Hot on the sneaky heels of Dishonored and Mark of the Ninja comes the latest entry in the Hitman saga, one of gaming's more venerable stealth series. It's been five years since Agent 47's last job, and fans were worried that in attempting to bring the Hitman formula up to date, Absolution might just dumb it down.
Fortunately these fears prove to be (largely) unfounded: while a handy hint system caters to beginners, the game's "purist mode" will satisfy even the most masochistic veteran assassin.
More problematic is Absolution's emphasis on narrative. If the best Hitman levels are open-ended playgrounds, many here feel more like pipelines, designed to funnel Agent 47 from set piece to plot-advancing set piece. Having never been more than a slap-headed cipher, the character feels out of place at the centre of a story – especially one this overwrought.
There's still a lot of fun to be had here though – particularly in the ingenious contracts mode, which lets players create their own missions and share them online – but you rather hope any sequels drop the melodramatics in favour of the bleak, broad, murder-filled satire that the series does best.
Fortunately these fears prove to be (largely) unfounded: while a handy hint system caters to beginners, the game's "purist mode" will satisfy even the most masochistic veteran assassin.
More problematic is Absolution's emphasis on narrative. If the best Hitman levels are open-ended playgrounds, many here feel more like pipelines, designed to funnel Agent 47 from set piece to plot-advancing set piece. Having never been more than a slap-headed cipher, the character feels out of place at the centre of a story – especially one this overwrought.
There's still a lot of fun to be had here though – particularly in the ingenious contracts mode, which lets players create their own missions and share them online – but you rather hope any sequels drop the melodramatics in favour of the bleak, broad, murder-filled satire that the series does best.
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