I am a big fan of the Sniper Elite series ever since I played V2 when it was originally released in 2012. I replayed it four years ago, and I thought it was still pretty alright.

Now, I got the remastered edition, which serves as the complete version of the game, packed with every DLC and some visual changes and let me tell you, now I get it why some people hate V2.

V2 is a Call of Duty and Medal of Honor hybrid, mixed with Splinter Cell Conviction, and it does not sound bad to be honest, especially since I enjoy both COD and MOH, and I even had my fun with Splinter Cell.

Just to get this out of the way: The game does not support stealth play at all. It tries to support stealth, but it always fails, and the game becomes a somewhat enjoyable shooter, that mostly requires you to stay put, and snipe your enemies from cover, while they try to kill you or make you move to an another cover.

The stealth bits are relatively simple, janky and uninteresting. Mostly, because the enemy AI can detect you really fast, and you cannot sneak past them like in another games. You mostly need to take everyone out with a silenced pistol, or wait for a distraction so you can take them out with a sniper. You can set traps, lay down mines but you do not need to use them at all in order to complete the game.

Some sections even require you to stay in a small location and defend your position from waves of enemies, and after that, the missions just ends. The perfect way to describe it is "uninteresting", because everything stays the same from beginning to the end. You always shoot down the same soldiers, who try to make you move from a cover, until you snipe them down or die from their attacks.

The one redeeming factor is the franchise's main gimmick, the X-Ray kills, which can be really satisfying from time-to-time but it becomes shallow after a few shots. Not because it is boring, but because the game does not do anything with this system. It is only a gimmick, that can make you stay for some time, but it becomes boring.

I still love this series though, because I know that this was the first step in order for the franchise to become an alternative for Hitman, and I still enjoy some bits of it. I am just disappointed that I cannot enjoy this game anymore like I used to. Nostalgia is a bad thing I guess.

Sniper Elite V2 offers a World War II sniper experience with a focus on realistic ballistics and slow-paced gameplay. While the game captures the tension of long-distance shots and the satisfaction of well-aimed kills, it is held back by repetitive missions and somewhat dated graphics. The X-ray kill cam is a notable feature, providing gruesome details of bullet impact, but it can become monotonous after a while. The game's AI is often inconsistent, with enemy soldiers sometimes making odd decisions. Overall, Sniper Elite V2 delivers a specific sniping experience, but its limited variety and outdated elements prevent it from being a top-tier shooter.