Sniper: Ghost Warrior

Written by Troy Matsumiya  on April 20, 2010

Final Glimpse: Dial in some lethal long distance love.

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In the upcoming Sniper: Ghost Warrior, the fictional South American nation Isla Truena is suffering under the oppressive thumb of an evil dictator. Since Sam Fisher is away solving his own problems, you will have to sneak through the steaming jungle and blow the evil little heads off the evil dictator's evil minions from hundreds of yards away. Evil!

Poland's City Interactive is putting the final touches on this stealthy game that they are calling Уthe most realistic sniping experience ever.Ф In your typical FPS, your aiming reticle is either rock steady or moves slightly. In Sniper, you will not only have to compensate for rifle movement but also for wind, rain, fog, distance, elevation, gravity, your own physical state (for example, if you spend a lot of time running around and get your heart rate above 80 beats per minute, it will be much more difficult to steady your aim) and timing your shot. This is a boon to hardcore gamers looking for a УtrueФ sniper experience but this shouldn't frighten more casual players, who will be able to crank down the difficulty setting and activate a red dot that indicates where your shot will hit.



You will also be able to use a special focus mode that slows time and highlights targets. If you line up the perfect shot, you will be rewarded with a special bullet's-eye view that follows your shot all the way to your hapless victim. Sweet.

But it's not just about shooting; you will also have to find good sniping positions by sneaking around in the foliage and avoiding detection. A handy meter on your HUD will tell you how aware enemies are of your presence. To add further tension and enhance the need for staying hidden, you will not have regenerative health; instead, old school health packs will be the only way to patch yourself up, and these will often be located deep in enemy territory.

The game will span 16 missions with a variety of objectives. Some will be straightforward wipe-out-everything-in-sight takedowns, while others will require taking out a single target, sneaking past enemies without engaging them, and working with an AI spotter. Along the way you will unlock new rifles (including the beloved but extremely loud .50 cal) and accessories like Claymore mines and throwing knives.

In stark contrast to the game's title, you will also play a second character who will be your typical run-and-gun Rambo killing machine. These missions will be closely related to the sniping missions, but sound a bit out of place in a sniping game. However, we'll have to see how it all fits together in the final product.

The campaign length is estimated at around 10 hours which sounds short until you consider the game will be budget priced at only $40. In a market where games are slowly creeping closer to the $100 mark, this is refreshing news indeed.