Hitman: Absolution

Quite an anomaly in the Hitman catalogue, Absolution plays very differently to the previous games. You'll experience action sequences and level designs that would better fit the Arkham games, and it's hard not to notice that Agent 47 is forcibly steered down many more courses of action than we're used to seeing. Still, there's enough of what we enjoyed about the earlier Hitman games to please fans of the franchise.

Compared to previous entries in the Hit-man game franchise, this one trades a semi-open world game play mechanic with being, not required, but strongly encouraged to sneak around from place to place. However, it still has the core elements of a traditional Hit-man game in it. With things like being able to change disguises, specific targets to kill, and being able to use the environment to your advantage (accident kills can be some of the most satisfying in the game.). Hit-man: Absolution's storyline is also the most personal of them all for the legendary Agent 47. Set after the events of 2006's Hit-man: Blood Money, 47 is given a task that will force him to turn on the only person he's ever cared for: Diana Penelope Burnwood. Before passing on from a grave bullet wound inflicted by 47, Diana uses her final, dying breaths, to ask 47 to look after one thing: a young girl that she stole from "the doctors." 47 chooses to fulfill his only friend's dying wish, setting up the remainder of the game for a cat and mouse chase as The Agency attempts to retrieve both 47 and the girl. Gameplay features a new "scoring system," which either rewards the player points for playing stealthily, or punishes him/her for making mistakes. However, if you are the type of player who prefers to go guns blazing, then you will find your score well into the negative. This could have been improved by playing as the Silent Assassin (leaving one's environment untouched and unaware) the most rewarding, and players who prefer to put a bullet in anyone that is carrying a gun will have the least rewarding experience. Each level also contains challenges, which, when completed offers a permanent score modifier to the player, but some of these challenges are also repetitive, such as "Find the Evidence" and "Wear All of the Disguises." Contracts mode allows players to challenge other player from around the globe to create in-game contracts using the game's levels. By doing this, players earn money for upgrades and they also receive scores based on their individual performance, which are then compared to other players. With new contracts still being created every day, this can be an exciting opportunity to improve your skills. However, the weapons upgrade system feels somewhat forced, because none of them can be used in the single-player story. So, overall Hit-man: Absolution is a very good game, it's just the repetitive challenges and the forced upgrade system that bring it down. PS: This game is also extremely vulgar at parts, so I would not recommend parents buying this game for young children.

A stealth game with an interactive story makes this game one of the best in it's genre. The story of the game is perfectly mixed with the gameplay. Each level brings new challenges and new way to execute the kills. Each level puts you in different scenarios which makes the game more and more interesting. Every kill is special in it's own. The interactive story makes you feel like Mr.47 yourself and each level brings some character development. Highly recommended for all stealth and hitman franchise lovers.

Not at all following up on the one actual bit of setup that they've been dangling in front of us since 2004, Diana, your former handler, commits the cardinal sin of the profession... she starts the story with an unwieldy exposition dump(why couldn't some of that have happened prior entries?)... oh, and she betrays the agency's trust and destroys it. Benjamin Travis(Boothe, intimidating as ever) rebuilds it, and sends 47 out to take her out, because he hadn't gotten to that chapter of "what not to do in a piece of fiction". I won't tell you if she dies or not, but we do finally learn a little about her... like... well... she gets a face! She... she has some junk in the trunk... ah, and, she was hiding Victoria, a young woman who the ICA(who are no longer living up to the International in that... Blood Money at least had one bit outside of the US, and other than that went different places in that country, now, I guess in response to the TSA, you're always in either gloomy, slummy Chicago or the humid, hick-y Midwest; you stay in the same area for so long that you get sick to death of your surroundings) were grooming to become like, well, our anti-hero. He sympathizes, and hides her, taking out people to protect her, and going against his former employers... and they're not the only ones hunting him: he's framed for murder, and the police are looking for him with a vague description of him, meaning that you have to hide from everyone. You hide(some behind smoke(and, once or twice, in plants... yeah, if they didn't have more places to use it, why'd they bother?)) more than, or as much as you, blend in(you more or less choose which to use, at least at times), and to aid in that, we get a cover mechanic(it's common these days), one fairly similar to Deus Ex: Human Revolution. You can move all the way around that piece of furniture, etc., you're hugging, with ease, you can roll from one to the other if they face one another, and this can be used for the gunplay, as well, complete with blindfire. You can use Point Shooting(if you haven't been seen yet), as well, where you tag where and who to take out, and see it done in a cinematic fashion. This does cost Instinct, one of the best features of this. There is a meter of it, and it's refilled by progression. Other uses? Predict patrol paths, see enemy positions through walls(yes, you do also have a person-only radar(replacing the map and intel... because, hey, why not get rid of trademarks that give this its unique identity?), it can still be useful), get hints, and finally, trick someone in the same clothes as you're wearing as a disguise(keeping the tension intact, whilst still making that a benefit... it's the greatest balance of that so far), if you're close to them(and only for several seconds!). You can now dual-wield any pistol or SMG, as soon as you've picked up at least two of the same type(and can choose whether or not to, as well as take silencer on/off), and can carry pistols, SMGs/assault rifle/shotgun(only one), your Silverballers, a sniper(no case, though, instead, it and every other two-handed one, hides comfortably in your clothes... I guess that Italian suit was created by Guybrush Threepwood's tailor; because, hey, why not get two birds with one stone? Beloved aspect? Nah! At least someone finally taught him to hold his friggin' breath, and that can be done regardless of what you're armed with), your fibrewire(which must be laced with cyanide, it's got a "touch of death"... at least it goes directly into dragging the corpse, and hiding it is easier, combining hiding places for that with, well, the ones for you, room for two people now, and you can be one of them) and one item. What's that last one? Anything from a brick to a vase. They can be used for one up-close(except for the ones that are knives) assassination or thrown(with a good system) to create distractions(and some of them break from that!). While levels are tiny(one mission often made up of several of them; repetitively sneaking to and from where you waste the target... and you're too often stumbling onto even Silent Assassin kills, there is no patience required, no forming and carefully executing a plan), they are full of atmosphere, and the graphics are beautiful - particle FX, weather, lighting, everything. Controls expect you to remember way too many keys(yup, coddling console users, what else is new), I haven't seen this many that you, well, forget the ones you use less, for over half a decade. I thought we were streamlining? At least do a "switch" button that activates a secondary set of abilities, like the Assassin's Creed series. Heck, they're already taking so many notes from those... disappear in a crowd(...how's someone that distinctive, not to mention, wanted by the cops, supposed to...?), use a "hiding place"(that are all different, and thus, impossible to spot until you're right in front of them, which is a theme in this one), and both are all static, even though the latter could easily be mobile. With the 5 difficulty settings, the top one removing the HUD(other than the crosshairs) and offering no aid, this provides a challenge for newcomers and veterans alike. Hand-to-hand combat is QTE's, and though learning them is a tad awkward(prompts shown before, during, *and* after you have to press the button...), it's a lot of fun once you get into it(and yes, tougher foes are better at it, and miss a few hits, they'll knock your ass out! Using play-to-create to allow you to craft and share your own, well, Contracts(the one truly worthwhile thing in this). There is a lot of strong language, bloody, violent and/or disturbing content and sexuality in this. I recommend this to fans of stealth(not of Hit-man). 7/10

I'm not a huge fan of stealth games, nor have I played the other Hit-man games, being a guns blazing kind of gamer. However, I gave this a try and I was amazed at how much fun it was to skulk around and being rewarded for killing only your target. The stealth isn't particularly difficult, especially on easier difficulties. Regarding the other aspects, I loved the atmospheric environments, the interesting conversations you can eavesdrop on and the dozens of ways the game presents you with for eliminating your targets and eluding everyone else, including the guns blazing way. Running and gunning takes all the fun out of it though and you'd miss out on the great rewards. All in all, solid game that I'm proud to own.