Sniper Elite
Encyclopedia
Sniper Elite, also known as Sniper Elite: Berlin 1945, is a 2005 tactical shooter
developed by UK
-based video game developer Rebellion Developments
.
The main character is Karl Fairburne, an American
OSS
secret agent disguised as a German sniper
. He is inserted into Battle of Berlin
in 1945, during the final days of World War II
, with the critical objective of obtaining German nuclear technology
before the Soviet Union
does.
, April 1945. Very little information is known about his background, other than he was raised in Berlin as the son of an U.S. ambassador to Germany before the war broke out, that he studied at West Point shortly after America's entrance into the war, and the fact that he was chosen for this mission because the city was his childhood home.
There are several factions contending for supremacy in the city, including the German resistance
, who wish to aid Karl, the Soviet NKVD
, and the Nazi forces. Martin Bormann
, an extremely powerful figure within the Third Reich, is one of Karl's targets for assassination as he plans to meet up with an NKVD contact at the Brandenburg Gate
to defect to the Soviet Union; the fate of the real Bormann was for a long time shrouded in mystery (turns out that he committed suicide during a breakout attempt). The rest of the characters (such as Dr. Max Lohmann, a key German scientist who Fairburne is assigned to help capture and escort out of Berlin to America in order to prevent him from falling into the hands of the NKVD) are fictional with exception of General Patton
who has sent Fairburne on his mission.
that involves much stealth and patience. To reinforce the stealth aspect, there is a camouflage
index measured in percentage that displays the visibility of the protagonist. Fairburne uses several WWII-era weapons, including sniper rifles (Gewehr 43
, SVT-40, Mosin-Nagant M91/30
), a silenced pistol (Walther P38), submachine guns (MP 40, PPSh-41
), machine guns (MG 42, DP), an anti-tank weapon (Panzershreck), and German and Soviet hand grenades (which can be also used to make tripwire
boobytraps). Only one weapon of each class may be carried at a time.
One of the main features of the game is the option of realistic ballistics
, involving factors such as bullet drop, wind strength, and breathing when attempting a shot. Sniping gameplay is in first person scope
view, whereas movement and use of all other weapons is in third person
view. When the player makes an extreme sniper shot, the view follows the path of the bullet in slow motion
, while the camera rotates around the bullet.
version of the game was released by Reef Entertainment in North America in September 2010. It is compatible with the Wii Remote
and Wii Zapper
and contains a bonus new level. The game was also released in Europe later the same year.
Awards of 2005. As of 2010 the game holds an average GameRankings scores of 73.44% for the PC version, 76.65% for the PlayStation 2, and 76.97% for the Xbox.
book imprint Abaddon Books
released a novel inspired by the game, Sniper Elite: The Spear of Destiny (Jaspre Bark, Abaddon Books
, August 2006, ISBN 1-905437-04-8). In this book, Karl Fairburne's mission is to stop the renegade SS
general Helmstadt from selling a working atomic bomb to the Soviets.
Tactical shooter
A tactical shooter is a subgenre of shooter game that includes both first-person shooters and third-person shooters. These games typically simulate realistic combat, thus making tactics and caution more important than quick reflexes in other action games...
developed by UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
-based video game developer Rebellion Developments
Rebellion Developments
Rebellion is a British computer games company, based in Oxford, who are most famous for the first Aliens vs. Predator computer game. It has published comic books since 2000 and launched its own book imprint, Abaddon Books, in 2006.-History:...
.
The main character is Karl Fairburne, an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
OSS
Office of Strategic Services
The Office of Strategic Services was a United States intelligence agency formed during World War II. It was the wartime intelligence agency, and it was a predecessor of the Central Intelligence Agency...
secret agent disguised as a German sniper
Sniper
A sniper is a marksman who shoots targets from concealed positions or distances exceeding the capabilities of regular personnel. Snipers typically have specialized training and distinct high-precision rifles....
. He is inserted into Battle of Berlin
Battle of Berlin
The Battle of Berlin, designated the Berlin Strategic Offensive Operation by the Soviet Union, was the final major offensive of the European Theatre of World War II....
in 1945, during the final days of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, with the critical objective of obtaining German nuclear technology
German nuclear energy project
The German nuclear energy project, , was an attempted clandestine scientific effort led by Germany to develop and produce the atomic weapons during the events involving the World War II...
before the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
does.
Story
The game follows protagonist Karl Fairburne as he attempts to prevent the Soviet Union taking control of Germany's nuclear secrets in and around BerlinBerlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, April 1945. Very little information is known about his background, other than he was raised in Berlin as the son of an U.S. ambassador to Germany before the war broke out, that he studied at West Point shortly after America's entrance into the war, and the fact that he was chosen for this mission because the city was his childhood home.
There are several factions contending for supremacy in the city, including the German resistance
German Resistance
The German resistance was the opposition by individuals and groups in Germany to Adolf Hitler or the National Socialist regime between 1933 and 1945. Some of these engaged in active plans to remove Adolf Hitler from power and overthrow his regime...
, who wish to aid Karl, the Soviet NKVD
NKVD
The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs was the public and secret police organization of the Soviet Union that directly executed the rule of power of the Soviets, including political repression, during the era of Joseph Stalin....
, and the Nazi forces. Martin Bormann
Martin Bormann
Martin Ludwig Bormann was a prominent Nazi official. He became head of the Party Chancellery and private secretary to Adolf Hitler...
, an extremely powerful figure within the Third Reich, is one of Karl's targets for assassination as he plans to meet up with an NKVD contact at the Brandenburg Gate
Brandenburg Gate
The Brandenburg Gate is a former city gate and one of the most well-known landmarks of Berlin and Germany. It is located west of the city centre at the junction of Unter den Linden and Ebertstraße, immediately west of the Pariser Platz. It is the only remaining gate of a series through which...
to defect to the Soviet Union; the fate of the real Bormann was for a long time shrouded in mystery (turns out that he committed suicide during a breakout attempt). The rest of the characters (such as Dr. Max Lohmann, a key German scientist who Fairburne is assigned to help capture and escort out of Berlin to America in order to prevent him from falling into the hands of the NKVD) are fictional with exception of General Patton
George S. Patton
George Smith Patton, Jr. was a United States Army officer best known for his leadership while commanding corps and armies as a general during World War II. He was also well known for his eccentricity and controversial outspokenness.Patton was commissioned in the U.S. Army after his graduation from...
who has sent Fairburne on his mission.
Gameplay
Sniper Elite is a third-person shooterThird-person shooter
Third-person shooter is a genre of 3D action games in which the player character is visible on-screen, and the gameplay consists primarily of shooting.-Definition:...
that involves much stealth and patience. To reinforce the stealth aspect, there is a camouflage
Camouflage
Camouflage is a method of concealment that allows an otherwise visible animal, military vehicle, or other object to remain unnoticed, by blending with its environment. Examples include a leopard's spotted coat, the battledress of a modern soldier and a leaf-mimic butterfly...
index measured in percentage that displays the visibility of the protagonist. Fairburne uses several WWII-era weapons, including sniper rifles (Gewehr 43
Gewehr 43
The Gewehr 43 or Karabiner 43 is an 8x57mm IS caliber semi-automatic rifle developed by Nazi Germany during World War II...
, SVT-40, Mosin-Nagant M91/30
Mosin-Nagant
The Mosin–Nagant is a bolt-action, internal magazine-fed, military rifle invented under the government commission by Russian and Belgian inventors, and used by the armed forces of the Russian Empire, the Soviet Union and various other nations....
), a silenced pistol (Walther P38), submachine guns (MP 40, PPSh-41
PPSh-41
The PPSh-41 was a Soviet submachine gun designed by Georgi Shpagin as an inexpensive, simplified alternative to the PPD-40. Intended for use by minimally-trained conscript soldiers, the PPSh was a magazine-fed selective-fire submachine gun using an open-bolt, blowback action...
), machine guns (MG 42, DP), an anti-tank weapon (Panzershreck), and German and Soviet hand grenades (which can be also used to make tripwire
Tripwire
A tripwire is a passive triggering mechanism. Typically, a wire or cord is attached to some device for detecting or reacting to physical movement...
boobytraps). Only one weapon of each class may be carried at a time.
One of the main features of the game is the option of realistic ballistics
Ballistics
Ballistics is the science of mechanics that deals with the flight, behavior, and effects of projectiles, especially bullets, gravity bombs, rockets, or the like; the science or art of designing and accelerating projectiles so as to achieve a desired performance.A ballistic body is a body which is...
, involving factors such as bullet drop, wind strength, and breathing when attempting a shot. Sniping gameplay is in first person scope
Telescopic sight
A telescopic sight, commonly called a scope, is a sighting device that is based on an optical refracting telescope. They are equipped with some form of graphic image pattern mounted in an optically appropriate position in their optical system to give an accurate aiming point...
view, whereas movement and use of all other weapons is in third person
Third-person shooter
Third-person shooter is a genre of 3D action games in which the player character is visible on-screen, and the gameplay consists primarily of shooting.-Definition:...
view. When the player makes an extreme sniper shot, the view follows the path of the bullet in slow motion
Slow motion
Slow motion is an effect in film-making whereby time appears to be slowed down. It was invented by the Austrian priest August Musger....
, while the camera rotates around the bullet.
Wii version
The WiiWii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
version of the game was released by Reef Entertainment in North America in September 2010. It is compatible with the Wii Remote
Wii Remote
The , also known as the Wiimote, is the primary controller for Nintendo's Wii console. A main feature of the Wii Remote is its motion sensing capability, which allows the user to interact with and manipulate items on screen via gesture recognition and pointing through the use of accelerometer and...
and Wii Zapper
Wii Zapper
The Wii Zapper is a gun shell peripheral for the Wii Remote. The name is a reference to the NES Zapper light gun for the Nintendo Entertainment System...
and contains a bonus new level. The game was also released in Europe later the same year.
Reception
Sniper Elite was awarded "Best PC/Console Game" in the TIGAThe Independent Games Developers Association
TIGA is the national trade association representing the business and commercial interests of video and computer game developers in the UK and Europe...
Awards of 2005. As of 2010 the game holds an average GameRankings scores of 73.44% for the PC version, 76.65% for the PlayStation 2, and 76.97% for the Xbox.
Novel
Rebellion'sRebellion Developments
Rebellion is a British computer games company, based in Oxford, who are most famous for the first Aliens vs. Predator computer game. It has published comic books since 2000 and launched its own book imprint, Abaddon Books, in 2006.-History:...
book imprint Abaddon Books
Abaddon Books
Abaddon Books is a British publishing imprint, founded in 2006. It is part of the Rebellion group of companies, along with publishing companies Solaris Books, 2000 AD, 2000 AD Graphic Novels, and Cubicle 7....
released a novel inspired by the game, Sniper Elite: The Spear of Destiny (Jaspre Bark, Abaddon Books
Abaddon Books
Abaddon Books is a British publishing imprint, founded in 2006. It is part of the Rebellion group of companies, along with publishing companies Solaris Books, 2000 AD, 2000 AD Graphic Novels, and Cubicle 7....
, August 2006, ISBN 1-905437-04-8). In this book, Karl Fairburne's mission is to stop the renegade SS
Schutzstaffel
The Schutzstaffel |Sig runes]]) was a major paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. Built upon the Nazi ideology, the SS under Heinrich Himmler's command was responsible for many of the crimes against humanity during World War II...
general Helmstadt from selling a working atomic bomb to the Soviets.