Hitman Absolution News: Will it hit the spot?

Yes yes yes. Hitman Absolution draws nearer and nearer. For anyone who may not be used to the Hitman series of games, basically you play a hitman and have to kill your marks by any means. You can go in all guns blazing causing mayhem or go stealthy like a cat (a big bald cat with guns). The stealthier the kill, the better your marks and ranking at end of each level. The series is known for great gameplay, acting, graphics and story lines .The usual applies with the new game, dumping bodies, hiding for hours learning off patrol guards routes around levels. Patience is a must to obtain the highest ranking. The new tech in Hitman Absolution can handle thousands of people in a crowd on a single level. With a density like that finding your mark will be hard done, making the game more realistic yet again. The beauty of these Hitman games is all the different ways of completing your mission, giving each game huge replay value. Hitman Blood Money is a must have and you can pick it up so cheap now you would be a fool not to buy and clear it before Absolution comes out. I will do a full review of Hitman Blood Money soon. For now back to Hitman Absolution, the team behind the game IO promise great things from this game.

Over the last few years alot of games have changed from stealthy approached to run and gun. Games like Splintercell Conviction, Metal Gear and others have taken the run and gun approach, completely losing that strict stealth gameplay. The newest game to take on this action-orientated gameplay is IO's Hitman Absolution. In the previous Hitman games the star Agent 47 was very easily killed. You would make a small mistake in the level, piss some guy off who would raise an alarm and suddenly you would find yourself running for your life, ultimately ending with 47 dying in a pool of blood. Its starting to seem that Agent 47 is now a human wrecking ball in Hitman Absolution.

In the latest play through he elimated three baddies with an axe, cleared rooms in slow mo with automatic weapons and basically ran around like a mad man slaughtering those who stood in his way. The developers are reassuring us this is only one way of completing your mission but im still uneasy about how hard he was to kill. I really loved the level of realism in the other Hitman games from the franchise. The game showed beautiful graphics, great sound and was as good if not better than any action game on the market at the minute, but it just didn't seem like the Hitman games we would have grown up with.

Its clear what the developers have been trying to do. They want it to appeal to a broader audience. This style of run and gun will appeal to those who aren't great at stealth games. The guys at IO call this "Non-pro Play" where you basically bash your way through everyone to complete your mission. The best way to comlete the mission will still be to hide and sneak, killing henchmen and goons along the way. Make sure to hide the bodies and where possible leave no trace anyone was there at all. We have been promised the old Hitman style is very much in charge here.

There are new abilities in the game available to Agent 47 using his new Instinct Meter which can be seen on the bottom right of the HUD. One of these abilities is being able to see through walls and see exactly where enemies are or might walk to. This is very much like Batman's Detective Mode in Arkham City (check out our Arkham City post). Agent 47 also copies our buddy John Marston (Red Dead Redemption) in his slow mo shooting skills. John Marston uses his Dead Eye ability in the game to mark and shoot numerous enemies in slow motion. Agent 47 can also use his Instinct to do something very similar bursting into a room and cleaning the walls with the red jam taken from the heads of his five enemies in the room (umm jam..). This precision firearms work has been nick named "Point Shoot" by IO developers. While trying this why not tag an explosive item and watch the craziness that follows. After you tag your men and pull that trigger we see some very Max Payne esque cinematics. This lets you sit back and really enjoy your handiwork as their brains splatter and guts spill you start to convince yourself your utterly untouchable!

The Instinct Meter isnt available 24/7. It is through stealthy gameplay that the player builds the Instinct Meter so make sure that body isn't discovered. Im sure the game is in good keeping with it's predecossor and will retain that excellent stealthy finish to it. Could I also point out while I have you that the Hitman movie is worth watching. I will do a full review on it soon so make sure to check back soon under the movie tab.


The game is set for release in Nov 2012 and is available on pre-order also for PC, Xbox 360 and PS3

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The Geekness Monster

Check Out the Video for the full Chinatown Mission courtesy of VG 24/7