Hitman 3 is the end of assassination trilogy, and while I don't think I loved it QUITE as much as Hitman 2 I do think it was pretty great. The basics of the series remain the same - go to new cool looking map, get some toys and play around in their clockwork levels to take out some other group of assholes who are trying to ruin the world.
So what sets 3 apart? Well, it is certainly more story focused than its predecessors. Several of the levels start with an "intro" section where you are making your way to the 'proper' level entrance and gives more context about what is going on. Sky diving into the UAE and breaking into a giant skyscraper, investigating a gas station and nearby woods before getting into an exclusive club... You might think these are annoying but after completing the level the real intro is put in so you can skip all that nonsense and get right to the murderin'. 47 and his crew are finishing off the organization of "Providence" - a straight Illuminati ripoff that tries to control the world and was using you as a patsy all these years with your ICA kills. You are joined again by your "brother" from the Children's School of Assassination which fleshes out 47's character juuuust a bit as we see how he contrasts with all the people around him. Is he haunted by what he's done? Does he care for these people at all? What does he really want out of his life? We do get some answers to these actually and overall I found them pretty satisfying.
Gameplay, not too much has changed here. You slip on various disguises in order to make your way through the levels, figuring out what might be a good way to take out your targets. There are also mission stories (greatly reduced in 3 compared to 1 & 2, unfortunately) that are more 'guided' routes through the level and can reveal some tidbits about the target or level that are generally pretty interesting.
Hitman 3 might not blow the doors off of the World of Assassination trilogy to finish with a clear crescendo to close it out, it does accomplish the task of adding 6 more great clockwork levels to work through and nasty capitalists to blow away. The graphical improvements are nice and all and while there's no significant gameplay shifts like hiding in crowds or in foliage like 2 it does enough with its diverse levels to seriously impress. Not only that, it carries forwards 2's imports of 1 meaning you now have 20~odd levels of challenges and feats to work through to make an absolute smorgasbord of clever kills and macabre humor all in one very neat package. It may have only impressed rather than wowed but damn I am glad I made time for this series and it has firmly entrenched itself as one of my favorites, and I uninstall it knowing that in 2~3 years I will enjoy digging through this whole glut of content yet again, my progress intact.
So what sets 3 apart? Well, it is certainly more story focused than its predecessors. Several of the levels start with an "intro" section where you are making your way to the 'proper' level entrance and gives more context about what is going on. Sky diving into the UAE and breaking into a giant skyscraper, investigating a gas station and nearby woods before getting into an exclusive club... You might think these are annoying but after completing the level the real intro is put in so you can skip all that nonsense and get right to the murderin'. 47 and his crew are finishing off the organization of "Providence" - a straight Illuminati ripoff that tries to control the world and was using you as a patsy all these years with your ICA kills. You are joined again by your "brother" from the Children's School of Assassination which fleshes out 47's character juuuust a bit as we see how he contrasts with all the people around him. Is he haunted by what he's done? Does he care for these people at all? What does he really want out of his life? We do get some answers to these actually and overall I found them pretty satisfying.
Gameplay, not too much has changed here. You slip on various disguises in order to make your way through the levels, figuring out what might be a good way to take out your targets. There are also mission stories (greatly reduced in 3 compared to 1 & 2, unfortunately) that are more 'guided' routes through the level and can reveal some tidbits about the target or level that are generally pretty interesting.
Hitman 3 might not blow the doors off of the World of Assassination trilogy to finish with a clear crescendo to close it out, it does accomplish the task of adding 6 more great clockwork levels to work through and nasty capitalists to blow away. The graphical improvements are nice and all and while there's no significant gameplay shifts like hiding in crowds or in foliage like 2 it does enough with its diverse levels to seriously impress. Not only that, it carries forwards 2's imports of 1 meaning you now have 20~odd levels of challenges and feats to work through to make an absolute smorgasbord of clever kills and macabre humor all in one very neat package. It may have only impressed rather than wowed but damn I am glad I made time for this series and it has firmly entrenched itself as one of my favorites, and I uninstall it knowing that in 2~3 years I will enjoy digging through this whole glut of content yet again, my progress intact.