Highlights from E3: Hitman: Absolution

It's been a long time since a Hitman game has been released. I like what I see. Here is an entire level play-through which shows many of the new features and abilities of Agent 47:



One of the things I found very interesting about this second video is how it seems more like Splinter Cell than the new Blacklist does, particularly at 6:55. 47 has increased his acrobatic skills, apparently. Also, it looks like there is the ability to anticipate the paths of patrolling guards (as well as a sonar-like ability to spot them through walls). But what I really like about it is that it makes some elements of the series more realistic, such as disguises not simply being immunity from scrutiny (not that they ever were, but it is cool how even with the disguise, 47 will still attempt to hide his face). He still has the uncanny ability to change his clothes unhumanly quickly.

One of the things missing from the earlier Hitman games, until Blood Money came around, was that 47 lacked hand-to-hand combat options, something that seems necessary for any elite assassin to have (though my demo of Hitman 2 did give the player the ability to punch, but I'm not sure why it didn't make it into the final version, at least not without a cheat code). Absolution seems to contain plenty of it, as well as the ability to use objects in the environment as tools and weapons.

Overall, I think it's very promising, though I hope the "silent assassin" concept continues to thrive, as neither of these videos has guaranteed it. Maybe my anxiety comes from Splinter Cell's seeming abandonment of the concept of stealth, but I can rationally hope that Hitman doesn't go down the same path. I also hope that it continues to reward discretion in who is killed, as I believe the earlier games would not award a "Silent Assassin" rating if civilian casualties occurred (you can read about my angst with Splinter Cell: Conviction for not giving the option for non-lethal takedowns). But Hitman looks as good as ever. I hope you are as excited as I am! Expect to see it November 20th later this year.