I must
say that with the past weeks events I was a bit hesitant to put my name
on anything with the word sniper written all over it. After playing
Sniper: Path of Vengeance, though, my attitude changed a bit. Even if
there wasnt a sniper incident splashed across our headlines I wouldnt
want to be associated with this game. There isnt any room in the world
of first person shooters for this title; the gameplay lacks originality
and is just plain awful.
The
sniping business hasnt always been this bad, though. Im sure several
of you have spent large amounts of money at your local arcade playing
Silent Scope and its sequels. The idea for a game in this vein has merit
and a quality title would surely gain much attention. I mean whats more
satisfying than sniping bad guys and whats more frustrating than
getting sniped? Unfortunately, the only thing successfully shot down by
this game is players hope of a quality title.
Everything
about this game screams generic and the story is no exception. The
main character, known only as "The Sniper," is one bad man. Apparently
several folks have it out for our beloved hitman, though. It seems a
crime war has erupted and the sniper has been double crossed and framed.
Now it seems that murder is the only option left for the, umm, murderer
as he must find out who wanted him out of the picture so he can, uh,
murder him. Just about every aspect of this game is painful.
The
opening sequences find our hero walking down a dark street in search of
a job. As a side note youll run into a hooker outside a bar as you
cruise the streets. When you walk up to her shell ask you whether youd
enjoy her company or not. At this point you are given several choices
about how to answer her, which I found positive in building a unique
story. Disappointingly, though, she didnt really react differently to
any of the things you can say. Moreover all you have to do is walk away
and come back to start the scenario over, erasing any accountability for
your choice of action. After passing by several poorly rendered police,
the sniper finds his informant and learns that the mob wants a nearby
squealer rubbed out. Subsequently you get your hands on a sniper rifle
with laser sights and set out to kill this guy who happens to be hanging
out with a bunch of cops at a gas station. First, youve got to kill the
cops. Shoot the suckers in the foot, leg, arm, or whatever. It doesnt
matter, theyll fall dead anyway. Personally I didnt know that the
police had major organs in their legs, but hey, Im no doctor. At this
point you dont have any aspirations of playing any further. Imagine a
game centered on the sniping profession that has one of the worst setups
for the scenario. Its OK for you to laugh, but Im crying on the
inside.
Sniper
does attempt to create some depth to its gameplay by letting you
customize your players attributes. You can alter stats like stamina and
health. Stamina relates to just about all the actions of your player
from running to jumping to shooting. Altering your health stats can make
it possible for your player to gain additional health as he progresses.
You also can alter your weapon skills, which basically filter down to
your accuracy, damage caused, and the effect of recoil on your shots. As
you progress you will gain levels, which basically hand you more points
to spend on your skills.
Sniper
also allows players to carry multiple items besides the weapons they may
find. You can carry various items like food and medicine to heal
yourself in tight spots or painkillers, which lessen the damage you
incur by getting shot. One thing that holds water is the amount of
weapons youll come across during the game. Your snipers armory will
include ten different weapons ranging from nightsticks to silenced
submachine guns. While this isnt exactly praiseworthy, it is about one
of the only aspects of Sniper: Path of Vengeance that is on par.
Graphically
the game is surpassed by several PS One games. In an era where games are
constantly pushing the boundaries of reality, the visuals of Sniper will
leave you with a sour taste at best. Characters lack detail and
personality, even the main character appears non-descript for all his
menace. Several times during the rainy opening sequence I saw raindrops
hitting surfaces that didnt exist, creating pools of water quite
literally in midair. The interface is very difficult to come to grips
with, begging for customization.
While
this game could have been very successful with what was a unique
approach to the first person shooter genre, it falls flat on its face.
Sniper: Path of Vengeance lacks any redeeming qualities that would merit
a purchase, even at a bargain price. At best the game meets standards
set and surpassed years ago. I cant recommend this game to anyone. All
you masochists are better off with Britney Spears latest release.