Sniper Elite. It’s a series that’s pretty consistent throughout its run, iterating every once in a while but sticking with a formula that works beautifully. That formula is part-stealth, part-sniping, all Nazi-killing. It’s suited the series well throughout time, and the latest iterations have been bright spots.
Sniper Elite 5 andSniper Elite: Resistanceboth did stick to more or less the same formula, with both of them seeming to be made with just about the same parts. That’s not a bad thing; they’ve hit a formula that works. But it does make the lines between the two games blur quite a bit when comparing them.
7Game Modes
Sniper Elite: Resistance
Sniper Elite 5 and Sniper Elite: Resistance havealmost exactly the same modes, even down to how much is in each mode. Both have acampaign(which can be playedCo-Op), both have aPvP Axis Invasion mode(which is quite brilliant, at its best), both haveSurvival, andboth havePvP multiplayer.
In those modes, they are each the others' equal.Resistancedoes have one small step up, however, and that’s thePropaganda mission mode. That mode is a welcome addition, andResistance wins outin this regard due to it.
6Sniping
Like most of these, this is another near-tie.Bothof these games havevirtually identical sniping mechanics, and on paper, they are the same. Both of themwork the samein regard tobullet drop,wind,focus, and all the things in between.
But having sent many Nazis into the world beyond in both games, thesniping(andgunplayin general) seems to workslightly more consistentinResistance, as compared to Sniper Elite 5. We’re surprised at what a bullet does less often, helmets inexplicably fly off Nazi-heads less often, and all-in-all, it feels like you’remore in controlof your weaponinResistance.
5Bullet-Time Killcams
Tie
Thebullet-time killcamsmake for an immediate smile, and they have to be included because they’re themost recognizable partof theSniper Elite series. There are few feelings better than lining up a difficult shot, pulling the trigger, and immediately knowing that,becauseyou’re gettingtreated to bullet-time, you’ve hit your mark.
You get to enjoy your bulletpopping through a Nazi’s important partsin slow-motion, life is good, and it’sequally good in both games. The bullet-time isidentically wonderful in bothof them. There does not seem to be any discernable difference, and it makes sense: they’ve built agreat system, and there’snot much left to iterate onwith it.
4Story And Character
Sniper Elite 5
This is mostly a flavor difference, and let’s be honest, people aren’t often playing Sniper Elite to experience a life-changing story. That’s not to say the story is bad, but thestoryand thecharacters act as an enginetomove youfromone placefull of soon-to-be-not-alive Nazisto the next.
Sniper Elite 5 wins outin this regard very slightly, if only because alittle bit more timeseemed to beput into the storyin that game,compared to Resistance. That being said, the protagonist ofHarry Hawkeris awonderful time to play as. He seems torelish the carnagein a way that Karl didn’t quite seem to, and his chuckling throughout is enjoyable.
Playing as Harry Hawker sometimes feels a bit like being in control of a Looney Toons character who never made it to the screen because of his proclivity for violence.
3Visuals
These games were produced for the same hardware generation, with a few years difference in between them. They don’t quite have thefacial detailorbelievabilityof some other games of the era, butthere’s a lot going onin Sniper Elite, and slowing down the performance to better render the face of someone soon-to-be dead would be a waste of processing power.
Theart directionof both games is quite similar as well, though they do take you todifferent locations. Those with a preference between the visuals of the two games are likely going to find itcomes due to a preferenceinlocaleandart direction, andnotingraphical fidelity.
2Level Design
Thelevel designinboth of these gamesis fantastic, but it’s also here that they differ the most. Largely, the levels in both games seem to be going for something slightly different. InSniper Elite 5, the levels are a bit moresprawling. They’re quiteopenin a lot of areas, though this isn’t a consistent rule. You’ll need toreposition quite a bitin engagements where enemies know where you are.
InSniper Elite: Resistance, the levels arestill large, but they’re abit more even throughout. Not all, but many of the levels here seem to be built around having aconsistent elementthroughout them, which goes on to define the map. On those maps, there are quite a few areas you canget into withasniper rifleandfire with near impunity.
1Winner
Tied!
Bothof theseSniper Elitegames prove thathunting down Nazisisstill good. It’sgreat, in fact.Sniper Elite 5pushed the series forward a bit withclever implementationofexisting Sniper Elite mechanicsandgreat level design, making for a sandbox full offreshandinventive violence.
AndSniper Elite: Resistancecontinued that trend, usingmanyof thesame toysbuilt by its predecessor andplaying with themin aslightly different way. Some may find they enjoy one of these games more than the other, butfinding a true advantage in oneisentirelygoing to bedown to taste.
