This title came out three years ago, and I spotted it on sale on Steam last week for $6 (still a few hours left in the sale I believe). Reviews were lukewarm on release, and technical issues plagued it. But after checking it out I thought it looked cool and certainly worth a punt at this price. It's more of an open world than most sniper games, which, having played it, I see as both a blessing and a missed opportunity.

You play a sniper in a conflict set in the nation of Georgia. The story isn't strong in my opinion, and the dialog is questionable at times, though the voice acting is OK. Graphics are good enough (Cry Engine game). Runs very smoothly and trouble free, and at least for me it seems that whatever technical issues existed at launch have been patched out.

Gameplay consists of completing story missions, and of exploring the gameworld, which is full of Points of Interest (POIs). These might be an enemy outpost, or a cave to loot and that sort of thing. Missions are fairly varied, with some bounty type work mixed in. It has appealed to me because I can set the pace, playing as I see fit, and launching story missions when I choose. I can spend an hour clearing POIs, then mix in a mission, then hunt a bounty target. Nothing's timed, and that means I can play at my own pace. I can take as much time as I want to scope out the target site, let an alert cool down, or to find (or change) my shooting position.

There is a large number of weapons and gadgets to employ. You can carry one primary weapon (sniper rifle), one secondary (assault rifle, shotgun, bow) and one sidearm (pistols/revolvers). In addition there are mines, grenades, combat knives, night vision, explosives, a drone and more. I've used the drone tactically, occasionally, but not that much really, and the other stuff like mines and grenades don't fit my approach. But they are there and so you have a lot of tools in the box.

The weapons are solid, with fake names for real-world guns. Most all of it needs to be unlocked through gameplay, but as time goes on you can upgrade optics, magazines, camo and more. There are several ammunition types as well (ball, AP, tagging, luring). You decide your kit-out at the safehouse, and then proceed on your mission. No way to re-arm without returning to the safehouse.

The sniping is great. I turned off 'bullet cam' right after the prologue. Wind, range and elevation all play a part, and I find this part of the game very satisfying. There is a certain art to it all. Strong winds put a lot of bend to a long shot, and getting it right is highly satisfying. Pick a target, dial in the scope dope, adjust for elevation, wind and range, exhale, squeeze. Get it wrong and you risk alerting the base, causing the enemy to seek cover or search. The AI is servicable. Alerted enemies will eventually return to normal state if they cannot locate you. In this way you can work through and clear them all. It just takes patience and good shooting.

Because I am not rushed, I tend to find a good overwatch position, then spend as long as it takes to tag all the targets. Patience is key. Noting patrol routes and sight lines. Deciding on an order to start taking them out, and doing it so they will fall out of sight of any allies. It's like a puzzle. But clearing a heavily guarded facility without anyone ever catching on is good fun. If you keep your distance though it's highly unlikely they will find you, and the AI is rather exploitable as a result.

I said the open world is a missed opportunity because even though you can travel around as you see fit, there are no random encounters. No AI patrols, and the game is worse for it. You can travel around the map with impunity as long as you don't stray too close to the enemy posts. It's shame, because spotting, skirting or eliminating roving enemy patrols would make the game so much better and more engaging. There's no chance of a patrol stumbling on your hide while you're casing the joint, and this lack of threat and tension is missed.

I've found the game to be quite a bit better than reviews might have suggested. The sniping requires skill and patience, the tools are varied and the game looks good and plays well. It won't win any awards for a gripping story or innovation, but at it's core it's a very solid sniper-shooter that rewards planning and patience and good shooting. Played at the higher difficulties, and with 'gamey' sort of indicators, cameras and aids turned off makes it a fine first person quasi-realistic tactical sniper game.

As of this posting, there are still 3 hours left on the Steam sale to grab it for six bucks.