Sniper Elite III: Ultimate Edition coming to Xbox One and 360 next year

Sniper Elite III Ultimate Edition coming to Xbox One and 360 next year

Not long ago, we published a big story on Xbox One launch games getting re-released as "Game of the Year Editions." That term is shorthand for the re-release of a game that contains both the original game and some or all of its downloadable content bundled into a single package, usually at a significant savings compared to purchasing those items separately. No, GOTY Editions don't have to explicitly have "Game of the Year" in their names. Like I said, we use the term as shorthand.

Given enough time, many post-launch games will receive the GOTY treatment as well. Eagle-eyed Twitter personality Lifelower recently discovered a store listing for "Sniper Elite III Ultimate Edition" at NewEgg. It looks like the ultimate World War II-era sniper simulation will get Ultimate Editions for Xbox One and 360 and Playstation systems in March of next year. Read on to learn just what we expect the re-release to include!

Sniping Nazis in the battlefields of Africa

Sniper Elite III, the third game in the cult favorite series takes place in North Africa – a fresh setting for World War II-era games. Players will take on the role of series hero Karl Fairburne as he battles Germany's infamous Afrika Corps. Allied intelligence indicates that the Nazis are developing a super weapon that could turn the tide of the war, making it imperative for Karl and his allies to stop them.

The main game consists of eight massive missions that can be completed in multiple ways. They really are quite long – I spent more than two hours on a single mission and had a blast the entire time. But leaving and coming back won't be a problem since the game allows players to save anywhere.

With full online campaign co-op for two players, several single-player Challenge modes, and both cooperative and competitive online modes for up to 16 players, players won't run out of things to do in Sniper Elite III. If you enjoy sneaking around and taking out enemies methodically, you can't do any better on the Xbox One.

Sniper Elite III

Ultimate Edition material

Since Sniper Elite III's release, developer Rebellion and publisher 505 Games have supported the game with a variety of downloadable content. Most significant are four story missions that can be played in single-player or co-op:

Hunt the Grey Wolf : Sneak into a hilltop villa occupied by Nazis and investigate a reported visit by Adolf Hitler himself, or perhaps one of his doubles. The highlight of this mission is the chance to kill Hitler in seven different ways. Check out our full impressions of "Hunt the Grey Wolf."
Save Churchill (Parts 1-3) : Set after the main game's campaign, this epic DLC campaign takes place during the Casablanca Conference of 1943. Hero Karl Fairburne learns of a Nazi assassination plot against British Prime Minister Winston Churchill (who history tells us once battled the Daleks). Karl will thwart countless assassins during the three missions, including the elite German sniper Raubvogel.

Each DLC mission costs $7.99 on its own, so the Ultimate Edition should represent $32 worth of extra content. Sniper Elite III also offers some minor weapon packs as DLC, which may or may not make their way into the Ultimate Edition.

Sniper Elite III

You can preorder the Sniper Elite III Ultimate Edition at NewEgg right now; it only costs $40 on Xbox One and $30 on Xbox 360. But March 10, 2015 is a long time to wait for what I consider to be the best sniping game of all time. If you'd rather start sniping sooner, feel free to pick up the main game right now. I'm totally available for co-op missions!