where hitman 3 stands out most from the other games in the world of assassination trilogy is with its varied approach to level design. hitman 3 isn't afraid to throw twists and curveballs into the hitman formula. this doesn't always result in a well designed level (e.g. the train mission) but it is this approach that has allowed ioi to create some of the best levels in the trilogy, with my favourite being berlin.
another great addition with this third game is the ability to play the levels from the previous two games in the engine of hitman 3. this feels like the way the games were meant to be played, as the confusing and often annoying conspiracy theory narratives just aren't cohesive when contained within their own games, and only really start to feel like an actual driving narrative when played together in order. i won't pretend that the plot is some masterwork of storytelling, but experiencing it in this format makes it a lot more compelling
playing all the levels from the three games back to back on master difficulty was an experience that reminded me why stealth games are fun - because they're not just gameplay power fantasies but informational ones, strategic ones. and this feeling is heightened on master difficulty, as the removal of save scumming forces you to live with poor decisions you might've made, or forces you to desperately contain witnesses after being spotted. it adds actual stakes to the stealth, something that just isn't there when undoing your mistakes is one key away. master difficulty also removes the hints for the mission stories, which can make some of them a little unintuitive to follow, but you feel all the more clever when you follow the clues and work it out for yourself without the help of any kind of explicit tutorial.
however like the other games in the trilogy, the problems are the exact same. for one, there is very little core gameplay variety across the three games (but that doesn't matter so much since the variety is generally defined by the individual levels).
And there is also the nagging issue of the (completely unnecessary) always online requirement. many have rightly pointed out that there is no reason why player progression can't be tied to a local save file, and these people are entirely correct - it's fairly obvious that the online integration with these games is a shareholder's attempt to cash in on the idea of selling gamer's user data. the market for trading in user data is one which has dominated the modern web for quite some time, and it's inclusion in a singleplayer game is not only unnecessary and disrespectful towards player privacy, but harmful to the longevity of the trilogy. at some point, those servers are going to have to shut down, locking the ability to play the levels with any more than 47's basic toolset, and ruining one of the most interesting aspects of hitman, the repetition of replaying levels with more information and improving your skill and knowledge of them every time.
but that time has yet to come, and for now, the experience of playing through these three games - back to back - is an unmissable treat for anyone who considers themselves a fan of stealth games. the three can be picked up on sale for around 44 quid, which - for one of the best stealth video game experiences - isn't a bad deal
another great addition with this third game is the ability to play the levels from the previous two games in the engine of hitman 3. this feels like the way the games were meant to be played, as the confusing and often annoying conspiracy theory narratives just aren't cohesive when contained within their own games, and only really start to feel like an actual driving narrative when played together in order. i won't pretend that the plot is some masterwork of storytelling, but experiencing it in this format makes it a lot more compelling
playing all the levels from the three games back to back on master difficulty was an experience that reminded me why stealth games are fun - because they're not just gameplay power fantasies but informational ones, strategic ones. and this feeling is heightened on master difficulty, as the removal of save scumming forces you to live with poor decisions you might've made, or forces you to desperately contain witnesses after being spotted. it adds actual stakes to the stealth, something that just isn't there when undoing your mistakes is one key away. master difficulty also removes the hints for the mission stories, which can make some of them a little unintuitive to follow, but you feel all the more clever when you follow the clues and work it out for yourself without the help of any kind of explicit tutorial.
however like the other games in the trilogy, the problems are the exact same. for one, there is very little core gameplay variety across the three games (but that doesn't matter so much since the variety is generally defined by the individual levels).
And there is also the nagging issue of the (completely unnecessary) always online requirement. many have rightly pointed out that there is no reason why player progression can't be tied to a local save file, and these people are entirely correct - it's fairly obvious that the online integration with these games is a shareholder's attempt to cash in on the idea of selling gamer's user data. the market for trading in user data is one which has dominated the modern web for quite some time, and it's inclusion in a singleplayer game is not only unnecessary and disrespectful towards player privacy, but harmful to the longevity of the trilogy. at some point, those servers are going to have to shut down, locking the ability to play the levels with any more than 47's basic toolset, and ruining one of the most interesting aspects of hitman, the repetition of replaying levels with more information and improving your skill and knowledge of them every time.
but that time has yet to come, and for now, the experience of playing through these three games - back to back - is an unmissable treat for anyone who considers themselves a fan of stealth games. the three can be picked up on sale for around 44 quid, which - for one of the best stealth video game experiences - isn't a bad deal