So I got this game as part of the Humble Monthly Bundle, and thought I would give it a shot. Turns out it is actually not too bad. I can't say that I've ever felt that a CI Games game was good, or really even decent, so color me surprised. Unlike the previous game this isn't one big open world, but several massive levels containing multiple objectives, challenges, and targets to snipe. It actually strongly reminded me of the recent Hitman trilogy. Levels are meant to be replayed to achieve the various challenges, which are often mutually exclusive, and the sandbox nature of the levels allow you to use different strategies to snipe your enemies. It's maybe the only sniping game I've played where I actually felt like I needed to carefully decide where to set up my rifle in order to take out my target most effectively.

The other cool aspect is that the rifles actually make use of an elevation and distance slider, so there isn't any red dot telling you where your shot will actually hit. You need to find your target, mark it to measure the distance, account for elevation and wind and then take the shot. It's challenging without being frustrating, and I never felt like I should have made a shot the game said I missed, a major issue with previous games in the series. It also feels great to choose the perfect perch, and then make a shot from 300+ meters away in a windy mountain or what have you.

There is also a slight sci-fi element to the game where you are provided with an advanced suit of armor and a helmet that you can upgrade to improve your abilities beyond that of a normal sniper. This is largely how they get around you needing a spotter, as your mask spots the enemies for you and then performs the distance calculations which you can then use in your shot. There are also some fairly futuristic bullets, including one that does not drop over long distances or get blown off course by heavy winds.

Overall I was really impressed with what I played. The upgrade system made replaying levels to complete more objectives worthwhile. You also earn money that can be used to buy new weapons or to add various aftermarket parts to your current loadout, giving you a lot of options to play with. You can also eventually purchase a drone and an automated sniper rifle that can take out targets remotely. After how bad previous Sniper Ghost Warrior games were, I am shocked at the quality of this one. It's not Hitman levels of good, mind you, but compared to virtually every other games in CI's lineup, its a masterpiece.

I recently starting going through all the Sniper: Ghost Warriors games just because, i've only done the first 2 so far but I can definitely see the progression from forgettable budget shooter to actual decent little game, they really have seemed to made improvements with every sequel so far.

@panfoot: I have bad news for you. By all accounts(including their own), 3 is is trash. They basically were overly ambitious, ran out of money, and had to release a game that wasn’t fun, didn’t look good or run well, and had a truly awful story. Contracts fixes all of the major issues, mind you, but be prepared for a slog if you play through 3.

@raven10: I've beat Duke Nukem Forever, Aliens: Colonial Marines, and The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct so I think I'm up to the challenge. I will take an overly ambitious mess over the same old same old, though I'm sure they has to be some aspect in there that improves over 2, even if the rest of it sucks.

I reviewed it a couple of years back. It's fine. Looks great although I had some bugs kind of halt my progress. Getting stuck in geometry, AI bugging out. Not huge problems but the checkpoints felt a little off at times.