Why the new Hitman is likely to suck.

[BreakfastMan]

"Where Absolution?s predecessor dropped Agent 47 into a wide open space that necessitated backtracking and planning, the new game?s library and orphanage come in bite sized chunks, each made up of spacious strips to be overcome before moving on to the next area."

I don't care about any of that other stuff, but this... This is an utter travesty. Taking all of what made Blood Money fun and memorable, and making it just another stupid Splinter Cell knock-off. They didn't even have the balls to knock-off the best Splinter Cell games either. Screw you IO. I was looking forward to the game, but after hearing that... No, just no.

 

[Angry_squirrel]

I actually loved Splinter Cell: Conviction, but it's definitely not what Hitman should be.

It might be a decent game, but it wont be the Hitman I know and love. I'll probably wait a while, and buy a used copy.

Hopefully if enough people don't buy it, or do as I do, they'll get the message and give us back the Hitman we love. I'm not holding out much hope though.

 

[The Artificially Prolonged]

I was worried, then I was more worried, then I was really worried, then I read a preview which was worried (and previews these days are normally adverts, for the most part), and now I'm almost entirely disaffected.

There is a very fucking good reason why Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory is considered one of the best stealth games ever made, and why Conviction is considered an enjoyable, if somewhat forgettable, 7/10 romp.

It'll almost certainly be the exact same situation with Blood Money and now this.

I hesitate to link this but a new trailer has been released. Just remember a trailer is not indicative of what the actual game will be like but...erm... its...well just see for yourself.

Spoiler

I hope its lives up to the other games. I've already lost Splinter Cell to run and gun action, I'm not losing Hitman too.

Full preview here [http://www.pcgamer.com/previews/hitman-absolution-preview-2/], but I'm gonna quote the significant parts.

"Where Absolution?s predecessor dropped Agent 47 into a wide open space that necessitated backtracking and planning, the new game?s library and orphanage come in bite sized chunks, each made up of spacious strips to be overcome before moving on to the next area."

So linear with the illusion of freedom or are these spacious areas different levels? If it is the former scratch being optimistic the game is obviously in the hands of complete idiots.

The impression I have gotten is a linear series of large-ish rooms. And it's checkpoint-ed.

So, idiots.

I mean, that was the fucking point. You planned over the whole level, moved about as a normal person, had to take everything into consideration. The series spent forever trying to get over regular-style missions and now it seems they're dragging the fucking things back.

It baffles me, this design decision makes no sense. I mean if I was making a new Hitman game the first thing written on the ideas board would open ended levels with multiple paths and solutions. Everything that made the Hitman games great was built on top of that core principal. It's not like Hitman should need to change it's core ideas to appeal to a wider audience when Hitman is already an well established series.

What is it with developers ruining steal franchises lately? We've got Sam Fisher running and gunning, Agent 47 beating dominatrix nuns to death and Raiden from MGS running like he's in Devil May Cry. All we need now is a trailer of Garrett breaking down a barracks door and slaughtering all the occupants for Thief 4 and we will have a full house on classic stealth series ruined.

 

[tlozoot]

My reasons for thinking that are even more simple:

David Bateson isn't going to voice 47.
Vivienne McKee isn't going to voice Diana.

As a fan of the series up to this point...fuck that. Voice acting is part of what made 47 and Diana who they are. Call me a purist, but you don't make a game and call it a Hitman game without those two.

Y'know...unless you can't hire those two people but would like to make a new Hitman game for the fans anyway.

Hitman game with different voice actors or no Hitman game at all?

Hmmm.

 

[Gennadios]

It's a game released after 2008, and has a different lead designer. That's all the reason I need to assume it's going to suck.

The only thing that'll change my mind enough to consider a purchase is if it doesn't get review bombed on metacritic.

 

[ElPatron]

What is it with developers ruining steal franchises lately? We've got Sam Fisher running and gunning, Agent 47 beating dominatrix nuns to death and Raiden from MGS running like he's in Devil May Cry. All we need now is a trailer of Garrett breaking down a barracks door and slaughtering all the occupants for Thief 4 and we will have a full house on classic stealth series ruined.

Don't forget that Furious 4 trailer. I couldn't believe they actually wanted to make a Brothers in Arms game like that. If that thing is actually under development I won't be forgiving Gearbox.

 

[Black Arrow Officer]

Way to pass judgement on a couple cherry-picked pieces of information, Escapist. Look at these pictures, and tell me that this game is just a "linear SCC clone"

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150827645568987&set=a.246743173986.139443.82040998986&type=1&theater

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150819458528987&set=a.246743173986.139443.82040998986&type=3&theater

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150794907023987&set=a.246743173986.139443.82040998986&type=3&theater

Tell me what this looks like to you. To me, it looks like classic Hitman with some upgraded features, better graphics, and functional gunplay mechanics if that's your thing. You can still assassinate targets using "accidental" methods, disguise yourself, and move around open levels. Once again, the ignorance of the gaming community has astounded me. Instinct is fine as well. Are you not forgetting that you had THE EXACT SAME ABILITIES AS INSTINCT IN THE PAST GAMES (the map)? I've played Hitman since 2002, and I think Hitman Absolution will definitely be the best in the series. Y'all need to calm down a bit and realize that classic Hitman gameplay is still there.

 

[CardinalPiggles]

if they add some multiplayer liek cod i will get it

 

[shootthebandit]

is this an alternate ending to sister act where the mob actually manages to hunt down and kill whoopie goldberg. thats what it looks like to me

 

[baddude1337]

My only real experience with Hitman is Contracts, but it was a damn good one and easily one of the best stealth games I've played. The entire point of Hitman is free choice of stealth. Go in shooting everyone, sneak in the back, sneak in the front with a disguise then shoot, poison, maim or strangle the target then sneak or shoot your way out again, and maybe frame someone else at the same time. The studio sadly seems to of gone the route of many whose publishers all want safe, guaranteed AAA money-making games (IE, dumbing down of concepts).

 

[The Artificially Prolonged]

What is it with developers ruining steal franchises lately? We've got Sam Fisher running and gunning, Agent 47 beating dominatrix nuns to death and Raiden from MGS running like he's in Devil May Cry. All we need now is a trailer of Garrett breaking down a barracks door and slaughtering all the occupants for Thief 4 and we will have a full house on classic stealth series ruined.

Don't forget that Furious 4 trailer. I couldn't believe they actually wanted to make a Brothers in Arms game like that. If that thing is actually under development I won't be forgiving Gearbox.

Is nothing sacred anymore?

 

[daveman247]

For anyone here who didn't see this in the Escapist newsfeed or elsewhere.


Yeah... I'm not going to defend this anymore.

Hey, it's-gonna-suck folks, got room for another?

.... I honestly saw nothing wrong with that trailer :X

This isnt exactly the first time hitman has had strippers in it.

In fact in one of the missions in blood money, you hasd to kill an assassin dressed as some kind of fetish party goer.

 

[The Madman]

I'm really confused by that new CGI trailer... am I supposed to take it seriously or not? I mean it had like bondage nuns in sex outfits or whatever with guns, which is hilarious, but then 47 starts brutally murdering them all to tragic music and whatnot and I'm left all confused. Is it parody? Serious? Is this some gimmick for the game or a legit plot element that stripper nuns are trying to kill 47 now?

So very confused. Especially after the original few announcement trailers which were goddamned amazing!

 

[octafish]

I loved Blood Money, it was definitively the best of the Hitman series. I remember not shooting anyone in that game unless I had royally fucked up...should have known it would suck, stealth these days means shooting everyone in the face with a mechanic that takes all the skill out of the game.

 

[The Madman]

All the Hitman games suck, as far as I have been concerned.

If anyone wants to argue that, please do. I love it when I'm proven wrong. It makes me feel more alive.

I like to think of the Hitman games less as stealth, which is how they're often perceived and even marketed as, so much as puzzle games. It's all about figuring out enemy patrols and what learning you need to get past certain obstacles. That there are also often multiple solutions to that later objective is a nice touch as well. Sure you 'could' just shoot the target, but that's missing the point. That'd be like approaching Thief as an fps... sure it's technically possible, it's just lame.

Figuring out the routines, observing from a distance, and finally discovering that perfect weakness which suits you, that's what the Hitman games are all about. It can be boring and frustrating at times, but that moment near the end when everything falls together can be just sublime. Then when the badass music begins to kick in as you casually walk through the crowds towards the exit and the end of the mission... oh, it's so very satisfying. Incidentally the music and sound design thanks in large park to Jesper Kyd are another strong point of the series, not just the songs themselves but also how they're placed in the game. That music really is what plays as you exit the mission if you've done well and again, it feels incredibly badass. Great level design as well, some extremely fun and clever missions as well as various means of 'completing' certain objectives.

So that's my thoughts on that. I've always been fond of the Hitman series myself. They're not my favourites and I can think of plenty of issues with the series, but it's also got a great premise and some fantastic moments to remember.

Hope the new game retains the above. It was never about shooting, hell, shooting was a last resort and if I 'had' to use it it was via a high power scope from a tower I snuck into, never actual gunfights.

 

[WaReloaded]

I was moderately excited about this game, then I read reports and watched the trailer and thought "Oh.". I then saw the trailer for the 'Hitman: Sniper Challenge' and thought that looked reasonably alright, which brings me to this thread and how after reading all these posts, I've lost interest in the game. The open-ended nature of games like 'Bloodmoney', 'Contracts' and 'Silent Assassin' was what made the series fun for me, plus, I always felt compelled to explore all the locations so that you could find obscure, melee weapons and find out what their execution animation was, etc.

 

[kayo of the Well]

It sounds to me like they've taken some influence from Arkham Asylum/City; the description of 'Magic Vision' (they couldn't have picked a better name for it?) kind of reminds me of detective vision.

Then there's the cover mechanic implementation. In a Hitman game.

 

[Radox Redux]

All the Hitman games suck, as far as I have been concerned.

If anyone wants to argue that, please do. I love it when I'm proven wrong. It makes me feel more alive.

I like to think of the Hitman games less as stealth, which is how they're often perceived and even marketed as, so much as puzzle games. It's all about figuring out enemy patrols and what learning you need to get past certain obstacles. That there are also often multiple solutions to that later objective is a nice touch as well. Sure you 'could' just shoot the target, but that's missing the point. That'd be like approaching Thief as an fps... sure it's technically possible, it's just lame.

Well, I was glad somebody said this. Stealth is a naturally binary state. Any stealth game with additional 'risk' is usually just operating off some sort of 'chance' element (like a percentage bar). Yes, most of the work in Hitman is done in the players head before they even touch the controller. But I don't consider that a bad thing. It's the variations on methodology that keep the levels fresh.

The Hitman series was quite odd in it's development IMO, since pretty much every game in the series had a fatal flaw before Blood Money. Seriously, if anybody says they don't like the series and they're judging the series based of the pre-Blood Money games, they may as well be talking about a different series all together.

So in a way, the Hitman games only just found their stride, so I'd hate to see Absolution turn out like it seems to be. I've had warning signs about this game since the first lackluster teaser trailers began turning up, and it's nice to know others share the same fears as me. The problem is that, regardless of what IO is saying, there's such a precedent in this generation, for relegating systems over to contextualized animations and automated aspects, that when everything about this game has that modern stench wafting off it in waves, they can't be too surprised to find that fans don't believe them.