Genre: Stealth/Third Person Shooter | Developer: Io Interactive | Publisher: Square Enix
Platform: Xbox 360/PlayStation 3/PC | Players: 1 | Rating: ESRB: M/ PEGI: 18
I didn’t play Hitman: Absolution, but I read my share of reviews on it. The general consensus seems to be that it’s a well slick game that misses the Hitman mark, with some going as far as to call it “dumbed down”. That view is understandable, as the modernisation and streamlining of a number of titles has led to a diluted experience in many cases. Even so, it’s not as if the mindset of the developers is hard to understand. Even outside of a marketing perspective, some older games, heavy duty stealth games in particular, are acquired tastes.
While there are many games which I can describe as such, there are few series which I would call inherently acquired tastes. But revisiting Agent 47′s past missions, Hitman slots right into that category.
The Hitman franchise debuted in 2000 and immediately established its own identity as a more realistic and deceptive stealth game. The focus wasn’t on outright stealth, on dodging cameras and patrolling guards, but in hiding in plain sight. The key way to achieve victory was in utilising disguises and slowly making your way to your target. While there was an element of choice, between disguises, pure stealth, lethal or non-lethal takedowns or good old gunfights, the disguise aspect was something not explored fully in the genre. It was designed to be more realistic and unforgiving, but also more satisfying.
By and large, the franchise hasn’t really strayed from that (again, not having played Absolution) and three games found in this collection embody the elements the franchise is known for. Throughout each of these games, Agent 47, “the bald killer clone”, must assassinate a wide variety of targets in a wide variety of countries and locations. The actual chronology of the titles is something of a mystery, but we’ll deal with that as we get there.
Hitman 2: Silent Assassin was a game I’d touched briefly, and by that I mean I played a demo of the first level and died at the gate. The naivete of youth, as they say. In it, 47 starts out as a retired assassin but is forced back into the trade when his priest friend is kidnapped and dragged all over the world.
Silent Assassin is a bit of a mixed bag. A lot of the levels are really well-designed and accommodate multiple paths and approaches really well, but the mechanics are actually counter-intuitive to this. Being the oldest game in the collection, it shouldn’t be surprising that the stealth and AI feel the most basic, but it’s an unnecessarily cruel game. Guards will brutally murder you and see through your disguise for the terrible crime of…running a single step when you’re meant to walk. I understand that obvious haste is the quickest way to get caught, but it still feels ridiculous. 47′s sneaking speed is also stupidly slow, to the point where it actively harms your attempts to stealthily subdue someone.
If any of the guards bothered to look at the back of 47′s head…
The overall level design can make up for this when the best route is obvious but still rewarding, but only the most patient of players will be able to do most levels without just shooting everyone. Every time I got caught, I didn’t reload a save. I just blasted my way through because it was the most convenient method. Indeed, it feels as if 47 has more health in this game than in the other two. The subtitle is humourous in retrospect, as this was the only game I couldn’t achieve a Silent Assassin rating in. There is definitely an audience for this game, but I couldn’t get into it.
Hitman: Contracts immediately starts off enrapturing, as the world’s scariest scream kicks off the first cutscene before an opening level in which 47 traipses through an asylum filled with other dead 47s (or…48s? Huh?). Apparently, this is meant to be the aftermath to the very first game, and Contracts itself is pretty much comprised solely of flashbacks, including a few remasters of levels from the first game.
The mechanics have definitely been improved from Silent Assassin, with guards not being as terribly shrewd and the stealth being a lot more forgiving. Contracts is, thusly, a more wholesomely enjoyable game. The assassinations you take part in tend to be pretty elaborate, or at least chaotic, including a level where you have to intervene in a SWAT raid on a tanker holding a nuclear bomb…which you have to defuse yourself. A few of these levels are too big, however, and involve a lot of busywork and running around. Indeed, the best levels tended to be the remastered ones from the first game.
You also still get your odd AI bugbear, screwing up your otherwise perfect plan, so save often if you can. The game itself is also pretty short, especially if you don’t count the remastered levels. On the whole, though, Contracts is pretty enjoyable, containing the balance and finesse that Silent Assassin lacked.
Hitman: Blood Money is actually a game I’ve played through a number of times before. In terms of plot, it’s hard to say much about it without spoiling it all, but you do continue to play as 47, running around and ruining the days of many people whether they realise it’s your fault or not. Nothing is quite as elaborate as some of the missions in Contracts, but the proceedings are as varied as ever while containing the most internal consistency and logic. In Blood Money, rival assassins will actually take a crack at you every so often, and notoriety between missions carries over, which can make things very tricky if you’re too gung-ho and careless.
Blood Money is easily my favourite of the series. From a systems perspective, the mechanics and AI are easily the most robust and least foolhardy, behaving more like actual human beings than in the previous games. It’s weird that every level has a similar set-up (why do all CCTVs run on videotapes?) but the killings themselves make up for this. And then some.
Wow, that rifle looks cumbersome.
There’s a focus on “accidental” kills, like poisoning, falling props and explosions of everyday objects. The idea of creating scenarios which seem to be too convenient to not be foul play but still remain ultimately hidden so that no one can come up with any other explanation, as if you’re the antagonist of the Final Destination films, is probably the most satisfying and effective method of killing people in these games, and the news report which pops up after every mission is an excellent way to enhance the effect you’re having on the world, especially if the report states that “no one claims to have seen the killer at all, and the police have no leads to go on”. Blood Money is definitely the most flavoured of the pack.
As for the more clerical details of the collection, it’s a shame that the original Hitman: Codename 47 was not included for whatever reason. While it’s available from Good Old Games, it would have been nice just to round the package out. In terms of pricing, however, it’s hard to complain in the end.
The conversion has been handled decently, with Silent Assassin and Contracts receiving 720p upgrades to their in-game graphics, and there was no visible screen tearing or evident aliasing. Cutscenes fare less well, with the movies in Contracts suffering from aliasing. That said, these are very old games, and they are showing their age even with the tune-up. 47′s face looks downright weird in Silent Assassin.
It was obviously unfair to expect new features, but it’s worth mentioning that the achievements for the game are lazily implemented. Silent Assassin and Contracts share a lot of the same ones, even down to the very name. Blood Money also pulls from the same list as the version that came out in 2006. In fact, it is the same version, at least on the 360, so if you’ve already got all of the achievements, you won’t be able to do it again. Obviously, if you don’t care about achievements, none of this will faze you.
The Hitman series has always been anomalous, and while the protagonist and mood have always been very pronounced, the games themselves are unique and untouched to this day, for better or worse. It’s why Io Interactive are defined by Hitman instead of Kane & Lynch. Blood Money, in particular, remains an unemulated gem, even of the tight-knit stealth genre. Your enjoyment of the series is dependent on your tolerance for a slow burn and some malformed mechanics, but at the price point, it’s worth a look.
The Hitman HD Trilogy is currently available for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC for the regular retail price of $40 US.
Disclaimer: This game was independently purchased by the reviewer.
[7]
Review: Hitman HD Trilogy (Multi)
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