I think it is decidedly unfair to call the Sniper Elite series "generic shooters", considering that the actual gameplay resides somewhere between a poor man's sneaking game and a ballistics simulator. Sniper Elite is a game about sneaking into position, taking enemies out quietly along the way and then taking out your targets from a long distance. As far as gameplay loops goes it is fairly unique in its' blend of sneaking and actual sniping moments even if the sneaking systems have always been fairly bare bones.
I've enjoyed the last two Sniper Elites (got 2 for free those two years ago when it was free on Steam and picked up 3 on massive discount during Steam's winter sale last year) but they are not good enough to warrant full price for me. Once discounted they are good value entertainment however.