Sniper Elite 3 video explains updated 'X-ray kill-cams'

A new Sniper Elite 3 developer diary explains how the X-ray kill-cam has evolved to include muscle tissue and the human circulatory system, while also discussing the series' new vehicle kill-cam.

Ozzie Mejia

February 15, 2014 4:30 PM

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One of the Sniper Elite series' major hallmarks is the stomach-turning X-ray kill-cam, which players are rewarded with after a truly successful shot. This idea will be improved heavily in Sniper Elite 3 and developer Rebellion discusses some of the major additions in a new developer diary.

Rebellion explains the evolution of the X-ray kill-cam, before noting that Sniper Elite 3 will include new muscular tissue layers and circulatory system outlines to make kills look all the more realistic. The new game will also include 3D mesh particles to better simulate true-to-life blood bursts. It may get too real for some, but Rebellion's Tim Jones that the increased gore serves a very real storytelling purpose.

"One of the key reasons for going into all that detail is to illustrate why people were so frightened of snipers in World War II, or indeed in any conflict," said Jones. "The damage done by a sniper bullet is considerable. And so we're not flinching away from that."

Jones also explains the vehicle kill-cam, which is a new feature for the series. Like with humans, the vehicle kill-cam will display the point of penetration and show exactly how a single sniper was able to blow up a transport truck with a single bullet.

Sniper Elite 3 is expected to release later this year on PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3. For more on the game, check out our preview.

Ozzie Mejia

Senior Editor

Ozzie has been playing video games since picking up his first NES controller at age 5. He has been into games ever since, only briefly stepping away during his college years. But he was pulled back in after spending years in QA circles for both THQ and Activision, mostly spending time helping to push forward the Guitar Hero series at its peak. Ozzie has become a big fan of platformers, puzzle games, shooters, and RPGs, just to name a few genres, but he’s also a huge sucker for anything with a good, compelling narrative behind it. Because what are video games if you can't enjoy a good story with a fresh Cherry Coke?