Hitman: Absolution

[youmeyou]

Ha! That was one of his better ones.

I'm a little worried about all this speculatration. I was really looking forward to more awesome stealth!

[Brannigan]

The nun hit squad being an actual thing was pretty disappointing. Nick Offerman being the villain is pretty good though I guess.

[brkl]

Awwwwww, maaaaan. I was coming around to the game, but no damn way am I paying for it if there's an actual stripper nun hit squad.

[Nappi]

To be fair, I pretty sure that they are not actually nuns. They are only disguised as nuns so that their SM costumes wouldn't draw people's attention as they walk across the parking lot with bazookas and uzis in their hands.

[Brannigan]

they are called The Saints, it's all in the conan review I linked. so bad

[melmer]

stripper nun hit squad.

[Joewintergreen]

Blood Money also had stupid sexy killers, y'know

[Brannigan]

I still haven't played that. only played first two

[Joewintergreen]

oh man, blood money is the best

[Brannigan]

So I hear, I just keep failing to pick it up everytime it's on sale, maybe this christmas

[Joewintergreen]

well hey what's your steam id

[brkl]

The series has always been suspect as hell when it comes to portrayals of race and gender, but one expects improvement and not turning it up to 11.

EDIT: Added a word. 'Not'.

[Brannigan]

no don't buy me stuff! I won't even have time to play until mid December anyway

[TychoCelchuuu]

The series has always been suspect as hell when it comes to portrayals of race and gender, but one expects improvement and not turning it up to 11.

EDIT: Added a word. 'Not'.

That's an adorably optimistic thing to expect. I see no reason not to expect backsliding into sexy hit-nuns that 47 lovingly strangles to death in slow motion.

[brkl]

It's happening elsewhere, and as long as it's not happening here, I'm voting with my wallet.

[schepton]

RPS don't think all that highly of it:

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2012/11/18/wot-i-think-hitman-absolution/

[brkl]

IO has never understood what it was about Hitman that actually made it special. It's one of those few games that could have really benefited from simple map packs. They could probably even fix this game by just making DLC with proper missions totally separated from the story. They've been increasing the story content for every game, but it's always been the worst part of the games.

[vimes]

IO has never understood what it was about Hitman that actually made it special.

Absolution might be bad but I completely disagree with that statement. I even think that IO managed something amazing with Blood Money: they created the perfect incarnation of a genre they were the only ones exploring.

[vimes]

*messed up quote/edit*

Edited November 18, 2012 by vimes

[Frenetic Pony]

Well... fuck: http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2012/11/18/wot-i-think-hitman-absolution/

Pre-ordered this shit too. Because hey, it was pretty cheap for a new game on Greenman Gaming!

Lesson learned, even if it's quite a bit off as a pre-order, just don't do it! Man, all the times I've been burned by this shit. You'd think I would've learned after the utter failure that was Fable 3. But noooooo, no I have to be an optimist, I've got to get EXCITED. Stop beating down my optimism, damn you real life!

[toblix]

And now this: http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/critics-delighted-with-agent-47-s-return-in-hitman-absolution/0106621

[Orv]

So regardless of the nun controversy (which whatever, video game marketing departments are run by people who have no idea what video games are), the game is just flat out busted.

The new instinct mechanic is supposed to be to do things like stop a person wearing the same uniform as you recognizing you. So the first required use, which, well let's hold up one second. On Purist, which removes the UI, has are no manual checkpoints, does not regen Instinct and basically makes it difficult, the first mission doesn't have the tutorial voiceovers which it does on every other difficulty. So putting in a situation which requires you to use Instinct at all, much less with that little gem of design is stupid. Anyway, the first required use of Instinct is to pass between a guard and a gardener into a greenhouse. The option for either an Exterior Guard or a Gardener disguise are available.

Now what's supposed to happen is when you use instinct to pass someone of your own uniform you put your hand up to your face or pull the brim of your hat over your eyes. Doing this little checkpoint as a gardener means you pull the cowboy hat down over your eyes. Doing it as a guard means nothing happens, you're instantly spotted and the mission goes to shit.

[Erkki]

"Hitman: Absolution is a triumph, top to bottom. Fans of the series can look forward to the best entry yet, without question." (10/10) - G4TV, WTF?

[Triforce of Liberty]

I think Absolution is way better than anyone expected it to be. I'm still at an early stage of the game, but I definitely think I/O understood what made B$ work and improved upon that. The stealth mechanics are deeper and more challenging, and there's more object-interactivity and room for improvisation, and plenty of room for different playstyles.

The Instinct mechanic that people were rightfully worried about can be largely curbed by playing on the higher difficulty levels. I'm playing on expert, and basically the one (fairly limited) use I have for it is to walk past people whose LOS is unavoidable, and who would otherwise see through my disguise and blow my cover.

There's a lot more actual stealth than there was in B$, but the levels still feel open and explorable. You can walk freely in places where people won't see through your disguise, so there's a lot of internal mapping and reconnaisansse to see how freely you can move about, what the layout is like, and who you may have to stalk and subdue.

And the levels are great. They feel like real, lived in places. The design and tone have a lot of carry-over from Kane and Lynch 2, so it's nice to have that feeling and atmosphere in an actually good game (I fucking hated K&L2).

As for The Saints, it's fucking stupid and the game would be better without it. I didn't dig the sexualized violence in the previous Hitman games, either, and I wish he series would move away from that stuff.

[Orv]

The Instinct mechanic that people were rightfully worried about can be largely curbed by playing on the higher difficulty levels. I'm playing on expert, and basically the one fairly limited use I have for it is to walk past people whose LOS is unavoidable, and who would otherwise see through my disguise and blow my cover.

There's a lot more actual stealth than there was in B$, but the levels still feel open and explorable. You can walk freely in places where people won't see through your disguise, so there's a lot of internal mapping and reconnaisansse to see how freely you can move about, what the layout is like, and who you may have to stalk and subdue.

What difficulty are you playing on that disguises aren't instantly seen through for eighty feet away by someone with the same disguise?