Stay On Target: Sniper Elite 3 Multiplayer Trailer

I find Sniper Elite's fascination with face-breaking slow-motion bullet impacts somewhat grotesque, because I'm exactly the kind of hand-wringing, self-loathing videogame journalist the internet commenters warned you about. That doesn't mean I don't like the core idea of hunkering down behind some crumbling buildings, fearing for my life and timidly scanning the treeline for fascists. It only means I'd rather play Sniper Elite V2's multiplayer, where pace necessitated fewer lovingly rendered shots of severed bollocks and where the presence of other players created far greater tension.

Good news, then! Not only am I getting to the point of this news story, but the point is this: Sniper Elite 3 expands the series' multiplayer offering considerably, and there's a trailer below.

Moving its setting to North Africa, Sniper Elite 3 aims to have much larger, more open levels than its predecessors. The mechanical thrills remain the same, mixing necessary stealth with the perverse satisfaction of the long-range sniper kills, but I'm glad that we might get more choice in how to approach situations this time. Multiplayer aside, Sniper Elite V2 was little more than solid, and faulty AI and linear, corridor-shaped levels quickly crushed what fun I hoped to glean from the campaign.

The game's out on June 27th, which is barely more than seconds away.