“Call of Duty: World at War” and “Left 4 Dead” introduced me to what a first person zombie survival game might be like. I would often install the former just so that I could play the “Nazi Zombie” mode that becomes unlocked after beating the game. “Sniper Elite: Nazi Zombie Army” is a standalone expansion to the “Sniper Elite” series that once again puts you into the shoes of American sniper Karl Fairburne. This time around however, you’ll be putting bullets into the undead in an attempt to get out of Germany with your skin intact. Before we start dispatching zombies with ruthless vigor, I’d like to thank Michael Molcher from Rebellion for providing me with a free review copy.
Sniper Elite: Nazi Zombie Army (PC, XBox 360, PS3, Wii U)
The main menu is similar to “Sniper Elite V2”, allowing the player to participate in single player and cooperative modes, check the leaderboards, and adjust game options. The art style of the menus is familiar and easy to navigate. Most of the menu options you may have discovered in this game’s predecessor are also found here. For the benefit of those who don’t own “Sniper Elite V2”, you’ll be able to adjust things like screen resolution, sound levels, bullet cam frequency, subtitles, and advanced graphics settings. It lacks a multiplayer mode, that is, if you don’t count cooperative mode.
Starting a new game allows you to pick between cadet, marksman, and sniper elite difficulties. Unlike “Sniper Elite V2”, you aren’t able to customize the difficulty by adjusting particular settings. The gameplay is a cross between “Left 4 Dead” and the “Sniper Elite V2” in that you’ll be moving from safe house to safe house, trying to survive various events as they pop up. You’ll have access to the bullet kill cam and be able to see how those well-timed shots penetrate the anatomy of the zombie you’ve hit. Tripwires, grenades, dynamite, landmines, and other special items are available to get you out of tight spots.
The kill bullet cam is still satisfying, even when it involves zombies.
“Sniper Elite: Nazi Zombie Army” focuses less on stealth compared to its predecessor. While you’ll be able to shoot zombies at range with a sniper rifle, shooting them with a shotgun or submachine gun from medium range is just as effective. You won’t have guys with guns shooting back at you, though there are zombies that break the norm and do something different to mix things up. I’ve even run into skeletons that take quite a licking, but have a weak spot that glows in their chest. Running and gunning is almost necessary at times, which seems odd considering that the franchise revolves around “sniping.”
Editor’s Note: Zombie snipers and juggernauts do have guns, though they aren’t as common as regular zombies.
All of that said, the game is incredibly engaging and fun to play. The sounds of the zombies in the distance are eerie enough to make me second guess moving forward through a blind spot. It’s even worse when you spot a horde of zombies coming at you with their glowing yellow eyes, only to turn around and discover that the zombies you had just killed resurrected themselves. Yes, that’s right…zombies can resurrect and keep coming at you, making headshots a necessity. It can be hard to do that though, as they sway back and forth regularly.
Safe houses, if you can get to them, give you a well needed rest and ammo refill.
I appreciate the variety of the weapons that the game gives you to fend off those pesky undead. You’ll have access to pistols that are accurate and quick to reload, while there are others that are slow to reload but pack a powerful punch. I had a heck of a time aiming with the luger, preferring the colt as it allows me to shoot from a fairly good range. I found the thompson was easy to fire at range and a great all-around submachine gun, but there are others that are much quicker to fire that can get you out of some tight spots. Land minds and trip wires work wonders during survive events…that is, being tasked with holding an area while the undead come at you from all sides.
“Sniper Elite: Nazi Zombie Army”, if I can sum it up, is the sultry mistress that one might visit for a weekend of mindless fun. It’s less strategic than its predecessor but more action packed and suspenseful. Anyone who enjoys playing zombie survival games would more than likely get a kick out of this game too. The game is currently going for about $14.99 on Steam, which is much less than it’s $49.99 predescesor (“Sniper Elite V2”).
Final Verdict: 8/10
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You can learn more about and purchase “Sniper Elite: Nazi Zombie Army” by visiting the following websites:
http://store.steampowered.com/app/227100/
You can check out gameplay videos here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGavtUJTvHk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUGyYoYHnks
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IiPESzbvFso
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