My original review of Sniper Elite III is available here.
Ultimate Editions, in my mind, are like the ideal version of a particular game. This is the version that is supposed to have all of the original and post-launch content, all of the fixes and balance tweaks, a reduced price, and just be the best a game can be. Much of that is true with the Sniper Elite III Ultimate Edition, but disappointingly, not all of these criteria are met. Nevertheless, there is still a lot of quality and engaging content to be found in the Ultimate Edition (UE), and if you’re on the fence about this game, this is surely the version to purchase.
That said, it’s important to note at the top that “ultimate” is not always, and specifically in this case, synonymous with “complete.” Curiously absent from the UE are three DLC packs available for purchase separately. Interestingly, the game warns you that you must be careful not to buy DLC that you already own, because if you do, well, it’s useless, and there are no refunds. Revised descriptions of these items in the Store will tell you if it’s already included in the UE, at least. Stranger still perhaps is within the main menu of the game, if you go to Downloadable Content, you’ll see this warning but then also get an error that reads “There is no content. It might not be for sale yet, or might no longer be for sale.” Plus, every time you launch the game you get a message saying that new content was downloaded. So that’s weird.
After comparing the fourteen total items available for sale on the Store with what comes with the UE, these three items are lacking: the International Camo Rifles Pack, the Allied Re-enforcement Outfits Pack, and the Hunt For the Grey Wolf missions. I’m stumped as to why the International Camo Pack was not included when the other six Weapons packs were, which are the Hunter’s, Camouflage, Patriot, Sniper Rifles, Axis, and Eastern Front Packs. All of those are in the UE, just not the $3 International Camo one. The Outfits pack is just cosmetics of course for multiplayer, but it’s again odd to me that it’s not included, and for what it’s worth, it’s also a $3 pack. The biggest loss is the absence of the Hunt For the Grey Wolf, which allows players to track down Hitler (and his double) and attempt to assassinate him. This $8 pack is disappointingly absent.
That these three pieces of DLC are missing is a shame, but players are still getting a large amount of content beyond the original, already-big game. I already mentioned the inclusion of the Six Weapons Packs which you can take advantage of whether you’re starting a new game or continuing an old one. These items can be fit right into your loadouts that you get to select from before each mission or each online encounter. The six Packs have three weapons each. The Hunter’s Pack unlocks the SVT-40, the trenchgun, and the M1917 revolver, honestly none of which are all that exciting. The Camo Weapons Pack provides a Mosin Nagant and a MP44 that have slightly different stats and better looks than the original versions of those guns. The Colt 1911 is made available thanks to the Patriots Weapons Pack, and I’m happy to use it, although the default, silenced Welrod is still my go to option for infiltrating.
Moving on, at launch last July, multiplayer was a big problem, but has obviously long since been resolved. I still play very little multiplayer, but the inclusion of six more maps is certainly welcomed. The maps are Fracture, Night Watch, Outpost Canyon, Plantation, Lost Valley, and Airstrip (which brings back some good memories of the final mission in the original Sniper Elite, even though it’s not the same location). All of these Maps are ready to go at first launch and can be played in any of the online modes, which include the original Team Deathmatch, Deathmatch, Team Distance King, Distance King, No Cross, and Capture the Flag. CTF mode was not available in the original version, by the way. The CTF matches I have played are okay, but they can be frustrating when you literally have a bunch of camping snipers holding their ground and someone has to cross the no man’s land to get the damn flag. Anyway, in my relative brief multiplayer testing, I had little to no trouble finding and playing games.
Other goods in the UE include the Twilight Strike’ Overwatch Mission, which is a co-op endeavor I have yet to undertake at the time of this writing as I am waiting to play this with a specific friend of mine, and we haven’t been able to sync up yet. A new single player ‘mode’ or amusement you might call it, is the Shooting Range, available from the main menu. Here you are in friendly territory, and there is no rush. Just you and the targets, with unlimited ammo and time. It’s a great way to practice your aim and experiment.
The three-part ‘Save Churchill’ DLC is included thankfully, and it’s a solid extension to the original game, complete with voiced-over cutscenes and an intriguing story arc. It sees the Desert Ghost (Karl, the protagonist) going in-country to try and foil plans by the Nazis to kill Churchill. Three huge missions provide a solid three+ hours of additional play, perhaps more depending on your penchant for the optional objectives and collectibles (such as the War Diaries).
On the whole, the UE delivers a lot of quality content (just not all of it!) at a solid price. Having not played this since last year, I’m probably missing on some of the finer details as far as changes and tweaks to the gameplay. I will say that I’m still experiencing some bugs, which was disappointing, and melee encounters are still a nuisance as they’re very awkward given that there is no actual melee attack. Instead you just have to work with the shooting mechanics when really just being able to tackle, knife, “pistol” whip, or just anything like that would often make more sense than you and the AI trying to use guns in really tight proximity. As for the bugs, clipping is still a problem but it does not happen often enough to be a game-breaker. Sometimes you’ll be on the edge of a hill or ridge and suddenly slide or fall down a long way and take no damage. Another time I was carrying a body next to a tent wall but no where near a door or window and suddenly I was on the outside of the tent. There are goofy issues like that that I had really hoped would be ironed out for the UE, but alas, they’re still here and are not likely to ever be resolved. You can still save at any time, in multiple slots, and do it very quickly too, without hardly breaking the flow of the game, which is a great feature.
In summary, the UE is an interesting release, it’s just not the ‘slam dunk’ I was hoping for. Intentionally not including all of the DLC and having some bugs that were present eight months ago during the original launch is a letdown. These two missteps make it hard to outright recommend, especially to those that bought the original game already. Oh, on a side note — I would have loved to see co-op mode go splitscreen/local play instead of online only. I’m sure the PS4 has the power to handle it, and I really miss the couch co-op days of the original Sniper Elite.
Let’s wrap up…
