Hitman: Absolution

I haven't played the game since release but I enjoyed it a lot, also as a Hitman fanboy who had spent hundreds of hours mastering every level in the first four games. So, the game differs a lot from earlier (and later) Hitman games in a variety of ways - some design decisions are indeed a tad weird or even bad while others are just different from other Hitman games. Some are good, though, and actually returned in Hitman 2016 in new guise. The game was clearly an attempt to break more into the mainstream and the gameplay is a tad simplified and there's some cartoony content like the infamous nun attack or an assassination via QTE in a wrestling ring. Most levels are infamously linear compared to the earlier games and often separated into smaller sections with checkpoints between them but we also get some good stuff in return. Absolution's sneaking and gunplay are probably the best in the series and due to the level structure there's optimised sections for this that remind me of those stealth arenas in the Arkham series. Yes, Hitman was always primarily about disguise-based stealth and basically solving puzzles but for me sections where Agent 47 stealthily takes on a police squad with really polished geometry and movement was a welcome addition. And never has giving up on stealth and just going in guns blazing been this satisfying in a Hitman game. It's a nice bonus. And there are actually a few highly sandboxy levels that remind me a lot of old-school Hitman gameplay with many unique ways to dispose of the targets. That said: there are some weird changes like a "negative" score system where you lose points for each offensive action but regain them by hiding bodies. The score system feels wrong but is probably how most Hitman games work under the hood. The worst change is probably that now you get recognised by exactly those guys you disguise yourself as - it's not game-breaking, though, by any means. All in all it's quite different but still good.

FInished this game long ago actually but I thought I should review this game. This is the first Hitman I played since the very first one in the franchise. While I appreciate this as it is, after having played Hitman: Blood Money, an older game, I have come to realise why I felt lacking after playing Absolution. The older games were more focused in stealth, disguise, and silent kills. Whereas, Absolution seems to have gotten what I call "Modern Warfare-itis". This game was released after the success of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, a fast-paced action packed first-person shooter with an intriguing story narrative. And it's clear that Hitman: Absolution tried to incorporate the fast paced action, but the gameplay design hasn't fit well and the story is standard conspiracy that doesn't pique your curiosity and intrigue. I will not summarise what the story is in this review, and I don't think I need to for said reasons, but I believe the developers cornered themselves with trying to have a dramatic story. This resulted in having a gameplay that doesn't jive well with the original spirit of the Hitman franchise. The game and level designs became too linear and focused too much on action. I liked the idea of Agent 47 being hunted down this time, but the developers in turn put the protagonist onto a corner. You are not exactly encouraged to experiment with various fun ways to kill a target, unlike in the older games. I still enjoyed the game, it has engaging enough but rather bland story. However, the level design and gameplay dosn't feel interactive and engaging enough to make you repeat the levels. As of this review, I am completing Hitman: Blood Money, but that game has really excellent game design compared to Absolution. You are encouraged to experiment more with different ways to kill a target in Blood Money than in Absolution. Play the game if you want, but this will not be everyone's cup of tea.

This game is a really, REALLY mixed bag. This is a bad Hitman game and an okay stealth game. Anyone wearing the same disguise as you will instantly see through your disguise unless you consume some of your instinct meter which means you can run out of it, and thus be completely screwed. The level design is exceptionally linear, you can count the number of times you can actually have the freedom to explore a level how you want on one hand. The story is terrible and baffling, every single villain just makes the stupidest decisions imaginable repeatedly and it removes any sort of tension the narrative could've had. On the bright side, the gunplay feels nice and 47 himself feels great to control, so there's that. I can really only recommend this game if you want to screw around and shoot everyone. If you want a genuine Hitman experience, Blood Money or the World of Assassination do it 1000x better than Absolution.

The cutscenes in the GOG version are in MONO and too loud/compressed. In the Steam version they are in stereo. I contacted the support about this a long time ago, but I'm still waiting for it to be fixed. They confirmed that it's just not my hardware - the problem lies in the game itself. So, if you're interested about the original sound quality, I suggest you to get this game from somewhere else.

Imagine going through a shitty stealth level, with your objective being to assassinate someone. At the end of that level, often in the later half (or any missions besides like 3 of them), 47 kills the target in a cutscene. Did these fucking retards forget what kind of game they were making? They improved the AI, the shooting, the graphics, only for the most important part of the mission to be handled out of the game. You really want to shoot that target, you want to open that Splinter Cell auto-targeting system and pump him full of lead? You want to choke him to death? You want to electrocute him? Toss him off a roof? Stab him until he's leaking like an sieve? You can't! You have to watch this shitty cutscene of the Silent Assassin doing the most mediocre killing possible! How do you fuck up the execution like that? There's no point in replaying it if you can't even choose how to kill them! I wouldn't even be writting this review if it wasn't for that! If you could at least have a choice about how your target dies I could probably excuse a lot about the game. Or just ignore it and move on with my life. The pornography grade story isn't even worth talking about. Oh yeah, the stealth is absurdly terrible. The Instinct mechanic was a poorly thought out and poorly executed idea. If you want to stay in disguse you have to use mana to do it. You might as well just stay in your suit and play it more like Metal Gear or Splinter Cell. I got this for free and I feel like that was too much money. Even if you are interested in a more action oriented stealth game or something more similar to Splinter Cell, you're better off looking elsewhere. I think if they wanted to make a linear action/sneaky game there is totally an audience for it. But not allowing you to kill your target in a Hitman game yourself is not acceptable, do not buy this game. tl;dr: This is a Hitman game that doesn't let you be a Hitman!