seems to be what the game encourages, although it provides you with options to go loud when necessary.

In this game, it seems the Resistance faces its challenges consistently, and these difficulties are quite common. The gunplay, aside from sniping, isn’t very satisfactory. Aiming from cover often feels clunky, as Hawker sometimes sticks unpredictably to walls. Using first-person view with weapons like SMGs and pistols feels sluggish and hard to manage, while even the third-person reticle is harsh, seldom focusing in a way that suggests my shots will hit their mark. Jumping over waist-high objects, such as railings or fences, is also inconsistent, being consistently inconsistent. I can easily scale some walls, while others of similar or identical height don’t prompt me to leap at all. These issues sometimes make me doubt the game’s environment. When chaos erupts, I want to trust that cover objects will be reliable, but in this game, as with many others, that’s not always the case.

In part, Rebellion finds itself in a challenging position. Although the team has fewer resources compared to many games within the shooter genre, they consistently produce installments that look and play well, which can make it seem like they’re competing at the AAA level, even though this isn’t entirely accurate. Historically, I’ve been lenient about some of the rough edges and lack of refinement due to their overachievement. However, with so many sequels that appear very similar to each other, it begins to resemble a problem commonly found in sports gaming. The absence of game-to-game innovation becomes quite noticeable.

The similarity between Resistance’s skill system and Sniper Elite 5’s (SE5) is strikingly apparent, and it’s frustrating for players who have to repeat the same skills they unlocked previously. This issue is compounded because the initial skill tree wasn’t particularly engaging. Many of the skills offered little benefit to me, such as improved heart rate control during sprinting, and it seems to lack crucial abilities like faster crouch-walking speed. Given my experience with similar games and understanding of in-game progression systems, I believe there are several innovative ideas that could have enriched Resistance’s skill tree. It would have been disappointing if they had tried and failed to surpass SE5’s skill system, but it’s worse to simply recycle the existing one.

In some instances, you’ll notice similar design elements across various missions, such as Missions 1 and 4 sharing the same map layout, although Mission 4 offers a larger area to traverse. As the campaign progresses, certain missions reuse numerous assets and settings reminiscent of an early mission in SE5, leading me to question if they were set on the same map. (They aren’t.) The narrative is set in France due to Hawker’s storyline overlapping with Fairburne’s SE5 adventures across the country, but with decisions like these, Resistance begins to feel more like a substantial standalone expansion connected to SE5 rather than a direct sequel. This is further supported by its name, which omits numerical sequencing.

As a die-hard fan, I must acknowledge that this studio’s reputation for being resource-rich is well-deserved, given the abundance of activities beyond the solo campaign in games like Resistance. Just like many other titles, the campaign in Resistance supports two-player co-op, even cross-play lobbies. However, not everything shines brighter in co-op, but this game certainly does, especially when you team up with someone who shares your playstyle.

Moreover, what sets Resistance apart is its Invasion mode, similar to Deathloop or Dark Souls, where you can join another player’s live campaign and take on the role of an adversary, hunting them down.

Among all the modes in this game, none can match the sheer excitement of this one, as the impact of each move made by either player is significantly amplified. Making sounds that alert enemies, missing targets, or making mistakes will cause a sense of frustration on your part when you’re trying to outmaneuver or outlast your opponent. In truth, this game series hasn’t garnered enough recognition for how cool this mode is. The massive maps, offering numerous possible paths and strategies, make it seem like the game’s hidden advantage. Even though the campaign can feel repetitive at times, the Invasion mode gives it a fresh boost of appeal. As usual, if you dislike the concept of being invaded, you have the option to disable this feature or keep it open only for trusted allies.

Sniper Elite offers team-based multiplayer versus player (PvP) and wave-based multiplayer versus environment (PvE) modes, which I recently started exploring in version 5. While I may not be a veteran player, my experience thus far, even in Resistance, suggests that there’s an added layer of excitement here. The most intriguing mode for me is “No Cross,” where each map is divided asymmetrically into two halves, creating a snipers-only headshot competition with no ability to cross over to the other side.

Similar to Invasion, this gameplay style is intense and thrilling. Every vantage point comes with a counterpart, and the flash from your scope serves as a telltale sign that no one lingers for long before losing their helmet and all its fragile contents. It brings to mind an epoch not too far in the past when shooter games were striving to carve out a unique space beyond mimicking Call of Duty. Not every endeavor during this time was successful, and Resistance’s PvP/PvE modes may not dethrone the giants of the genre any time soon. However, for players who value the game’s physics and combat mechanics, you can easily lose track of time while exploring Resistance’s additional gameplay modes. In fact, these modes might offer more pleasure than the solo story mode, where the rewards seem to decrease if you’re already familiar with this series.

Experiencing Sniper Elite: Resistance’s single-player campaign has additional compelling aspects that make it worthwhile. However, the game’s Propaganda missions, a new addition to its modes, didn’t leave much of an impression on me. These missions are unlocked by discovering propaganda posters within the campaign and offer bonus missions set in story maps with new stealth, sniping, or combat challenges in a time-limited setting. While they can be skipped without any real consequence unless you or your friends value bragging rights and strive to achieve the highest scores. On the other hand, Invasion mode is an underappreciated multiplayer aspect of this game series, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Propaganda missions turned out to be a one-time experience.

In my playtime of the game, I encountered a few glitches like unseen barriers where there shouldn’t have been any and awkward collisions at the top of staircases when moving slowly. However, a pre-launch update appears to have fixed most of these problems, so you might not run into them during your gameplay. The patch didn’t solve my gripes about irregular wall jumps and hurdles, but those have been persistent issues in the previous three games as well. This suggests that I’m optimistic about the future of the series, rather than being disappointed with Resistance specifically.

Ultimately, Sniper Elite: Resistance is an entertaining game that’s likely to be enjoyed by those who appreciated the previous installments. However, if you’re new to the series, you might find it even more enjoyable. Some of its distinctive features, such as the detailed killcam and precise sniping mechanics, are starting to feel a bit repetitive, given that the series has slowed down in terms of innovation across successive sequels.

Although the campaign is entertaining yet repetitive at times, Resistance truly stands out in certain additional game modes, with Invasion and No Cross PvP being notable examples. Playing the story cooperatively with a friend can also help address some of its flaws. However, I’m eager to see future installments make significant strides and polish up some persistent issues. The jump from the second to third games in the series serves as an example, and it’s only through innovation on established elements that Sniper Elite will take its next big leap forward. Otherwise, it’s merely a dazzling repeat of what has come before.

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2025-01-29 01:10