‘Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3’ Review (PS4)

First person shooters. Yeah, lets just say that I don’t get along with modern-day FPS games. Give me Doom or its sequels, any games from the Unreal or Quake franchises. Hell, even the likes of Hexen and Duke Nukem 3D. Now THOSE are first person shooters I an get behind. But Call of Duty and its ilk? Not my cup of tea. Don’t get me wrong though – I still play FPS games, but mainly those that allow for more stealthy combat. Like sniper-style FPS games. Like the Sniper Ghost Warrior series… The latest of which is Sniper Ghost Warrior 3

Sniper Ghost Warrior 3 sees you take the role of an American sniper named Jonathan North, who is dropped into enemy territory in northern Georgia, nearby Russian borders – to not only help the resistance but also discover what has happened to Jonathan’s brother, Robert.

For those that haven’t played the previous Sniper Ghost Warrior games, this third edition eases you into the world of the Sniper Ghost Warrior with a fantastic tutorial which introduces gamers to all facets of the gameplay – all the while introducing the characters and their back story, sucking players into to this universe and really engaging them with the core story. Then you get to let loose in the three sprawling open-world maps, set in the country of Georgia, and approach the game how you wish…

And that’s the best thing about Sniper Ghost Warrior 3, the game let’s you explore a large open-world with dynamic weather and a day and night cycle that actually impacts play and decisions; and you can customize weapon equipment, accessories, vehicles and a drone; and you get to decide just how you’ll approach situations: via stealth, brute force, etc. And… I could go on. But me? I stuck firmly to the sniping where I could. Though the option to go in guns blazing (should you have the right weapons and plenty of ammo) is often a fun choice.

Now for those that have read some of my reviews in the past will be aware of my disdain for open-world titles. It’s something I think that ruined the LEGO games for me; it’s the reason I fell out of love with the Just Cause franchise; and if it wasn’t for the 80s post-apocalyptic action of Far Cry Blood Dragon it would be a very good reason for me to avoid that franchise too! So why did I enjoy Sniper Ghost Warrior 3? Because despite the “open-world” nature of the game, for the most part said open world is only a setting for a series of old-school objective-based missions. And missions I like.

There are 20+ missions in total within the main “story”, but the game is also packed with a number of side missions (and a “most wanted” target list) that you can complete – if you wish. None of the gameplay outside of the main 20+ missions are compulsory, which is a bonus for those just looking to complete the core game. However if you want to get the most out of the game it’s well worth exploring every aspect, every mission – large and small – to get the most variety, and most satisfaction, from Sniper Ghost Warrior 3.

Yet for all the fun I had, there was one aspect of Sniper Ghost Warrior 3 I didn’t enjoy. The drone. Spending time tagging enemies before getting the chance to blow their brains out, in a one-shot-one-kill fashion (my favourite way to play) was tedious and time consuming. Time I could have spent stealthly making my way towards the targets or taking them out from hundreds of yards away! I hated the drone from the first time the tutorial walked you through it and I hated it when it was the obvious (and sometimes only) option to defeat enemies. I tell a lie, there was ONE other aspect of the game I didn’t enjoy… The long load times. Right from the get-go Sniper Ghost Warrior 3 feels like one long wait, in fact on start-up I wasn’t sure whether my PS4 had crashed or not. That’s how long the initial load time was!

Ultimately, for those who like traditional first and/or third person shooters, Sniper Ghost Warrior 3 is going to feel like something of a dinosaur (especially if you like multiplayer gaming, something which is missing from the initial release of this game) but the old-school, mission-based action – hidden within its open world – really appealed to me. I really, really, LOVE sniper games and this latest entry in the franchise really hit the spot for me.