Sniper Elite V2 is a remake of the tactical shooter that was released back in 2005. Developed by Rebellion and published by 505 Games the story takes place the same time as the “Battle of Berlin” in April-May 1945. You step into the boots of Karl Fairburne, an American Office of Strategic Services officer, who is placed in Germany and must capture or kill the scientists involved in the V-2 rocket program.

You start every level behind enemy lines with no support other than the weapons at your disposal. The weapons used are mainly from the World War II era and include weapons such as sniper rifles, sub-machine guns, a silenced Welrod pistol for those close up kills and both German and Soviet hand grenades. Because this is a stealth game you also have some awesome trip wires and land mines, which if used correctly can make for some fun looking kills. For example, if there are some enemies in a room you’re about to enter then set a trip wire in the door way then use the rocks you have at your disposal to alert them and get them to walk towards the doorway and sure enough they will be blown to bits. The game is very heavily stealth based and you can’t just run in all guns blazing and expect to walk out alive. You have to use your surroundings to your advantage and pick off the enemies one by one.

There are a few different factors that will affect your ability to get a perfect clean shot on an enemy. When setting your sights on a target you have to take factors such as bullet drop, wind strength, low heart rate and also the effect of holding your breath to steady your aim. After pulling the trigger the bullet will be followed in slow motion as it fires out of your rifle, across the map, before showing an “X-ray Kill cam” shot of your enemy as the bullet passes through them showing the damaged to the different organs and bones. This features is very enjoyable as it adds to the buzz of every kill, you can even shoot the explosives on an enemy and it will follow the bullet before you get to watch them explode and kill anyone else around them.

Sniper Elite V2 has 4 different online game modes. The first is a standard co-op campaign where you can buddy up with one of your friends and go through each level of the game. The next mode is called “Kill Tally” which is an easy to follow wave attack mode where you and your friends have to hold your position and take out as many Nazi’s you can until you’re on your knees and can’t go any longer. Then you have the “Bombing Run” mode where the area that you are in is about to get bombed and you need to repair your vehicle to get out of there. The parts are spread across the map and you have to kill the enemies that are around them and collect the item. It is best to stick together for each part as when you go the collect the part it takes a few seconds for the character to pick it up, after which a group of enemies spawn and try and take you out. Also, you can only hold one item at a time so it’s a case of going backwards and forwards from your base to the parts.

Lastly you have the “Overwatch” mode, which requires one person to be a sniper and the other to be on the ground as a spotter with an SMG completing objectives. The sniper has to support the support and keep them alive to do the objectives. The spotter can use their binoculars to tag enemies so the sniper can located them and take them out as quickly as possible. They haven’t put in any regular online modes such as “team death match” or “capture the flag” etc as they wouldn’t have much emphasis on being a sniper and these game modes they have creative keep the sniper elements there but add in the importance of team work and tactics.

Sniper Elite V2 is available now for Play Station 3, Xbox 360 and will be on PC.

Review in association with Duracell Gaming Accessories, which are available from Amazon, Play.com and Zavvi.com Review by Thomas Thompsett, White Room Games.