this is my favourite of the World of Assassination trilogy, but the quality of these releases is so even and consistent that it isn't by a huge margin, and i certainly would never claim it's the "best." the titles are so similar and closely-integrated that this review applies to the three of them, not only to HITMAN 2

long time fans of the series know that HITMAN (2016), HITMAN 2 (2018), and HITMAN 3 (2021) took what made Blood Money (2006) such a great game and drastically expanded it--namely the open-ended variety of routes and assassination methods, and the hiding-in-plain sight disguise mechanics. i don't think it's as often acknowledged that the game also builds on Hitman: Absolution's use of stealth and cover mechanics, which also adds to the game. because it was so linear, Absolution wasn't as fondly remembered by fans of the series, but completing a "silent assassin: suit only" run of any level is one of the most rewarding ways to put to work all your mastery of a location, and it would be impossible to implement this way of playing without the addition of Absolution's stealth mechanics

each game has very few levels (around 5.5 or 6 depending on how you count them), but there is so much content in each level that it takes an incredible amount of time to "complete" them (depending on what your idea of completion is). i usually spend a whole day of playing "casing" and exploring a level before i even attempt to assassinate a target or exfil

you play these games in a different way that you would any other. the "game" isn't really about assassinating a target, but rather about memorizing the puzzle that is the level design. a level is a puzzle in the narrow sense that each one is maze-like, with a wide variety of open, hidden, and semi-hidden routes, but it is also a puzzle in a much larger sense that the each one is littered with items, disguises, and possibilities that the player combines and exploits to complete their objectives. even after you have managed to assassinate a target the challenges system will keep you engaged with uncovering the possibilities of a level long afterwards

the addition of challenges adds to the replayability of a level well beyond simply experimenting with a variety of assassination methods. the titles have a reputation for being very replayable for a single player game, but i don't think that's exactly what's going on; completing the challenges will have you returning to a level over and over again, but this isn't exactly "replaying," but rather playing the game (once you realize it's the challenges, not only pulling off a single assassination, that accounts for the bulk of the game)

that being said, IO interactive provided an incredible amount of quality post-launch content for every game in the WOA trilogy, rearranging their levels and adding small-scale "escalation" contracts, one-time only elusive targets, and holiday specials. their relationship with fans of the titles is the closest i've ever seen between a developer and a playerbase, a really incredible contrast with the hostility that's become really common with many dev/fans relationships these days

the three WOA games are incredibly well integrated; it's possible to download the maps from the preceding title and play them, with all your previously-acquired tools, weapons, and challenge progress carried over, in the engine of the HITMAN 3, the most recent title. the only problem with this is that IO have been notoriously unclear about what is included in the purchases of any edition/expansion, so clarifying this takes up an incredible amount of space on the hitman reddit

the atmosphere of WOA trilogy is fairly close to Blood Money. it's not edgy and scary like Hitman: Contracts, nor does it have a compelling story like the older titles (it doesn't need to; each level is a little story filled with even smaller stories). but it nails Blood Money's unique mixture of high-class self-seriousness and comedy. a lot of the NPC dialogue is quite hilarious, and the opportunities that the sandbox provides for "situational" comedy are endless. in this sense the comedy is baked into the gameplay itself, even more so than the dialogue. the main staple of the series' comedy is the juxtaposition between 47s inhuman seriousness and the ridiculous situations he places himself in in the course of pursuing a target

in short, amazing trilogy, can't recommend highly enough

this game is a hidden gem. the art, music, sound design, and movement mechanics in this game are incredible. it's a pleasure to explore this world, and each region has a very strong sense of place that stays with you for a long time afterwards. although the combat is fairly simple, there's enough variety in the design of the enemies that it doesn't become repetitive. the storytelling is also very compelling given that there is no dialogue. this has the reputation of being something like a pixel art soulsborne game, but i don't think it's nearly as difficult

this game is a classic. it held up for a remarkably long time; i replayed it over and over in a way i was never tempted to by its predecessors, Hitman 2 : Silent Assassin and Hitman: Contracts, or even its sequel Hitman: Absolution

the levels are memorable and well-designed, with a variety of routes, there is an incredible variety of possible assassination methods, the mechanics of "hiding in plain sight" are fairly well-realized for the time, and the Jasper Kyd's score is also very good. the atmosphere of this title is much less edgy than Contracts, which some may miss. Blood Money has more of a sophisticated/cosmopolitan James Bond vibe, although most of the levels are set in the United States. the story also really isn't especially interesting, but it doesn't really matter because the environments are so compelling

there's a reason fans of the series viewed this as the best title for a full decade until the beginning of the World of Assassination trilogy in 2016. with the release of HITMAN (2016), Blood Money was finally dated, and with the three incredible WOA titles available, there isn't really much reason to revisit Blood Money any longer

still, the more open-ended puzzle sandbox of Blood Money is unquestionably the inspiration for the much larger and more complex games of the WOA trilogy