There have been rumors going around for awhile that the PC version was going to be sub par... this simply is not true. The game is absolutely breath taking and clearly a next gen title for PC. The requirements are pretty high and its worth it and more. One does not simply make a great LOTR game for next gen and not have high requirements.The art assets are true to the movies, along with the voice acting. It feels like your inside of a Peter Jackson LOTR movie. The sounds and score to this game while not quite Howard Shore level, Garry Schyman does a great job fitting the music to the atmosphere. I find myself in awe of the level of detail even though it takes place in the dark bleak world of Mordor. The lore and story is very well done and works well with what was taken from the Similarion.
The nemesis system is adaptive and innovative. The nemesis system keeps the game fresh and brings a bit of strategy to the game, no enemy is exactly the same. They can kill their enemies or complete their personal quests to level up. They can also challenge each other to compete for ranks and position in Saurons army. I enjoy sneaking around listening to the orcs and uruks talk about various things that has happened in the area or their plans to advance. It adds a lot of atmosphere to the game and is very satisfying to spoil their plans. If you kill a captain, eventually another will be generated with unique stats to take his place. If a enemy kills you he powers up and gains rank, and can use his newfound power to kill other captains. They also remember encounters with you and will taunt you accordingly.
The game is a dynamic sandbox filled with orcs and uruks, though your restricted to the region of Mordor. You start out in Mordor and what you do next is up to you. You can play how you want to achieve your goals. Combat is very fluid and satisfying to watch like in the movies. There are combat unlocks and weapon upgrades as you progress to keep combat fresh.
The only real downside is there is no co-op multiplayer, which would of made the experience even more amazing to play with a buddy and would of opened up a new level of strategy.
Overall, this is a must buy for any LOTR fan who is a gamer, especially on PC.
"One Shot is all it takes to change history"... That's the motto 505 Games, and Rebellion are using to sell their latest title 'Sniper Elite 3'. But does the latest in the Sniper Elite franchise change gaming history?
Story:
Sniper Elite 3 once again puts you in the role of veteran sniper, Lieutenant Karl Fairburn. Set as a prequel for the events of V2, you play as Karl during the conflict in North Africa during WW2. The story starts out with Karl loading his rifle in Tobruk, when suddenly the Axis forces invade the city and begin bombarding the walls with artillery. Shortly after escaping the destruction, (and taking off a few heads with your M1 Grand), You find yourself in the middle of a Nazi plot to create a super tank... or something. To be honest, I stopped caring about the story, because it became obvious the developers didn't care about it either. For example, this is the only way the narrative progresses:
It's a shame the devs didn't take the time to create a truly compelling story, but that seems to be the trend with shooters these days. Luckily with Sniper Elite 3, it doesn't impact the overall experience. The game still manages to keep you coming back mission after mission because... Well, this.
No other shooter in recent memory offers such satisfying kills. Sure, Fallout 3 has a similar feature with the V.A.T.S. system, but in this game, with each perfect shot you line up, you're rewarded with a gruesome and detailed look at what the bullet you fired does to your target's organs in full X-Ray view.
It's been called a gimmick by some reviewers, but it's honestly the one thing that sets this title apart. It adds some flare to an otherwise dull campaign.
Gameplay:
So if the story is non existent, the gameplay better be great right? Luckily, Gameplay is where Sniper Elite 3 shines best. SE3 progresses at a steady pace, balancing stealth and shoot-out sections well enough to keep the game from getting too repetitive. Most of the time, stealth is heavily encouraged, although you are free to complete the missions guns blazing if that's your thing.
On the higher difficulty settings, however, you will be punished for being spotted. The enemies are unforgiving, and won't hesitate to empty an entire clip into you. This is because Sniper Elite 3 is, at it's core, a stealth game. There are many opportunities in each level to mask the sound your rifle makes by either sabotaging a noisy generator, or firing during lightning strikes in a thunderstorm. You also have a silenced pistol and an endless supply of throwable rocks to trick gullible nazis into isolating themselves, allowing you to swoop in for a stealth kill. It's obvious the creators intended for players to sneak through missions, but it's nice to have an MP40 at your side when things go haywire.
The multiplayer is also a generally fun experience... When you aren't getting disconnected. SE3 features the standard Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch game types, but also throws in unique modes like 'Distance King' where player score points based solely on how far away their target was. It's certainly a different kind of shooter; if you run around the map with a machine gun, you're going to lose your head quickly.
The game only features 4 sniper rifles to choose from, (unless your willing to cough up extra dollars for DLC), but it does allow you to modify various parts, tweaking the stats to your liking.
One good thing that can be said about SE3, is that it makes good use of the next gen hardware. On the PS4, the game runs at 1080p and what appears to be 60 frames per second.
However, it's obvious the developers haven't gotten used to the new consoles just yet as the game is host to a plethora of glitches. Thankfully, none that I have encountered are game breaking, but I have seen Karl falling through the floor on other reviewer's videos.
As I previously mentioned, If you're playing on the PS4, prepare for an uphill battle when trying to find a match. It can take upwards of 15 minutes to get into a match without having your session time out. The game also features Co-Op for all 8 of its single player missions, however, I have yet to test this feature as this mode also suffers from syncing issues and sessions timing out. It's a pretty big mess, but Rebellion has acknowledged the issue, and claims it to be their #1 Priority. It's likely this will no longer be a problem by the time this review is published, but it's worth mentioning.
Conclusion:
Overall, Sniper Elite 3 is fun, and during the summer game drought, that's all you can really ask for. Sniper Elite 3 doesn't hit the bullseye, but it's close.
