E3 (#E3) Reflections – Sniper The Ghost Warrior

Just what the market needed, another FPS. With Black Ops being announced in such an epic fashion at Staples Center and Homefront looking to be serious business, how are Americans going to find room in their rotation for another FPS? Honestly, how many times can you go on one man rampages to achieve your goal? Sniper seems to be a different take. It’s an entire game told from the point of a sniper. There’s a story in there but we’ll just skip it and go straight to the action. I hope you don’t mind.

The game has standard FPS controls, so fans of any game should feel right at home. There’s a wrinkle in this game, it’s based mainly on stealth. You’re a sniper so your job is to not be seen and pick off people, so stealth is the name of the game. The weapons you have are usually a sniper rifle, pistol or some knives and grenades. Where sniper really stands out is their level of realism (it’s a video game but hear me out) that’s included. Things such as your pulse, wind, distance, and elevation are taken into consideration. Running then trying to scope someone will reward you with a swaying scope. There’s a function where you can hold your breath for a shot, which helps with accuracy.
There was a level that was mentioned where the player has to function as a spotter for another sniper. It sounds interesting, but I have to see it running to see how I feel about it. This game uses traditional health bar vs regeneration feature that most games use now-a-days. The regen has become standard but I feel that in some cases it cheapens the gaming experience. Knowing that you can run away if you screw up and heal makes games a hell of a lot less stressful.

The multi-player is the standard death match up to 12 players. My biggest fear was that since the game is based on sniping that it would encourage camping. I was told that players would know the general area someone is in but not their exact location, so they still have to do some work. Of course I couldn’t keep my big mouth shut so I gave them a bunch of features they should try to add into the sequel to make it the most intense sniper simulator ever.

This game will have a lower price point than most of the games on the market. Considering that this is a fairly new group putting this game out, I think they did fine. The lower price point was a smart move so they don’t have to compete with the big boys off the bat. I feel that this game will develop a hardcore following maybe it won’t enjoy the popularity the bigger shooters will but with the right tweaks and support this game could be a sleeper hit. And if City does implement the ideas I kicked out I want to be listed in the credits and have a statue erected in their office honoring the glory of Phire.