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Sniper: Ghost Warrior Review

Hold your breath and take aim as you crawl and crouch your way through Sniper: Ghost Warrior. This near simulation type sniper game from City Interactive, forces you to think about the mechanics of shooting more than any other game I have played. You will have to pay attention to wind speed, target movement, and distance as you try and pick them off. With a decent campaign mode, and a better multi-player mode, Sniper: Ghost Warrior will have you appreciating what really travels through the mind of an elite sniper.

Campaign

You are a part of an elite sniper squad, whose main objective is to infiltrate the fictional Latin American country of Isla Trueno, and help topple the current oppressive government regime. I would describe this single player mode in Sniper: Ghost Warrior (SGW) as ample.

It has a decent length to it with several missions, some of which are not sniper missions at all, but an attempt at normal FPS run and gun missions.

While these missions kept me entertained, I found several instances of pure frustration. For example, the glitches in movement were very frustrating. There were several instances where I would be crawling around in the grass to line up a shot, only to be stopped in my tracks by a seemingly invisible "wall". There were also instances where I became stuck in place by objects on the ground such as rocks.

Another example of frustration came from the ridiculous AI. At times, the enemies seemed clueless and unaware. Yet, at other times, the AI seemed to have Spiderman's sense of awareness as they would notice you from forever away no matter which angle you took towards them. This became annoying almost to the point of anger at times because it seemed your character was destined to be killed no matter what you did. You could crawl, crouch or walk towards the enemy, and they would see you no matter what.

The graphics of the game had moments of both shining brilliance and supreme letdown. The environment of the game was a bright spot. It had a very expansive feel to it and at a distance looked very beautiful. The cut scene animations were also very nice as they highlighted this environment. Then the character models were revealed. These looked extremely choppy and grainy and really failed to live up to the environment's brilliance. The shadowing was also terrible. There were several times I noticed a shadow that almost looked like a bunch of square blocks on top of each other. The bullet cam was one of the truly great things about the game as I had flashbacks of Max Payne. The slow motion Matrix-esque feel to the animation was a nice change of pace to the game.

The game play itself was entertaining. I really enjoyed the environmental effects that had to be considered while planning your shot. I, personally, had never played a game where real world shooting mechanics were simulated, so this was a welcome addition to the game. This simulation-type shooting was limited to the sniper rifles, however. The pistols were useless. Several, several rounds had to be discharged from the pistol to take down an enemy. Picking up some of the rocks and hurling them at the enemy seemed like it would have been just as effective as using that pistol.

Overall, I did enjoy myself playing through this campaign. While times of frustration did arise, I really enjoyed the thought process that accompanied taking the shot in this game. The lackluster model graphics were disappointing, yet seemed to be overshadowed and drowned out by the brilliance of the environment and cut scenes.

Online

This was the most enjoyable part of the game for me. Just a word of warning, if you like fast paced, action packed game play, this is not for you. The multi-player mode of SGW plays out as I would expect a bunch of snipers hunting each other down would. It entails a bunch of waiting and panning the landscape hoping to catch a glimpse of the slightest movement in the bush. I really had a lot of fun playing this mode. I actually found myself abandoning the single player mode somewhat quickly in favor of this.

There are several maps included in the game. Overall, these maps were pretty well thought out, offering more than ample rocks and surfaces to hide behind. The maps were pretty obviously divided into "sides" that were on opposite sides of the map. Generally, I found myself staying on my side of the map for personal safety. However, there were instances where I would attempt to cross over to the other side and catch my enemy by surprise. This was somewhat difficult, however, because the path to the opposite side of that map was restricted, and the game often funneled you to only one way across.

You can also choose your weapon set, which will vary everything from the strength of your weapon to your character's speed of movement. As with the single player campaign, however, the pistol is useless. In the instances where I would run to the opponent's side of the map for some close up action, I would have to use several magazines of ammunition to try and kill my enemy. I quickly found this strategy to be aimless, as I would more often than not find myself getting shot from afar while trying to wield my pellet gun of a pistol.

As stated though, this mode requires patience. I became completely entranced in the art of stealth while scanning for my opponents. You will find yourself quickly becoming adept at seeing movement from across the map. A good hiding spot is key to this mode, as staying out in the open is certain to lead to getting picked off.

One of the only drawbacks that I notice to this mode was the amount of online games available. Several times it took a long time to find and connect to a suitable match online. I did find a way around this though. I found that the key to playing this game online was to host your own game. You could customize everything about your game experience by doing this. You could select how long the game would last, how it was won, and what maps you wanted in the cycle. I found that by hosting your own game, you obviously were sure to have a good connection, and players joined almost instantly. I never found myself waiting to play when I chose to host my won game.

Overall

I enjoyed this game overall, but found myself quickly becoming disenfranchised with the single player mode. Had this game failed to offer a multi-player version, it would have been a loss. I have not played the single player mode since discovering the online mode, so if you do not plan on playing the online mode, I would suggest against this game. The graphics of the game were pretty good, but were let down by the character models. I did enjoy the shooting mechanics of the game, as I have often found myself longing for a more realistic approach in other games. Just watch out for the unrealistic AI and the sporadic software glitch. Otherwise, stay calm, hold your breath, and take your shot.