Unlike a traditional stealth game focused on keeping yourself out of view or secretly taking out unsuspecting foes at close range, in sniping games like Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts you’re better off keeping your distance. It’s all about reveling in the careful, precise sniping that requires methodical movements and attention to detail. Contracts, in particular, is slow at times and the obligatory escapes can be a bit boring, but the long stretches of downtime are often punctuated by exhilarating explosions of gore that make it worthwhile.
A mostly inconsequential story about oil companies, international espionage, and vague politics loosely connects 25 contract objectives across five enormous sandbox-style maps. A forgettable prologue explains why it’s morally okay to assassinate each target for money. It was nice getting some context for why I’m being asked to murder dozens of people, but at the end of the day the game is called Sniper and it gives me a long gun with slow-mo powers so I don’t need much other motivation beyond that. From there it’s just a matter of completing your objectives and cashing the check. Sometimes you’re also hacking computer terminals, planting bombs, or stealing intel – all basic stuff.
