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So far the Wii U has seen its fair share of ports and older titles. The latest in that trend comes in the form of a forgettable little sniper action game released last year for 360 and PS3 called Sniper Elite V2. I originally reviewed the game and for what it was, I enjoyed it quite a bit. Fast forward to the Wii U release and it appears Rebellion has managed to somehow make a year old port feel rushed. The amount of missing features is staggering; especially considering it still carries the full retail price tag.
If you want to get the full story on the core Sniper Elite V2, you can read my review of the original right here. I am going to focus on the Wii U version in particular in this review.
I have you now!
The original Sniper Elite V2’s campaign was a solid, if not flawed romp through the eyes of a sharpshooter during World War II. It even had DLC that allowed players to pin down, and eventually take out the infamous Hitler in a cool alternate universe type spin-off. For the most part, that experience still remains on the Wii U minus any of the DLC. This is perplexing on so many levels considering there is a version of the original game with that content packed in. How did it not make it into this version?
The campaign, as I mentioned, is still here, but players have to take it alone. The co-op mode is also absent from this version, as well as any sign of online play at all. Co-op was one of V2’s strongest bullet points, and to see it removed from a version released over a year after its source material is baffling. We know the Wii U has a decent online infrastructure; the system also has enough power to render the game, so why remove one of the key features in what could have been the definitive version? If that isn’t enough, the fact that this is labeled at full retail price on store shelves is nearly a slap in the face.
The team has added some Gamepad features such as weapon and item swapping along with the quintessential map, but that isn’t enough. Off TV play is also here, but that doesn’t make up for the fact that the heart and soul of the V2 experience is simply absent.
I miss my co-op buddy.
On a technical level Sniper Elite V2 on Wii U is pretty much the same experience we got on 360 and PS3. It looks good, but not great. The locales are devoid of life, and the brown environments start to blend together after a while. Frame rate holds its own, and the killcam stuff is still wonderfully brutal. Overall I didn’t notice anything about this version that is either better, or worse than its source.
Sniper Elite V2 for the Wii U is a travesty. I really enjoyed the campaign, but stripping out half of the features and asking full price is criminal. This game deserved to get the proper treatment and deliver the definitive version of the series. Perhaps even include the PC-only zombies portion for good measure. Instead we are left with a stripped down version of a decent game that continues to support the idea that third party developers really don’t take Nintendo’s new machine seriously.
Review copy of game provided by publisher.
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