Hitman 2: Silent Assassin

Everything we wanted in the first part of the series was pumped into this part, where the name speaks for itself. In this game you can really be a silent killer, and it is from this part that we can officially consider the birth of the great series of games. Here you literally feel like a killer who needs to calculate his every step, and competently approach the matter, planning all possible ways to eliminate the target. Not to say that in terms of gameplay, much has changed, and the plot itself is only demonstrated at the beginning and at the very end, but I repeat, this game is truly unique in its genre of stealth action, conveying in the right key the entire deep essence of Hitman.

Now to start I never played Hitman 2. I first heard bout the game in previews then someone who had bought it gave me a loan. At first i hated this game because I found it to be slow moving but then I was given it as a present. After playing it I actually fell in love with it. This game is cool in that it makes you want to go stealth. You can solve problems with multiple solutions but eventually you want to see if you have the skill to do it through stealth. And you will need a high amount of skill because at times this game seems impossible but believe me if you stick with it you will be rewarded with a great sense of pride. Overall anyone should buy this 10/10

HITMAN 2: Silent Assassin is the HITMAN game that put the series on the bigger map. It's a challenging and suspenseful stealth game that feels unique, requires skill, but has some unfair obstacles.

The art direction and atmosphere is beautiful and vibrant. It's a surprisingly artsy game with diverse cultural aesthetics complimenting the slightly cartoony art style of the game. The soundtrack is phenomenal, unforgettable and ambitious.

The story is surprisingly touching. Codename 47 before it was fairly light and simplistic on its story. That game had some rough writing, which resulted in a story that was okay. Silent Assassin, however, contains a much more focused, fleshed out and unique story. Easily the most heartfelt story that a stealth game could have. The writing, dialogue and overall storytelling is great. The voice acting is still quite rough, though. It's a tragic story with a lot of questions and story moments left for the player to interpret in their own way.

The gameplay and level design still feels ahead of its time, but feels much rougher after playing the recent World of Assasination trilogy. The AI is very inconsistent and some game mechanics feel unpolished. Once you come into grips with the way the game plays and feels, it's a rewarding and compelling experience.

This game has seriously deprived me of much needed sleep this past week since playing it for the first time.

What can I say? There's so much depth and different variables in each mission alone, there are more than enough missions to satisfy the most hungry tactical-shooter fan.

When you've successfully completed a mission for the first time, you'll want to go back and try different methods, approaches to get a higher score (=more stealth and less violence), the ultimate score being that of Silent Assassin where basically nobody sees you and you only kill your designated target with one bullet or stab (or strangle).

Another old game that I've been a fan of is Ghost Recon, a tactical shooter with many simulation elements. The thing is, to survive in "Hitman 2" you can use the approach of methodically killing every baddie in sight. This can also be fun to relieve stress and frustration of repeatedly failing a mission.

For a 2002 game, the graphics are still beautiful and a pleasure to behold, in combination with the excellent atmospheric music (with strong Star Wars influences in some places) these elements make a fantastic game for the lovers of tactical shooters.

Regular FPS 'run and gun' players steer well away. This game needs brains and not just in the blown-out variant.

10 out of 10 with a subtraction of 1 for stupid ethnic stereotyping in *some* missions. So in all 9 out of 10 but still I can't stop playing it!

Simply put, this game is outstanding. The graphics are top class, the physics engine rivals that of unreal tournament 2003, and the gameplay is one of the most amazing thing ive come across in a video game in a long time. Each level is brilliantly designed, and the fact that each mission has numerous ways of completion, really helps create a non-linear feel to the whole thing, not to mention, making this a game you can replay over and over again. One key theme to this game is the whole "silent assassin" thing, so be prepared to spend a lot of time waiting for that perfect moment to make your move - of course you can just run-and-gun your way through the levels, but youd be missing out on something that makes this game truely unique. Nothing beats the feel of stalking in the shadows, picking your moment carefully, and when the times right, strike with the utmost precision....and where if you dont watch your step, it could all be over. An easy 8 out of 10 - you need to get this game.