So, Hitman is on a very good deal right now. I might go for it as the Hitman games are still a unique experience. But is that still true?

I liked the later Hitmans more than the early two. Will I like this game?

The forums has guided me very well so far, don't fail me now. ;-)

There are some major difference in Absolution versus the other ones. For starter, the game incite you to blend in with the environment (aka use the cover system) rather than blending in with the crowd - in the hardest difficulty, peoples sees through your disguise in less than 10 seconds. Also, no more of the usual one mission = one map. You get one (or more) map to get to the mission area, one for the kill, and one or more for extraction.
It feels more like a Splinter Cell than a Hitman to me.

Also, I just can't get into the story. Suspension of disbelief is not working for me in this game. 47 will find his suit back even if it doesn't make any sense, plot holes, stuffs which are way to big to be believable.

I loved the previous games, but could get into this one, which I ended up removing before I finished it. Too frustrating for me.

I have heard it summarized as a mic of Splinter Cell and Hitman 2, which to me sounds awesome. To others though only Blood Money 2 will do.

The catch is that it's Splinter Cell... Conviction, not the others ones.

I like quite a lot about the game (downloaded a uhm.. 'demo version'), but it is missing a bit of the 'feel' of a Hitman game. Probably because they made it more accessible to new players.
But what made me stop playing was the horrible broken checkpoint system. Basically the game just saved your location and not what you'd done, so every enemy would instantly respawn every time you reloaded a checkpoint.
That is effin ridiculous, the original 'you get X saves based on your difficulty level' system was great. Of course it's entirely possible they've already fixed the checkpoint system, I'm not really keeping tabs on this game even though I'm quite a fan of the series.

Haven't played it yet as it's gonna be a Christmas gift for me this year but being one of the series' biggest fans I've got to say that I'm glad that there's been some big changes. By the time of Blood Money I've got a little tired of the old formula, even if Blood Money is the ultimate incarnation of that sandbox murder premise. I can live with a more plot-driven and simpler Hitman game as long as it leaves me some freedom. But well, I'll see by the end of the year if I got what I wanted. My friend seems to be very disappointed so far, though. However, my favourite (and definitely independent) gaming mag gave the game a whoopin' 9/10 so I'm still optimistic.

TBH, too much is putting me off this game before even buying.

Gun DLC? In a Hitman game? If I want to shoot, I play Far Cry 3.

The DX:HR DLC. Really? I mean. REALLY?

And finally some stupid ad campaign I just stumbled on after checking the updates for this game.

I think I'm going to pass on this one.

Thank God, another human being that does not need another identical Hitman game. Well, then again - a similar thing can be said about most Hitman games. I mean, I basically never used a custom loadout since Hitman 2 (where you needed a silenced pistol to get a silent assassin rating in the second mission and had to shoot a generator in another mission to deactivate the cameras). Also in Contracts I think I fired one shot throughout the whole campaign. Still, having the option to use guns is fun. :P

They are selling them. I can understand costume and gun DLCs in something like Saints Row. But in a Hitman game? Na, their marketing on this game has not convinced me to spend any money on it (yet). Might go for a 75% eventually.

Well, it's good they sell something you probably won't need playing the game "the right way". I'd be more pissed if the DLC and especially pre-order exclusives included something necessary for a stealthy approach.

And well, as for marketing - Hitman has always been kinda lost there. Most artworks, early screenshots and trailers etc. I remember show agent 47 guns blazing in his suit. Guess it's hard to advertize a game with something like "explore your surroundings, test your patience, don't ever use any of the 40 guns at your disposal!". But yeah, I get your opinion on the DLC thing here. It's one of the reasons why I didn't bother playing Splinter Cell: Conviction. The pre-order exclusive silenced automatic shotgun killed any hopes I had for the game.

WHAT?!?!?

I read about it in a review for the PC version. The reviewer actually seemed pretty pissed about it. He said it was a pre-order bonus exclusive to the console versions (or even Xbox only) and wondered how one can actually provide that kind of bonus for a fucking stealth game, describing it as the most absurd DLC he has ever seen in a game. It IS kinda insane.

I will tell you when it downloads
so in about 40 damn hours cause my dl speeds are slow as hell

Oh good god.

Fuck you Squeenix!