Sniper Fury

Sniper Fury is the latest addition to the increasingly popular genre of mobile stationary shooters. This is a game that serves as a perfect encapsulation of what the genre does right without bringing much new to the table. Those looking for an innovative game changer will probably find themselves disappointed, but anyone seeking out a polished take on the FPS genre tailored towards the strengths of mobile phones should discover a lot to love here.

Like so many sniper games before, Sniper Fury puts you in a stationary position and asks you with taking out a stream of enemy soldiers in a variety of different locations. As a result, it's a game that favors the ability to read the screen and respond with accuracy more than it requires you to learn how to navigate the field, and Sniper Fury does a great job in that regard. This is a game that takes a fundamentally basic premise and stretches it out to its logical end point. It's a shooting gallery, but it's arguably the most aesthetically pleasing shooting gallery that you can play on a mobile phone.

And while this is undoubtedly not a game that can keep pace with the top first person shooters on consoles and PCs, it's clearly taken some clear inspiration from them. The final shots on any level will provide you with slow motion zoom that puts the camera right behind the bullet and lets you see the visceral gore of impact. That's accompanied by an in depth physics system, although the quality of the rag doll physics can vary, and watching a sniper round fell an opponent with a shot to their foot isn't exactly as thrilling as a skull shot. The generously wide hit boxes can really make new players feel like pro snipers in zero seconds flat, but they don't exactly help the sense of immersion.

And while the core gameplay loops here may be pretty simple, there's plenty to do in terms of larger systems. The missions themselves start off generally mundane and stereotypical, but they eventually develop into pretty impressive set pieces that emulate modern action movies. The graphics aren't the best you'll find on mobile phones, but they're certainly better than average. And that's a good thing too. Because Sniper Fury is all about upgrades. A thorough system allows you to upgrade your existing guns and unlock new guns by finding randomized parts out in the field. What that means in practice is a lot of working your way through levels you've already played to get the experience and currency you need. Your milage may vary as to whether or not that's a frustrating experience or a great way to relearn old maps, but it does ensure that you aren't locked out of any experiences due to an unwillingness to spend real currency.

Pros:

• Solid graphics enhance intense real world combat scenarios
• Strong if basic moment to moment shooter gameplay
• Tons of different weapons to choose from

Cons:

• Improving weapons and unlocking new guns can be a grind
• Graphics are above average but not exceptional