Sniper Elite 5 Preview: Shooting Nazi Balls Never Gets Old

thegamer.com:

You’ve played Sniper Elite 5 before. That sounds like a damning criticism, but for years developer Rebellion has traded on familiarity in order to make this shooter series a success. It’s the game that you can boot up, pick up a sniper rifle, and watch a fascist’s testicles be obliterated in a slow-motion spectacle of exuberant viscera. It never gets old, for better or worse.

Despite how familiar it appears on the surface, after spending a few hours with Sniper Elite 5 it does feel like a meaningful evolution over previous entries, if only a slight one. A greater focus on player choice and loadout customisation allows each mission to feel like a sprawling playground filled with possibilities instead of walking us through a campaign dictated by derivative set pieces. Taking clear inspiration from Hitman with its mission structure, this feels like a comfortable yet ambitious shooter that hits all the right targets.

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For the hands-on preview I was given free rein over an entire level, invited to step into the shoes of a fairly generic soldier as he’s ordered to infiltrate a sprawling noble residence turned Nazi compound in search of some secret plans. It’s your typical, super generic World War 2 setup that provides enough narrative agency to justify the goal of each mission, but nobody is going to be playing Sniper Elite 5 for the story. If you are, please take a good look at yourself in the mirror. Still, it was enough to keep me intrigued as I formulated a plan and waltzed into the hostile countryside to be promptly murdered by an onslaught of enemy soldiers.

I’ll admit it took me a little while to find my bearings, largely because Sniper Elite 5 isn’t