Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts 2 Review (PC)

I'm a big fan of the old James Bond movies, and while the Sniper Ghost Warrior video game series has little in common with Ian Fleming's character, the idea of playing a mysterious mercenary who kills their targets from afar always seemed fit to me. It's probably a bit of a stretch, but I believe the folks at CI Games, best known for the Lords of the Fallen and Sniper Ghost Warrior series, could borrow a few things from the movie series, especially when it comes to character development.

The most recent entry in the video games series, Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts 2 offers a sandbox sniping experience that many fans of the genre will love. You play as Raven, a mysterious Contract Sniper Assassin, who has just taken a difficult job in the Middle East and is now making his way to the final target: Bibi Rashida.

The dictator of a fictional country somewhere along the Lebanese and Syrian borders, Rashida surrounded herself with powerful mercenaries and warlords who are running her operations meant to support the regime. Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts 2 features five campaign missions that encourage players to tackle various optional objectives to win multiple rewards.

During the 12-15 hours campaign, Raven has to remove Rashida's lackeys with a help of a true arsenal of traditional and modern weaponry and gadgets. Each mission has a main objective that always involves killing one of Rashida's lieutenants, but that's only a small slice of Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts 2's story campaign.

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To gain more money from a contract, there are challenges that you can complete, bounty targets that you can eliminate, and secondary objectives that you can achieve. Some of these can be a pain to complete without proper equipment, so it's always good to revisit some of these missions to finish any challenges or secondary objectives you might have left.

Before Raven takes on a new contract, you'll be able to choose a loadout that you think fits the scenario. I strongly recommend completing the tutorial if you haven't played the original Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts, since it explains what weapons and gadgets to use in different situations.

Once you're dropped in the semi-open world of Kuamar, you are free to approach your target any way you see fit. Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts 2 features a semi-open world, which means you won't always be able to go where you want. That is one of the aspects that I did not like, and by that I mean I didn't like the implementation. The fact that you can't climb certain boxes that are climbable in other scenarios is frustrating. Not to mention that the climb move set is contrived and awkward.

Apart from that, I didn't feel like I'm constrained to approach a mission in a certain way. Typically, the game will “guide” you to a sniper's nest from where you can snipe your target, but you don't always have to follow the instructions given to you by the contractor. It's usually worth exploring a bit more before committing to a certain approach because developers have included shortcuts to objectives that will make your life easier.

[YOUTBE=https://youtu.be/0fXL6t-PzFE]

Although I usually like a stealthy approach whenever I play as a sniper, in Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts 2 is not always possible to remain undetected. The long-range sniper rifles that you'll use at the beginning of the game are in no way quiet, so once you kill your first target, the enemy will most likely detect you. After you complete a few objectives and make some money, the silencer will be your best friend if you love finishing missions without being detected.

What I really liked about Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts 2 is that you can always sneak up on enemies and kill them silently. Assuming their bodies aren't discovered, you'll achieve the same result as using a long-range sniper rifle with a silencer. Or, you can use a bow as a secondary weapon to kill your targets from afar and remain undetected.

Unfortunately, handling secondary weapons and even your sidearm feels awkward. I would have preferred CI Games to focus on all aspects of the game, not just the sniping part. Speaking of sniping, Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts 2 introduces long-range sniping with targets over 1,000m away. To successfully snipe your target, you'll have to take into consideration different variables like elevation, distance, and the direction of the wind.

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On the easiest levels of difficulty, you'll see a little red dot that shows you where you have to shoot, but on the harder difficulties the red dot, as well as the UI, is removed and you can't add it from the settings menu. It's a nice option for those who prefer a more immersive experience.

In Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts 2 you'll encounter different types of enemies. Some will be more susceptible to a certain type of ammunition, so you'll have to pay attention to the icons designated to each of your targets and try to use the right type of bullets. At least that's what the game tells you in the tutorial. In reality, even a standard bullet can kill a fully armored target if you know where to aim.

Besides the multitude of sniper rifles that you can purchase throughout the campaign, the game lets you use a limited range of gadgets like drones, medkits, grenades, explosives, and others. Of course, these aren't needed if you'd rather go through the mission undetected, but not everything might work according to your plan, so a well-aimed grenade can make a difference.

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The Good

The Bad

Conclusion