Bigger isn't always better.
Sniper Elite 5 is just meh.
At first, you'll be stunned by how much content there is in this game, only to realize it's completely hollow.
In the 9 hours I played, sniping wasn't even the core focus. It feels like a worse version of Hitman, forcing you into stealth objectives or risking a swarm of 100+ enemies.
Flawed Suppressors: Suppressors don't work effectively because there are always unseen enemies hidden around corners. Combined with the realistic design choice that suppressors still produce noise, there is no way to snipe silently. At this rate you might aswell add the ability to take uniforms and disguise yourself. since you are now penalised for Sniping.
Flawed Hiding Mechanics: There aren't enough boxes to hide bodies, which constantly triggers Hunt Mode. If you shoot from an unreachable spot, Hunt Mode remains active indefinitely, making stealth an even bigger pain.
Paywalled Content: The best weapons in the game are locked behind paid DLC.
Buggy AI: Enemy AI frequently glitches out.
Tedious Upgrades: Rather than keeping customization simple, guns now require you to waste time finding specific workbenches and annoying collectibles.
Locked Cosmetics: Outfits are locked behind Axis Mode, a stressful feature I refuse to play. The mode is dead anyway, so good luck trying to 100% the game.
Punitive Playstyles: While the game offers multiple playstyles, going loud is harshly punished. You earn far less XP for surviving an open gunfight, whereas non-lethal runs grant exponentially more.
Overly Massive Missions: Missions are ridiculously large and can take nearly an hour to complete, making save scumming practically mandatory if you're short on time.
The main reason I truly cannot recommend this game, however, comes down to the developers. Rather than expanding and fixing what they already have, they decided to release Sniper Elite: Resistance. It changes the protagonist and adds a few new features, but not enough to justify calling it a new game. Instead of releasing it as an expansion, they launched it at the exact same price as Sniper Elite 5, nearly £50.
Sniper Elite 4 is still the best in the franchise.
