Hitman Absolution

The Cover of Hitman Absolution

Publisher: Square Enix

Creator: IO Interactive

Consoles: Xbox 360, PS3, PC

ESRB Rating: M for Mature

            Hitman Absolution, a game that not only tests your skill as a gamer but also tests just how patient you can be. With hundreds of different ways to test your skills as an assassin, this is a great game but definitely a game for more mature gamers. Warning to younger gamers, make sure it’s cool with your parents before you play this game, and if it’s not don’t let them catch you (I’m just kidding don’t play it if they say no).

            The game starts in Chicago. You play as 47, a Hitman working for “The Agency”. You’re given the assignment to kill your former handler and the person responsible for destroying the agency years before, Diana Burnwood. After years of tracking the newly formed agency has found her and given you the assignment. Your goal, kill Diana and retrieve a girl named Victoria who Diana has been hiding. Victoria is a key asset to the agency and to the games story. The first level is a bit of a tutorial teaching you basic controls and skills. The level ends with you finding Diana and killing her. With her dying breath she tells you something top secret about the agency and asks you to promise to protect Victoria. You promise her this and find a letter addressed to you with more information. Taking the letter and Victoria you go A.W.O.L and begin your run away from the agency. Here the real game begins, whether you chose to be a silent sniper, and up close chameleon, or the kind of killer who puts on a show, this definitely isn’t Assassin’s Creed.

            In this game combat is definitely an important part. Players can attack enemies with guns you have on you, your fiber wire, or items you find around you during the level. Possible weapons vary from long range to melee. You have your primary pistol, which if you have a second of you can duel wield, you have a fiber wire or other similar objects which can choke your enemies, a secondary weapon which can be anything from a machine gun, to a shot gun, to a sniper rifle, you can pick up items like knives or books to just throw as distraction or attack a person with, and you can even use your hands to knock someone unconscious or snap their neck. 47 also has a very beneficial ability similar to bat vision from the Batman Arkhym series. In Hitman it’s called instinct and allows players to locate objects, enemies and potentially dangerous areas to go to. This ability also allows you to slow down time if you have enough energy to quick lock onto targets so that when time speeds back up you can quickly shoot their brains out. A little heads up though; the game has a scoring system of sorts for each level. Points are awarded to players for achieving goals and pulling skilled kills. Points are removed however when you are seen at a bad time and kill non targets or civilians.

            Now multiplayer is a little different than a usual games qualification of “Multiplayer.” For one thing you never actually play at the same time as other players, which I think would be cool. What there is though is a competition style gameplay called “Hitman Contracts”. This is where players compete to see who is the best assassin in challenges created by other players and IO Interactive. In every contract there are 3 goals;

1.      Eliminate

2.      Escape

3.      Receive Payment

Contracts also have conditions that have to be met to receive payment. There are primary conditions as well as bonus conditions which will allow you to receive more money. Bonus money can also be achieved through quick escapes. Now this is the basic summary of contracts and these can be played in the two game modes, Quick Play and Compete. Quick Play is where you find contracts to play fast and instant. Compete is where you can compete with your friends or in regional and global tournaments. To end off my summary of multiplayer, players also have the ability to create contracts and share them with your friends.

            It is a 3D animated game that has very realistic graphics. With no glitches or bugs I could notice, it ran pretty smoothly. There weren’t really any loading screens as it’s a level by level kind of game where you see your achieved goals at the end of each mission, so there wasn’t really any of those annoying waiting times. Overall it took me about seventeen and a half hours to beat the story. Now granted I did try to do some achievements at times instead of just playing through the story, so that could have added some time to my overall. Playing on normal difficulty was quite hard for me (Quiet I don’t need to hear your laughter) which caused me to want to rage quit at many moments. So pretty much I think we can safely say I suck at this game, which also could have added time to my overall. So really I don’t think I’d play the game again. Unless I want to get some achievements…which I do…dangit! Now don’t get me wrong this is a great game. With dialog all voice acted, smooth easy controls and music that definitely suits the mood, it is certainly a game I would recommend. However I’m not going to call it one of my favourite games, I mean come on, if it doesn’t have a catchy tune at some point, it isn’t an A+ game.

            Just some final comments players should know; the harder the difficulty the less the game assists you, so over time things like your instinct and little tips disappear. Another reminder this is an M for Mature game so the content in this game is definitely not for all audiences. Also A.W.O.L means Absent Without Leave. Don’t worry I had to Google it myself, you aren’t alone. Now go, play the game and let’s see if you agree with the club that’s always gaming.

- BSFletch

8/10

Gameplay