Hitman Series

[MiTT3NZ]

Sounds like the best thing to do is wait for the patch, play through on the hardest difficulty, and just enjoy the Contracts mode for the rest of the disc's life. Contracts seems to be where it's at for the game. Still, if it's as... not as good as they led ust to believe it'd be as every reviewer seems to be claiming, then I have officially died a little inside. Dishonoured may well be the only game I get for Christmas (yes ACIII, you're gettin the elbow for a proper stealth game)

[Who Really Cares?]

9/10
http://uk.ign.com/articles/2012/11/18/h ... ion-review

Like Dishonored before it, it’s actually a true pleasure to play a game that lets you tackle it from multiple angles. After several years of increasingly totalitarian games where you’re very much following a pre-determined path, it’s nice to have a game that doesn’t just encourage improvisation; it requires it.

6.9
http://www.gametrailers.com/reviews/1s3 ... ion-review

9/10
http://www.computerandvideogames.com/37 ... ed-review/

[mue 26]

I think this review tells me all I need to know: http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2012/11 ... bsolution/

Remarkably, most levels don’t have a target – they’re about getting from one place to another instead of hitting a man, usually while being hunted or trespassing. On the rare occasions when IO build a decent-sized, believable area and provide 47 with someone to kill, the game comes close to recapturing some of the glorious nonsense and intelligence of its former years

As the king of Chinatown dies, there’s a cold, creeping sensation. It’s nothing to do with questioning the ethics of the kill, even if a few innocents did die along the way – it’s the fear that the story will return. The apprehension doesn’t linger for too long though because the next mission, set in a hotel, also offers a target and a conventional opening. At this point it’s easy to think that the narrative isn’t actually lurking in the shadows, ready to pounce, but when a hit ends with a scripted failure, doubt returns like an ice cold noose.

Sorry IO, I'm out! Scripted failures?

[Who Really Cares?]

Some of the reviews make it sound like they saw cool stuff in other games and just had to copy them for this without asking does it work in a Hitman game?

The main objective for many was to finish a level only killing the target[s] and noone else.

[mue 26]

Exactly. They've clearly been too influenced by modern gaming fads while making this, and forgot about what fans of the old games actually liked about them. They seemed to have turned this into some kind of mediocre wanna-be splinter cell- esque stealth experience, with a small side portion of watered down traditional open world hitman style gameplay. Hitman was always more of a puzzle game than a boring stealth game, and it looks like after so many years of keeping us waiting IO have blown it.

The worst thing is how IO desperately tried to mislead us into believing it was the kind of Hitman we all wanted, with them showing off the Chinatown level. When in reality, that's one of the very few levels actually like that :(

[Who Really Cares?]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nTNRl4KtHY[/youtube]

[OL]

The main objective for many was to finish a level only killing the target[s] and noone else.

I absolutely agree with that. That's where part of the replayability came in. The Hitman games were ones where I'd always, always go back through after beating them and play some more, because chances were incredibly good that I missed a ton of different options for completing the missions. There was always more to find, and getting in and out with a single kill was always one of the thing I'd shoot for.
Reading more on the game, I'm thinking what you said in the Gaming Thoughts topic will probably turn out completely right, that it'll be a good game, but not a good Hitman game. Seems like a really reasonable view to have on it. The game looks fantastic to me, but of course I can still absolutely understand the complaints coming out of it, being an old Hitman fan myself.

[Who Really Cares?]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AwhhaCrSrI[/youtube]

Not watched this yet but read he says its a 30+ hour game

[PirateMuffins]

Hitman was always destined to go down the same route like many other franchises have gone down this gen, 'streamlined', as they call it, i.e. Flashier, shallower and just all around dumber in order to appeal to the masses.

That said, it dosn't seem to be as bad as i thought it'd turn out to be, given that IO Interactive arn't what they once used to be (K&L2 anyone?) and they said from the start that they were trying to take the series down a different route (Before quickly backtracking after all the outrage).

Hitman was always brilliant because it gave you your target, threw you into a big level and told you to simply get to it, it was left upto you completely as to how you wanted to make your way there and execute the kill, i'm surprised Absolution even has any of this at all.

It's a shame because Hitman used to be unique in that sense (Havn't tried dishonoured yet), unlike other stealth games it encouraged you to hide in plain sight, i'd be suprised if they didn't dumb it down further with the next Hitman game.

[MiTT3NZ]

Pisses me off, coz this game's in the exact same situation as Blacklist. They're saying that they'll be catering to the hardcore stealth fanatics, but all the feedback seems to be that it caters more towards deviating further away from it's roots and more towards being an easily accessible cut-scene heavy action game.

[Who Really Cares?]

That last vid i posted actually gave me a better vibe about the game if I'm honest.

[Segata Sanshiro Jr.]

Pisses me off, coz this game's in the exact same situation as Blacklist. They're saying that they'll be catering to the hardcore stealth fanatics, but all the feedback seems to be that it caters more towards deviating further away from it's roots and more towards being an easily accessible cut-scene heavy action game.

This happens a lot these days.

[MiTT3NZ]

Which is one of many reasons why everyone should help me take over the world.

[OL]

That last vid i posted actually gave me a better vibe about the game if I'm honest.

Also made me hate Adam Sessler a bit less than I did before.
Seriously, all I'm used to from him is the old Xplay "negative about everything unless it's triple-A" mindset, so it was good to see that he's allowed to actually be level-headed in reviews now.
I also liked what I was hearing out of the dialogue in the game. Seemed darkly entertaining, not quite so "ultra-serious" as people have been making it out to be. Seemed well enough in-line with previous games.

[Who Really Cares?]

He does too much hand movements at the start.

But its IO and I've enjoyed all the Hitman games, Freedom Fighters, Mini Ninjas and yes even Kane and Lynch.