Hitman 2: Silent Assassin

I played Hitman Codename 47 and Hitman Blood Money and both are better than this. It's not too bad, but the other ones are better.

*worst of the original Hitman Trilogy (H2:SA, H:C and H:BM (not H:C47 and Absolution it don't count)) you'll want to spend a little while getting this game to run perfectly on modern systems**, but once you get past that, it's quite an enjoyable stealth game. **e.g. the entire game's lighting system being so dark that from 75% of view angles, people looked textureless (fixed by changing the light detail to a ludicrous number)

Generally, I enjoy stealth games a lot. I like games where you can sneak upon enemies and there is that thrill when you manage to escape detection while achieving your mission. Hitman 2, is unfortunately not a stealth game. It is a 'learn by trial and error' game that limits your learning by limiting your save files per level. By the time you have reloaded the millionth time, you would have "successfully" completed your "stealth" objectives. It also has amazing issues on modern hardware. For eg, I had to look up why the AI is so unpredictable in this game and apparently it has something to do with the FPS the game is running at. Not a very fun experience, go in with low expectations (of both fun and its ability to function on your system). Not comparable to other stealth greats like splinter cell in any way.

It's generally accepted that Silent Assassin is a stew of buggy (IQ 400) detection AI and triathlon-class timing puzzles, so, like SWAT 3 and 4, the most satisfying way to play it is to execute every last human being on the map. Some missions are simply problematical without cheating, but the rest can be satisfyingly brute forced. Sneaking is an exercise in being immortal and having no social life. It's very nearly a laundry game, in that you can start sneaking, put a lead weight on the W key, and fold your laundry while the ultimate clone assassin inches his way down a fifty-meter corridor full of roaming guards overdosed on speed. Or you can just machine gun the lot of them. Except for a few levels. The difference between Silent Assassin and Blood Money is like the difference between a copper hatchet and a carbide circular saw.

Yep...everything they say about this game is true. Just buy it. Play it. Crazy replay value if only just to find different ways to snuff folks.