Underrated...not as bad as people make it out to be.
I always choose medium difficulty when playing games, but in this case, the game only offered 2 choices: Recruit and Veteran. Since I never play Recruit on any game, I chose Veteran. Big mistake - especially when you haven't learned the nuances of this game. I can easily see how people became so frustrated and walked away with the feeling that you can't hit anything/ can't shoot through leaves or windows, etc. The thing is, you CAN shoot through windows and leaves, and...well, you get the idea.
After playing for a bit and thinking these player and review sites were right about their opinions, I shook my head in disbelief that a game like this would be released in this day and age. However, I did spend $20 on it, so I was determined that there HAS to be more to this game than meets the eye. So I tried it again on Recruit...
Well, Recruit IS their version of medium difficulty. You are also graced with a little yellow circle that bounces around as the wind moves to show you where your bullet will land when you shoot. It becomes pretty apparent that timing is everything, and holding the "shift" button down to hold your breath to steady your shot is critical. While you do have wind gauges and such, the yellow circle makes it much easier to gauge your shot and get a feel for things.
In the event you let off a really impressive head shot, the camera will attach itself to the bullet as you fly through the scene (just like in Sniper Elite) and watch up close as it impacts with an enemy soldier. Very rewarding.
You can also pick up other weapons in the game which will make those close quarters engagements easier to deal with. However, if you do your job right, those events are rare. Practically every area has a good spotting position to take out enemies from afar so it's in your best interest to find them.
While much of this game can be improved upon, it IS a budget game and should be taken as such.
Weaknesses I have noticed are in the AI - these guys don't really hide, but will run around in the open making them harder to hit, Weapons gathering - if you take out another sniper who is using the same weapon as yourself, you can increase your ammo by taking theirs, but submachine guns don't afford you this luxury. You'll find your self constantly picking up and dropping them until you find the one with the most ammo - which is usually only 3-10 rounds. Not very helpful. While someone made a comment about bodies floating in the air, I only saw this occur once.
All in all, I found myself going from hating this game after my first attempt, to actually having a pretty good time with it after getting the hang of it. At this budget price I can easily recommend it for players who prefer a more stealthy slower pace in a game and those that are patient enough to actually take the time to learn how works. If you are the impatient type and looking for fast paced instant gratification, this game is not for you.