There’s certainly a guilty pleasure to the death and destruction in Rebellion’s Sniper Elite 3 – and the stealth-based shooter is definitely a refreshing change from the proliferation of run-and-gun titles that line the shelves.

This sequel once again puts you in the boots of crackshot Karl Fairburne, an elite OSS sniper, who’s in search of the rather clichéd “super weapon” in the Nazi’s control during World War II. Instead of the war-torn streets of Germany, and the typical drab grey environments, we’re instead transported to the arid desert landscape of North Africa, a sandy oasis that hosted some key battles of the conflict – and an oft-overlooked setting for games of this type.

"The visuals are pretty decent, with dust being thrown about the place and sunlight streaming from the skies. It can be really quite striking at times."

It’s indeed a most welcome change, the terrain lending itself to locations that are much less linear than the previous games that suffered the bottlenecks of corridors, streets and destroyed buildings. It also ensures that each mission can be played out in different ways and via various routes. You can rush in all guns blazing if you like, and dive in Rambo-style unleashing merry hell and mowing down the horde of Nazi soldiers that run your way. Alternatively – and far more sensible – you could go all stealthy and crouch or crawl your way through the various outposts, stabbing enemies or picking them off one by one with your trusty M1 Garand or silenced Welrod pistol. And for a little variety, why not lay some devious explosive traps and lure soldiers into their path?

The visuals are pretty decent, with dust being thrown about the place and sunlight streaming from the skies. It can be really quite striking at times. The desert arena is very pleasant to look at – from the mountain ranges and rickety old bridges to the buildings and watchtowers.

Each of the eight missions boasts a huge play area (three times larger than the levels seen in Sniper Elite V2, apparently) and often requires a trek from one side of the map to the other to reach the next objective. It never feels like a slog, however, with minor optional tasks combining with a smattering of bad guys that never make the play space feel empty. You never know what’s around the next corner and it certainly keeps you on your toes.

"Before long, you’ll feel like an absolute master of long range shots and be picking off distant foes with aplomb. There’s something immensely satisfying about firing a bullet towards some carefully planted dynamite and destroying a passing patrol or lying on a distant ridge and downing a gunner in a watchtower."

It definitely pays to stake out an area first so you aren’t surprised by passing soldiers. A click of the right stick pulls up a pair of binoculars, which can be zoomed in and out with the D-pad. Tapping the right trigger tags enemies so you can keep track of their whereabouts. Realism takes a bit of a back seat here, as those you’ve spotted then become visible even through walls and scenery…

Before long, you’ll feel like an absolute master of long range shots and be picking off distant foes with aplomb. There’s something immensely satisfying about firing a bullet towards some carefully planted dynamite and destroying a passing patrol or lying on a distant ridge and downing a gunner in a watchtower.

Successful sniping is celebrated via the trademark X-ray kill cam, a gratuitous reward for your disposal of an enemy that’s been souped-up somewhat in this third game. It’s a spectacular and incredibly gory inclusion – and one that is most welcome; you never tire of seeing a bullet spew from the gun’s chamber, soar through the air in slow motion and rip through the chest of the enemy, smashing through virtual bone, muscle and sinew. It’s glorious… in fact, it’s kind of a shame when you use a standard sub machine gun or throw a grenade and don’t get the cut scene.

The kill cam extends to vehicles too, with shots at highlighted areas causing a cut scene that shows shattered pistons and blasted components. It’s all very satisfying.

"There’s plenty of replayability that should see you get more value out of the game, with various challenges and objectives to complete, collectibles to find, and several multiplayer modes."

Should it all go horribly wrong and you’re detected, onscreen indicators give you a heads up for when it’s best to relocate and scurry off to another, altogether safer, location. Take too long, however, and you’ll be wiped out in seconds.

There are plenty of collectibles to be found throughout the game, from War Diaries and playing cards to weapon parts and sniper’s nests. Ammo litters the battlefield and you can root through the pockets of dead foes to supplement your stocks too. And don’t forget to dispose of the bodies when you’re done or someone may stumble upon them later and sound the alarm.

It’s a shame that close quarter combat is so cumbersome and awkward – silent melee attacks can only take place when you’re directly behind a bad guy and won’t work if there’s an obstacle in the way. Firing a pistol at someone when only a few feet away is literally a bit of a hit-and-miss affair too, and reloads often take place at the most inopportune moments. To be honest, it normally either pays to draw your faithful sniper rifle and fire away point blank or simply run away from their view and wait for the dimwit AI to forget all about you!

There’s plenty of replayability that should see you get more value out of the game, with various challenges and objectives to complete, collectibles to find, and several multiplayer modes.

The co-op option allows you to team up with a buddy and either play through the whole campaign, or try your hand at the Overwatch and Survival modes. Having a friend act as a spotter while you take the shots is great fun and adds an entirely new perspective to the proceedings.

Sniper Elite 3 builds on the previous games and improves on them in many ways. There are still a few foibles but it’s a compelling and fun game that is a nice change from all the other shooters currently available.

This game was reviewed on Xbox One.

Game Overview:

Sniper Elite III is a direct sequel to Sniper Elite 2 and continues the story of sniper Karl Fairburne. The game takes place during World War II’s setting in North Africa, introducing a new enemy in the series.

Sniper Elite 3 is developed by Rebellion Oxford and published by 505 Games. The game is now available for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC.

Check out the video walkthrough of Sniper Elite 3 below and let us know if you have any questions in the comments section below.

For video game guides, tips and wikis, check out our gaming portal here.

The title is set to be published by both Rebellion and 505 Games who previously published Payday 2 and Sniper Elite V2. Arriving in Europe on June 27th 2014 and July 1st 2014 in North America, Sniper Elite III will be available at retail and via digital download and will be launching on current and last generation consoles. Sniper Elite III will be available on PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One and Microsoft Windows.

• 1. Development
• 2. Gameplay
• 3. Story
• 4. Characters

Development

Despite development information being somewhat limited, some details have come to the fore thanks to a community Q&A that was hosted by Rebellion. When questioned about what changes we can expect to see between the previous two games and Sniper Elite III, developers have said that when to compared to the previous games the levels will be up to three times larger that will allow for longer missions with more objectives and more choices in how you execute your orders by making use of your environment. The player can sabotage pieces of equipment in the game world to create additional ambient sounds to help mask the sound of their shots.

The larger maps will also contain markedly more enemies (no specific numbers have been giving regarding the new on-screen enemy count). The increased enemy count will also be bolstered with new AI that will make them “smarter, more believable”.

Player interaction with the environment is said to be smoother with a number of features that will be improved, including vaulting over and taking cover as well as weapon acquisition and equipment selection and use. Despite mentioning the inclusion of period and location specific weaponry, Rebellion are remaining vague in regards to other weapons in the game leading many fans to expect additional content to be provided by way of day one paid DLC, “The launch release starts out with weapons used in the conflict – so the favourites are back – the M1 Garrand, the British Lee Enfield and Gewehr. We’ll be adding some popular V2 ones and some all-new rifles at a later date!”

Speaking to Gaming Bolt’s own Kurtis Simpson, Sniper Elite III’s senior producer Jean-Baptiste Bolcato spoke about the various challenges that face developers who want to develop their titles on Xbox One. This was in response to the industry’s current fascination with achieving 1080p + 60FPS (frames per second: The speed at which the image refreshes, a smooth 60FPS is often considered by PC players [and more recently the console audience] the most stable and player friendly way to play games). Stating that the issues encountered were partly reliant on eSRAM (a low latency, high bandwidth memory solution) and how much the Xbox One has available. This lower eSRAM availability has caused trouble for developers trying to achieve a 1080p image. Bolcato says, “It was clearly a bit more complicated to extract the maximum power from the Xbox One when you’re trying to do that. I think eSRAM is easy to use. The only problem is…Part of the problem is that it’s just a little bit too small to output 1080p within that size. It’s such a small size within there that we can’t do everything in 1080p with that little buffer of super-fast RAM.”

Gameplay

The gameplay in the Sniper Elite video games has catered to the dedicated snipers of gaming since 2005 when they released Sniper Elite on PS2, Xbox, Wii and Microsoft Windows. Since then, little has changed at the games core which has always been laser focused on delivering precision action that relies on the players ability to put rounds down range and never miss their target. Players will make their way through a number of hostile enemy environments, tasked with assassination, reconnaissance and sabotage.

As the player moves forward, they will often find themselves hopelessly outnumbered, facing enemy camps and patrols that leave no stone unturned when pursuing their target. Making use of period specific weaponry such as bolt action rifles outfitted with long range scopes or magazine fed weapons customised to maximise their DMR (designated marksman rifle) properties, the player will wage war from afar. And if all doesn’t go according to plan they may employ the use of mines and trip wires attached to grenades to secure an escape route or cover a bottle neck.

The player can hold their breath to help stabilise their aim to assist in making those all important long range shots against the enemy. Targeting the most vulnerable body parts and organs or scoring a particularly fine hit will sometimes reward the player with an “X-ray Cam” view of the bullet as the game slows down and the camera follows the trajectory of your lethally aimed projectile, giving the player a graphic (and clear) picture of just how much damage the bullet has wrought. Hitting targets in the leg can be used to force heroic rescuers to run into your line of fire in an attempt to save their ally, a savvy sniper will use this chance to (literally) kill birds with one stone. If the player is feeling particularly lucky and happens to have a favourable cross wind, they may even be able to detonate any explosives that the enemy is carrying with an expertly placed shot.

Story

Rebellion is hoping that Sniper Elite III will have a campaign in the region of 12 hours long, but they admit that this is subject to change depending on both the players play style and their competence in the game.

While not much is known about the game, we do know that it will take place in North Africa set against the backdrop of World War 2. The player will be primarily fighting against the fearsome and wholly lethal Afrika Korps, but the enemy is a person by the name of Vahlen who has something secret planned.

Characters

Karl Fairburne – Karl is an American OSS secret agent who travels deep behind enemy lines disguised as one of their own. Using his lethal sniping abilities he has accomplished more in his time as an agent than an entire regiment of men could achieve.

The Afrika Korps – The fighting men of the Afrika Korps are a potent and capable enemy that is the main enemy of the American agent Karl Fairburne.

Vahlen – Vahlen is an unknown and an enigma at the moment with next to no information being available regarding him or his activities.

Note: This wiki will be updated once we have more information about the game.

Rebellion’s Sniper Elite 3 has received a new preview video and it contains some new gameplay footage for the upcoming sandbox, sniping-based shooter. Check it out above and marvel at the bone-shattering desert sniping on display.

Sniper Elite 3 will take place during World War II and takes the conflict to North Africa where you’ll take on Germany’s Afrika Corps. That means taking on Tiger tanks and other overwhelming odds. There’s also a super weapon being developed and you’re the one thing that can stop the Nazis from using it. Because Lord knows that you can’t have Nazis without them developing some kind of super-weapon.

Developed for PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One, Sniper Elite 3 will be launching on June 27th in Europe and July 1st in North America. What do you think of the above gameplay footage? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below and stay tuned for more details as the release draws near.

Rebellion has released a new developer diary for Sniper Elite 3, and this time we’re learning about the improvements and changes that went into the new X-Ray Killcam. Needless to say, this one is a doozy so check it out above.

The Killcam is triggered when a player is scoring pretty well, which can be done by shooting moving targets and whatnot, and it essentially follows the path of your bullet straight through an enemy’s skull. In Sniper Elite 3, you’re able to see not only bones and organs (which have been reworked) but muscle tissue and the circulatory system as well. Rebellion also reworked the sound aspect to make the overall SFX of the bullet travelling more realistic.

Sound like a good enough use of next-gen technology to you? We’ll find for ourselves out when Sniper Elite 3 releases later this year for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC and hopefully current gen platforms as well.