What was the first game to feature "x-ray sniping?"

[nokori3byo]

X-ray Sniping: A game mechanic in which the player can use a combination of advanced optics and high-penetration munitions to snipe enemies through walls.

I first experienced this game mechanic in Red Faction: Guerilla. Mass Effect 3 had a lot of it as well, especially in multiplayer. Still, I strongly suspect it's older than that.

What might be some pre-7th gen examples?

 

[nokori3byo]

I guess "wall banging" is another popular term for this, though I would say you don't actually have to see the enemy to wall bang.

 

[Zefyrix]

There was one gun in Perfect Dark on 64. You could snipe people through the walls. I'm not sure if I remember this correctly but I think you could use it across the map and it was a one shot kill. What I do remember though was that me and my friends just never used the weapon because it basically made it all really boring.

 

[w9496]

My first memory of such a thing is in Syphon Filter 3. Or 2, I forget which one. There was a sniper rifle that had a thermal scope that could see through walls. There was also an entire mission based on the gun, so you get a lot of practice.

 

[Weaver]

There was one gun in Perfect Dark on 64. You could snipe people through the walls. I'm not sure if I remember this correctly but I think you could use it across the map and it was a one shot kill. What I do remember though was that me and my friends just never used the weapon because it basically made it all really boring.

Yes, that was the FarSight XR-20! I can't, personally, think of a game that did this before Perfect Dark 64.

If anyone knows of a game before the year 2000 that did this, I'd love to know!

 

[DapperStache]

First game I remember having this was the first Red Faction for PS2 with the rail gun. While fiddly and difficult to use it was still pretty chuckle worthy when you managed to get a kill with it.

 

[FrozenLaughs]

Pretty sure the Farsight in Perfect dark for N64 was the earliest. Systems before the N64 didn't really have the graphics power to render effects like that, and FPS was just starting to take bigger strides around then.

 

[Rylot]

First game I remember having this was the first Red Faction for PS2 with the rail gun. While fiddly and difficult to use it was still pretty chuckle worthy when you managed to get a kill with it.

Perfect Dark came out the year before Red Faction. I couldn't remember which one came first so I had to Wiki it.

 

[nokori3byo]

There was one gun in Perfect Dark on 64. You could snipe people through the walls. I'm not sure if I remember this correctly but I think you could use it across the map and it was a one shot kill. What I do remember though was that me and my friends just never used the weapon because it basically made it all really boring.

Thanks! This seems to be the consensus.

Fun game mechanic. I especially appreciated it in an open world game like RF:G because you could scope civilians in cars and it would just look like two seated guys hovering down the street with no vehicle.