Sniper: Art of Victory is a terrible, awful game. The campaign, which clocks in at around two hours on Recruit difficulty and around 10 years on Hard mode, is plagued with horrendous graphics, senseless level design, and nerve-wracking voice acting. The mechanics of combat border on the absurd and cause numerous inexplicable and sudden deaths. Enemy AI acts in every possible unnatural manner, destroying even the slightest shred of immersion.
Mission objectives, which include such gems as destroying Panzer tanks with small caliber sniper rifles, are patently silly. Ultimately, there are no qualities within Sniper that redeem it, and it is a title that is best given a miss.
GI.net: "Sniper: Art of Victory is a first-person shooter set in World War II. Notice I don't say "just another" shooter set in World War II. Yes, the shelves are full of them, but Sniper: Art of Victory has breathed some new life into an old genre. This game isn't focused on large battles or even squad-level tactics. You play a lone sniper moving through enemy territory using your tools and skills, including patience, timing and stealth, to dominate the area and complete your mission. An advanced physics model is used for sniping that takes into account trajectory, wind and breath. When you make a clean headshot, you are rewarded with a brief cutscene that shows the flight of your bullet to the enemy's head. Constant shortages of ammunition make rapid firing suicidal, not to mention that it tends to attract enemy soldiers. Finally, plenty of hide sites are available that are great for staying concealed while engaging targets at a distance, with the best of them marked on the minimap.
Although the levels are well-balanced and include some variety (like blowing up anti-aircraft guns and ambushing convoys), the repetitive nature of sniping can get tedious. To me, that is refreshingly realistic. Lying in the brush on the crest of a hill in the pouring rain watching a lone sentry through binoculars for five minutes while waiting for him to stop long enough for me to make my shot reminded me of plenty of missions I participated in during my own military service. The enemy artificial intelligence also was set up in such a way as to encourage sniping; at long ranges, the enemy crouches and looks around after your first shot (if you miss!), then begins shooting back once you've been spotted. At shorter ranges, the enemy spots you quickly and shoots more accurately, all the while using cover and moving closer, making sniping a healthier proposition than trying to sneak up and use pistol or knife. It is sometimes hard to spot an enemy soldier through the brush and trees, even one that is firing at you, but binoculars and a little shifting around often help spot muzzle flash or other movement that you can use to gauge the soldier's location and make the kill."
Much slack can be cut for discount titles even if they fail in certain areas -- for example, a game that looks terrible but plays well enough or offers at least some sort of impetus to continue. Sniper: Art of Victory doesn't even do that. When the essential gameplay mechanic is this flawed and there's nothing else to save it, there's simply no reason to play it.
Presentation - 5.0
Graphics - 4.0
Sound - 7.0
Gameplay - 3.0
Lasting Appeal - 4.0
Overall -
Out of Eight writes: "Nothing is more feared on the battlefield than snipers (well, that and Gary Coleman). You don't know when they are going to strike, and one shot is all it takes. Obviously, this kind of action would make for a good computer game, and that's the goal of Sniper: Art of Victory. This is another one of those budget first person shooters at the low, low price of $10. You should probably lower your expectations when dealing with a game as cheap as this one, but as long as the core mechanic of shooting people remain intact, then some good fun should be had."
The Good:
+Realistic breathing and wind effects
+Decent graphics for the price
+Only $10
The Not So Good:
-Unflinching difficulty
-Unfairly stupid mission design
-Questionable ballistics and unreliable targeting
-Linear levels limit sniping positions
-Unintelligent AI
-Short
-Multiplayer could have been neat
