Several of the targets are hiding inside or hot-footing it around the area, and taking them out starts to resemble a Hitman level, albeit from a kilometer away, landing rounds into fuse boxes, cars with overzealous alarm systems or even comedically stacked barrels in the hope theyвЂ™ll make enough noise to draw the target to a more shootable position. In the Long Shot contracts, youвЂ™re carrying a huge rifle, and scouting your target from a set position, overlooking an entire camp and ready to dish out lead. The classic contracts have you using a short range rifle, and the sniper rifle is just another weapon in your arsenal. It feels like youвЂ™re playing two different games.

There are fewer close-range firefights, and you feel like an actual sniper. These Long Shot contracts mean youвЂ™ll be making shots nearly a mile away. The gameвЂ™s saving grace is the Long Shot contracts, which drop you into a similar area, but the goal is ultimately to make it to vantage points and plonk yourself down overlooking one of several target areas in each place. The Classic contracts are more akin to previous games in the series: you are having firefights at under 200m, youвЂ™ll spend a lot of time failing stealth and hiding in bushes, and itвЂ™s quite a close-quarters affair. The game is divided into two core contract types and they have genuine differences. Credit: CI GamesД®ach mission in the game has a cluster of contracts, taking place in an open-world environment that you can explore at your own pace. Distinctively shit, in most cases, but they do at least feel different.

None of the guns are licensed but they are recognisable, and they are distinctive. Unfortunately, Contracts 2 seems to have been designed in such a way that youвЂ™re constantly being pulled away from the sniping and forced to scrap it out with enemies up close, where rubbish weapon-handling combines with sub-par AI and an unforgiving health pool to make sure you have a bad time.

The sniping is probably the best out there. I quickly learnt the impact that windage, range and even zeroing my scope would have on my ability to hit someone, and when I was taking long-range shots, I felt genuinely empowered. Sticking with the formula, Sniper: Ghost Warrior Contracts 2 (which IвЂ™ll call Contracts 2 now, for my sanity) is also a surprisingly comprehensive sniping game, breaking down the mechanics of being a marksman in a way that is accessible and doesnвЂ™t patronise you at all.

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From 2008вЂ™s Sniper: Art of Victory all the way to the unfortunately titled Sniper: Ghost Warrior Contracts 2, The franchise has often been a masterclass in marksmanship, delivering on the promise of being a fun and interesting sniping game, before forcing you to slog through countless terrible close-range engagements. One of lifeвЂ™s great mysteries is the Sniper Ghost Warrior franchise.

Ghost sniper gameplay