E3 2015 | Hiding In Plain Sight With Third “Sniper: Ghost Warrior” Title
The thing about sniper-focused video games is that those who play them with a Call of Duty mindset will find themselves riddled with bullets over and over again. Patience is key, as in real-life snipers will wait for hours -- sometimes even days -- to take out their target. CI Games has understood this fully, with their Sniper: Ghost Warrior series trying to push the boundaries of realism in the sniper vicinity, and while their games in the past haven't always been perfect they still did a great job with capturing the key elements to being behind the scope. Next year CI Games will be bringing us the next incarnation of the franchise: Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3.
At E3 I had the chance to go hands-on with the current build of Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3, as I was tasked on killing a high-ranking official from the enemy's side. Before I got to try it, we were given a demonstration from a couple of CI Games' developers, showing us one of the ways to take out our target. He started out by sneaking behind an enemy soldier and quietly taking him out, so as to not raise suspicion from his fellow troops. Using his senses, he discovered a bunch of enemy traps that he could either disarm or walk around so as to not blow himself up. Reaching his hidden safe zone he grabbed his sniper rifle, armor, and other tools that he'll need to take out the target and any enemies in that vicinity. Once fully equipped the real quest began.
Using his skills the developer found a pathway that was both quick enough and kept the sniper well-hidden from any nearby enemies. With his drone he could spot various enemies and traps, making it easier for him to either avoid them or take them out with the quietest of ease. Taking his time, as a sniper should, he eliminated various enemies as quietly as possible, not using any of his bullets so as to not call attention to his position. Finally the perfect situation came, and after calibrating his scope he took down the target with just one shot. Quickly a helicopter came by to pick up the sniper, although the developers assured us that the pick-up was just for the demo and escaping from an accomplished mission will be a lot more challenging.
After the demonstration I was brought to a booth, where I attempted to initiate what I just witnessed the developers do. I'll admit that playing a game that requires a lot of patience at a gaming convention is easier said than done, as having limited time to play with a demo makes completing the task at hand all the more difficult. Nevertheless I decided to do the best that I could. Changing things up from the demonstration I went with a fast-travel to a different area to see if I could scope out another spot to take my target out. I found myself at a bridge, where soldiers seemed to be digging something close to the railroad tracks. Just to see what would happen I took out one of the soldiers, which then led to the other soldiers trying to eliminate me. At one point a search helicopter appeared, but with two quick shots to their engine I took it down in a fiery blaze. Sadly that really got the enemy's attention, and after a fairly good effort my sniper was taken out.
So far Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3 seems to be offering a great challenge, emphasizing strongly on finding that perfect strategy in order to take out a target. The forest surroundings look gorgeous, with plenty of places to hide and assassinate your enemies. While it will require some patience, it appears that players who take their time, figure out a plan, and use as little bullets as possible on your mission will be awarded greatly for their efforts. In other words: CI Games is truly doing their all to create the most realistic sniper experience ever in gaming, and so far they are succeeding.
Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3 will be out in 2016 on PS4, Xbox One, and PC.
Originally posted on the ESH EGMNOW Page
