In April, CI Games CEO, Marek Tymiński, released a statement acknowledging issues and bugs found in Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3. Various issues, such as crashes, long loading times, and frame rate drops, caused ire among players and critics alike, with some calling the game clunky and unfinished.

However, a new patch has today been implemented on all platforms to address a number of these issues. 

Fixes to Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3 in the game's latest patch include, but are not limited to:

• Reducing loading times
• Amending collisions with certain buildings/objects
• Amending issues causing players to fall through stages
• Fixing save file corruption issues 
• Fixing party mission crash bugs
• Eliminating game freezes

For a comprehensive list of all fixes, which platforms they effect, and information on future updates, refer to the official Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3 blog.

Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3 is developed by CI Games and is available for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. 

When people hear Sniper Ghost Warrior 3, there's an audible sigh. Since its released, people’s view toward Sniper Ghost Warrior 3 remains as mixed as ever.

Despite the immersive sniper experience, the game suffers from technical issues, making it difficult to play. On top of that, developer CI Games have been hard at work finishing development on a multiplayer mode for the game -- one many gamers expected at launch. However, the dev recently announced that the new update will be available later in Q3 2017 -- not sooner. The company said in a statement:

“Throughout our development of Sniper Ghost Warrior 3, we have had two [sic] focus [on]: The first is to provide the best possible single-player experience in our most ambitious game in the Sniper Ghost Warrior series to date. This has always been our goal and we are extremely proud of all the work we have done, and that we share with you. The second emphasis from us is to provide regular content updates post launch, focusing on content that enhances the gaming experience.”

As the developers attempt to save the game with patches and a multiplayer update, people have started to wonder if this game will ever be complete. Some remain hopeful that it will eventually be fixed, reaching its full potential, but Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3 will be forgotten by the time more patches and fixes come down. Why? Other games would have arrested players' collective mind share. 

Too Many Bugs Makes This Game a Lost Cause

Gamers from Reddit and Steam have commented on common bug issues from the game. Long load times and un-lootable soldiers make the top of the list, but players are also having trouble leaving vehicles as well as saving. To add to these comments, GameSpot critic Richard Wakeling shares in his review:

 “...the plethora of nagging glitches and technical problems are a persistent nuisance that make Sniper Ghost Warrior 3 difficult to recommend.”

When walking into a game, players expect it to (mostly) flow smoothly in, for it to feature quality gameplay and increase immersion. However, these bugs distract players from the gameplay, making it more difficult to play.

Even with a fix, many players can only remember the bug issues they experience, leaving players feeling disgruntled -- and causing Sniper Ghost Warrior 3' reputation to suffer. 

Only Shooting and Scoping Out Enemies

For some people, they find the game enjoyable because of the immersive gameplay, where players sneak through levels toward their target, mark enemies with robot droids, and shoot enemies one by one -- just like a real and methodical sniper. Although gameplay gives players a sense of satisfaction when killing a target, the game becomes too repetitive too quickly, relying on overwrought and overused mechanics.

Sniper Ghost Warrior 3 only offers gameplay variety when going after the game's most wanted criminals, where players can employ various tactics in order to bag their kill. Because of that, variety is relegated to a single area of the game -- until the multiplayer element of SGW3 finally releases. 

Where Does This Leave CI Games?

CI games still has not said much since last April, but in the statement, they explained their plans for adding content to SGW3:

"Before we release any more content for the game, we have dedicated staff working diligently to further optimize Sniper Ghost Warrior 3 to ensure fewer issues with framerate and loading times. Only once we feel that proper headway has been made on the system performance, will we begin adding extras such as the much-requested multiplayer component."

Giving this statement does reassure the public about their progress of the game by acknowledging the issues and trying their best to fix them. It gives people a sense of hope that game will reach its full potential.

However, other anticipated first person shooters, like Call of Duty: WWII, would be released, and the gaming community won't be talking about Sniper Ghost Warrior 3. So the question comes down to this -- how long will fans wait for the game to come and be finished?

Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3, the latest installment in CI Games' tactical first-person-shooter series, has been out for nearly two weeks and fans have swarmed the internet searching for the various weapons and attachments available.

With 14 primary weapons, 10 secondary weapons, and 10 sidearms, the game has a whopping 34 weapons at the player's disposal. And while some are awarded just by playing through the SGW 3's main story line, others must be found in hard-to-find weapon crates or by completing side missions.

The ES-25 is awarded to the player after finishing the side mission "Loose Ends," and stats-wise, it is perhaps the best rifle in the game. However, despite the in-game model showing a suppressor and bipod for the weapon, no one has been able to find either one of them. Weapons guides are devoid of information on the ES-25 silencer and bipod, and forums are full of players are all confused.

Fortunately, it seems CI Games is aware of the issue and plan to address the bug with a fix in the next patch.

In the Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3 Steam forums, a player by the moniker Psycho Dad said he found a file that when edited, gave him the attachments in question. SnipedYa, a private account apparently run by CI Games, asked him not to share how he did it, as they are already on it:

Currently, there's no word on when the patch will drop, but at least we have confirmation the team is aware of the issue and have a fix in mind. In the meantime, you might want to pick a rifle that's a tad quieter, at least if you plan to follow the "Ghost" part of Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3.

Stay tuned to Gameskinny for more news and guides on Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3.

City Interactive’s Sniper: Ghost Warrior series began its journey in 2010, when the first installment was released to some mediocre reviews, but the sales estimated at over 2 million copies. In 2013 CI Games delivered Sniper: Ghost Warrior 2, which wasn’t nearly as successful. Now, on April 4, 2017 we will have the chance to play the third installment in the series with the highest level of production thus far.

Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3 offers a realistic approach to the stealthy first-person shooter genre. The game introduces an open world and a non-linear approach to gameplay. The beta test of the game gives an opportunity to play through two of the available missions.

Let’s see if these ambitious goals have been executed in an orderly manner.

How the Game Looks and Feels

The overall gamma of the game is dark and dim, which gives the impression that the developers wanted to hide the underwhelming quality of the textures and graphics in general. It's a little surprising, since the game is based on the famed CryEngine. For the most part it looks alright -- certainly nothing to complain about -- but when you compare it to other open-world games like Far Cry or Battlefield, it's really not that impressive.

The level of difficulty is pretty balanced -- it’s not too easy, but the missions aren’t impossible to accomplish either. If you’re not careful, you can die easily from just one precise shot, or lose a lot of health points from a mere fall to the ground. This mechanic forces you to be mindful of each step, which is awesome.

The design of the sniper rifles is really cool. You can see that every weapon has a history of its own, indicated by scrapes, scratches, personal markings, etc. It really gives you the sense that your character is a weathered veteran and not just some noob looking for trouble.

Skills tree reflects the three possible playstyles

The gameplay consists of three parts:

• Get onto the enemy’s territory in a stealth mode
• Take your sniping position and eliminate the target
• Leave the area or search it for resources and intel

All three types of gameplay are reflected in the skills tree that supports each of these three playstyles: Sniper, Ghost, and Warrior. You earn experience points after each accomplished mission, and then you can upgrade skills that you think fit your personal approach to the gameplay the best.

Weapons and Their Purpose

Sniper rifle is your primary weapon

Before every mission, your character needs to equip himself with all the required weapons and gadgetry at the Safe House. That is why the Weapon Cache menu is where you will spend most of your time selecting the right type of primary and secondary weapons, sidearms, knives, and armor.

Every piece of equipment is customizable. For example, you can choose a sniper rifle that provides you with better stability, but may be less impressive in the noise reduction department. In this case, you can purchase an additional silencer, and the problem is solved.

Another important feature is the choice of bullets -- there are a few types in different categories, so it may get a bit confusing at first. But in time you gain more experience using different types of ammo, and you will know exactly what types of bullets you need for each upcoming mission. You can also craft ammo at the Workbench, if needed.

Crafting ammo at the Workbench

Although sniper rifle is considered your primary weapon, it doesn’t mean that you’ll be using it at every possible opportunity. On the contrary, the rifles are used only when you’ve located a target and there is a clear view for elimination. Also, sniper rifles have very limited ammo load, so every shot matters.

The rest of the job can be done with your secondary weapons, such as machine-guns and pistols. If you’ve attracted attention and you have to mow down everyone on your way out of the mission zone, then weapons like the AK-47 or a shotgun will do just fine.

Things That Don’t Work

This sniper rifle has seen things

Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3 is marketed as an ultra-realistic sniper game, but it has a few things that appear to be utterly meaningless. For example, you can’t just equip a silencer and use it throughout the missions, because it breaks right after you make just a few shots. So you need to go back to your safe house and buy another one.

The animation of the character movements is terribly wooden, and in a game like this you would expect it to be more fluid and subtle. Every little bit of noise or a moving shadow can get you uncovered, so it’s really strange that this aspect of the game wasn’t polished to its best possible degree.

Overall impression of the game is good, but it is full of little things that just get in the way of your enjoyment.

The NPCs at times behave really strangely. You could be sitting on the edge of the road with your sniper rifle aiming at the base of the enemy, and a very Russian-looking car will pass by as if nothing wrong happened. Whatever, it’s just a sniper sitting in the bushes, nothing unusual.

At times the number of technical features on your rifle can really halt the progression of your mission, as you need to tweak and turn every little knob to adjust the shot perfectly. It is understandable that this is all very realistic, but maybe a game should be a bit more dynamic in this particular area.

And the last thing -- this is a stealth game, right? Then, why can’t we hide all the dead bodies? You know, grabbing them and moving to a place where nobody could find them. You can search them all, you can loot them all, but you can’t grab and move them all -- you can only move bodies that are inside of buildings, while those that are outside can’t be moved. Here's hoping it's just a bug that will be fixed.

Things That Work and Look Great

This little drone is really, really useful

All that doesn’t mean that Ghost Warrior 3 lacks good things -- actually, there are plenty of those. One of the best things in the game is the drone, which can be sent out to observe the area. But you should be careful using it, since the enemy snipers can easily spot it in the air.

The drone will fly over any area and give you a full report on the positions of the enemies, and even show you the best sniping positions for your mission. In this regard it is extremely useful and it takes just a couple of minutes of your time before each mission.

If you’re doing everything right, you can finish your missions really quickly. If you’re stealthy enough and you can locate the perfect position for the target elimination, the whole thing can take you no more than ten minutes. But of course, you can always stretch it out by killing every single thug in the area, if that’s your thing.

Overall the game is good, but it is full of little things that just get in the way of your enjoyment.

The limitations in terms of ammo and health points make the game more realistic, but again, other things completely ruin the atmosphere -- especially when the enemy truck passes by, but nobody seems to notice you.

This leads us to the question of the enemy AI, which is lackluster to say the least. In a game like this enemies should be really smart, and their next moves should be unpredictable. However, that is not the case in Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3.

The two missions available in the beta didn't make me want to see more. It actually seems that there won’t be too much of a variety of missions in Ghost Warrior 3, so the game must offer at least a decent co-op or something like that to be viable for a purchase.

Note: The beta code for this game was provided by the publisher. 

Having recently watched the X-Ray kills of Sniper Elite 4 has reignited my love of slow-motion death. Whether it's just simple slow-mo, like in Max Payne or Enter The Matrix, or full bullet time like in Sniper Ghost Warrior, even going as far as Sniper Elite with an X-Ray system showing organ explosions and bones shattering, I cannot get enough.

Don't watch... the dead man says.

I can see right through you

I've always had this morbid fascination with seeing slow-motion death. Watching my bullet(s) slowly travel towards the final victim, or if I'm sniping I get a moment of excitement when the camera smash cuts to the gun's barrel. It tells me I've just made "the shot" and I can sit back for a second and watch my work. It only gets better when I can follow that bullet through the body of my enemy, and bask in the gory glory of perfection.

It might be me, but I would love to see more games embrace the bullet time. Quantum Break seems to be using the same style as Max Payne 3, it gives you a stylish slow-motion scene of a man getting shot. But then Remedy are the creators of the original Max Payne games, before Rockstar took the reins with the 3rd in the series, so I'm not surprised that system is in there.

What could possibly go wrong?

The major issue with a kill cam system is how it breaks up the flow of the game, and that can be an issue for many people; stopping them from doing anything by dynamically triggering a cutscene. I understand exactly why this can be annoying. If you're firing from far off you may forget exactly where you were due to the long bullet travel time, or you may just want to fire off a few quick shots at multiple targets.

This can be somewhat fixed by making the right stick be speed changer, where clicking it in makes time go normal speed. This should overcome most of the issues with this, but if anyone really doesn't want to watch their bullet in slow-motion there should be an option to turn it off.

This is what went wrong.

Films have tried, films fall short

The Matrix is arguably the most famous film for making bullet time, but does it put you in the action? Nope, games have always had the jump on films for making you feel like you are the character, that any actions you take are yours and yours alone. Having a kill cam that activates when you have done something just makes it feel special -- even if it's set off for every last enemy. You never really know how many combatants enter the arena, so you never know when the kill cam will show.

Bullet time, chill time

Kill cams, above all, look cool while making you think you are cool. By activating when you have just made a skill shot it gives you a sense that you have done that. As long as there is the ability to change the speed, to speed up during long travel time for shots, and slow down to watch your target drop, and devs add the option to turn kill cams off and ensure people who don't like them don't see them, I would love to see more kills cams in games.

Do you have strong feelings for or against kill cams? Or do you just not care? Why don't you care? Let me know in the comments below.

Of course more shooters will likely land next year (and some of these may get pushed back), with Titanfall 2 possibly the biggest question mark. While news is supposed to land early next year about the title, it seems likely 2017 is a better bet for the actual release date on that franchise.

If you're also wondering just where Deus Ex: Human Revolution was, it's sitting solidly over on our list of most anticipated RPGs for next year instead.

What did you think of our upcoming shooter picks, and what FPS game are you ready for in 2016?

Lawbreakers

Another team-based arena shooter, this PC-only title is set to drop sometime in 2016 and is notable for being free to play. 5 vs 5 combat is the name of the game here, with each type of character changing up the play style from melee to advanced maneuverability to slow moving tank, and from the trailer it looks like some extra elements will get thrown into the mix.

We've been burned by promises of interesting skills in FPS skirmish matches before (remember the ill-fated Shadowrun shooter for the Xbox 360?) but hopefully Lawbreakers manages to keep up with the bigger names found earlier on this list.

Sniper Ghost Warrior 3

Moving to an open world model, this title in the Ghost Warrior series puts you in the role of a special forces operative behind enemy lines where he shouldn't be.

The environment looks like it will play a huge role in this game, as you have to deal with adverse weather affecting your equipment, use ropes to scale up and down cliff faces, and activate drones to survey the area before heading out and getting killed by hidden obstacles.

There's no specific release date or trailer for this one, but 24 minutes of gameplay footage have come online and can be seen below.

Rising Storm 2: Vietnam

Since there's no Arma title confirmed for 2016, Rising Storm 2 is the one to look out for if you prefer a more challenging, realistic shooter environment. Forgot about jetpacking around the battlefield or using sci-fi powers that are all the rage in most shooters these days, because Rising Storm 2 is taking us back to the jungles of Vietnam for a gritty historical experience.

Far Cry Primal

The Far Cry series has gone all over the map in terms of story and locations, from the island theme of the original title that bizarrely went sci-fi halfway through to the groundbreaking third entry that introduced the stronghold assault elements and serious interactivity with local wildlife.

Far Cry: Primal is going way, way back in time to a prehistoric era where you can chase down mammoths and rival tribesmen with a spear. If you've ever wanted to play an FPS in 10,000 B.C. then this will be the game for you in 2016.

Battleborn

The first game on this list to actually have a confirmed release date, Battleborn is due to drop on May 3^rd, 2016. This Gearbox-developed title has some very clear similarities to Blizzard's Overwatch both in terms of style, gameplay and the huge number of characters available. It remains to be seen which will come out on top, but Gearbox may have a leg up here if the dark humor and outrageous characters of the Borderlands series manage to shine through.

Shadow Warrior 2

Oh yeah, this one's going to be a good time. A wise-cracking samurai named Wang will slice and dice his way through a world populated by demonic beasts, and when necessary, pull out the SMGs, rocket launchers and of course wild magic powers. There's reportedly more than 70 different weapons to choose from to dismantle a wide array of enemies in this very tongue-in-cheek first person entry.

Battlefield 2016

Following the typically modern war-themed Battlefield 4 and follow-up “war on crime” entry Battlefield: Hardline, EA revealed another Battlefield entry will in fact arrive in 2016... but not precisely what form that would take.

While it's expected to return to a warzone rather than a crime-ridden city, not much more than that is currently confirmed at this point. Let us know where you think the story will take place and what you'd like to see changed in Battlefield 5 when it lands next year!

Overwatch

After moving in on the MOBA craze and dominating with Heroes Of The Storm, Blizzard is also jumping on the teamed-based, arena shooter train with Overwatch. Meshing a cartoon style with frantic combat and a ton of different play styles that clearly echo the large cast of character from Heroes Of The Storm, it's a good bet this one is going to steal a whole lot of hours from shooter fans.

Homefront: The Revolution

The original Homefront put a spin on the shooter franchise, keeping all the basic elements there, but putting us just slightly into an alternate future where America is occupied by a more technologically advanced unified Korea. Engaging in Guerrilla warfare to take back the homeland led to some interesting story elements and gameplay.

For the sequel we're headed to Philadelphia, a place that has a whole lot of history when it comes to America and rebellion. Some definite stylistic changes are in place, and it should be a load of fun to drive dirt bikes across a blasted cityscape while strapping explosives to drones and remote controlled cars to cause all sorts of mayhem.

Infinity Ward's Call Of Duty 2016 Title

Debate is fierce as to just what this game will actually be – in fact we've got a whole article dedicated to laying out the arguments for each option! While it seems most likely we'll be getting a sequel to Call Of Duty: Ghosts, it's always possible there's more Modern Warfare action in store, or even something entirely different in a new series kick off.

Either way, the end result is likely to be high quality, as before all the jet-pack mayhem of Advanced Warfare and many other shooters thinking in multiple dimensions, Infinity Ward was always at the top of the pack producing the best Call Of Duty material.

The Modern Warfare series is responsible for bringing up a whole generation of shooter enthusiasts, and no matter which direction Infinity Ward goes, this one is likely to make a big splash when it's finally confirmed.

Doom

Franchise reboot? Check. Long-awaited sequel? Check. Contender for goriest shooter of all time? That's a major check right there. The single player elements will satisfy those who want to chainsaw apart demons rampaging through futuristic Martian structures, while the alpha footage revealed so far on the multiplayer front makes it look like a serious attempt is being made to overtake the frantic fun of the classic Unreal Tournament shoot outs.

It remains to be seen whether the changes in the formula will be heralded as much-needed or maligned by a rabid fan base ready to tear this apart if it doesn't deliver, but either way it's a good bet there will be a strong reaction one way or another when Doom drops in 2016.

If one thing is certain in the gaming industry, it's that there will be a slew of first person shooters available year after year. A staple of gaming that props up several major publishers and developers, the FPS genre is frequently criticized for releasing an endless stream of titles with little innovation.

While the core mechanics may remain the same, 2016 will see its share of interesting and unique titles in the FPS genre that offer up something different. Of course, the flagship titles will be there as well if you prefer something more tried and true. From smaller free-to-play titles to the biggest AAA blockbuster, these are the 11 first person shooters we're most looking forward to next year.