Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts - gameplay (PC HD)

Sniper Ghost Warrior: Contracts is a sandbox-style first-person tactical shooter in which we have tons of possibilities when facing the same mission and where being stealthy and strategic when executing the murders is rewarded. As a new installment of the famous CI Games saga, you will find a vast selection of weapons at your disposal, many rewarding to get and five huge maps to go through in order to overcome contracts in the campaign.

History takes us on this occasion to the Siberia of an alternative future, where this area has become independent after the war against Russia. Now, Siberia is a state that is being controlled by a mafia chosen by the prime minister, the whole place being full of military. Here we put ourselves in the role of a hit man in order to take down said mafia. Do not expect anything too elaborate, but it is appreciated that there is a background.

Its mechanics are quite similar to those seen in previous games in the franchise, but making it clear from the outset that the strategic part takes on much more importance in this installment. Now we can consult the map of the region at any time to see the contracts, challenges and collectibles available, with the possibility of even putting a custom marker that we can see on our radar and in mask mode to establish tactical routes. And it is that this mask is very useful throughout the adventure, since with it we analyze the environment to see the strategic areas of the stage, the climbing points or the interactive objects even through the walls, in addition to having vision night, detect sound sources and other functionalities. It is so good that sometimes we have found it too helpful.

The controls work quite well, although those who have not played previous titles in the series will take a little getting used to. Here we can move freely through its huge maps, counting on a resistance meter that decreases when we perform actions such as running or climbing and that regenerates when being in a more relaxed position. It is very important, as it determines how long we can hold our breath while aiming. We have detected, of course, that sometimes we cannot go through certain areas that at first seemed accessible, which limits certain playable options. There is also vitality, which regenerates slowly when we do not run or receive damage, and can also use a medical kit to recover it completely or an injection of adrenaline that increases regeneration temporarily.

It is a game where stealth plays a great role, so we have lots of places where we can hide or hide the corpses to avoid raising suspicions, as well as distraction elements and certain tools in the scenarios that allow us to kill the enemies without having to resort to our weapons. If we want to be detected less, we can always crouch down and remain calmer or even lie down to hide better, hold our breath longer and control the weapon better. It is a system that does not work at all bad, with silent murders that are executed from the back, under your field of vision or by jumping on them. If we also surprise them from behind, we can interrogate them to obtain information on supplies, locations and, in the case of officers, some important elements for the mission.

Unfortunately, enemy AI spoils this section. It has a very predictable behavior, with predetermined paths that help us to end them easily. In addition, many times they cannot see us despite being with them or they are impassive in the face of the death of their companions and certain noises. Perhaps worst of all is that when using fast scrolling they sometimes appear right next to us, but we hope that all these defects will be fixed through future updates. Of course, be careful with the highest difficulties, since these same enemies can also hit us from great distances.

I liked the graphic section despite being a game with a modest budget, with scenarios whose design is very striking, well-modeled characters and effects that are very attractive, especially with regard to the deaths at hand of our rifle. sniper. It also works very fluidly at all times, which favors its playability. On the negative side, we will say that there are certain failures, such as physics that are not always equally well achieved, late loading of textures or, worst of all, a collision system that is not too precise, leading to somewhat desperate and absurd situations, although we hope these errors will be corrected through updates.

In the sound we have good melodies that accompany our missions well, effects that, although they are of great quality, sometimes fail in positioning.

What I think of the game after playing

Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts has left me with mixed feelings. On the one hand we have the part that allows us to face the missions as we want, with wide scenarios to explore and a great performance of the shots with our sniper rifle. On the other hand, there is the enemy AI, too many aids and certain bugs that can spoil the experience and, although the stealth part does not work badly, I think it takes away a lot of prominence from the rest. Mind you, it's still a pleasure to take down enemies from a distance and watch the execution in slow motion, including new dismemberments.

Fans will really enjoy this new installment, although I do think that sometimes the experience can be weighed down by enemy AI or some technical elements, so I would like to see them fixed with future patches.