You’ll get the traditional pre-mission setup where you can equip your primary and secondary weapons as well as a sidearm and some inventory items like med-kits and grenades. Set in Siberia, the overarching story of the game deals with Russian mobsters, oil, and other criminal activities that have become serious enough to send in a merc sniper such as yourself to stop a civil war. The tutorial will also introduce you to certain ammo types that can be switched out as needed to get past certain “puzzles” as well as other gadgets like a remote turret. Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts does this with its difficulty levels Marksman, Sniper, and Deadeye that not only change up the enemy AI aggression and awareness, but also determine just how realistic you want your sniping to be. Sniper games have become increasingly more realistic with their physics and simulation aspects yet still have to cater to the casual gamer for widest appeal. There is a brief tutorial will teach you the art of sniping, or at least this game’s interpretation of it, as well as non-sniper combat. The game begins with a cutscene revealing the setup and backstory before introducing you, Seeker, a high-tech sniper with a fancy mask and a desire to turn bad guys into dollar signs, and your disembodied boss, the Handler. The nonlinear access to the content really allows the player to create their own experience, both through choice and collateral encounters. There were multiple moments during the game where I was reminded of the latest Hitman games that share a lot of DNA with the way Contracts is designed and the way you consume it. To its credit, Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts does a better job than most of the sniper games out there, including its own prequels, with its fresh approach to storytelling and mission delivery, its open-world design, and a somewhat realistic approach to actually setting up and executing the perfect shot. Video games and movies have certainly romanticized the art of sniping, as evident by the fresh crop of annual recruits I see each year who think they are the next Chris Kyle. As a former Army sniper now turned instructor I find a certain level of enjoyment in seeing how game developers have to walk the line of creating something fun and entertaining from a profession that is anything but.

Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts is the latest installment in a series of sniper games from CI Games, which in itself is just one franchise in a growing genre of what can only be labeled, “sniper simulations”.

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