Sniper Elite 5 Tech Review: Rebellion’s In-House Asura Engine Continues To Impress
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 31 พ.ค. 2022
- Sniper Elite 5 is one of the few big new games built on an in-house engine, in this case Rebellion's Asura. Oliver details how that decision impacts the final product on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, from some impressive graphical flourishes to some curious failings. Plus - what about performance?
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Even with the aliasing problems it's just refreshing to see a title that's not powered by Unreal Engine, and runs so well. I wish there were more like this.
I agree, on PC, 3 and 4 are very optimized games. It's like comparing GTA 5 which is also very optimized against Ubisoft AC series which often runs very badly in contrast.
fixed the aliasing on PC by turning it down to medium and scaling to 140-160%, makes a significant difference in visual quality.
it looks a little bit last gen here and there but its still nice.
I agree, Remedy's proprietary engine Northlight is another great example. I try to support any company doing this. Which means I'll probably pick this up
Really wish more devs/publisher would realize the benefit of an in-house engine. Shadow Warrior 3 clearly suffered under the switch to Unreal Engine.
I'm impressed by the amount "this looks good" and "that looks bad" on the same game. Rarely see that these days. A true AA game I suppose.
Rebellion is one of my current favorite game studios: truly independent, they stick to their own things and a have a perfect mix of following trends and being experimental. Far larger than a typical indie, but still smaller than a typical AAA developer. And this seems to be very deliberate on their part.
They may be one of the last large studios that still give of that innovative vibe that was lost after the PS360 generation with super big budgets and the obligation to play it safe in the AAA circles.
I agree. While I personally don’t play much of their stuff, they feel like a “stick to the basics” company in terms of their business model which almost has a nostalgic quality to it.
They made some surprising fun and good games. I remember they made the ports of black hawk down for consoles. Which had some neat additions and different level designs.
I like Rebellion, but I would argue that they are pretty risk adverse these days and don't reallystep out of their comfort zone.
For the last decade they have barely done anything other than Sniper Elite or Zombie spin-off games. It would be good to see them branch out a bit more
IO Interactive A/S is truly independent also, Hitman 3 shows that they can still make AAA quality games
It's hard to believe that this is the same company that was responsible for Call of Duty World at War Final Fronts for the PS2, a game that is my opinion the worst Call of Duty game in the entire franchise that I've played.
Levels in general are much more dense, not just the incidental detail like rocks and foliage. Very nice.
looks the same as Sniper elite 4 , 5 years and this is the best they could do LOL
The best part of this game is rummaging through the buildings, the interiors are so well done. I take an hour or more to completely clear a map so I can wander around doing what I want before finishing off the missions :)
Play the game is authentic and it takes more than 2 hours to full finish a single mission
Only an hour?? I'm only on mission 5. Been easily over 2 hours on some maps.
@@aloluk
Mission 3 takes long on authentic difficulty. Easily well over 3 hours
I'm averaging 2.5 hours per map
Exactly. Absolutly love it
lol, I remember the first time my dad saw the x-ray gore in Sniper Elite 4, and he asked "huuh... what is this kind of thing in service of"
Then, I let him play it (we'd often co-op the first game on split-screen on PS2 back in the day), and he's scoring kills and getting _super_ satisfied by x-ray cameras, at which point I ask "what is that in service of" and we just burst out laughing
Thats a strange phrase i've not heard of before.
@@aloluk I just translated it rather literally from my native language
@@arsnakehertDW. Makes sense and is a real turn of phrase 👍
Pretty Cool Dad! 👍
I love the dedication a company has to which they build and utilize their own in house built Game Engine.
Like Bungies "Destiny", these engines, when optimized and tuned, bring a totally different flavor and context to the game.
You make it sound like it's a rare thing to have an in house engine xd
@@Ratchetti because it is, at this level, it is. Love it when you kids post these comments and end it with a lol or xd
@@alexcorvis8668 what the f*ck are you talking about xd? And no it is not rare at all, most triple A game studios have their house made engine... also I'm 30.
"Some people may find these x-ray kill cam animations to be too gratuitous" proceeds to show several, side-by-side slowed down slow motion gruesome headshots... love ya work Oliver!
Lool you took what he said out of context.
Am one of those who has turned off the x-ray cam in SE games. However only after many hours of gameplay in the Nazie Zombie Army games as well as the SE games. All games replayed at least once. Finally got sick of seeing it. Like it's not particulary nice to see, but it is fascinating initially.
@@greenbow7888 Honestly they're like 50% of the reason I play a Sniper Elite game so without them there wouldn't be much point to it for me
Never gets old. But I feel that 4 did the headshots better. The organs are nice especially seeing g the heart explode into a few pieces.
The water ripples look absolutely incredible!
@@ramonandrajo6348 It worth Every single penny
I am playing the campaign in coop with a friend. It's an absolute blast.
Yeah so nice
Considering the budget and man-power this studio has, I think they are absolute heroes.
Considering? what dude rebellion development has 400 employees hahahaha equvalent to modern AAA studios within 200 up to 400 employees hahahaha
@allancandaza not really. That was before when they were collaborating with Activision on call of duty( ww2, etc...) . Since they're not with them anymore , they don't have a lot of staff and much budget. They have to do with their own stuff and the experience they got with activision.
The Sniper Elite series is underrated. 2,3,4 are gems. AA at times but 🤷♂️ the industry needs more of them. Solid fun games that offer variety
Had to double check when he said Sniper Elite 4 came out 5 years ago. Damnnn.
The gradual tweaking and perfecting of the formula with each new Sniper Elite game has been surprisingly gratifying to experience.
The character modeling definitely stands out as a weak point. Takes away from the huge amount of work that went into general assets.
gameplay only matters. if its fun why compplain about the dumb stuff?
@@MiuTakigawa gameplay is not the only thing that matters. Don’t be silly. It’s a visual art. The visuals are important.
@@MiuTakigawa not a great argument. The npc’s and player character definitely can make or break immersion. By your argument you would clearly be okay with a ps2 era character model? Unlikely…
@@CaptainBlaine Battlefield 2042 has good visual , does it mean it is a good game ?
@@MiuTakigawa lol, what the hell are you doing in a channel that literally analyzes graphics of games then?
We're seeing "Double A" games outdo some Triple A studios at this point.
After playing 3 and specially 4, I was eagerly expecting this one. It's not always this happens nowadays.
I wish we could have the option of a performance mode and a quality mode on the series S.
The game is good fun for the most part, but it feels like you're less encouraged to actually use the rifle. I'm pretty much using pistols and submachine guns with suppressors because they don't attract any attention like the rifle does. There's a lot more close quarters shooting in this game.
100000% true
I found in 3 it was dangerous to use the rifle 🤔
Sadly yes Sniper Elite is now mostly a Stealth game not a sniper game.
Then you need to play on authentic... You have no code but to use a sniper. The games villains will slow you and kill you in one hit. Binoculars and trading them will be used very often
@@Elatenl Not necessarily for example the fist game there were levels that required Stealth than others but it was not problem if you used your rifle if you weren't fighting a lost battle if you were detected.
Oliver stepping up his game. Not sure what's changed but your voice and the way you say it are becoming more and more enjoyable!
I hear asura engine and just imagine a digital 6 armed demigod just punching code angrily.
Maybe later in a update, or even for the next game they'll use FSR 2.0, since it just came out. I'm just glad that these things exist at all to allow any studio to make their game work better on console where they typically need it more, without having to develop their own version of it.
Looks like the game would benefit from FSR 2.0 over 1.0 to clear up the image, it will probably look better whiles running at a lower resolution as well so that could help to clear up the performance issue, assuming the performance issue is gpu related.
They can do it with an update. Hitman 3 will get FSR 2.0 support in the future.
This gives me the Splinter Cell fix that I need so bad in my life.
Your best video so far Oliver, well done!
I especially liked your oppinion bits about temporal aa, and ambient occlusion techniques. It really adds interest to the content and makes the viewer feel like they learned somthing. Keep up the great work.
Rebellion is the underdog that everybody roots for.
Haters everywhere
Having a blast clearing the chateau room by room just now.
Thanks DF that they convinced me to try it out after ive seen this tech video im really enjoying it right now...never played it before but that level design is really something and it makes me see every corner and building in every mission..btw water is also beautifully done in fifth mission :)
I wonder if a future update could unlock FSR 2.0 for the Series consoles. I wish they would hurry up and allow this tech to be utilized everywhere!
Developers can use it on those Consoles now if they want.
@@monkfishy6348 I kinda thought so but I wasn't certain enough to say it.
I thought I was going crazy thinking that previous games had better x ray kills. Good to see it wasn't just me. Everything else looked really impressive!
Even 3 has better killcams
@@mister-pinkman you would not like sniping real life. it has no kill cams
@@MiuTakigawa its a videogame you dunce
@@MiuTakigawa also it has real killing. Most people would ethically agree they'd not like that either.
I remember the bushes on SE4 destroying the framerate on my launch PS4 when they went transparent lol
Bought it, playing it, I love it !
I cant wait to get my Steam Deck they're really impressive. It will come in handy when i just want to chill instead of sitting in front of a TV or at a desk.
For real.
I'm glad they don't use TAA, its refreshing to see a game with actual texture detail
Yes this confirms what I suspected about the Series S version. I downloaded it via gamepass and I felt like the game was stuttering and not a smooth experience. However its still fun.
@@PremiumSharing It's a pile of shit console... 800p in 2022 on a $300 machine LMAO.
@@pennywisethedancingclown7139 Guessing you're not a fan of the Switch either.
@@pennywisethedancingclown7139 oh what other $300 machines are doing better?
@@TheBean87 none but it doesnt mean it doesnt suck for new games
@@ActNasty5 well seeing as studios patch these games and then there’s no updated comparison videos I’d say this will get patch an people on Reddit will have proof to show.
I am playing on series X and there is a weird tightknit screen door effect on screen. When turning the camera sometimes I see it. It is not there on any other game I play. What could cause that?
Is there any way you could upload videos at 60fps for lower resolutions like 480p? With where I live, 720p60 is just out of reach for me. Please and thank you 🙏
just started the series lately. those slow mo kills are really satisfying. i hope 3 and 4 are more open. SE2 is so linear, enemy AI is all over the place and it is very much trial and error for me. sometimes really frustrating
I have played through 3 and 4. Just recently bought Sniper elite 2 remaster and it's really bad compared to the rest. You can't even swap shoulder! Like, what? And yeah, just the maps alone in 3 and 4 is leaps and beyond better. 👍🙂
V2 is much harder than 3, 4, 5 at stealth
SE3 is really good. I'd say my fav of the series. SE4 doesn't do anything different really, but it is less fun or memorable.
I do not regret buying either, but I think I got each on a sale :D
each game is more open than the previous one
@@rpl1318 Agreed. 👍 I liked the more linear but still open space in 3. Number 4 got a bit too much into junk missions territory. Still good though.
Mad respect for sticking with their own engine, but not for sticking with 5+ year-old AA/upscale tech.
I think Rebellion in general tends to lag behind tech-wise because they still can't reach those AAA heights with their games, so the money isn't really there to push for the latest and greatest tech.
Mad respect for not using TAA. The slight aliasing and shimmer is well worth the return in image clarity and sharpness. It would smear everything together and produce a blurry and muddy image, and significantly reduce image clarity. Especially on Series S at those lower resolutions.
@@Scorpwind Lol at this 🤡. A good TAA at 1440p would be a lot better than the sh1t they have now.
@@Scorpwind Disagree on both. DLSS and FSR 2.0 are as clear as native, and even if it were softer, that's never as distracting as artifacting like moiré.
@@concinnus He was not talking about either, but TAA. Obviously FSR & DLSS would be great, and I hope they can be added soon. Fuck TAA.
Image quality looks pretty rough. Hopefully Rebellion can go back and upgrade from FSR 1.0 to 2.0 in the near future. Also, I feel like X-ray kills don’t look much more detailed than Sniper Elite 4, which is a shame as it’s one of the main attractions of the series.
I suspect they simply don't have the temporal data to work with in their engine, this is probably the reason they didn't go to fsr2.
The engine needs to support TAA first
@@qlum More likely FSR2.0 came too late.
@CJ P. How's that? Wtf you think happens when a rifle round going 2600fps go through the human body? There's a HUGE temporary wound cavity that does so much damage, let alone what's left from the other. It's amazing At all that the brave men and women even survived being shot at all, let alone live to old ages. High powered rifles and explosions that are 20 times or more faster than a bullet really does damage. If we could all get along we'd not have these wars. Shame. I love it. It makes the game what it is, Great. I've seen this in my life and it's just part of war. It's shocking at first but you get numb to it. Can only see so many mangled and headless corpses before its just blah. But makes ID the suicide bomber easy. They hit the button and the pressure just pops the head clean off. So go get terrorists head and open his eye and scan it.
After the matrix demo I see series s proformance improving.
yay, i was waiting for so long
I think it would be nice to compare the old-gen consoles too, not only because a lot of people still play on these consoles but also because it's much more interesting to see how the new-gen consoles outperform the old-gen ones and admire the difference in to each other.
well, except for Series S, old-gen One X looks better. xD
@@net_news but run at Crappy 30Fps
I always notice a chequered effect around rock formations and walls playing on XSX
8:47 Bullet bounces off wrist and blood sprays everywhere. That's pretty hilarious. These characters really are cartoony :D
IDK about targeting 30fps on Series S, It's just abit off 60fps and probably just needs a tweak to DRS or some settings to get a closer lock to 60fps. I also wonder why DRS tops out at 1440p, if its dropping to 864p at times then I think it would just be easier to display the game at 1080p and just upscale up to that.
Yeah 30fps should be no go. That's unplayable. Would be nice to see FSR2 though
@@vandammage1747 Considering how the game doesn't even use TAA, I don't think they will be implimenting FSR 2.0 anytime soon. What's frustrating to me is that 864p TAAued up to 1080p should look really good, it would even look ok with a basic TAA as it would only be in the worst case scenarios.
@@219SilverChoc 864p is at the low end though. Not sure how often it dips that low.
Eager to see for myself how it holds up on a 1080p screen
The s version needs a much more aggressive dynamic resolution solution.
@@vandammage1747 unplayable? good one.
I hate their deadpan expression when you do the X-ray killshots.
Never played a single Sniper Elite game even though 3rd person stealth is one of my top 3 favorite genres.
Now that I added PC to the mix, I may need to give this one a try.
Won't be sorry. All are good, 4 n 5 great
I'm a big fan of Rebellion, I like their games and their approach on game development.
What is their approach in game development, I am very curious what you believe it is.
Not a huge franchise fan (barely touched prior games), but the level design can be pretty great in some areas here. If you get along with stealthy shooty, there's some enjoyment no doubt.
Playing on Series S and did not notice frame drops. I have just started, so perhaps there was some patch? Anyway, game looks good for such a small console and I am having so much fun. There is nothing more satisfying than taking a long shot, while the artillery sound masks the gunshot.
I feel like there was no TH-camrs talking about this game haha I was playing in 4k 120 or trying and holy hell it was taking all 12gb of my vram on my 3080ti and a good 11gb in regular ram
7:40 ❝A High Quality TAA Would Do Wonders For The Image. Especially At Lower Resolutions.❞
Ehmmm... No, it would not lol. It would smear everything together and produce a blurry and muddy image, and significantly reduce image clarity. Especially on Series S at those lower resolutions. I'm surprised Oliver said that. He seemed like the only member of DF that's actually aware of TAA's major downsides. I guess he has fallen into the same mindset as the rest of DF.
Kudos to the devs at Rebellion for not implementing TAA. And especially the forced kind. The slight aliasing and shimmer is well worth the return in image clarity and sharpness.
I don't understand how he can go from talking about Grid Legends on Xbone to this and still think TAA is the answer.
Sometimes people like different things
@@David-ln8qh Yes, definitely.
Hey John, you added some flair to your voice, which is now really presenting instead of just talking only.
I know you can't have anything at the beginning, and you also have to grow.
It's like someone that knows a lot about PC's, but doesn't know anything of presentation.
And you made work of that.
Your voice comes near perfection.
If you like or dislike the voice is entirely something else, that can be personal, but the level of your presentation, is getting as good as the best commentors.
So hang on, a tiny little bit more fluid, more second nature, but that will come the more you do it.
But the basics of the voice, you nailed it.
And on a personal level, I like this voice.
Keep it up! 😉
Yeah engine still looks great imo. My only real complaint is all the invisible walls on things like a knee high pile of rocks, planter box or fence you could easily hop over in the real world. Unfortunately there is a lot of this kind of thing in the game.
Is there anyway to fix the shimmering overly bright street lights on PC? I feel like they dominate and pop in and out.
Use ReShade for it. Add SMAA + FXAA on top. You can offset the slight blurring with a bit of sharpening (use FidelityFX CAS from ReShade for this)
Depending on your GPU, you might also add extra FXAA for Nvidia GPUs or MLAA for AMD GPUs from their respective driver UI.
This offering is my first experience. Very impressed with it on Series X and LG CX combo. Game Pass helps also. 😀
I have never played Sniper Elite Games before, now i play, thnx to game pass. One example how you play more different type games.
Great tv i have the 65inch version and it's the best tv out there for gaming together with the C1 !!!
@@piensluc7444 I dropped a bag on my cx and I absolutely love it. Best piece of tech I’ve ever owned
Great tv. I’m part CX crew too.
CX is a bit dull, I changed to Samsung
Much brighter impactful and sharper
I’ve only watched a few minutes but so far I gotta say Wow the Graphical quality is some of the absolute best I’ve ever seen as far as materials, rocks, landscapes, textures Etc as this Looks extremely impressive visually, and I’m saying this despite not really being interested in the Title as I’ve never played the previous entires either but it’s possible if for no other reason than to experience this graphics masterpiece I might play this if or when it’s available on Game Pass !
On gamepass right now
I'm just happy to play as the Axis during invasions with a Kriegsmarine uniform, lol. Still this is the same game they've been releasing since V2. It has addictive if not repetitive gameplay.
Sniper Elite 5 is the complete package! Meaty campaign with Co-op, Horde mode, Invasion and PVP.
*Meaty*
hey is it just me or why some textures like Main Menu or charakters are just not loading instantly sometimes on series x ?
I wonder if they'll implement FSR 2.0 on the PC and Xbox versions of the game, that would improve the image a lot and likely allow it to drop the resolution a bit to clay back some performance as it seems a bit strange that they are using FSR 1.0 on the PC and Xbox console when the results are much better with FSR 2.0 even at lower resolution.
I hope so. The aliasing is really really bad, on the first mission I thought the game looked amazing at first, but get over the ridge part where the open field is and omg the shimmering on distant objects is awful and super distracting. I had to double check to make sure AA was turned on.
UI in this game is exemplary btw, super clear !
To be honest, I thought the game looks and feels rushed. I honestly think it looks worse than 4, the shimmering is just horrible. PC optimisation is not great.
I was gonna say the rocks looks real 👍👍
I don't follow this series but it sure feels like Sniper Elite 3 just came out
Why is the video only available in 480p? Very strange..
It's a very attractive game but it baffles me that they went with post processing AA when they include so much Foliage.
I'd assume they didn't have the time or couldn't get TAA implemented into their engine. Or I'm sure they would have as it's benefits are so obvious. When engine can't use temporal data, it could be a ton of work to incorporate that and get everything else working around it.
Currently my favourite game developer. Recently played this on PS5 and it was glorious
Good looking water.
"This is a series and an engine we are still eager to see more of"
Oh please no. I guess this series does well for them but I am desperate for Rebellion to do something else. I know they did Strange Brigade a few years back but still. We have five Sniper Elite games and 4 Nazi Zombie games from them... they really should move onto bigger and better things at this point.
I recommend you never run a company. When you have recognisable IP that sells millions of units, you carry on developing that IP.
@@evilutionltd Not planning to!
Do Arma Reforger!
Will yous be doing some more videos on the Steam Deck ?.
does the engine still support multi gpu so efficiently?
Asura Engine, powering games since 1999.
Theres a pretty bad Vram usage/leak on PC causing performance and graphical issues, like the sniper cross hairs going missing and low resolution textures not swapping over to high rez ones.
Absolutely loving this game on game pass! Never would have played it without game pass.
ooooh i was waiting for this and missed it when it dropped.
i love Rebellion the way critics love Remedy.
time to switch on the Big TV
If you are playing on the Xbox Series S and have an M-Classic, I suggest you use it to help clean up the aliasing and improve the image quality. This is a game that would really benefit from it.
Mclassic is a god send for me. Can't wait on a future 4k model.
Might have give this one a go.
I will say one thing about them. At least they kept the historical flags unlike many titles we could mention.
..heil 🤓
unlike all the previous games.
I'm really enjoying this game
Damn why they tone down the slow xray mills that was the best part of the game wtf
Higher res plus better fps on series X. Ps 5 struggles with so many details.
Another AVP from rebellion with this engine please.
Love to see other engines than the shitty Stutter Engine 4.
This game is *begging* for FSR 2.0 implementation. For now dynamic and/or a fixed 1080p mode on Series S would help performance. If FSR 2.0 gets added in the render ceiling could
be set at 1080p and this would still resolve nicely in 1440p output. Heck, 1706 x 960 is the internal res for 1440p quality mode on PC.
For Series X and PS5 the minimum (recorded) resolution was 2560 x 1440. That's the required res for 4K quality mode. I really hope Rebellion adds FSR 2.0 support for console and PC.
Love the sniper series
This game is so awesome loving it I am so hooked
@@ramonandrajo6348 u sound crazy af don't be a troll let people enjoy this awesome game
@@swavezmartin Testicle shot is Awesome
who's talking in this video? It sounds like the audio is off?
Cool game but every time I exit the game it hangs and say it's not responding and I have to force quit the game. Anyone have this issue and have a resolve?
Occasionally I just stop playing, smoke a cigarette, and just stare at the game with awe.
Hope they'll update the game soon to use FSR2.0.
This game suffers from the same issues all the others did; it's called "Sniper Elite" but the most optimal way to play by far is to use the silenced Welrod pistol. "Period appropriate" also doesn't extend to Karl's outfit. He's wearing a British Navy sweater from the 1970's and cargo pants from the 1990's. During WW2 🤔
outside and playing with friends is better than video games
This game looks really good! Some of those scenes are absolutely gorgeous! Not my type of game but I'll check it out on Game Pass.
Plays like hitman
@@ramonandrajo6348 propaganda? What are you a Nazi?
Seems odd that they are comparing games and their videos in 2022 are just 1080p. I would assume that by now they would be able to afford a 4K camera :-D
Consistent fps on series x that's good to know plus it's on game pass. You have my thanks Microsoft keep em coming
Maybe nvidia dldsr will help to clean aliasing artefacts
"...isn't especially competitive here"
"...isn't quite where it should be"
"...perhaps isn't as strong as it could be"
"...the choice of techniques feels a little bit curious"
"...a little bit more noticeable than it might otherwise be"
Hilarious how DF is seemingly so often terrified to be forthright when criticising subpar aspects of games. There's no need to be sounding like a politician. Give the consumer straight analysis without constantly worrying about upsetting the precious feelings of your industry contacts.
Terrified of or uninterested in?
Its a decent game with some improvement's from the previous games but some stuff is missing. Few control issues, Dead zone issue with the Right stick you have to push the stick almost half before getting any input from it, Mouse wise its bit a of a jittery mess.
The dead zones are a bit too big. I immediately went to the options to adjust it, but there is nothing there...
@@Theedgecrusher93 Yeah they are horrible. I did the same thing but there is nothing there to adjust them.
Agree, stopped playing until this is sorted and settings implemented. It feels horrible to aim the best way I've seen it described is as an etch sketch toy.
TAA should be a must have for all games these days... Forza Horizon 5 suffers from the same issue and they refuse to correct it, just add the damn TAA Option