Developer: CI Games
Publisher: CI Games
Platform: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
Tested on: PS5
Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts 2 – Review
The Sniper Ghost Warrior series has been going on for quite some time now, and for the most part, it only spawned fairly mediocre releases. We even reviewed part 2 and 3 of the original series in the past ourselves. These games often barely scored the halfway mark, making them somewhat of a mixed bag for enthusiasts of the genre. Nonetheless, the fan base has been hoping that the games would improve, as the foundation was often quite interesting. Now, with the release of Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts 2 for PlayStation 5, we might finally be able to break out the champagne.
Story
While there is some story value to be found when playing through Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts 2, it’s a fairly generic affair. You’ll find yourself in the Middle East, taking down assigned targets, hoping to topple an evil regime that is gaining a foothold in the region. By doing so, you slowly weaken their grip on the surrounding area(s) and destabilize their military forces. Overall, things are neatly explained and do add a bit of charm to the experience.
Graphics
Even though the PS5 port looks quite good, it’s very clear that there’s a last-gen foundation underneath the updated textures. The game looks quite realistic, and there are many interesting details to behold when playing through the different maps of the game. The game does have some gore present, where your targets’ heads get blown to bits, or where dismemberment may occur when shooting enemies. The overall quality is great, but some of the maps reuse a lot of assets to just fill in the blank spots. You’ll notice a lot of rough edges, and even with the PS5 optimizations, it looks a lot more like a PS4 game. This is not necessarily a bad thing, as the PS5 has some other advantages over the PS4 version, but keep this in mind if you’re expecting a true next-gen game.
Sound
The sound design is fairly alright. The guns pack a proper punch and sound realistic, and the comm chatter is quite decently handled as well. The random soldier conversations feel a bit off at times, especially when a soldier keeps looking at the wall in front of him, stating he has no cigarettes. Outside of those small bits, everything is handled properly and there’s a decent amount of quality voice acting present in the game.
Gameplay
Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts 2 is a first-person shooter that’s all about sniping targets at a far distance. While there is some close combat embedded into the gameplay as well, most important targets have to be taken out from a long distance, hence making use of the game’s decent sniping mechanics. From start to finish, you pick a region in which you take out targets or complete other (sabotage) objectives. The base mechanics are fairly straightforward, but you’ll need to get used to the somewhat clunky controls for the additional gadgets.
As stated above, you pick a region in which you wish to play. Even though these regions have to be unlocked in order, this doesn’t mean that you have to clear them completely to unlock the next one. You’ll just have to hit your targets, and then the next region will open up. Each region has a set of objectives that need to be completed, but you can leave the mission area after completing one objective, already saving your progress. This is a great way to play the game in short sessions. Of course, if you want to hit all targets in one go, that is also a possibility. Outside of the regular marked targets, you can also complete a lot of challenges, which grant you extra money to buy supplies and new weapons. As you progress, you will also gain more experience points which you can invest in different skills or gadgets, making your missions easier, or allow you to complete more challenges.
We did very much enjoy this new entry, but there were a few slip-ups that did deteriorate from the overall quality of the game. We noticed that the controls are somewhat wonky, and that not every gadget has intuitive controls. This is very noticeable when flying around with a drone, as you have zero precision when doing so. The AI is also a bit finicky in this game. At times they will spot you and attack you from well out of their normal range, and at other times they glare at you, while you lie in front of them on the ground, without noticing a thing. This does break a bit of the immersion for a realistic shooter such as this.
Conclusion
Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts 2 is a surprisingly good (slow-paced) shooter that shows us that this franchise can actually spawn good games. There’s a bit of something for everyone, as those looking to just play the missions will still make enough progress to be able to complete the game, while completionists have a lot of challenges to complete in order to see everything the game has to offer. While the controls sometimes felt a bit awkward and the AI is a bit finicky, the game is still quite appealing for shooter enthusiasts.
Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts 2 - Review,
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