Like a stone-faced Agent 47 coolly taking down a guard and slipping into his clothing to infiltrate a stronghold, Hitman is evolving effortlessly with the times to sneak its way back to relevance. Rather than giving stealth-minded gamers a standard campaign to take on, conquer and move on, the series reboot looks to keep the game in heavy rotation for months ahead. What you play when you first download the game is just the beginning in an experience that promises to expand and evolve over time.
Game: Hitman
Consoles: Xbox One (reviewed), PS4, PC
Publisher: Square Enix
Developer: IO Interactive
Release Date: March 11
Only available as a download for now, the story will roll out episodically. Out of the gate, you get what feels like a full-fledged Hitman experience, with a tone that calls back to the earlier, more open-ended game in the series. You’re set up with a target and no clear-cut way to take him down. Look around and you’ll see possibilities to help your cause. A variety of weapons, disguises, hiding spots and other aids — think alarm systems, security cameras and potential diversions — ensure that your deadliest weapons will be your creativity and cunning.
Agent 47 — who is younger and less experienced in this edition, thanks to the prequel setting — is even more of a vicious predator than before. Taking a cue from Batman from the Arkham trilogy, he’s a cold-blooded angel of death, capable of exacting swift justice to unsuspecting marks. Thanks to current-gen technology that the series had yet to experience, the bald-headed death-dealing machine has a gorgeously rendered and immaculately detailed world in which to romp. The painstaking detail that went into every aspect of the production is breathtaking. There are times mid-mission when it’s tempting to step back from the heart-racing task at hand to look around in awe at the astounding virtual world IO Interactive has created.
One of the most exciting aspects of the new game is its episodic nature. The game will roll out like a TV season, with weekly updates complete with fresh missions and contracts to keep online play fresh and invigorating. As with an MMO, developers will also pump in regular infrastructure updates to maintain the balance between players and A.I. A new Escalation Mode is probably the coolest new offering, challenging you to use specific weapons and methods to complete missions.
Those who played the recent closed beta have an idea of what to expect in Hitman, but publisher Square Enix held more than enough back to make its initial offering seem like an entirely new vision. What’s most exciting is that the game will only get richer and deeper from here. It will be fascinating to come back week after week to see the new missions and objectives that the game has thrown down. The work of a trained killer never ends.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVqxMCZ3u6k
ORDER: Hitman here
Hitman Reviews Around The Web:
“It’s shaping up to be an interesting combination of classic Hitman sensibilities and the improved gameplay of more recent titles.” –Game Informer
“The new Hitman is all about attempting to reach the spirit of the original Hitman games, even if the presentation isn’t completely up to snuff.” –USgamer
“The episodic format is a bit of an experiment, and it remains to be seen whether people will want to shell out for what will initially be an incomplete game.” –The Independent
Hitman Screenshots
The publisher provided a review copy.
