Games I Dislike That Everybody Else Likes

Possibly ruined this one for myself by playing Hitman (2016) first, but I can certainly see why people love this - the story is kind of cool, the levels are kind of cool, the weapons and open-endedness are kind of cool, so on and so forth. But that's the thing, they're only kind of cool here - if you so happened to play most of the later games first then this just feels pared-down in comparison. Obviously for its day this was revolutionary and it still sports that classic PS2-era charm which is hard not to respect, but I refuse to subscribe to the idea that just because something was revolutionary at one point means that it will always stand the test of time. And even despite all that, the controls are shoddy and the executions are mostly lame, sometimes broken/janky, and stupidly specific to the point of not being that fun in general. But I digress, that final mission is - to put it frankly - fucking awesome, and it does feature the best version of "Ave Maria" which has rightfully since become iconic. But also... whatever, I have no idea what I would get out of this over playing the more refined 2016-and-on installments. Slightly better than Hitman: Absolution because there's more charisma, the narrative isn't dogshit, and Agent 47 doesn't look like a hemorrhoid. Oh, and the disguise system actually works.

Hitman Blood Money is the fourth installment in IO Interactive's long running sandbox murder simulator that marks the end of the "classic" era of games while simultaniously starting the "modern" era. What I mean by this is the game feels very similar to Silent Assassin, and Contracts while playing but adds so many more mechanics, improved (exploitable) AI, and minor conveniences that make the experience much more friendly to fans of the modern trilogy. The game sees you refill the shoes of Agent 47 as he goes around the United States killing various targets who all have some ties or connections to candidates to an upcoming presidential election. Due to taking out targets around such a high profile event government agents are hot on the heels of your actions, and whether or not they catch you is for you to find out, but this game does culminate in an explosive ending that does not disappoint. The gameplay is your typical Hitman fare where you are dropped into sandbox environments where the world is your plaything. There are so many different ways to take out a target in each mission that each playthrough can feel different. Using various tools at your disposal like coins to distract NPCs, lock picks to open doors, and various different poisons to either lethally or non lethally take out enemies you may encounter. That's not to mention the various guns you have at your disposal to play with the sniper rifle, silenced pistols, and even automatic weapons. There are also plenty of disguises to be found in this game, and disguises work better than they ever have at the point of this game's release. It doesn't feel like NPCs can smell the murderous intent coming off of you from a mile away, and instead they won't notice you unless you do suspicious behavior or be in places you shouldn't be and it feels way more fair than how it worked in Silent Assassin and even in Contracts. The maps are also nice and compact in a way that they don't feel huge and open, and at the same time don't feel tiny and too short. They hit the perfect balance of depth where you are left with plenty of room to experiment, while not leaving you overwhelmed. Other than the tutorial mission in this game, which is one of the biggest red herring in gaming as it feels like an entirely separate game from the rest of the experience. But if you can look past that you will be left with an awesome experience with tons of replay value, and a fun time you won't soon forget.