Sniper Elite
Update: First screens added of Namco's upcoming WWII sim.
Preview by Ken Horowitz (Email)
August 19th 2005
The Basics: Namco is planning a new take on WWII games this September with the release of Sniper Elite for the PS2, Xbox, and PC. As an elite OSS sniper, it's your job to prevent Nazi nuclear secrets from being captured by the advancing Soviets in war-torn Berlin. Freely roam around the besieged German capital, destroying strategic obstacles as you navigate through 27 different missions in order to find the perfect spot to snipe.
Whether you chose to go it alone, fight for democracy alongside a pal in offline co-op mode, or take on the world online, you will have more than the Soviets or Nazi remnants to worry about. Sniping requires a delicate combination of gravity, wind speed, elevation, heart rate, and other variables. All of these must be delicately balanced in order to make a successful kill, and you're either quick, or you're dead.
What do we think? It's about time someone did something new with WWII games. Beyond the stagnant FPS releases of late, not much else had been attempted, and Sniper Elite is just what was needed here. The game looks spectacular so far, and the slow motion kill scenes, sometimes very graphic, add that much-needed impact (forgive the pun) to a perfect shot.
I love that online play will be supported, but sincerely hope that the co-op mode extends there as well. Too many games lately are either limiting it to offline only, or foregoing it completely. That's a shame, since many of us would love to tackle an objective with a friend, rather than simply play for the number one spot. Should Sniper Elite deliver gameplay as solid as the visuals, along with a varied online mode, Namco could have a hit on its hands. Check out the first featured trailer below and stay tuned for further updates as they become available.
Media Download:
Sniper Elite Trailer (Windows Media Format, zipped 36.22MB)
