Part of the reason I've been so butthurt about the Assassin's Creed franchise these days is that as the game goes on I feel like I get to be an actual assassin less and less. Its gone from a potential stealth based masterpiece to a "hide if you want to but it doesn't really matter" action game. So much so that it drove me to play Hitman: Blood Money, which is a series I've never really been good at.
I didn't give it a full write up, but aside from some pretty sticky controls and a massive difficulty curve it scratched that stealth itch that has been bugging me for months. I never finished the game (as some of the later missions were hard as fuck) but I enjoyed it enough to start to develop a passion for the series. This game has been sitting on my to do list for a while, but I finally had to opportunity to sit down with it and finish it, but after pushing it aside for more topical games, I can finally give my thoughts on.....
HITMAN: ABSOLUTION: (XB360)
In the start of Absolution, longtime protagonist Agent 47 is tasked by the agency to take out his former handler and lifesaver Diana Burnwood. Diana had gone rouge by taking a valuable Agency asset, publicly exposing them to the nation, and wiping their major accounts bringing the agency to its knees. 47 infiltrates her home and shoots her with a glancing blow in the shower. As she starts to bleed out on the tile she implores him to protect the asset and do not let it fall into the Agency's hands again.
The asset turns out to be a young teenage girl named Victoria. She apparently went through many of the torturous medical procedures that 47 did that makes him such an efficient assassin. Knowing the pain she must have gone through, he decides to help. He makes his escape from the house with Victoria in tow, going rouge from the Agency in order to protect her. 47 leaves her in the care of an orphanage so he can figure out why she is so important and how to handle this situation, only now he has the entire Agency on his tail.
This is another game where I could feel Square Enix's nurturing hand behind the reigns in the development. When I played Hitman: Blood Money I remember there not being that much in the way of cutscene nor was agent 47 characterized. Just a brief little cutscene to start the mission and bam, get into the open world and get to the murder. This game opens up with a dramatic sequence where he is forced to kill his former handler, the one target he would have reason for pause.
So right out of the gate, I have to say that this game has made radical improvements to its overall functionality. I went back to play a bit of Blood Money after I finished this one, and honestly I have no idea how I managed to get as far as I did the first time around. The controls of that title were nothing short of horrendous. Many of the moments were slow and sticky, trying to pick things up or navigate menus were a chore. The game is pretty old by today's standards, but even back then whew that's pretty rough
Absolution does a fantastic job of cleaning up the controls. The hud isn't big and awkward and confusing like it was in Blood Money. Combat feels easier, can't think of how many times I'd botch a garrote on the old controls. Picking up items or switching through inventory is faster, simpler to do, and uses more sensible buttons on the controller (namely the D-pad). Prime example is throwing something: in Absolution you hold the left trigger to ready your aim and right trigger to fire, simple. In Blood Money you have to hold down the left thumbstick for power, and release to throw. What were they thinking?
However, Absolution does kind of dumb down the Hitman series a bit with the addition of the "instinct" mechanic. Basically what this does is allows you to see where everyone is on the map through cover, and if you have the gauge available also allows you to see their path of movement. It also is used to blend in when you change your outfit as well, which basically means you walk by a stationed guard without alerting their attention. Not exactly sure how a guard walking slowly with his hand precariously covering his own face would draw less attention but whatever, we'll roll with it.
Many of the classic tricks are here. You can take down and wear virtually any male character's clothes and use them to blend in from place to place. There are tons of different ways to distract people, and lots of weapons to find and use. Situational kills like dropping a chandelier is are still around. The menus are cleaned up immensely so its easier to navigate and get the proper gear out when you need it.
I wouldn't say the story line is horrible, but its certainly not great. For one thing, it certainly puts you in the right mindset for stepping into the shoes of a murderer. Almost every character in this game is such a fucking sleezeball dirtbag, I'm basically frothing at the bit to get my opportunity to kill these pricks. Most specifically the main antagonist, Blake Dexter. A foul mouthed, dirty southern business man, who's every line of dialog that is so drenched in southern drawl it makes me want to pack up and move another 500 miles north every time I play the game.
Agent 47 isn't exactly a stellar protagonist either. Maybe I don't know enough of his backstory to really understand his character. I know he was basically vat grown to be the perfect assassin. But to give a comparing example, I'd basically say he's the armor-less equivalent to Halo's Master Chief. He doesn't say much, when he does its monotone and uninspired. He never really seems to grow or develop as a character.
In the beginning of the game, he basically guns down his only friend then immediately has a change of heart. But you don't really know that by his expression or voice, it never changes. He's a bad ass assassin, but not exactly great for driving a story. Probably why the previous Hitman titles worked better, because they were about the killing and not the killer. Agent 47 is a bad ass to be sure, but he's not exactly a dynamic protagonist.
I really want to comment on the whole goofy sexy-nun-assassin squadron like you see in the trailer, but from a storyline perspective it has virtually nothing to do with the plot other than to be outlandish. Maybe its to cause controversy with the religious zealots, like that idiot who managed to get a refund from 2k because Bioshock Infinite featured a baptism required to play the game. I had no issues garroting some fetishist who was trying to shoot me. But then again? If I'm seeing a nun weary cherry red stilettos and whipping some guy in a fetish dungeon, I don't think we're too worried a about offending the pope for killing her in game. Seriously folks, its just a video game. If that offends you, you are a remarkable asshole.
One of the biggest complaints I heard from others about Hitman: Absolution is that it takes away many of the massive open world maps that Blood Money provided, making it a bit of a more linear watered down experience. Some of the time I would agree this can be the case. There are a couple of missions where you are evading the police where man of the maps could easily be a straight line. On a low enough difficulty setting or with enough instinct there is very little stopping you from walking straight across the map and using appropriate cover without even crouching to not raise suspicion and blend if there isn't. That can be awfully disappointing.
But there are a couple of maps where you have to walk around and explore for a bit first. Find pathways, look at your targets round, see what NPCs engage him and what you can use to do the job as an alternative to the weapons you already have. Its in these missions where the game feels more like Hitman should, and it was definitely these missions where I had the most fun with the game. Two of my favorites were the Chinatown maps where you have to move through crowds & vendors and has lots of fun different ways to make kills, and the massive strip club just because when you botch that one up its fun to just go on a murder frenzy since there is only one way in or out.
I'm not really a huge fan of the running score at the top of the screen though. I mean its virtually impossible to end a mission in the negatives, but you will certainly see that score dip below zero a few times during the mission unless you are immaculate in your performance. Chances are, you won't be so you get to play most of your mission with this lil ticker in the corner saying how bad you are at this.
What I did like about the game, is the bit more freedom they give you in how to play it. From what I remember from Blood Money there were lots of different ways to approach killing your foe, but if there was any one thing I knew it was not to use your gun. If I fired that thing, a storm of bullets would rain on me in seconds and basically wipe me out. No matter how much of a clear shot I thought I had or how alone I thought I was.
Absolution however, I can't really think of a mission I couldn't take care of without my trusty silenced Silverballers. Typically if you were willing to stalk your target long enough, there would always be at least one place where they would be alone or with one other person. If they were alone you could garrote them out no problem, two of them? No big, use the instinct execution and pop em both, then hide the bodies. You lose like an extra thousand but the mission would be done. A lot of the times this was all I needed to do.
Which actually was kind of a small disappointment now that I reflect on it. The biggest amount of fun I had in the Hitman games is coming up with all the clever ways to look like an accident or in a way that I wasn't around when it happened. In Blood Money this was almost crucial, in Absolution it was more optional. I didn't even discover a lot of the interesting side kills like sleeping pills in coffee, poisoning someones drugs, or electrocuting them in a puddle until my second play through of the game. Its funny because I thought they were out of the way and hard to find, but apparently they are all highlighted if you use the instinct gauge, so I suppose I made the game harder on myself.
The major criticism that Hitman: Absolution has been getting is that the game isn't open ended enough, and that it pales in comparison to its predecessor. To a degree, I agree with this point. The aforementioned police chases are a good example of that. Or there are levels that start off clever, like the courthouse, that eventually devolve into a straight line that is just easier to shoot your way through. But I will say the improved graphics, and vastly improved game mechanics make this one of the most satisfying Hitman game I've played yet.
And ultimately, I think because the game played so much better for me is probably why I liked it more than Blood Money. Despite from what I understand to be lack luster sales and poor reviews, I see the rankings for Hitman: Absolution to be about on par with the rest of the Hitman games. It was fun enough to make me want to go through it more than one time.
Absolution is technically the most recent part of the story, so I hesitate to say to play this one first, but I felt it was the most polished Hitman game. If you liked it, and are looking for more a challenge go back and play the rest.
The asset turns out to be a young teenage girl named Victoria. She apparently went through many of the torturous medical procedures that 47 did that makes him such an efficient assassin. Knowing the pain she must have gone through, he decides to help. He makes his escape from the house with Victoria in tow, going rouge from the Agency in order to protect her. 47 leaves her in the care of an orphanage so he can figure out why she is so important and how to handle this situation, only now he has the entire Agency on his tail.
 |
| Security team, High tech key cards to rooms, Door to bathroom is hanging beads. Might wanna recheck some of the house security, lady. |
So right out of the gate, I have to say that this game has made radical improvements to its overall functionality. I went back to play a bit of Blood Money after I finished this one, and honestly I have no idea how I managed to get as far as I did the first time around. The controls of that title were nothing short of horrendous. Many of the moments were slow and sticky, trying to pick things up or navigate menus were a chore. The game is pretty old by today's standards, but even back then whew that's pretty rough
 |
| She like, so totally doesn't wanna be an assassin. |
However, Absolution does kind of dumb down the Hitman series a bit with the addition of the "instinct" mechanic. Basically what this does is allows you to see where everyone is on the map through cover, and if you have the gauge available also allows you to see their path of movement. It also is used to blend in when you change your outfit as well, which basically means you walk by a stationed guard without alerting their attention. Not exactly sure how a guard walking slowly with his hand precariously covering his own face would draw less attention but whatever, we'll roll with it.
I wouldn't say the story line is horrible, but its certainly not great. For one thing, it certainly puts you in the right mindset for stepping into the shoes of a murderer. Almost every character in this game is such a fucking sleezeball dirtbag, I'm basically frothing at the bit to get my opportunity to kill these pricks. Most specifically the main antagonist, Blake Dexter. A foul mouthed, dirty southern business man, who's every line of dialog that is so drenched in southern drawl it makes me want to pack up and move another 500 miles north every time I play the game.
Agent 47 isn't exactly a stellar protagonist either. Maybe I don't know enough of his backstory to really understand his character. I know he was basically vat grown to be the perfect assassin. But to give a comparing example, I'd basically say he's the armor-less equivalent to Halo's Master Chief. He doesn't say much, when he does its monotone and uninspired. He never really seems to grow or develop as a character.
In the beginning of the game, he basically guns down his only friend then immediately has a change of heart. But you don't really know that by his expression or voice, it never changes. He's a bad ass assassin, but not exactly great for driving a story. Probably why the previous Hitman titles worked better, because they were about the killing and not the killer. Agent 47 is a bad ass to be sure, but he's not exactly a dynamic protagonist.
 |
| You'd think the man of 1000 costumes would have a bit more character. |
 |
| The funny thing is, this is the elite team to clean up covertly. Pfft, you ain't sneaking by anyone wearing white heels with black thigh highs sweetheart. Taboo colors girl. |
But there are a couple of maps where you have to walk around and explore for a bit first. Find pathways, look at your targets round, see what NPCs engage him and what you can use to do the job as an alternative to the weapons you already have. Its in these missions where the game feels more like Hitman should, and it was definitely these missions where I had the most fun with the game. Two of my favorites were the Chinatown maps where you have to move through crowds & vendors and has lots of fun different ways to make kills, and the massive strip club just because when you botch that one up its fun to just go on a murder frenzy since there is only one way in or out.
I'm not really a huge fan of the running score at the top of the screen though. I mean its virtually impossible to end a mission in the negatives, but you will certainly see that score dip below zero a few times during the mission unless you are immaculate in your performance. Chances are, you won't be so you get to play most of your mission with this lil ticker in the corner saying how bad you are at this.
What I did like about the game, is the bit more freedom they give you in how to play it. From what I remember from Blood Money there were lots of different ways to approach killing your foe, but if there was any one thing I knew it was not to use your gun. If I fired that thing, a storm of bullets would rain on me in seconds and basically wipe me out. No matter how much of a clear shot I thought I had or how alone I thought I was.
Absolution however, I can't really think of a mission I couldn't take care of without my trusty silenced Silverballers. Typically if you were willing to stalk your target long enough, there would always be at least one place where they would be alone or with one other person. If they were alone you could garrote them out no problem, two of them? No big, use the instinct execution and pop em both, then hide the bodies. You lose like an extra thousand but the mission would be done. A lot of the times this was all I needed to do.
Which actually was kind of a small disappointment now that I reflect on it. The biggest amount of fun I had in the Hitman games is coming up with all the clever ways to look like an accident or in a way that I wasn't around when it happened. In Blood Money this was almost crucial, in Absolution it was more optional. I didn't even discover a lot of the interesting side kills like sleeping pills in coffee, poisoning someones drugs, or electrocuting them in a puddle until my second play through of the game. Its funny because I thought they were out of the way and hard to find, but apparently they are all highlighted if you use the instinct gauge, so I suppose I made the game harder on myself.
The major criticism that Hitman: Absolution has been getting is that the game isn't open ended enough, and that it pales in comparison to its predecessor. To a degree, I agree with this point. The aforementioned police chases are a good example of that. Or there are levels that start off clever, like the courthouse, that eventually devolve into a straight line that is just easier to shoot your way through. But I will say the improved graphics, and vastly improved game mechanics make this one of the most satisfying Hitman game I've played yet.
And ultimately, I think because the game played so much better for me is probably why I liked it more than Blood Money. Despite from what I understand to be lack luster sales and poor reviews, I see the rankings for Hitman: Absolution to be about on par with the rest of the Hitman games. It was fun enough to make me want to go through it more than one time.
Absolution is technically the most recent part of the story, so I hesitate to say to play this one first, but I felt it was the most polished Hitman game. If you liked it, and are looking for more a challenge go back and play the rest.
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