Review: Sniper Elite: Resistance (Xbox) – Slick Sniper Action Plays It Safe, But’s It’s Still Hard To Resist – Pure Xbox

GuestGuestLogin | Sign UpPure XboxGuestLogin or Sign UpSniper Elite: ResistanceXbox Series X|S2025 N/AGame RatingUser Ratings: 0Our Review: Scroll DownResistance is futile, you slagsVersion Reviewed: EuropeanHave you ever wanted to play an entry in Rebellion’s fantastic Sniper Elite series that stars Danny Dyer as the protagonist? Have you ever wanted to give a whole bunch of Nazi slags a right good doing?Well, we reckon you’re not alone, sunshine. In fact, we’ve been petitioning Rebellion for this very thing for years (they’ve never answered our tear-stained letters), and in Sniper Elite: Resistance, the studio has almost gone and delivered thanks to new leading man, and expert Nazi-slag-basher, Harry Hawker.Yes, whilst this all-new Sniper Elite has decided to play it incredibly safe in terms of both its setting, and in its selection of tricks and traps (the core gameplay here is exactly as it was in Sniper Elite 5), things have been given a lift through the introduction of a mouthier protagonist, combined with new Propaganda missions that add a little more variety to the mix.Before we dig into these new aspects, though, let’s address the game’s return to the same geographical points of WW2, as it’s been one of the bigger complaints about this new offering pre-release. It’s not hard to see why, we’ve visited and revisited this region of the conflict time and time again, and Sniper Elite 5 did it with such incredible swagger that it’s been hard to figure why we haven’t been treated to a shift to some other theatre of war for this next installment.However, in practice, and as much as we thought we were 100% done with World War 2-based Sniper Elite good-times after Karl Fairburne’s last outing, the thing is that Rebellion has refined this stuff down to an artform at this stage. This studio is just really, really good at designing great big playgrounds that are jampacked full of perfectly pitched WW2 atmospherics and, more importantly, loads of impressively reactive Nazis to shoot in the balls. These are the most important factors, let it be known! And Rebellion excels in executing this stuff every time.So, whilst Sniper Elite: Resistance, with its return to France and lack of a number 6 to give it that premium mainline-entry feel, might seem as though it’s gonna be a dialed-back slice of glorified DLC, what we’ve actually got is a game that delivers nine truly excellent campaign missions, all of which are well-worth diving into, and hugely replayable to boot. Yes, it is absolutely more of the same, we can’t dress it up any other way, and if you’ve played 5 to death, this is gonna feel mighty familiar. But, it’s hard to care when each of the sorties on offer here strikes such a fantastic balance between giving you all the long-range sniping opportunities you could want across vast and intricately detailed maps, whilst also digging down to street level to provide a ton of scope for tricksy CQC experimentation.You know the sort of stuff; rigging a truck to explode when anyone approaches, whilst also making sure there’s enough TNT to start a deadly chain-reaction of fiery vehicles popping off all the way back to the nearest bunker. Booby-trapping dead enemies so their pals get rinsed when they come to check if they’re OK, or just whistling nearby lads into some long grass for a good old-fashioned shanking. Heck, you could even decide to drop the whole Johnny Stealth facade before going on a full-scale rampage with some grenades and a Panzerfaust 80.The excellent Sniper Elite 5 finally managed to get this series into a position, mechanically, where “going loud” in this way didn’t spell the end of a satisfying run. Being a cockney Rambo at times is perfectly legit. You don’t have to slowly save-scum your way to a perfectly-ghosted mission result anymore (although, we do still do it out of habit for the most part), and this vibe continues in Resistance, giving you far more choice when things go south. It’s still advisable (or perhaps just more interesting) to stay hidden overall, to play to your stealthy strengths, use your binocs to tag everyone and then silently proceed on your bloody way, but slipping up, making noise, getting caught and then dealing with it on-the-fly, is now an aspect of the game that’s actually fun and fluid to interact with.We said in our review of Sniper Elite 5 that it was the pinnacle of the series, and that remains true, hence the slightly lower score for this new entry. Karl’s last outing just had a certain flashiness to it, in its sumptuous opening mission at Mont-Saint-Michel, for example, that’s unmatched here. It felt like Rebellion going all-out to prove that Sniper Elite could play with the big boys. Having achieved that ambition, Resistance comes across as a bit of a victory tour. Every map is a beautiful thing to behold, make no mistake, including a dam-busting opener that kicks things off in fine style. The UI and controls – whilst still requiring some learning – have never been slicker, and the enemy AI continues to impress us at every turn. It’s a very good and very well-made thing! But it lacks the overall wow factor of 2022’s epic, it doesn’t need to make the same technical or mechanical strides as its predecessor.In terms of the headline changes, well, Harry, who’s been in the series as a co-op partner since 3, is paper-thin as a prospect, really. There’s no effort to give him any backstory or depth, and honestly there isn’t any need to. He talks a lot more than Karl…mostly to complain, but it’s the delightfully panto accent, alongside his terminally-exasperated energy, as it mingles alongside that frisson of Danny Dyer danger…that uneasy feeling he’s about to completely lose his rag with some of Hitler’s slags, that easily makes him much more interesting than the blandly stoic Karl Fairburne. In fact, in our minds Karl is Craig Fairbrass. We’d take Danny Dyer over Craig Fairbrass any day. And that’s no disrespect to 1993’s Cliffhanger, in case you were wondering.And the Propaganda missions? We’ve only managed to unlock four of them so far, as you need to find very well-hidden posters on each stage to gain access, but what we’ve played has been a fun diversion. Killing enemies on a timer, besting your previous times and scores, and being oh-so-clever about it all, is addictive stuff, and little touches like your timer not starting until you make a kill, add lots of strategy for those who want to make a proper effort. Yes, this means you can scope out and tag everyone on the level before getting underway! Preparation is vital, you absolute slags.Add in returning Axis Invasions, which allow you to do a Dark Souls and invade other players’ games, alongside full co-op for the entire campaign, as well as the usual multiplayer modes and survival tagged on for good measure, and you’ve got yet another massive Sniper Elite game that provides an almost endless sandbox of Nazi-wrecking good times, really. Something we could all do with right now, let’s face it. This is gaming as therapy.In summary, it’s hard to knock what’s on offer in this latest outing, truth be told, and it’s only the over-familiarity of the setting, the lack of innovations/additions to the core suite of stealth tricks, and a few small technical niggles (some small walls can’t be vaunted, and Harry has occasionally got stuck when crouch-walking up steps) that have us downgrading the score a tad from 2022’s effort. Touching on performance very quickly, and we should also note there is only one graphical mode as things stand right now, offering visuals on a par with the last game in the series, with what’s looked and felt like a nigh-on flawless 4K/60FPS for us on Xbox Series X. It’s very slick in action, this one.If you love Sniper Elite, this is quite simply more of the series at its very best, equal to 5 both mechanically, and in terms of the size of its wonderful maps. Now, can we please, please do a Pacific war adventure for the next one folks? And just go the whole hog and hire Danny. Go on.Sniper Elite: Resistance is a super solid return to slo-mo sniping duties. It may lack the overall wow-factor and technical upgrades of its predecessor, and it treads a lot of very familiar ground, but this new entry has still got it where it matters most. A procession of nine outstanding maps provide sandboxes galore for the usual tricks, traps and fancy long-range shots, the new Propaganda missions are a fun diversion, and protagonist Harry Hawker is as close to Sniper Elite: Danny Dyer as we’re likely to get. Add in co-op and Axis Invasions and you’ve got yourself another great big sniper celebration that’s hard to resist.Great 8/10Review copy provided by RebellionHow we review productsScoring PolicyRelated ProductsPlease note that some external links on this page are affiliate links, which means if you click them and make a purchase we may receive a small percentage of the sale. Please read our FTC Disclosure for more information.About PJ O’ReillyPJ is a staff writer across Pure Xbox and Nintendo Life. He’s been playing video games pretty much nonstop since the early 1980s, loves his RPGs more than most, and continues to pretend to himself that his reflexes haven’t slowed at all over the past four decades of continuous play.Comments 12Nice. Plan on juggling this with Eternal Strands this week!I expected as much. These games are hardly revolutionary, but they’re fun and addictive nonetheless. I’ll be playing this. I do so hope they do another Strange Brigade. That game was amazing.Excellent, very happy to have another instalment of Nazi Shooting Simulator! Sniping a fascist through the testicles never gets old.This series has been quite reliable in what it does it does really well… This feels like the first shot of many in a busy 2025…@Kaloudz Agreed, great game.PC Gamer review……
As I get older, I find watching the impact of your bullets on a human body doesn’t really spark joy. I don’t know if I want to see that my long-range shot took out several vertebrae, or blew someone’s jaw across the nearby countryside. Call me a prude, but these killcams slow gameplay down significantly, and mostly just make me squirm.Totally agree with this. No interest and no fun in playing this.@EdgarTheBug Epic wasn’t it. The setting, the humour, I personally rank it as one of their best. Let’s see how Atomfall plays out when that launches soon.@JonBoyJ I understand this sentiment. I’m older now as well, and while I am playing the game (Sniper Elite 5), I can’t help thinking about the real-life counterparts. Or any human being shot and the damage that is done. It is the reality of the whole thing.The entire effect is entertaining (slo-mo, silence except the gunpowder igniting and gas & projectile escaping from the barrel), but it does make me think. There are eye/headshots, livershots, limb-crushing shots, and the unsportsmanlike nut-shots. It can kind of feels like celebrating a bit.I remember playing the “Soldier of Fortune” series back in the day. Those games were very graphic. While I still play many FPS games, I do wonder about how many times I aimed to shoot some other character, specifically in the head.@JonBoyJ I kind of agree, I think. At the risk of sounding like a prude/snowflake/wet blanket/ Mary Whitehouse etc, I can’t help but feel the extreme detail in the bullet cam is exploitative. It isn’t done in any educational way, or in a way to make us think about the effect that these weapons have on the human body – it is far more gleeful than that. And therefore in rather poor taste. Having said that, I will play it on Gamepass as they are good games, and think about whether or not I want to turn off the bullet cam in the settings.Thank you for the review.I ordered it now, sounds pretty good and I have a sweet spot for this series.For me Sniper Elite basically replaced the Metal Gear games when it comes to stealth action. They just play so well and somewhat similar IMO. Love the franchise.Removed – inappropriate language Show CommentsLeave A CommentHold on there, you need to login to post a comment…These 13 Games Are Coming To Xbox Game Pass (January 22 – February 4)Including another Ubisoft addition!Multiple Xbox Game Pass Titles Seemingly Leaked For February 2025Next month is shaping up very nicely!Xbox Developer Direct 2025: Event Date, Start Times & Where To Watch The ShowcaseWe’re getting VERY close now!Six Games Will Leave Xbox Game Pass In Late January 2025Including a modern-day classic we gave 10/10 to!These 20+ Games Are Coming To Xbox Next Week (January 27-31)A big week for Xbox Game PassGame ProfileTitle:Sniper Elite: ResistanceSystem:Xbox Series X|SAlso Available For:PS4, PS5Publisher:RebellionDeveloper:RebellionGenre:ShooterPlayers:1Release Date:Xbox Series X|SReviews:Review: Sniper Elite: Resistance (Xbox) – Slick Sniper Action Plays It Safe, But’s It’s Still Hard To ResistWhere to buy:Buy on Amazon
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