Sniper: Ghost Warrior 2 - Xbox 360

Any gamer who has spent any time having their virtual brains blown out by other, real-life gamers in an online multiplayer mode has experienced it: that moment when you're innocuously wandering along, looking for someone to shoot at when... 'kersplatt!' You've been shot. And some other player on the other side of the map who you've never even seen before has taken an XP boost thanks to a well-placed shot. Or maybe you're usually the guy doing the kersplatting. Either way, City Interactive has taken that experience and built a game around it with Sniper: Ghost Warrior 2.

While the game is a first-person shooter, it's not centred around frenetic firefights like many of its brethren. Rather, it's built around stealth and precision, demanding that you pick your shots and your moments carefully, remaining beyond detection for as long as possible.

While the game follows in the footsteps of the first Ghost Warrior title, much has changed. The game engine has been overhauled, with the devs working with CryEngine 3, while the physics system and AI have been tweaked. The unpopular run and gun assault missions of the previous games have been ditched, too, with the emphasis more squarely on remaining undetected.

That doesn't mean the game is entirely about long-distance kills, however. Urban levels feature a mix of stealth and close-quarter combat with silenced pistols and assault rifles.

Real care has been taken over the visuals, too. Ghost Warrior 2 is cheaper than its AAA peers, but the fact that it can rival them in terms of visuals is testament to what the developers can do in this late stage of the console cycle.

Sniper: Ghost Warrior 2 is definitely one for the kersplatters. more