An unexpected announcement from Rebellion has got the whole Sniper Elite crowd talking. Sniper Elite III suddenly reappeared in the Xbox Store. Just like that. The official account tweeted: “Sniper Elite III is once again available on the Xbox Store. See you on the battlefield 💥🌴.” This statement only raises more questions than it answers.
Like, why did it disappear in the first place??? No one really seems to know. One player, Daniel Ortega, directly asked to the devs, “@SniperElite Why had it been removed from the Xbox Store?” and all he heard were crickets. So, the removal process was never truly explained. Guess it’s one of those weird digital marketplace things that just occasionally happen. Licensing? A glitch in the matrix? What do I know? But now it’s back, and that’s what matters to Xbox gamers.
Here comes the real surprise: PlayStation gamers are far too big to pay any mind! The replies are flooded with users begging for it to return to the PlayStation Store. “@SniperElite Now do PlayStation please,” said one user, Dan. Edgar Solis responded, “Thanks and hope it returns to PlayStation Store 🙏.” The demand is tremendously real there.
And the devs are actually responding. In a reply to a user named Dereck Miller, the Sniper Elite account said that “We are currently working on bringing the game back to the PlayStation Store and will update you in due course.” So there is hope for you PS folks. Just gotta be patient; I know it’s tough.
To really get your mind thinking about it is the attention this one title commands. We’re talking about a title released back in 2014. Yet, the comments are filled with players calling it the best in the series. No joke. User djv85gaming stated, “I love the entire series but for me Elite 3 is the best one of them all.” Another user going by M7 took it further and trashed the newcomer titles: “It saddens me to say this but the gameplay in this part is better than the SE5 part and Resistance.”
People are recalling specific features back to them: Darren Braun says he misses being able to “shoot vehicles gas tanks & gas caps,” which is such a uniquely cool Sniper Elite feature. And user The Bob said it was “The best one for multiplayer,” which is an endorsement in itself against the competition.
As with any original title, requests for remasters started flowing in faster than the announcement of its return. “Remaster please 😀,” one user exclaimed. “Re-Master for PC!,” demanded yet another. However, the devs shut down those hopes almost immediately, responding to one such query with a blunt “No plans currently.” So, those of you getting excited for a shiny new version will have a long wait ahead of you. Therefore, what is back is probably just that: the original.
There’s even some tech trouble in the mix for the PC crowd. One user, R3Marton, complained, “Steam version crashes on NVIDIA cards and the driver has to be reinstalled each time…” which is probably a nightmare that no one wants to experience. Hopefully, this will get some focus again now that everything is back in the spotlight.
Then there are the… interesting… feature requests. One user, Crisco Kid, insists on a “playable recurve bow” in the game, offering to purchase all the DLC, should this happen. Thinking about it, though, Crisco and another user were already brainstorming on it being a “silent secondary” weapon. Hey, you gotta shoot your shot, right? Pun intended.
Amid all of the excitement, the grouch is on his way. Right Wing Monk launched into an accusation that the series is “overrun by cheaters” and deemed it “completely worthless,” further claiming the developer does nothing. A stark contrast with the general vibe of optimism but… welcome to Gaming Twitter.
Well, so what is Sniper Elite III? Well, it’s the third installment of the main games set in the North African campaign during World War II. It is pretty famously known for its X-ray kill cam, where bullets cut through organs with slow-motion gore to show the cruelest and highlight brutality appeal. Each of this is a franchise icon and why people love it so much. The game itself is sniping stealth with good ol’ fashioned blood and guts.
Xbox gamers, the wait is finally over. You can purchase it right now from the store. Everyone else on PlayStation will have to carry on waiting for the update to be pushed to them. And for the PC folks that may be crashing… maybe give those drivers another reinstall? Sorry.
Who would have thought a simple relisting of the store could rustle so much. Talk about a combined look as a passionate issue amongst the players, especially about this particular installment. This is not just a game coming back; to a lot of people, this is their favorite one. Now they want to get back on those dusty plains of Africa and nail some Sniper shots. Now I need to get my own copy out because all of these talks are getting to me. See you in the bush.
