The concept of a game fully build on what are usually levels in a Call of Duty or Battlefield campaign proved to be quite difficult in City Interactive’s less successful first attempt, when Sniper Ghost Warrior hit stores in the summer of 2010. With almost three years having passed, the studio hunkered down and tried to make things right with Sniper Ghost Warrior 2.
Ghost Warrior 2, much like its predecessor, is a game that revolves around sneaking through levels and pulling off some incredible sniping shots with the end goal being a big caliber bullet hitting the forehead of an enemy after it’s made its way down a calculated trajectory. City Interactive has addressed a lot of the major gripes players had with the original game such as the less than stellar enemy AI and frustrating difficulty level.
Sniper Ghost Warrior 2 is a noticeably improved game with smarter enemy AI, even though sometimes they still act questionably, and scaled down difficulty without making the game too easy. I was able to turn off the red dot assistance and still hit my target from far distances with some thought put into the shot’s setup. Ghost Warrior 2 will make you feel pretty bad ass if you take your time. If not, you may see the game over screen more often than you’d like.
Patience is a key element to having fun with the second game in the franchise. When I took my time and sneaked through the beautiful jungle environments of the Philippines or the war torn city of Sarajevo, I was able to really enjoy the gameplay mechanics of Ghost Warrior 2. It is quite satisfying to stay crouched and not being seen by several enemies only to make it to a vantage point and take out the scattering foes one by one.
While it is essential to play stealthy because a sniper simply isn’t equipped to handle rushing in soldiers, I was able to make my way out of an alert state without dying. Ghost Warrior 2 isn’t as punishing as the first game which was a nice surprise but poorly designed checkpoints, and sometimes also level design, will make you extra careful since much progress can be lost upon player death.
Ghost Warrior 2 is a globetrotting tale where players take control of Cole, acting as an elite sniper providing over-watch to assault ground teams. I had somewhat low expectations going into the game but was pleasantly surprised as Ghost Warrior 2 is a reasonably well written and acted sniping focused shooter. The narrative has some well delivered twists and turns and kept me playing through the story whenever repetition set in. Playing as a hyper skilled and well equipped sniper is conveyed well through the plot and gameplay alike. I often leaned forward at the edge of my seat to make sure I pull of the perfect shot.
Since the game was developed in Cry Engine 3 it is a quite good looking title with smooth animations. Combine the visuals with good sound and voice work and you got yourself a nice immersive experience. The 8 to 9 hour campaign is the main attraction but Ghost Warrior 2 does contain a multiplayer mode but that doesn’t come close to matching the single player campaign as there are only a couple of maps to chose from and not much incentive to stick with it.
Sniper Ghost Warrior 2 is a big improvement over the original game and City Interactive has done a nice job of building on an interesting concept. The game looks good, brings with it a good story and challenging gameplay but falls short of being a great game. Some of the frustrating parts of Ghost Warrior 2 were the poorly placed checkpoints, as well as the sometimes silly AI and a lackluster multiplayer mode. However, if the sniping mission from Call of Duty 4 is one of your most memorable moments in shooters then Sniper Ghost Warrior 2 is a game you should play as it brings some of the tension and fine gameplay and spreads it well across a fully fleshed out single player campaign.
Score: 7 / 10
Sniper Ghost Warrior 2 was developed and published by City Interactive Games for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC on March 12th. A copy of the game was provided to us by City Interactive for reviewing purposes.
