Sniper Elite V2

 Xbox 360
Metascore
67

Mixed or average reviews - based on 37 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 37
  2. Mixed: 21 out of 37
  3. Negative: 2 out of 37
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  1. 4P.de
    May 3, 2012
    73
    After years of modern and futuristic warfare the WWII-scenario feels fresh again. Although nothing is really new, Rebellion manages to conjure up interesting tactical sniping action.
  2. MondoXbox
    May 21, 2012
    72
    A fun and engaging game troubled by a lacking technical production, even if Rebellion made a good job trying to overcome it with a great environments design. And in view of its more tactical and stealth approach, we would have liked a less linear and driven levels structure too.
  3. ZTGD
    May 15, 2012
    72
    Sniper Elite V2 is a solid game that is surprisingly more fun to play than it should be. There really isn't much like it, and Rebellion has done an amazing job of piecing it all together.
  5. Games Master UK
    May 28, 2012
    71
    Sniping's sold enough but a lack of variety and dull corridor levels shoot SEV2 in the foot. [July 2012, p.89]
    All this publication's reviews
  6. NZGamer
    May 16, 2012
    71
    Developers Rebellion have harnessed the insanely difficult, but addictive vibe that die-hard fans grew to love and even added a few extra aces up their sleeve.
  7. GameOver.gr
    May 28, 2012
    70
    Surely not your average shooter. Sniper Elite V2 is for those you have patience and are looking for a slow, stealthy game to enjoy some of the most amazing kills ever depicted in videogames.
  8. Eurogamer Sweden
    May 18, 2012
    70
    Sniper Elite V2 made me watch enemy soldiers getting penetrated by bullets several hundred times and still I didn't get tired of the game. That is a feat in itself.
  9. GameTrailers
    May 23, 2012
    63
    There are some great ideas in Sniper Elite V2--they're just buried under a few too many bad ones. Asking you to stomach the poor game that exists between the solid sniping sequences is frankly a tall order.
  10. X-ONE Magazine UK
    Jun 5, 2012
    60
    The AI is horrible enough to make the stealth segments infuriating and the action areas unfair. [Issue#85, p.90]
    All this publication's reviews
  11. Gamereactor Denmark
    Jun 1, 2012
    60
    When it's at its best, you'll feel invincible, like the king of the world. But the flaws and mistakes of the rest of the game are hard to ignore.
  12. Gameplanet
    May 22, 2012
    60
    Sniper Elite V2 has includes many enjoyable and memorable sequences. It's just a shame that it these moments are so padded out. When Karl is at the top of a ruined church shattering skulls from 200 metres, the game soars, but sadly transitioning to these instances is too often a chore. Let's hope any third game in the series adds better stealth gameplay to complement the sniping mechanics and presentation that Sniper Elite V2 does so well.
  13. Game Revolution
    May 16, 2012
    60
    Sniper Elite V2 certainly includes much more sniping techniques than your normal action shooter, which makes it different and fun to play, but it needs more of a storyline and varied missions to emphasize those features. Despite its sub-par and repetitive gameplay, there is still much to do after the SP campaign is completed, making this game worthy enough to at least try it out and see if you have steady aim.
  14. Gamereactor Sweden
    May 8, 2012
    60
    Better than its predecessor, but still a bit far from the bullseye.
  15. Meristation
    May 3, 2012
    60
    Sniper Elite V2 has good sniper gameplay, but this is not enough. Poor enemies AI, horrible respawn situations and linear level designs are bad things for any shooter. And they are bad for Sniper Elite V2.
  16. Gameblog.fr
    May 2, 2012
    60
    Sniper Elite V2 remains a small production in terms of technical scope, and could have benefited greatly from a more polished storytelling, but the fun of playing a sniper behind enemy lines is genuine. Its realistic take on the sniping parameters make it a serious option for those of us who love camping.
  17. Guardian
    May 2, 2012
    60
    Sniper V2 Elite is something of an anachronism too, a middle-tier boxed game that lacks the budget or refinement of a blockbuster, but enjoys far more craft and spark than a budget release.
  18. Telegraph
    May 2, 2012
    60
    While Sniper Elite V2 is too patchy to recommend wholeheartedly, its brief flirtations with excellence and its core sniping make for an enjoyable, bloody waltz through Berlin. It won't replace Call of Duty or Battlefield, but its slower, sneakier twist on the military shooter is a welcome concept, even if it doesn't always hit the mark.
  19. GameSpot
    May 1, 2012
    60
    Sniper Elite V2 is a satisfying shooting gallery, though it often does a lackluster job maintaining the illusion.
  20. Official Xbox Magazine UK
    May 1, 2012
    60
    An unremarkable shooter by modern standards, but the satisfaction of its cinematic kills is hard to deny. It's just a shame that these moments are encased in a generally shoddy gameplay experience.
  21. VideoGamer
    May 1, 2012
    60
    Shoots itself gruesomely in the foot by frequently diverting you away from its best bits. On the 360 it's also a visually inconsistent game: grand views of city squares impress, but you'll be battling blocky geometry and muddy textures alongside Nazis and Communists.
  22. Destructoid
    May 16, 2012
    55
    A mixed bag. Even though it makes good on rejuvenating the sniper rifle in videogames and giving players creative ways to fortify their location, it buries it all in one of the worst stealth games to come around in years. But, if you are the type of patient player that can look past a game's flaws, you may find an enjoyable Nazi testicle shooting gallery in V2.

Awards & Rankings

46
#46 Most Discussed Xbox 360 Game of 2012
40
#40 Most Shared Xbox 360 Game of 2012

User Reviews

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User Score
6.7

Mixed or average reviews- based on 162 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 76 out of 162
  2. Mixed: 62 out of 162
  3. Negative: 24 out of 162
  1. Xborn74
    May 4, 2012
    9
    The game is everything a fan who was the first version of PS2 / PC / Xbox 1 expected: the essence of the gameplay is all there - but not inThe game is everything a fan who was the first version of PS2 / PC / Xbox 1 expected: the essence of the gameplay is all there - but not in full perfection.

    The game's story is about Karl Fairburne, an Office of Strategic Services agent, which is inserted into Berlin in 1945, during the last days of World War II and the game refers to Operation Paperclip and Operation Overcast, the U.S. plans to recruit scientists from Nazi Germany; Fairburne arises against opponents both Nazis and Soviets as he intends to kill or capture key scientists involved in the program of the Nazi V-2 rocket.

    Visually, the graphics are very good, although not ultra-realistic, and portray very well the scenery and buildings / vehicles of the time. In the city you see soldiers in the distance, as shades between the dust and using binoculars / scope to give a zoom and see what happens. Among the ruined streets of Berlin, the details of destruction are very good, consistent with what we see in movies and pictures of the time: in addition, planes go over, and you see scraps of paper, sparks of fire and other things being carried by the wind. One criticism is the eternal absence of swastikas to the realistic scenario, using instead the German imperial flag.

    The sounds and music to the example of the previous version are perfect: music appropriate to the tense and silent mood of the game, and at appropriate times like fights, and of course, in the menus. It is usually mild and not offsets to the sounds that make the atmosphere of the scenarios, as the wind, which is different depending on your altitude, and local (environmental exposure) - the sounds are excellent, having sense of distance and Surround. The urban battlefield sounds of gunfire, screams, explosions, planes, etc. are perfect, and the shots are dry and echo through the scenario. The Russian and German soldiers do not speak English, but their native languages.

    The gameplay is execellent, those who do not know, a warning: this is not a COD or Battlefield, but rather an simulator of war - the base of the gameplay is Stealth: any attempt to be Rambo, usually ends in death. Moving you should try to move slowly, and crouched to avoid being seen. Depending on your position and other snipers positions, one sees in the distance a quick shine of the sun on their weapons or equipment, which shows the localization of the enemy - the same happens when you're spotted, and an "ghost" image is fixed in place where you was seen last time. If you're hit, the screen gets darker, with patches of blood - but your life it's regenerative. The shots are performed with the sniper rifle with LT to enter scope mode, and you control your heart / hold your breath, for aiming, and must consider the gravity and wind to adjust the aim, when ready pressing RT to fire. If the shot it's a extreme one, the mode shows the trajectory of the bullet in slow motion, that circulates throughout the scenarios from the barrel of his rifle to the target, hits it with bloody effects in a X-ray vision, showing the interior of the person, with the bullet getting through the skull and destroying the column.

    Each successful shot then shows the bottom of the screen, the distance, the type of shooting (vital organ, etc.) and how many points was worth the shot. There are many weapons in the game like the MP-40 submachine gun, a pistol, and other weapons like the Panzerfaust and hand grenades. There are also other items such as rocks that are thrown to distract the soldiers, land mines and trip-mines, to make ambushes and traps - and you can search dead soldier for ammunition and hide their bodies.

    There are some options of difficulty: Cadet, Marksman, Sniper Elite and Custom, that changes the gameplay in details like the efficiency of enemies, and the additional indicators of aid in the aim. The game also features collectibles in the form of bottles, and evaluates various parameters of your performance in the stages. There is a coop online mode, called Overwatch that I intend to try soon.

    The AI ??is good but could be better: they behave more or less like the soldiers of Metal Gear Solid, when they were caught by surprise, they act a little lost and disconnected, screaming and more or less hiding behind things - also when you throw a rock to distract them all go running behind the sound.

    I noticed some minor negative details: glitches like the ghost effect of passing through some objects; in general the graphics, although very good, could be something on the level of the top shooters (especially in the enemies faces); I also thought that killing it's more easy in this game than in Sniper Elite and I have a issue that when we hit the soldiers leg, they're considered to dead.

    Overall, as stated, it is the game that I loved in the past, but in a new incarnation, with better graphics and improved gameplay - although some minor negative details, it's a great game.    … Full Review »
  2. melganic
    May 5, 2012
    10
    It's sad this game got so low scores. This game is very similar to the first one, and I think it's great, because you will NOT find any gameIt's sad this game got so low scores. This game is very similar to the first one, and I think it's great, because you will NOT find any game like this. Of course there are bugs, it's quite common for smaller studios, but gameplay is great and you can't complain about the graphics. Unusual multiplayer and stealth singleplayer makes Sniper Elite V2 one of my favorite games.… Full Review »
  3. bugbear1
    May 4, 2012
    8
    -An addedum to my earlier review resulting from, imo, poor observation of some user reviews. Some folks have claimed the the AI in Sniper-An addedum to my earlier review resulting from, imo, poor observation of some user reviews. Some folks have claimed the the AI in Sniper Elite V2 is lame or idiotic, at best. True, sometimes, wehrmacht soldiers WILL fire into or at a wall where YOU, a sniper, was last seen. FFS, true to wehrmacht doctrine, those soldiers were SUPPRESSING your position while other soldiers began a flanking maneuver on your last know position. NO, they're NOT trying to shoot YOU through the wall! They are shooting AT the wall, to force you to keep your head down while others take you down from an oblique angle. The Germans INVENTED maneuver warfare and the devs of this game have included various tactics prevalent during the war. Sure, NO code is perfect; but consider the AI in this game; it has to SEE and HEAR and manage environmental obstacles, shoot, flank, cooperate with others AND, very importantly, be able to scan variable horizon lines. In other words, they are aware of ground-level actions and above-ground level actions while assessing threat, damage, and forcing closure. Next time some in-game krauts shoot at the wall you're hiding behind, better look over your shoulder right quick. Frankly, IF you play this game like a shooting gallery, you are doing yourself a disservice. A real-world sniper would never sit in one spot and hope to kill with discrimination and prejudice while expecting no reprisal. As far as soldaten going off protocol and disregarding control logic and wandering about aimlessly; that happens in real world scenarios as well; morale breaks down, confusion results, friendly-fire occurs, etc. It is NOT possible to replicate human emotion nor decision-making with AI control logic; it IS possible to abstract the result of percentages and known statistics, however, and simulate the uncertainty and chaos of war, which Sniper Elite V2 does very well with a minimal developmental budget. For what it is, and isn't, Sniper Elite V2 is solid, well-made, challenging and worth an install- NO, I do not work for the damn company, either. It's simply hightime that we get something that is more challenging structurally than a corridor shooter with simplistic player choice. What galls me, is the notion that Sniper Elite V2 should be judged against criteria that defines more simplistic games. Sure, the AI on a corridor shooter is more tight, scripted, and more defined with limited pathfinding, minimal choice, trigger points, etc. Events ARE triggered in Sniper Elite V2, to be sure, BUT how the situational AI responds to the random challenges players force through conditional-choice is wholly emergent and unscripted, except for plot-progression points, and, even then, the AI will alter its behavior and prosecution of player-choice and dynamics.… Full Review »
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