Hitman 2 (2018)

I have mixed feelings on the sequel. It doesn't really fail at anything but i dont like the missions and maps as much as the first. You still have the same formula and variety but it doesn't feel as good as the first: The mission, map and global variety, the clever easter eggs, secrets, and even maybe a story that was mysterious and not a James Bond-like caricature. The maps are still fun to explore and replay to see how to unlock the scripted assassination sequences, but I found myself spending far less time with them. Still, it's a good time and plenty interesting regardless.

Perhaps I need a Hitman break to appreciate the third installment when I come back on assignment.

Just like with 2016's Hitman, everything looks great and controls well. Adding even more lucrative and lushly designed levels that feel like their own worlds.

My only complaint is that if they're going to release a physical copy of the game, the entire game should be on the disc. I understand that added content comes later, but having only four levels on a single disc is kind of ridiculous... it's like eating half of a potato chip and having to go back to the store to buy the other half.

Other than that, IO has built another beautiful installment in the Hitman franchise, highly recommended.

I didn’t enjoy it as much as I enjoyed the 2016 reboot, but that isn’t to say Hitman 2 is a bad game in any way. The fact that I played the first one via the Legacy Pack means the differences in gameplay mechanics between both games were lost on me, so for the most part this felt a lot like Hitman 2.0 instead of a full-on sequel. Which is a good thing since I loved the first one and wasn’t expecting anything revolutionary. And one aspect I thought Hitman 2 actually did better were the levels, not so much their design (which was already impressive in the fist game) but how memorable they felt. I liked most of the maps in Hitman, but a few of them seemed a bit underused or underdeveloped. In the sequel, every single map feels unique and expertly crafted. Mumbai, Santa Fortuna and Sgàil in particular are amazing, but I even loved the atmosphere in the introductory Hawke’s Bay, limited in its scope as it was. Another thing I have to mention again is the AI. Much like in its predecessor, enemy behaviour is once again one of the standouts in Hitman 2. Even though it isn’t perfect, there are more than enough realistic reactions and interactions to make the whole experience believable and engaging. It’s hard to consistently sell the illusion in a game with so many intricacies and variables, but IO did a great job of it and deserves a ton of recognition for that. This, combined with its incredible replayability, will keep you hooked for hours on end.

The mission structure, however, comes with a bit of an issue. Most if not all targets have a way of finding themselves alone with you at some point if you follow the stories the game offers you. This was already a thing in the first game but I did notice it more this time around. And although the less competent assassin in me appreciated how easy this made most missions, I couldn’t help but feel this ended up pampering the player a bit too much. But you’re still able to fulfil any mission in any way you see fit, and having choices is a weird thing to complain about. Two things I felt were a clear step down from the 2016 game, however, were the writing and presentation. Going from full animated cutscenes to voiced over still images - even though I understand the budget constraints - was already quite disappointing on its own, but the writing itself can’t be justified by lack of money. The story was equally solid, but there was a noticeable decline in storytelling and writing quality, which resulted in not only inferior dialogues, but also less focused or even pointless mission briefing information. On this particular point, at times it felt like Diana was literally narrating an event rather than providing specific info for that specific mission (the Miami briefing was an obvious example of this), which was a bit annoying. Finally, the server connection issues remained frustrating, but this had already been a problem in the first game. It will never be okay with me to force players to be online in order to have access to single player content.

So this is my take on Hitman 2. It is certainly a highly accomplished game in most of what it does, it boasts more memorable maps, but it also comes with a couple of downgrades which ended up impacting my overall enjoyment, albeit slightly. If what I listed above doesn’t bother you, then there’s a very good chance you’ll actually end up enjoying it more than the 2016 comeback just based on the maps alone. It’s a solid 8/10 for me and a no-brainer recommendation for any fans of the genre.

Loved it. No detailed review here, this game feels like an expansion pack to Hitman (2016) with few enhancements. Hitman 2 loads in the same executable as Hitman (2016) so if you own both games you can play all the levels in sequential order. The only new additions I can note is stealth in brush/tall grass and a few mission objectives that deviate from just killing x people.

Levels are stellar with tons of replay value (with a shoutout to Miami and Mumbai being my favorite locations), even my least favorite level Colombia is still fun to play through. Story is filled with spy-thriller jargon, it's not the game's strength but doesn't need to be. The cutscenes have taken a noticeable hit due to Square Enix no longer helping IOI produce the cinematics, but it's a minor blemish in an otherwise great stealth assassination game.

So, Hitman 2 is free as part of PS+ this month (as of next week). And Hitman 2 levels can be imported into Hitman 3. Hitman 3 has a free starter pack that lets you

import all locations that you can already access in HITMAN 2 and play them with the new features and improvements from HITMAN 3, including updated lighting effects, animations and Agent 47's new camera item.

So, it would seem that the best way to play Hitman 2 is to download the Hitman 3 starter pack and import the levels from the free copy of Hitman 2, all without spending a penny.

Makes sense, right?

After thoroughly enjoying the rebooted Hitman, I was really looking forward to this follow-up. While it doesn't make any significant changes to the gameplay, the missions are all just as inventive as those in the first.

I was very disappointed to see that the fully rendered cutscenes from the first game have been replaced with storybook stills here. With the success of these games, it would be nice for IO Interactive to go back and put fully rendered cutscenes in so that it matches the first game.

You already know I loved the first Hitman (well, the first in the trilogy, the 2016 one).

This is more of the same... AND THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT I WANTED. No, wait. It's not just that. It has small improvements here and there and three sniper missions that I couldn't believe how fun they were.

The only "negative" aspect of the game is that the cutscenes are now static. But I'm not here for the plot so I don't really care about that.

Hitman 2 - First Impressions

This is kind of pseudo an impression of Hitman 2016 too because I don't plan to play that one while all the missions and cutscenes are in this game so no point.

It's great! Well, it's more like it's great in contrast to its simplicity. One of the things that really sell me on this game is the level design and aesthetic, of which is through the roof in terms of quality. The level design is incredibly free-form and complementary to regular hitman logic rather than simple game logic, with you being able to dynamically find out how to take down your target with/without "takeout story" hints. The aesthetic brings it home with how rocktight in that it makes you a complete badass when you finish off your target. Knowing the knowledge of the area and utilizing it is strong to pull off no matter the mechanics.

Now despite saying that, it still needs to be said how utterly simple the mechanics are. I played the first few levels so far on Professional and just to make sure I'm not missing anything i checked out footage of Master gameplay too. In short, I'm not impressed. Everything you do is mechanically simple. Disguising is a button press with the only disguise dynamics being enforcers, which are so utterly easy to trick with a coin that it's easy to say that there's nothing really to it. Even on a higher difficulty, the only thing that increases is patience, rather than what you're capable of doing. The stealth doesn't have much options to it either, and just really hit the basics.

To summarize, Hitman 2 seems like a game where the planning is excellent and interesting where the execution is lacking and simplistic. I think it equalizes out on one end to be a great game, but I do think it holds itself short. I'm going to have this game finished by next week and we'll see if my opinion changes by then.

As I’ve said before, I really like the Hitman reboot, or as I prefer it, the Pittbull Assassin. My intro to the series was Absolution, after that train wreck, I’m glad this new series is much more engaging. They are puzzle games where the solution is murder.

Hitman dropped the season episode format from “season 1” which is probably for the best. While I think Hitman could do alright as an episodic game since most the levels are self-contained and have high replayability, the overall weaving narrative is better in one large clump. Hitman 2 does carry over directly after Hitman 1, and here’s story spoilers. The people you were killing in the first game have now hired you to kill other people, but you betray them halfway to join up with another assassin that knows Agent 47’s history. You guys go after Providence, this game’s Illuminati, & try to find the people responsible for experimenting on you as a child. The game ends with a cliff hanger as you and your buddy go after the Rothschild, the Gettys, and the Rockefellers. There were a few moments in the middle that I lost the plot, but by the end they lay out the whole story for you. There’s another twist regarding your handler that will probably come to play out in Hitman 3.

I think this game was rushed, because for the most part the gameplay is the exact same as Hitman 1. Granted the first game played pretty well and felt good, so don’t fix what isn’t broken. This game does have a few new elements. More of the opportunities involve interacting with people and using more social stealth. Most of the targets I eliminated after talking with them. The other new thing is 47’s ability to hide in tall grass. He saw Deacon, Alloy, and all the other protagonists doing it & didn’t want to be left out. You are also encourage to play this game online, as that’s how you unlock new tools to use in missions and new start locations. I didn’t play online, so I went through the whole game with a pistol and a coin, which is fine, cause most the kill methods are with items in the level.

Like Hitman 1, this game does have a lot of globetrotting to interesting locations. You start out in the best location, Miami during a super car race. The other places aren’t the most original; a Columbian drug runner’s villa, an American suburb, but these places are still very fun to explore and well made. A slum in India has some cool bits where you star in a Bollywood film and you have to actively search for one of your targets. The final level is on a secret castle island during a cult meeting, it’s kind of exciting trying to sneak around among the rich and powerful.

Another way I can tell this game is rushed, the first game had rendered cutscenes that gave the game this spy thriller, Jason Bourne vibe. This game just uses still images with audio over them like a cheap PS2 title, giving me Alekhine’s Gun flashbacks. I know most of the cutscenes involved people just sitting or walking while talking, but it really does reflect on the production value of the game.

One thing I never know about Hitman games, is how serious they take themselves. The story plays itself pretty straight and 47’s humor is very dry when it does show up. Yet, on the other hand you can’t help but laugh at the absurdity of a professional assassin in a flamingo costume, or the fact he can dress as a person the target personally knows and they don’t even realize, or the fact he, a tall white guy, can pretend to be a local barber in the slums of India. There has to be some intentional humor there.

All in all, if you liked the murder puzzle antics of Hitman 1, then I’d recommend Hitman 2, maybe for a sale price. The game is much the same, but that’s still a very solidly made game that had good replay on all the unique ways you can complete a mission.

6/10

After enjoying the previous Hitman quite a bit, I was looking forward to seeing how IO would develop on it with a sequel. However, I suppose my main issue with Hitman 2 is that it's just more of the same. It's still a lot of fun and it's all really well made but ultimately it's just a glorified season pass. Honestly, I don't mind that really, since it's fun enough that it's worth the price of admission, but it would've been nice to see the series evolve and try new things. That being said, what IO have done with the series is already near perfection by design. A sprawling world of different systems all combining to create something both authentic and entertaining to tear apart. I love how I can take out a guard, hide him in a bush, cap the target with an assault rifle, run back to the guard, steal his clothes, and escape undetected. It's ridiculous, yes, but it all works so well because everything reacts in the way you expect because IO have done a great job of setting out clear rules of the world. It's really satisfying to navigate missions by understanding exactly how the game and taking advantage of every ability in your arsenal. You feel clever, which is always nice in a game. However, I'll never understand why in God's name they even bother with the scripted "opportunity" mechanic. Basically, the idea is you can overhear people explaining how some big important person is arriving and they'll be in the immediate vicinity of your target by sheer coincidence, so you take out that special person, steal their clothes, and undergo a series of monotonous scripted events that eventually lead to the main baddie dying. It's so utterly...bleh. In a game which is so excellent at inspiring creativity and thinking outside the box, it sure does love to bore you to tears with endless waiting for the game to catch up with you so a very specific set of events can happen. And the conversations which alert you to these missions always feel completely inorganic, like these people were waiting for a random bald stranger to cross their path before dispelling confidential information out of nowhere. If IO had removed these events, or tweaked them to feel more like your doing rather than the game's, then they perhaps could have focused more on evolving their formula. Hitman has the potential to be something excellent, but as it stands it's just good. It's still a lot of fun though and I'm looking forward to the next batch of new content.