The Hitman reboot trilogy finds its greatest strengths and its greatest flaws in the same quality: The games are exactly what you make of them.
For instance, I was able to run through Hitman 2 in roughly four hours, how much of that was AFK/Alt tabbed? Probably a sizable amount. I was able to sneak and run through most levels and with a well timed silenced shot on necessary targets, clear the targets required of me. Would it have been more "fun" to go for a high score, more objective oriented kills that the way the game had intended? Yeah most likely. However in games where a target or assassination is needed, I often go for the most "efficient" route. I guess it's the way I'm wired, but I find the Hitman games an interesting quandary. Do you go for the long haul, play the game the way that IO intended? You could, that requires a lot of self discovery, following of mini stories and non-important characters, costume changing, reliance on dead drop sites. Most people are likely to do that, finding that the games freedom of movement is enjoyable and that perusing the extra methods of clearing and extraction are enjoyable. I however, could not seperate my goal of the fastest clear from the objectives of the game. I hustled and bustled through each of the maps, aimed, and pulled on the trigger. I was genuinely surprised how easily this worked out given the issues I had trying to play the game with more freedom in the first Hitman (reboot.)
The game is absolutely gorgeous, with maps from Miami to Colombia to Suburban Vermont and more. Running this on high graphics and in top fidelity made the game a treat to run through and experience, especially on the aforementioned Vermont level. Between that and the intricate map design, I felt like I had a good time loading in and (quickly) exploring the areas that each mission had to offer.
Even though I touched on the intended versus efficient dichotomy previously, I think the game's biggest flaw is its presentation. I didn't enjoy the "storytelling" or interweaving of plot in the first game, and I definitely didn't in this. I think it's safe to say that we (almost) all love a good spy thriller, I mean the Bond series (which of course IO is working on) has been a blockbuster for how long? The plot of Hitman COULD be extremely interesting if they chose to present it with more intention, with more emotion. They have a very captivating character in Agent 47 and in the Operator, even Lucas Grey is a piece they could explore. The order they are at odds with COULD be pretty awesome to dive deeper into, however I felt like with the storyboard presentations and stills they use to weave between missions, they missed out heavily. I love the locations you visit in these games, they are so intricate and beautifully designed that some more oomph to the story would aid them superbly.
I, as one might tell in reading this review, am not a fan of the replayability aspect of these games, and that takes away quite a bit of my experience, however I recognize that the feeling there is much so in the minority thus I do not knock the game's score in that regard too hard. The menus are sleekly designed, but are populated largely with things I don't care about. Score, level, missions missed; all were lost on me as a player of single player games almost always only for the "story."
Sidenote, the file size of this game is ginormous. It took a 50-60 gig download on top of a 35 gig post download update to get this game to install.
If you're someone who loves to experiment in sandbox-esque games or games where the tools at your disposal directly shape the way you experience the game, the Hitman: World of Assassination trilogy is probably great for you. If you are like me and often seek to complete objectives as promptly as they are given and enjoy games with an enriching narrative, Hitman 2 may not be the go-to game for you.
For instance, I was able to run through Hitman 2 in roughly four hours, how much of that was AFK/Alt tabbed? Probably a sizable amount. I was able to sneak and run through most levels and with a well timed silenced shot on necessary targets, clear the targets required of me. Would it have been more "fun" to go for a high score, more objective oriented kills that the way the game had intended? Yeah most likely. However in games where a target or assassination is needed, I often go for the most "efficient" route. I guess it's the way I'm wired, but I find the Hitman games an interesting quandary. Do you go for the long haul, play the game the way that IO intended? You could, that requires a lot of self discovery, following of mini stories and non-important characters, costume changing, reliance on dead drop sites. Most people are likely to do that, finding that the games freedom of movement is enjoyable and that perusing the extra methods of clearing and extraction are enjoyable. I however, could not seperate my goal of the fastest clear from the objectives of the game. I hustled and bustled through each of the maps, aimed, and pulled on the trigger. I was genuinely surprised how easily this worked out given the issues I had trying to play the game with more freedom in the first Hitman (reboot.)
The game is absolutely gorgeous, with maps from Miami to Colombia to Suburban Vermont and more. Running this on high graphics and in top fidelity made the game a treat to run through and experience, especially on the aforementioned Vermont level. Between that and the intricate map design, I felt like I had a good time loading in and (quickly) exploring the areas that each mission had to offer.
Even though I touched on the intended versus efficient dichotomy previously, I think the game's biggest flaw is its presentation. I didn't enjoy the "storytelling" or interweaving of plot in the first game, and I definitely didn't in this. I think it's safe to say that we (almost) all love a good spy thriller, I mean the Bond series (which of course IO is working on) has been a blockbuster for how long? The plot of Hitman COULD be extremely interesting if they chose to present it with more intention, with more emotion. They have a very captivating character in Agent 47 and in the Operator, even Lucas Grey is a piece they could explore. The order they are at odds with COULD be pretty awesome to dive deeper into, however I felt like with the storyboard presentations and stills they use to weave between missions, they missed out heavily. I love the locations you visit in these games, they are so intricate and beautifully designed that some more oomph to the story would aid them superbly.
I, as one might tell in reading this review, am not a fan of the replayability aspect of these games, and that takes away quite a bit of my experience, however I recognize that the feeling there is much so in the minority thus I do not knock the game's score in that regard too hard. The menus are sleekly designed, but are populated largely with things I don't care about. Score, level, missions missed; all were lost on me as a player of single player games almost always only for the "story."
Sidenote, the file size of this game is ginormous. It took a 50-60 gig download on top of a 35 gig post download update to get this game to install.
If you're someone who loves to experiment in sandbox-esque games or games where the tools at your disposal directly shape the way you experience the game, the Hitman: World of Assassination trilogy is probably great for you. If you are like me and often seek to complete objectives as promptly as they are given and enjoy games with an enriching narrative, Hitman 2 may not be the go-to game for you.