Sniper Elite Nazi Zombie Army, a spinoff zombie entry of the Sniper Elite series, is the latest third person shooter developed by Rebellion. The game is a standalone title designed exclusively for the PC which allows players to team up with up to 3 of their friends to take on Hitler’s undead army. Is Nazi Zombie Army a worthwhile entry to the franchise or should have Rebellion kept to history?
Let’s find out and kick off the HOTs and NOTs.
HOTs
Satisfying Heart Racing Gameplay
Intense is the best word that truly epitomizes the experience on offer in Sniper Elite Nazi Zombie Army. There are plenty of heart racing moments in every level, and they are only improved by the items and weapons gamers have available to them. Sniping, as the name of the game suggests, is a big part of the title. Getting some distance between the character and the zombies is the perfect way to unleash the full potential of the sniper rifles but it isn’t always that simple.
When under siege from hordes of zombies, players will often have to resort to one of their two side arms or explosives. Side arms come in the form of a sub machine gun and a pistol. There are a few variations of each, enough to enjoy despite not dramatically altering gameplay. To add that ‘every bullet counts’ feel, as well as adding an extra layer of tension to sieges, players will quickly go through ammo of side arms. This means although they are effective and a big part of the game, players must always use the sniper to initially dwindle numbers of the Nazi zombie hordes. Gamers have one last trick up there sleeve and it is quite possibly the best; explosives.
Ranging from landmines and tripwire mines to dynamite and frag grenades, there is plenty of bang for your buck. They are all as explosively fun as they should be; although after many massive fails with dynamite I decided tripwire mines were the way to go. Amusingly they can be combined easily with explosive items, such as petrol cans, that are dotted throughout the levels.
The game isn’t easy and some may find the sieges overly difficult but these elements just add to the satisfaction that is possible. Gamers will certainly get the feeling of accomplishment when completing a section. Alas some may rage at the difficulty but to help those who are finding it hard, there are three difficulty settings to choose from.
Slow Motion Zombie Killing
The slow motion kill-cam is probably the feature that the Sniper Elite series is best known for that has made it into Nazi Zombie Army. The game might not be about long range shots and waiting for targets, but the pleasing slow mo of your shot travelling through possibly multiple enemies returns. This time, the enemies are already dead. If you are worried that it will swiftly get repetitive, you’ll be glad to know that no matter how many times you see them, it never gets old.
Presentation
Sniper Elite Nazi Zombie Army is overall a visually pleasing game. It doesn’t have Crysis-type level of graphics even on the Ultra graphics settings; however most importantly there is nothing graphically that detracts from the atmosphere, setting or general nature of the title. The developers have clearly gone for approach of making the gameplay extremely fun to play and couple it with decent smooth graphics. This approach should perhaps be employed by more developers.
The visuals couple well with what can only be described as a phenomenal music score and soundtrack. They both go hand-in-hand with the games heart racing nature. Not only maintaining the fast paced nature but ramping up the impressive experience and quickening the feel of the game. It is nice to see how easily the music can affect the game. Without the sound, players still get a sense of the scale of the hordes they are taking on but they won’t get to the same heart racing levels of tension when trying to survive those last few zombies. One thing to add is if you like a game to have plenty of squelchy head popping explosion noises Nazi Zombie Army is certainly for you!