Excellent work, 47. Using Liz Truss as a medium was a particularly inspired touch. The client will be most pleased that the target died before she had to give herself a letter for her 100th birthday. Head for an exit, and we'll speak again soon.
played through World of Assassination
the common consensus for the hitman trilogy ive seen is that hitman 2 has the best maps of the 3. while i cannot speak of h3 just yet, they are certainly more fleshed out than h1. idk how but they feel both more linear and more open at the same time.
with h1 there was kinda a linear progression with disguises that stopped as soon as you got the highest ranked guard disguise. in h2 the maps feel plenty more open and i felt myself needing to swap out plenty more disguises throughout. there's also plenty of ways to go about it. take the mumbai targets for instance. all 3 are in different corners of the map, require different disguises to get to, and also in one instance the disguise doesnt work unless youre far enough distance away, since the crows are on the lookout for intruders. finding the maelstrom through clues gained from the other targets as well as infiltrating the crows base was an awesome feat. and it really feels designed for skulking, so many boxes to dump bodies in, tons of distractions too. it was a really cool area. using all that info to find the maelstrom, following him and finally after all your hard work silently disposing of him in a back alley... peak gaming .and then taking out vanya shah i have an even cooler story of trespassing for like 30 minutes, making my way to the back of her warehouse, and taking out a guard and placing him in convenient dumping box, and then climbing up the pipes to trespass again trying to find a higher tier guard and having to sneak around and find a perfect time to strike, and when the deed is done, shimmy down the pipe and listen to the chaos unfold right above me. sneaking into vanya shah's car and then shooting her and walking out the back to take down the final target of the mission, only to engage with that level of depth again. i could go on and on with the other maps, like miami, whittleton creek, columbia, but you get the idea by now.
the peak gaming comes to a head with the final mission of base h2, the ark society. the atmosphere, the setting alone make it peak. an assassin sneaking into a secret society's base on a remote island with stormy seas all around? sign me the hell up. this is doubly true with the stakes in the story making it incredibly satisfying to escort the constant out of the island after neatly taking care of the washington twins. man, walking the constant down to the boat was so fucking cool and tense. backing up, the washington twins were also cool targets to take out. i found myself eliminating the guards they had and becoming their guards and following them around for another cycle before finally getting them in the bushes where no one could see... at least for one. the other i threw a soda can at her head and a brick at the guard's head and then snapped her neck in a room off to the side. stalking your prey is insanely fun in the game.
i guess what im trying to get at here is that is the simulation aspect feels more fully realized through map design alone. it makes you feel like you are The Hitman instead of having a get out of jail free card with a silent pistol. i mean, maybe it was more self imposed but i found myself ditching the use of lethal weapons for subduing instead. it felt cooler to have that extra bit of tension, esp if i couldnt find a place to dump the body at.
the story is the same as the first game, devoid of much substance and depth, but still charming and with a "cool" factor. i do have to compliment the performances of the cast. The Constant was especially great, perfect voice for the "evil mastermind" archetype, and the rest of the cast gave solid performances. unfortunately, the presentation took a hit with the cutscenes being nothing more than glorified slideshows. in many cases i couldnt tell what was going on in the scenes because they were so dark and there was no movement lol. however there's a reason for this decline in presentation due to the company splitting off from square enix, so i forgive it. i also seem to be the only one who cares about the story in these games at all, but even for me they arent the main attraction.
there's also the drama with the way these games were released. looks awful but luckily i didnt have to worry about that model 8 years late to the party heheh
overall a definite upgrade from the first and addressed almost all of my complaints from the first review. i was a dumbass and didnt get the dlc maps at the same time as purchasing WoA but luckily they went on sale today lol. 27 dollars for every map in the game is a complete steal, im so glad i picked this game up. review for the dlc will be up in the next few days likely, who even knows. new york and haven island, here i come!
the common consensus for the hitman trilogy ive seen is that hitman 2 has the best maps of the 3. while i cannot speak of h3 just yet, they are certainly more fleshed out than h1. idk how but they feel both more linear and more open at the same time.
with h1 there was kinda a linear progression with disguises that stopped as soon as you got the highest ranked guard disguise. in h2 the maps feel plenty more open and i felt myself needing to swap out plenty more disguises throughout. there's also plenty of ways to go about it. take the mumbai targets for instance. all 3 are in different corners of the map, require different disguises to get to, and also in one instance the disguise doesnt work unless youre far enough distance away, since the crows are on the lookout for intruders. finding the maelstrom through clues gained from the other targets as well as infiltrating the crows base was an awesome feat. and it really feels designed for skulking, so many boxes to dump bodies in, tons of distractions too. it was a really cool area. using all that info to find the maelstrom, following him and finally after all your hard work silently disposing of him in a back alley... peak gaming .and then taking out vanya shah i have an even cooler story of trespassing for like 30 minutes, making my way to the back of her warehouse, and taking out a guard and placing him in convenient dumping box, and then climbing up the pipes to trespass again trying to find a higher tier guard and having to sneak around and find a perfect time to strike, and when the deed is done, shimmy down the pipe and listen to the chaos unfold right above me. sneaking into vanya shah's car and then shooting her and walking out the back to take down the final target of the mission, only to engage with that level of depth again. i could go on and on with the other maps, like miami, whittleton creek, columbia, but you get the idea by now.
the peak gaming comes to a head with the final mission of base h2, the ark society. the atmosphere, the setting alone make it peak. an assassin sneaking into a secret society's base on a remote island with stormy seas all around? sign me the hell up. this is doubly true with the stakes in the story making it incredibly satisfying to escort the constant out of the island after neatly taking care of the washington twins. man, walking the constant down to the boat was so fucking cool and tense. backing up, the washington twins were also cool targets to take out. i found myself eliminating the guards they had and becoming their guards and following them around for another cycle before finally getting them in the bushes where no one could see... at least for one. the other i threw a soda can at her head and a brick at the guard's head and then snapped her neck in a room off to the side. stalking your prey is insanely fun in the game.
i guess what im trying to get at here is that is the simulation aspect feels more fully realized through map design alone. it makes you feel like you are The Hitman instead of having a get out of jail free card with a silent pistol. i mean, maybe it was more self imposed but i found myself ditching the use of lethal weapons for subduing instead. it felt cooler to have that extra bit of tension, esp if i couldnt find a place to dump the body at.
the story is the same as the first game, devoid of much substance and depth, but still charming and with a "cool" factor. i do have to compliment the performances of the cast. The Constant was especially great, perfect voice for the "evil mastermind" archetype, and the rest of the cast gave solid performances. unfortunately, the presentation took a hit with the cutscenes being nothing more than glorified slideshows. in many cases i couldnt tell what was going on in the scenes because they were so dark and there was no movement lol. however there's a reason for this decline in presentation due to the company splitting off from square enix, so i forgive it. i also seem to be the only one who cares about the story in these games at all, but even for me they arent the main attraction.
there's also the drama with the way these games were released. looks awful but luckily i didnt have to worry about that model 8 years late to the party heheh
overall a definite upgrade from the first and addressed almost all of my complaints from the first review. i was a dumbass and didnt get the dlc maps at the same time as purchasing WoA but luckily they went on sale today lol. 27 dollars for every map in the game is a complete steal, im so glad i picked this game up. review for the dlc will be up in the next few days likely, who even knows. new york and haven island, here i come!
After the rollicking start to the World of Assassination Trilogy, Hitman 2.... also exists!
That's not a fair statement at all really. Hitman 2 is an excellent successor to what Hitman 2016 started. The fun filled antics of the Hitman franchise continue with some great ideas. The sheer scope of ways you can fuck around with people, the mayhem you can cause, the murders you can create... its truly masterful. The gameplay and UI are even improved upon, with subtle changes used to make a smoother experience.
Still, it was hard not to get a sense of something being... off, this time around. The strength of Hitman 2016 is that, while the serious spy plot does exist, its cultivated in service to the maps the devs want you to run around in. And I do think that thesis still holds true... for the most part. To propel its story forward, the game occasionally gives you a secondary task beyond murdering a few people. Gather some intel, steal some evidence. That small gameplay change ends up drastically changing some of the freedom of the overall experience. Its particularly damning in the Whittleton Creek level, forcing you to scour the map for three pieces of information for some reason or another. Those secondary objectives existed in the first game too, but its so much more egregious in this version.
The plot itself also intrudes itself in ways harder to define. Part of what makes modern Hitman work so much is the joy of killing some terrible rich people. That joy is still there, but it starts to lean on the weird quasi-racist angles of targets present in the 00s games. Drug lords and pirates just feel... less justified, in a way. The evil billionaire secret society is the obvious villain they've set up for two games. Spending half the game cooperating with Providence and killing all the people supporting your obvious future ally feels sort of like I'm being given the runaround. It also makes Lucas Grey, a character who I'm supposed to be excited to partner with, kind of look like an asshole! He's incredibly willing to toss aside his loyal lieutenants just for the sake of being besties with 47 again. But because all the targets are still awful dipshits, it also makes him look scummy for teaming up with these kinds of people to begin with. Its really mixed messaging and it hurts the story they're trying to invest players in.
Finally, the levels themselves. I'm less confident in this argument but I've reached a conclusion: I think a lot of levels feel less personal than before. In the first game, it truly felt the maps reflected the people you wanted to kill. Dalia and Viktor's fashion runaway. Silvio Caruso hiding from the bright world outside in his dreary, crumbling manor. Zaydan and Strandburg attempting to use their power to control and manipulate a whole country, as the crowds demand to see them punished. They were hyper realized, informing you about the state of the world and how your targets make it worse.
Hitman 2 doesn't seem to have that kind of same character work in its level design. A master rival assassin lives in... a house! A race track and a tech expo are connected to each other and holding events at the same day, I guess. The drug cartel stuff. This is all fairly nitpicky details and its possible I'm looking for justifications for my frustration. I do think the second half of levels are far more coherent. The Mumbai level gets you a sense of how a local community is supported and/or harmed by the intents of the local crime heads. Whittleton Creek gives you a strong set-up of the quiet nightmare of American suburbia and how both normal people and Soviet defectors try to manage their daily lives. The Ark Society creates a secluded island where all the rich morons hoping to wait out the apocalypse gather. That design ethos still exists! It just didn't feel like that push-pull of character vs. world was quite functioning as it should.
All this rambling aside: its Hitman. I love Hitman. I can be vaguely frustrated, but I'm always gonna give it up for Hitman. Respect the name.
That's not a fair statement at all really. Hitman 2 is an excellent successor to what Hitman 2016 started. The fun filled antics of the Hitman franchise continue with some great ideas. The sheer scope of ways you can fuck around with people, the mayhem you can cause, the murders you can create... its truly masterful. The gameplay and UI are even improved upon, with subtle changes used to make a smoother experience.
Still, it was hard not to get a sense of something being... off, this time around. The strength of Hitman 2016 is that, while the serious spy plot does exist, its cultivated in service to the maps the devs want you to run around in. And I do think that thesis still holds true... for the most part. To propel its story forward, the game occasionally gives you a secondary task beyond murdering a few people. Gather some intel, steal some evidence. That small gameplay change ends up drastically changing some of the freedom of the overall experience. Its particularly damning in the Whittleton Creek level, forcing you to scour the map for three pieces of information for some reason or another. Those secondary objectives existed in the first game too, but its so much more egregious in this version.
The plot itself also intrudes itself in ways harder to define. Part of what makes modern Hitman work so much is the joy of killing some terrible rich people. That joy is still there, but it starts to lean on the weird quasi-racist angles of targets present in the 00s games. Drug lords and pirates just feel... less justified, in a way. The evil billionaire secret society is the obvious villain they've set up for two games. Spending half the game cooperating with Providence and killing all the people supporting your obvious future ally feels sort of like I'm being given the runaround. It also makes Lucas Grey, a character who I'm supposed to be excited to partner with, kind of look like an asshole! He's incredibly willing to toss aside his loyal lieutenants just for the sake of being besties with 47 again. But because all the targets are still awful dipshits, it also makes him look scummy for teaming up with these kinds of people to begin with. Its really mixed messaging and it hurts the story they're trying to invest players in.
Finally, the levels themselves. I'm less confident in this argument but I've reached a conclusion: I think a lot of levels feel less personal than before. In the first game, it truly felt the maps reflected the people you wanted to kill. Dalia and Viktor's fashion runaway. Silvio Caruso hiding from the bright world outside in his dreary, crumbling manor. Zaydan and Strandburg attempting to use their power to control and manipulate a whole country, as the crowds demand to see them punished. They were hyper realized, informing you about the state of the world and how your targets make it worse.
Hitman 2 doesn't seem to have that kind of same character work in its level design. A master rival assassin lives in... a house! A race track and a tech expo are connected to each other and holding events at the same day, I guess. The drug cartel stuff. This is all fairly nitpicky details and its possible I'm looking for justifications for my frustration. I do think the second half of levels are far more coherent. The Mumbai level gets you a sense of how a local community is supported and/or harmed by the intents of the local crime heads. Whittleton Creek gives you a strong set-up of the quiet nightmare of American suburbia and how both normal people and Soviet defectors try to manage their daily lives. The Ark Society creates a secluded island where all the rich morons hoping to wait out the apocalypse gather. That design ethos still exists! It just didn't feel like that push-pull of character vs. world was quite functioning as it should.
All this rambling aside: its Hitman. I love Hitman. I can be vaguely frustrated, but I'm always gonna give it up for Hitman. Respect the name.
Did anyone else try the multiplayer in this? Not the sniper assassin minigame, but the actual, on-the-ground Agent 47 vs. somehow paler Agent 47 mode where you had to race an opponent to a target. It's not in the same realm of quality as the main game, but how could it be? These levels aren't designed for multiplayer, aren't designed for semi-random targets that wander around areas where the usual target is hunkered down, aren't designed to exist in an ecosystem where you can't hoard 600,000 muffins. That being said, I had some actual-ass fun playing it, which is more than I can say for most multiplayer affairs in recent years.
It only existed in the first two non-tutorial levels, Miami and Santa Fortuna - one of which is a pretty solid level, the other is among the worst in the trilogy, notable in the campaign for spreading 3 targets across three thirds of a map that is only one-third interesting. Two players spawn in with no equipment and are drip-fed a series of targets that do not normally exist in the level, and you are given a point if you can take them out without being detected, at which point the other player is given a couple seconds to do the same or forfeit the point. Equipment spawns in chests around the level - the first player gets their pick of three items, leaving only two for the other player.
While I never for one second considered playing this with an internet stranger, I did play tens of hours of this with an old high school friend, during which we took this game - a game whose single-player mode we had independently reduced to a digital chore list, noting each item's placement and coldly, surgically eliminating targets in increasingly efficient ways - and found new ways to plumb the depths of the other person's sociopathy. That's so weird that you don't have a silenced pistol yet, I've got six of them already. Are you waiting carefully, calculating the best time to poison the target? You have five seconds, I just gunned him down in broad daylight so you couldn't get the point. I hope you have the announcer voice off because I'm killing every single person in the level so that every target kill is undetected. I'm sprinting around behind you, throwing coins into your world so you can't play the game.
For some reason, IOI gave up on the unenviable task of adapting these levels for a multiplayer game mode that four people played, each of whom offered a resounding... "eh, not really my thing". Really a shame, to be honest, because it was a spectacularly interesting shitshow to play, and I think it only would've been more so if we got a chance to see levels like Mumbai or Whittleton Creek. I never expected Hitman to have that kind of up-too-late-during-the-sleepover multiplayer experience - the kind where you spend more time fucking over the other person and laughing than actually trying to play the game - but I've tasted it, and now I need more.
In all seriousness, it was intriguing to see IOI's attempts at tweaking these levels for non-standard game modes. Contracts mode is kind of self-moderating, since players ideally pick only the contracts that match the exact level of challenge they want. A real-time versus mode is a whole different beast, and while this was a decent stab at creating an alternate game mode, I'm mostly curious to see what lessons IOI takes from this for things like their upcoming Freelancer mode update for Hitman 3 or the as-yet-untitled James Bond game they're working on. In fact, I suspect that the success of Freelancer will largely depend on the lessons that they take from this. IOI have toyed with using limited replays to create stakes with the Elusive Target system, a system that still uses the traditional setup of giving each target a single, scripted path through the level. Creating stakes by having the level itself change every time you return is a different kind of challenge, and this alternate game mode is really the only thing I can think of that's similar within the Hitman series.
One the one hand, IOI has made a lot of baffling decisions over the years - I think Absolution is the easiest example of this, with IOI leadership openly admitting in interviews that they were chasing trends they had identified in other games to try and make Hitman more "modern". On the other, they seem to have really locked their focus in recent years on what's truly crucial to creating a Hitman game and have used their missteps in previous games/modes to make the core experience stronger. It's easy to forget that something that feels like a natural fit - the use of "Instinct" in the trilogy - began as a resource bar in Absolution that often made things harder to see and would show you the exact point on the map someone was walking to. Most of the PVP mode's most severe weaknesses have already been removed from the equation by virtue of Freelancer not being PVP, so I've got some confidence that IOI will be able to make something worthwhile out of the update. Not much left to do now but wait and see.
It only existed in the first two non-tutorial levels, Miami and Santa Fortuna - one of which is a pretty solid level, the other is among the worst in the trilogy, notable in the campaign for spreading 3 targets across three thirds of a map that is only one-third interesting. Two players spawn in with no equipment and are drip-fed a series of targets that do not normally exist in the level, and you are given a point if you can take them out without being detected, at which point the other player is given a couple seconds to do the same or forfeit the point. Equipment spawns in chests around the level - the first player gets their pick of three items, leaving only two for the other player.
While I never for one second considered playing this with an internet stranger, I did play tens of hours of this with an old high school friend, during which we took this game - a game whose single-player mode we had independently reduced to a digital chore list, noting each item's placement and coldly, surgically eliminating targets in increasingly efficient ways - and found new ways to plumb the depths of the other person's sociopathy. That's so weird that you don't have a silenced pistol yet, I've got six of them already. Are you waiting carefully, calculating the best time to poison the target? You have five seconds, I just gunned him down in broad daylight so you couldn't get the point. I hope you have the announcer voice off because I'm killing every single person in the level so that every target kill is undetected. I'm sprinting around behind you, throwing coins into your world so you can't play the game.
For some reason, IOI gave up on the unenviable task of adapting these levels for a multiplayer game mode that four people played, each of whom offered a resounding... "eh, not really my thing". Really a shame, to be honest, because it was a spectacularly interesting shitshow to play, and I think it only would've been more so if we got a chance to see levels like Mumbai or Whittleton Creek. I never expected Hitman to have that kind of up-too-late-during-the-sleepover multiplayer experience - the kind where you spend more time fucking over the other person and laughing than actually trying to play the game - but I've tasted it, and now I need more.
In all seriousness, it was intriguing to see IOI's attempts at tweaking these levels for non-standard game modes. Contracts mode is kind of self-moderating, since players ideally pick only the contracts that match the exact level of challenge they want. A real-time versus mode is a whole different beast, and while this was a decent stab at creating an alternate game mode, I'm mostly curious to see what lessons IOI takes from this for things like their upcoming Freelancer mode update for Hitman 3 or the as-yet-untitled James Bond game they're working on. In fact, I suspect that the success of Freelancer will largely depend on the lessons that they take from this. IOI have toyed with using limited replays to create stakes with the Elusive Target system, a system that still uses the traditional setup of giving each target a single, scripted path through the level. Creating stakes by having the level itself change every time you return is a different kind of challenge, and this alternate game mode is really the only thing I can think of that's similar within the Hitman series.
One the one hand, IOI has made a lot of baffling decisions over the years - I think Absolution is the easiest example of this, with IOI leadership openly admitting in interviews that they were chasing trends they had identified in other games to try and make Hitman more "modern". On the other, they seem to have really locked their focus in recent years on what's truly crucial to creating a Hitman game and have used their missteps in previous games/modes to make the core experience stronger. It's easy to forget that something that feels like a natural fit - the use of "Instinct" in the trilogy - began as a resource bar in Absolution that often made things harder to see and would show you the exact point on the map someone was walking to. Most of the PVP mode's most severe weaknesses have already been removed from the equation by virtue of Freelancer not being PVP, so I've got some confidence that IOI will be able to make something worthwhile out of the update. Not much left to do now but wait and see.
Agent 47 disguising as a fitness instructor on Haven Island and commanding the guests to do different exercises hhhhhhhhhh 😳😳😳🥴
same as with my log for Hitman (2016), this entry is for the Hitman 2 content as played through Hitman III.
it fucking slayed? i loved the previous entry and its gameplay at the core but a handful of the levels left a bit to be desired, this one is much more consistent and it's all solid (while most of it is great). Miami overtook Sapienza as my favorite map in the trilogy so far and Haven Island, Santa Fortuna, and Mumbai aren't far behind.
i'd rank the levels from this game as follows:
Miami
Santa Fortuna
Haven Island
Hawke's Bay
Mumbai
Whittleton Creek
Isle of Sgà il
New York
same as with my log for Hitman (2016), this entry is for the Hitman 2 content as played through Hitman III.
it fucking slayed? i loved the previous entry and its gameplay at the core but a handful of the levels left a bit to be desired, this one is much more consistent and it's all solid (while most of it is great). Miami overtook Sapienza as my favorite map in the trilogy so far and Haven Island, Santa Fortuna, and Mumbai aren't far behind.
i'd rank the levels from this game as follows:
Miami
Santa Fortuna
Haven Island
Hawke's Bay
Mumbai
Whittleton Creek
Isle of Sgà il
New York
These games are pure catnip to me. The intricate clockwork dioramas of the level designs are made tactile and enthralling by allowing the player to wreak havoc within them and see what happens. In a lesser game even this premise could wear thin after a time, but IOI knows exactly how to wring every ounce of value out of the worlds they create, from the stories woven throughout to the escalations that reframe the levels to even just the quality of writing that makes it worth listening to all the little conversations between NPCs.
The level design in 2 is generally excellent: levels exist with different organizing principles, from multiple strongholds connected by a common area like Mumbai and Miami, to layered increases in security like New York and Sgà il, to the spectacularly iconoclastic Whittleton Creek. My biggest complaint is that the DLC special assignments are lackluster, generally smaller in scope than their Hitman 1 equivalents and substantially less transformative of the levels that contain them.
I'll also mention Freelancer mode here since I played it along with Hitman 2. The underlying concept there is genius, forcing players like me who take a save-heavy approach to the game to take a wildly different approach, think on our toes, and learn to use tools that may have just sat in the loadout screen. But at the same time, failure is often more frustrating than it is fun or educational. It's just too easy to take an action that looks safe only to trigger an alarm, get gunned down, and lose your entire campaign out of nowhere.
What Freelancer needs (and the rest of the game could certainly make profitable use of) is a little bit more indication of what is or is not allowed. Show me trespassing boundaries in focus mode. Let me know whether I'm being watched before I chuck an iron at a guard's head. Guessing and checking works well enough when saves are involved, but it's not quite up to the task for a mode with such heavy consequences.
(Played Hitman 2 levels and escalations in World of Assassination)
The level design in 2 is generally excellent: levels exist with different organizing principles, from multiple strongholds connected by a common area like Mumbai and Miami, to layered increases in security like New York and Sgà il, to the spectacularly iconoclastic Whittleton Creek. My biggest complaint is that the DLC special assignments are lackluster, generally smaller in scope than their Hitman 1 equivalents and substantially less transformative of the levels that contain them.
I'll also mention Freelancer mode here since I played it along with Hitman 2. The underlying concept there is genius, forcing players like me who take a save-heavy approach to the game to take a wildly different approach, think on our toes, and learn to use tools that may have just sat in the loadout screen. But at the same time, failure is often more frustrating than it is fun or educational. It's just too easy to take an action that looks safe only to trigger an alarm, get gunned down, and lose your entire campaign out of nowhere.
What Freelancer needs (and the rest of the game could certainly make profitable use of) is a little bit more indication of what is or is not allowed. Show me trespassing boundaries in focus mode. Let me know whether I'm being watched before I chuck an iron at a guard's head. Guessing and checking works well enough when saves are involved, but it's not quite up to the task for a mode with such heavy consequences.
(Played Hitman 2 levels and escalations in World of Assassination)
The maps are bigger, unfortunately the full-motion video cutscenes don't come back - but on the whole it also feels a lot more refined by comparison next to the first of the recent HITMAN games. It retains everything that we love about these games, though the size of these maps allow for more freedom to pull some incredibly funny kills.
And it's also just fun to come back to these levels trying to pull off as many challenges as possible. Can't wait to start out HITMAN 3.
And it's also just fun to come back to these levels trying to pull off as many challenges as possible. Can't wait to start out HITMAN 3.
Ah, I was playing this and I guess Steam actually determined this game isn't real.
I guess I'll actually review this game when i replay it and Hitman 1 but inside of Hitman 3 (?????)
I guess I'll actually review this game when i replay it and Hitman 1 but inside of Hitman 3 (?????)
if you asked me to describe my ideal stealth game it'd sound basically exactly like this
This feels like the pinnacle of the Hitman World of Assassin trilogy. I was turned off by the complexity of the maps at first, especially with the really convoluted mechanics of maps like Mumbai. After putting in some hours, I've done a complete about face. This game rules. The maps are awesome. It's a refinement of everything that came in the first game with tons of content to mess with.
Torna mais complexo os mapas, mecânicas e disfarces quando comparamos com o primeiro. Tiro meia estrela por causa das Cutscenes serem estáticas, só uma pintura. A arte é boa, narração boa, mas não empolga em nada.
Haven't finished this game yet. Don't think I need to. I want to. I will. I just don't need to. The plot and story feel inconsequential. It's a little like Doom in that it's all about level design, art direction, gameplay and vibes. Hitman 2 is a game that understands what a game is. It's choice but with limited freedom. A game is only a game when there are limits and rules. Choice in any game is only ever an illusion. Within Hitman 2's constraints you're free to get as creative as you like with the tools at your disposal. When I first started this game three years ago, I tried playing it like a shooter. That's not what it is. It's not quite a stealth game completely either. In my experience it's been a game where you're dropped in these little, beautifully and delicately detailed little environments and forced to blend and observe... and then kill some guys. It reminds me a lot of Snowrunner - you're a guy with a job to do. Feasibly the job could be anything. Agent 47 could be a movie star agent making deals. The artifice of playing as a hitman is but one more disguise the player wears.
I'm not surprised the same studio made Kane & Kynch 2, because that game's highlights to me were also the environments. The storytelling was more purposeful but who knows where Hitman's story will take me. I'm not too sure I'll be bothered it, frankly.
I'm not surprised the same studio made Kane & Kynch 2, because that game's highlights to me were also the environments. The storytelling was more purposeful but who knows where Hitman's story will take me. I'm not too sure I'll be bothered it, frankly.
Played through World of Assassination
Pretty much the same story gameplay wise as the first game, so I'll mainly just be talking about the experience with the different levels, the Sniper Assassin mode and potentially some personal thoughts as I played through more of the series.
Before that I want to iterate again, this always online shit is awful, and so are the elusive targets, whoever came up with this shit is a moron.
Anyways, the levels were just not it this time around, there's only 3 levels that are at the very least "good" because you're thrown so many levels which you can't dream of experimenting with until you've been railroaded through the "Mission Stories" and typically are overstuffed with NPCs because they're crowded third world areas or whatever, it's just a fucking disaster.
There was one out of those crappy bunch that had an interesting gimmick of an unknown target you have to discover... which went up in smoke when I was doing one of the "Mission Stories" and after fucking up disposing of a KOed disguise target and guard, a random NPC spotted me, so I just got frustrated and shot him before I reloaded my save, but right before I did that I was told "Great work 47, you found the target!" which really ruined any fun that could have been.
Anyways, halfway through you're dealt probably my favorite level in the reboot trilogy so far "Another Life" (not to be confused with A New Life from Blood Money) which is much more what you'd expect from the Hitman series, taking place in an American suburb with JUUUUST the right amount of NPCs, and there being plenty of things to explore, as well as having a lot of fun things around, and creative opportunities for kills, great time, didn't do any "Mission Stories" in it and managed to find a lot of interesting stuff regardless.
The other 2 levels I enjoyed were the 2 from the DLCs, one was the bank which was similarly good, but just not quite as good and a little hard to get around without following a "Mission Story" and the resort level which was just... Ok, I liked the fact that it was pretty open yet not too populated and filled with enough bushes that it basically invites you to just throw caution to the wind and try getting quick kills off by just popping them and immediately ducking into cover, in fact you can kill the first target within seconds of starting.
Story was a lot better this time, as in there's actually a story to follow, with things that happen and have weight in what happens in the actual levels, but it's nothing amazing, just some cheap b-movie spy thriller.
I tried to shift up my gameplay by forcing myself to experiment a little and not forcing myself to EXCLUSIVELY kill targets, to not feel as pressured, and I feel like I got a much better grip on the gameplay loop because of it this time around, but flaws with the AI are becoming more and more apparent, I hope the next time they do a set of Hitman games they lower the scope so they can tighten up things like AI.
EDIT: Whoops, forgot to mention Sniper Assassin!
It's okay, not really my thing, that's all.
Pretty much the same story gameplay wise as the first game, so I'll mainly just be talking about the experience with the different levels, the Sniper Assassin mode and potentially some personal thoughts as I played through more of the series.
Before that I want to iterate again, this always online shit is awful, and so are the elusive targets, whoever came up with this shit is a moron.
Anyways, the levels were just not it this time around, there's only 3 levels that are at the very least "good" because you're thrown so many levels which you can't dream of experimenting with until you've been railroaded through the "Mission Stories" and typically are overstuffed with NPCs because they're crowded third world areas or whatever, it's just a fucking disaster.
There was one out of those crappy bunch that had an interesting gimmick of an unknown target you have to discover... which went up in smoke when I was doing one of the "Mission Stories" and after fucking up disposing of a KOed disguise target and guard, a random NPC spotted me, so I just got frustrated and shot him before I reloaded my save, but right before I did that I was told "Great work 47, you found the target!" which really ruined any fun that could have been.
Anyways, halfway through you're dealt probably my favorite level in the reboot trilogy so far "Another Life" (not to be confused with A New Life from Blood Money) which is much more what you'd expect from the Hitman series, taking place in an American suburb with JUUUUST the right amount of NPCs, and there being plenty of things to explore, as well as having a lot of fun things around, and creative opportunities for kills, great time, didn't do any "Mission Stories" in it and managed to find a lot of interesting stuff regardless.
The other 2 levels I enjoyed were the 2 from the DLCs, one was the bank which was similarly good, but just not quite as good and a little hard to get around without following a "Mission Story" and the resort level which was just... Ok, I liked the fact that it was pretty open yet not too populated and filled with enough bushes that it basically invites you to just throw caution to the wind and try getting quick kills off by just popping them and immediately ducking into cover, in fact you can kill the first target within seconds of starting.
Story was a lot better this time, as in there's actually a story to follow, with things that happen and have weight in what happens in the actual levels, but it's nothing amazing, just some cheap b-movie spy thriller.
I tried to shift up my gameplay by forcing myself to experiment a little and not forcing myself to EXCLUSIVELY kill targets, to not feel as pressured, and I feel like I got a much better grip on the gameplay loop because of it this time around, but flaws with the AI are becoming more and more apparent, I hope the next time they do a set of Hitman games they lower the scope so they can tighten up things like AI.
EDIT: Whoops, forgot to mention Sniper Assassin!
It's okay, not really my thing, that's all.
Fantastic levels, with such a freedom to kill targets however you want. Size of the maps might feel daunting at first, but game ease you into them quite well.
I like the vibe of the story, but lack of actual cutscenes is quite detrimental to it's enjoyment.
On a plus side is fluid movement, great atmosphere and immense replay value.
Great title.
I like the vibe of the story, but lack of actual cutscenes is quite detrimental to it's enjoyment.
On a plus side is fluid movement, great atmosphere and immense replay value.
Great title.
More games should aspire to be like HITMAN and less like the The Last of Us.
Now THIS is my kind of puzzle game.
EDIT: After 1.5 years I have finally finished this game! I enjoyed it very much in the end and am doing much better mentally now. Still think it may be a bit too sprawling at points, though.
Is it weird to really like a game, think it's incredibly well-made, but just have no desire to finish it? I absolutely adore the Hitman series, to the point where I've played Blood Money & Contracts countless times and have even forced myself to beat Codename 47, but this one... I don't know. I've been playing it off and on for months, and half the time, when I load up a level, I take one look at how gigantic the map is and just close the program. I was already feeling some similar pangs of fatigue by the end of Hitman 2016, but thankfully most of those levels were more reasonably-sized. Every map in Hitman 2 (2) is a mammoth. It overwhelms my poor brain. Yes, I could just beeline straight for the targets or turn on waypoints to get things over with, but that's not how I enjoy games. The levels here are all massive and intricately connected, which is extremely impressive, but my insatiable desire to explore every nook and cranny has proven to be my downfall. Maybe it's just the headspace I'm currently in, because I've been too depressed and exhausted to really commit to games since it started getting hot in April and my fucking workplace still doesn't have a functioning air-conditioner in fucking Texas even though they've been promising to fix it "next week" for months oh god please kill me. But even if that wasn't the case, I think I'd still prefer something a little more manageable when it comes to stealthy/explory gaming. I do intend to return to this one someday; I don't want to give up on it forever, but right now I have such little drive to continue that it's impacting my desire to start other games I might have a better time with.
Is it weird to really like a game, think it's incredibly well-made, but just have no desire to finish it? I absolutely adore the Hitman series, to the point where I've played Blood Money & Contracts countless times and have even forced myself to beat Codename 47, but this one... I don't know. I've been playing it off and on for months, and half the time, when I load up a level, I take one look at how gigantic the map is and just close the program. I was already feeling some similar pangs of fatigue by the end of Hitman 2016, but thankfully most of those levels were more reasonably-sized. Every map in Hitman 2 (2) is a mammoth. It overwhelms my poor brain. Yes, I could just beeline straight for the targets or turn on waypoints to get things over with, but that's not how I enjoy games. The levels here are all massive and intricately connected, which is extremely impressive, but my insatiable desire to explore every nook and cranny has proven to be my downfall. Maybe it's just the headspace I'm currently in, because I've been too depressed and exhausted to really commit to games since it started getting hot in April and my fucking workplace still doesn't have a functioning air-conditioner in fucking Texas even though they've been promising to fix it "next week" for months oh god please kill me. But even if that wasn't the case, I think I'd still prefer something a little more manageable when it comes to stealthy/explory gaming. I do intend to return to this one someday; I don't want to give up on it forever, but right now I have such little drive to continue that it's impacting my desire to start other games I might have a better time with.
Tão legal e divertido quanto o primeiro jogo.
O jogo sem dúvidas agrada quem curtiu o primeiro. Seu loop de gameplay continua mais satisfatório do que nunca, com histórias de missões bem mais criativas e mais oportunidades de eliminar os seus alvos.
As oportunidades são ainda mais divertidas e as fases são, sem dúvida, algumas das melhores da franquia toda. A história também é mais interessante dessa vez, apostando nas motivações pessoais, o que traz uma dinâmica diferente ao elenco.
Apesar das melhorias, a sensação é que Hitman 2 se trata de uma expansão do jogo anterior, ao invés de um tÃtulo completo. As cutscenes que narram a trajetória do assassino em busca de sua real identidade são simplesmente CHATAS (É meio que num esquema de fotos iguais as cutscenes antigas do Playstation 2 mas aqui é MUITO MAL FEITO).
O game continua prendendo o jogador, dá para fazer a festa com incontáveis disfarces e métodos de assassinato.
PRÓS:
- Inúmeras possibilidades de terminar as missões.
- Novos e divertidos modos.
CONTRAS:
- Cutscenes mal feitas.
- EstatÃsticas e progresso do primeiro jogo são ignorados pelo segundo.
O jogo sem dúvidas agrada quem curtiu o primeiro. Seu loop de gameplay continua mais satisfatório do que nunca, com histórias de missões bem mais criativas e mais oportunidades de eliminar os seus alvos.
As oportunidades são ainda mais divertidas e as fases são, sem dúvida, algumas das melhores da franquia toda. A história também é mais interessante dessa vez, apostando nas motivações pessoais, o que traz uma dinâmica diferente ao elenco.
Apesar das melhorias, a sensação é que Hitman 2 se trata de uma expansão do jogo anterior, ao invés de um tÃtulo completo. As cutscenes que narram a trajetória do assassino em busca de sua real identidade são simplesmente CHATAS (É meio que num esquema de fotos iguais as cutscenes antigas do Playstation 2 mas aqui é MUITO MAL FEITO).
O game continua prendendo o jogador, dá para fazer a festa com incontáveis disfarces e métodos de assassinato.
PRÓS:
- Inúmeras possibilidades de terminar as missões.
- Novos e divertidos modos.
CONTRAS:
- Cutscenes mal feitas.
- EstatÃsticas e progresso do primeiro jogo são ignorados pelo segundo.
hitman revela com discreto e sofisticado humor segredos sobre a logÃstica delicada entre as crucialidades responsáveis pela coreografia do acaso
há uma reação em cadeia a ser interrompida, o resultado uma vez iminente está cada vez mais te convidando a corrompê-lo
pra lá com o efeito borboleta, a moeda que cai no corredor atrás da lavanderia só pode derrubar um lustre no saguão se tiver alguém disposto a decorar o caminho mais rápido e discreto entre os dois e percorrê-lo em tempo cravado
o triunfo do livre arbÃtrio sobre o cosmos duro, frio e determinista acontece pelas mãos do faxineiro agachado atrás do balcão pronto pra enforcar o mordomo e tomar seu lugar
e sem regresso no tempo (só piedosos save points, se quiser uma experiência mais fria): pra fazer certo de primeira precisa estudar a Caligrafia em que o Evento foi Escrito pra poder reproduzir a caneta, selando essa dança numa partitura
há uma reação em cadeia a ser interrompida, o resultado uma vez iminente está cada vez mais te convidando a corrompê-lo
pra lá com o efeito borboleta, a moeda que cai no corredor atrás da lavanderia só pode derrubar um lustre no saguão se tiver alguém disposto a decorar o caminho mais rápido e discreto entre os dois e percorrê-lo em tempo cravado
o triunfo do livre arbÃtrio sobre o cosmos duro, frio e determinista acontece pelas mãos do faxineiro agachado atrás do balcão pronto pra enforcar o mordomo e tomar seu lugar
e sem regresso no tempo (só piedosos save points, se quiser uma experiência mais fria): pra fazer certo de primeira precisa estudar a Caligrafia em que o Evento foi Escrito pra poder reproduzir a caneta, selando essa dança numa partitura
The puzzle of capital is there for us to solve, over and over again through shapeless disguises and witty killings that are so easy to pull off you end up feeling like you're nowhere in particular.
I'm bored by Hitman 2's humorless approach to fun.
I'm bored by Hitman 2's humorless approach to fun.
I suck ass at this game and usually end up just killing everyone I see, but the game lets you do just that and its pretty awesome
There should be more adventure games where you can fill the ventilation system of a building full of people with chloroform. If you have the "what if I attacked you" gene then I think WoA scratches that itch wonderfully. Turning off mission stories and some of the other hints transforms each map into an intricate puzzle to figure out in tandem with the spy thriller gameplay, encouraging numerous replays to find each map's Horrifying Murder Tricks. Compared to 1 I strongly prefer 2's levels (Ark Society, Golden Handshake, and Last Resort are just three back-to-back bangers), and their intricacy kept me invested enough to play the escalation missions to, something 1 really didn't draw me into my first time through. Mastering a map in WoA always feels stimulating and engaging on a fairly cognitive level, but it's also an action/stealth game where you sneak around and choke guards unconscious while cello music punctuated by synth stings plays- it's the kind of game that I'm bound to swoon for, so it's entirely possible I'm not being as critical of it as I might be if this wasn't exactly my shit, but I'm comfortable with that. It's just a joy to dress my precious little darling Agent 47 up in all his lovely unlockable suits, and I'll play every mission until I've seen him do his clever tricks to my fancy while wearing each.
Too much fun. Big improvement in level design over the previous game, makes for a more consistent batch of locations. Obviously doesn't really do much to shake up the formula but it doesn't need to, they've got it down.
Idk if I am as enamored with this game's design as a lot of people. Couple of issues I had:
a) nearly every single mission is started by overhearing a conversation meaning if a mission looks cool, you have to scour the map for a random conversation that will allow you to progress.
b) once you are on the mission track, it's either easy to see what you have to do or impossibly difficult (find a random item that could be anywhere on the map).
Still, the assassinations here are incredibly creative on a conceptual level, even if I don't necessarily think they require much creativity on the player's part. Most maps here are a real treat, and I loved the general aesthetic. Traversing the cramped, vertical map that was India was a lot of fun, and the mission where you make the other assassin kill your targets was especially sick.
Miami > India > Colombia > Whittleton Creek > Hawke's Bay > Isle of Sgail
a) nearly every single mission is started by overhearing a conversation meaning if a mission looks cool, you have to scour the map for a random conversation that will allow you to progress.
b) once you are on the mission track, it's either easy to see what you have to do or impossibly difficult (find a random item that could be anywhere on the map).
Still, the assassinations here are incredibly creative on a conceptual level, even if I don't necessarily think they require much creativity on the player's part. Most maps here are a real treat, and I loved the general aesthetic. Traversing the cramped, vertical map that was India was a lot of fun, and the mission where you make the other assassin kill your targets was especially sick.
Miami > India > Colombia > Whittleton Creek > Hawke's Bay > Isle of Sgail
In the middle of Hitman 1, playing the story, I felt that "click" happening concerning this game. It's no 3rd person adventure, it's a play- and mindful experience. It needs patience, dumb luck, a lot of suspension of disbelief in a well written, slowly unfolding world.
I get why people love it and am looking forward to playing freelancer mode after finishing 3.
I get why people love it and am looking forward to playing freelancer mode after finishing 3.
je calme mes pulsions de sadist sur ce jeu #catharsis
the ability to follow clues made this game so much more accessible, and for gamers who want to gatekeep, maybe people don't actually aspire to be an assassins and simply just want to have fun?? hope this helps
Hitman 2 is a stealth game dead set more on planning out routes through its intricate spectacularly structured level design rather than depth in execution. Which works to its benefit most of the time, it's wrapped in a very goofy-serious aesthetic where guards are easily distracted and targets can be killed in satisfying and very grandiose ways. Levels like Paris and Hokkaido, to Miami and Mumbai, are all excellently done. The big issue primarily is that in general you are playing 3D pathing and nothing else, your options for stealth are limited to either distractions or disguises and playing stop/go with the lights/guards. In that way it's not very engaging for me, although it does pay off whenever I route perfectly with stealth suit only to get to my target. But challenge runs that use that pathing to its extreme is really all that I found myself squeezing out here unfortunately. That being said, if excellent planning is all you need, Hitman 2 provides a large canvas for you to dynamically take down a huge series of targets. (7.5/10)
Hitman 2, em resumo, pega todos os pontos positivos fomentados em Hitman (2016) e os aprimora com muita classe e carinho para com a sua fanbase.
Assim como os mapas da edição anterior a esta, todos os mapas de Hitman 2 são intuitivos, bonitos e principalmente vivos. Não só isso, mas a IO Interactive conseguiu implementar mapas muito mais amplos e densos, onde literalmente todos os cenários principais têm uma quantidade grande de NPCs pra compor os mesmos. Não só isso, mas a direção de arte, em relação ao de 2016 se superou. Os ambientes na maior parte do tempo são coloridos, cada tom de cor é lindo aos olhos (principalmente sob o efeito HDR) e se encaixam perfeitamente na proposta dos mapas - que nesse jogo deixam de ser lugares "estratégicos" para voltarem a ser mapas mais públicos como os jogos anteriores a 2016 - o que torna toda a composição deles simplesmente linda.
A gameplay se mantém fluida e excelente, praticamente igual a de 2016, com a diferença que em algumas missões, existem objetivos primários que não envolvem matar alguém, mas sim, roubar algum item ou (literalmente) não matar alguém.
Outro ponto elogiável a este game fica com a história, que continua muito bem a história proposta na primeira versão e elucida muito melhor os acontecimentos anteriores da mesma. Agora, ao contrário de 2016, a história consegue justificar as missões aqui propostas, e não são mais uma justificativa um tanto quanto barata para as mortes executadas pelo jogador.
A parte gráfica continua impecável, e com os mapas maiores e mais densos, e mesmo dentro da Coletânea World of Assassination, o jogo consegue ser graficamente mais bonito que o primeiro e tecnicamente impressionante, já que mantém a todo momento as taxas de quadro nos 60 FPS (pelo menos no Series X) e caindo em momentos muito especÃficos, pra no máximo 55 FPS. O problema disso é, para manter essas altas taxas, o jogo em vários momentos utiliza-se de certos artifÃcios que comprometem o visual do mesmo. Desde do lançamento original do Hitman de 2016, era comum durante o overview/briefing da missão pipocarem artefatos do cenário na câmera do jogador, e isso não só se repete na World of Assassination como se estende ao gameplay, como por exemplo: Ao olhar para espelhos na missão de Mumbai, fica evidente que os reflexos mostrados são os modelos replicados em baixÃssima qualidade, o que não seria um problema caso tivessem espelhos longÃnquos e/ou pequenos, porém uma das missões de história desse mapa, te leva a um ambiente com um espelho grande o suficiente pra ver esses modelos "low poly" em detalhes. Em outro caso, durante a missão de Whittleton Creek, foi comum ver a grama do cenário aparecer enquanto o meu personagem caminhava em direção da mesma, a centÃmetros de distância do 47.
Hitman 2 pega o conceito de "Maior = Melhor" e o aplica com maestria. Mesmo com certos incômodos gráficos aqui e ali, o jogo é sim uma experiência marcante, excelente e obrigatória pra todo e qualquer iniciante ou fã do gênero Stealth.
Assim como os mapas da edição anterior a esta, todos os mapas de Hitman 2 são intuitivos, bonitos e principalmente vivos. Não só isso, mas a IO Interactive conseguiu implementar mapas muito mais amplos e densos, onde literalmente todos os cenários principais têm uma quantidade grande de NPCs pra compor os mesmos. Não só isso, mas a direção de arte, em relação ao de 2016 se superou. Os ambientes na maior parte do tempo são coloridos, cada tom de cor é lindo aos olhos (principalmente sob o efeito HDR) e se encaixam perfeitamente na proposta dos mapas - que nesse jogo deixam de ser lugares "estratégicos" para voltarem a ser mapas mais públicos como os jogos anteriores a 2016 - o que torna toda a composição deles simplesmente linda.
A gameplay se mantém fluida e excelente, praticamente igual a de 2016, com a diferença que em algumas missões, existem objetivos primários que não envolvem matar alguém, mas sim, roubar algum item ou (literalmente) não matar alguém.
Outro ponto elogiável a este game fica com a história, que continua muito bem a história proposta na primeira versão e elucida muito melhor os acontecimentos anteriores da mesma. Agora, ao contrário de 2016, a história consegue justificar as missões aqui propostas, e não são mais uma justificativa um tanto quanto barata para as mortes executadas pelo jogador.
A parte gráfica continua impecável, e com os mapas maiores e mais densos, e mesmo dentro da Coletânea World of Assassination, o jogo consegue ser graficamente mais bonito que o primeiro e tecnicamente impressionante, já que mantém a todo momento as taxas de quadro nos 60 FPS (pelo menos no Series X) e caindo em momentos muito especÃficos, pra no máximo 55 FPS. O problema disso é, para manter essas altas taxas, o jogo em vários momentos utiliza-se de certos artifÃcios que comprometem o visual do mesmo. Desde do lançamento original do Hitman de 2016, era comum durante o overview/briefing da missão pipocarem artefatos do cenário na câmera do jogador, e isso não só se repete na World of Assassination como se estende ao gameplay, como por exemplo: Ao olhar para espelhos na missão de Mumbai, fica evidente que os reflexos mostrados são os modelos replicados em baixÃssima qualidade, o que não seria um problema caso tivessem espelhos longÃnquos e/ou pequenos, porém uma das missões de história desse mapa, te leva a um ambiente com um espelho grande o suficiente pra ver esses modelos "low poly" em detalhes. Em outro caso, durante a missão de Whittleton Creek, foi comum ver a grama do cenário aparecer enquanto o meu personagem caminhava em direção da mesma, a centÃmetros de distância do 47.
Hitman 2 pega o conceito de "Maior = Melhor" e o aplica com maestria. Mesmo com certos incômodos gráficos aqui e ali, o jogo é sim uma experiência marcante, excelente e obrigatória pra todo e qualquer iniciante ou fã do gênero Stealth.
probably the best one out of the 3 based on the maps