Sniper Ghost Warrior and Sniper Elite have always been the go to series for those itching to prove their aim is true to the letter. Many first person shooters give players the feeling of being a killing machine but often they forget that real-world physics do exist. That’s why those games mentioned above have focused on delivering solid gameplay all while making sure you truly can aim. The Sniper Ghost Warrior series usually was a more budgeted experience that could be found in almost every bargain bin nationwide. Developer/publisher CI Games has tried to make Sniper Ghost Warrior into a more redefined experience in this latest title simply called Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts. Does this upgrade help the series or does it miss the mark? Find out with us in our full review down below!

Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts is a first person shooter that blends action with stealth gameplay. Players assume the role of a contract sniper who must infiltrate Siberia in order to stop a possible change in the world powers. Players will take on “contracts” that range from elimination targets to finding/sabotaging specific documents/files. You will need to sneak around for quiet kills or rely on traps set by you to eliminate the enemies ahead. Every contract has a multitude of ways to approach them but which will keep you alive and net you the money you so desire?

Here’s your mission sniper. Powerful enemies are gaining ground in Siberia using tactical warfare such as biological warfare and internal espionage. The world can’t let these powers rise up and you’re needed to take them down. You’ll be paid for these contracts obviously but your mission will be far from a simple one. You’re entering a dangerous land filled with environmental hazards and a militia of military might. Stick to the shadows sniper…your bullets need to aim true as missing a shot might lead to you being the next target.

In case you’ve never played a single Sniper Ghost Warrior game, let’s catch you up to speed so we can better explain what to expect in Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts. The Sniper Ghost Warrior series has always armed you with a trust sniper to eliminate your foes from a distance. However, unlike most titles, Sniper Ghost Warrior made you earn each glorious kill by having you understand real-world ideas such as drop from when a bullet launches to the area it goes to and/or how wind can change a bullet’s trajectory. Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts keeps these ideas but instead of a linear game like past entries, this title is all about freedom of movement. This works in many ways to breathe some new life into a pretty formulaic series but it also causes some nasty surprises to be found while playing. Let’s begin by talking about the positives and then we’ll take a stab at the failings of Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts.

If you’ve been craving a true stealth game where going gung-ho is an option—not a good one mind you—but usually reserved for escape situations, then Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts is the game for you. Players will be armed with their trusty silenced sniper—one of many you can obtain—and various tools to keep hidden and lure your enemy out like the hunted they are. You can use noise makers to lead an enemy to an open field or place traps that cause an enemy to get disorientated to attack them from whatever vantage point you have. Moving bodies and keeping to the shadows will get you far in Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts but we did have success using machine guns running around and blasting enemies who dared stand in our way. The choice is yours in Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts and that also brings us to another good element to this game…choice.

Now with every good thing mentioned above, Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts misses its mark—we swear these sniper puns aren’t intentional—in the same category. While sniping feels perfected—which is a given from this series—gunplay with machine guns and pistols feels outdated with bullets often doing little to no damage to enemies. There were two occasions where we shot a standing target with an AK-47 and found them to die after wasting two magazines worth of ammo. Maybe this was a glitch—more on those in a moment—but we noticed it often while playing Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts. If an enemy wasn’t shot with a sniper or taken down with a melee kill, they didn’t die without some effort.

Speaking of glitches, Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts is chock full of them. In our several hours with Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts we found almost a dozen glitches in the first few hours alone. We once hit an enemy with our melee attack to be propelled through the wall and be an easy target as were now part of said wall. There were several occasions where we fast traveled to a location to be immediately shot by an enemy and then spawn right back into a hail of gunfire. One time was so bad we had to use a past save to fix said issue of spawning into our death. Expect glitches to happen in Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts…they will be an enemy as much as the soldiers are.

The other big issue with Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts is the gameplay itself feels a bit clunky and outdated. Players will notice immediately that the height to gun ratio feels like a game from the early 2000s and jumping from ledges to climb them almost feels akin to teleporting to them. Visually, Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts also looks old with cutscenes being the worst offender. Characters in cutscenes look blocky and old which is strange for a game that costs nearly $40 dollars. In game, the visuals are truly gorgeous with wide vistas to enjoy and some nice weather effects. Bottom line though, Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts feels like it was made five to six years ago and not in 2019.

Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts is truly the definition of a mixed experience. When Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts works, it truly can be an exhilarating game filled with solid gameplay designs. Having the freedom to maneuver around large maps taking various missions at your discretion is liberating for the Sniper Ghost Warrior series. Shooting and acting stealthy still feels perfected but where Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts fails is in the new concepts. Movement feels janky quite often, there are a ton of glitches and odd design choices in this Siberian tundra and honestly, Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts can be a bit overly frustrating not just due to difficulty. Overall, Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts isn’t a bad game but it lacks the polish modern day first person shooters have. If you love the franchise, we feel you’ll buy Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts regardless. However, if you are willing to wait for a price drop, Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts might be worth it then as the asking price currently is a bit too extreme for what you end up getting.

Here’s the thing about Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts. There’s a lot to love in this truly upgraded title from a series that tends to be quite low budget. However, for every upgrade Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts makes to the franchise it also fails in some form. At full price—the PS4 version costs nearly $40 dollars— Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts feels like it is asking for too much from a game that misses the note more often than it should. If Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts was a bit cheaper, we’d say it’s worth it even with the flaws it has. At the end of the day though, Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts is fun and it has elements to love for fans of the franchise. Are you playing Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts or plan to? Comment below to let us know! For even more game reviews and anime themed articles be sure to keep stuck to our beautiful hive here at Honey’s Anime!