Hitman 2: Silent Assassin Q&A
The mysterious assassin known as Codename 47 will return in a new adventure. We've got all the details straight from the developer.
Gamers will once again get the chance to walk in the shoes of a contract killer next spring. Danish development house IO Interactive is revving up work this fall and winter on Hitman 2: Silent Assassin, a sequel to last year's Hitman: Codename 47. That original stirred up no shortage of controversy, thanks to a plot that featured more mob-related violence than three seasons of The Sopranos and The Godfather trilogy combined. If you weren't using piano wire to garrote a thug, you were blowing apart heads with a telescopic rifle or setting off a car bomb to kill a half-dozen mobsters. A Merchant-Ivory production it wasn't.
Don't expect too much to change in the follow-up. Fans can expect to see more of the same cold-blooded action in Hitman 2 when it arrives next March. The genetically engineered assassin with a shining pate and a bar code on the back of his neck returns for another kick at the corpse after being dragged out of a monastic retreat in Sicily. Subsequent assignments will take the still unidentified killer across the globe as he attempts to unravel the mystery of his existence by visiting the exotic locales of St. Petersburb, Japan, India, North Africa, Sicily, and Malaysia, all the while colorfully murdering the locals.
As before, the gameplay will lie somewhere between the first-person sneaker atmosphere of the Thief titles and more traditional festivals of carnage like Soldier of Fortune. Bringing the game even closer to its shooter rivals is the option of a first-person camera view, provided as a new option for FPS fans who didn't like Hitman's third-person perspective. This changed point of view won't alter the main thrust of play, which will still involve killing opponents in creative ways. IO wants to let gamers discover some of these new murderous methods on their own, though some details have slipped. One new scenario will see the hitman sneaking into a hospital to impersonate a surgeon and ensure the tragic failure of an open-heart procedure being performed on a mob boss. More directed missions like this are said to be a major part of the design. Where the original had you engaged in regular shootouts, the sequel promises to-the-point assassinations. Like any real-world contract killer, you'll often have to get in and get out with a minimum of fuss.
IO's own Glacier engine is again being used to power the graphics, though this is an upgraded version of the technology that pumps out more polygons. The exclusive screenshots that accompany this article already reveal more detailed characters and background scenery that is more visually impressive than anything in the original. Shots from the Sicilian monastery where the game begins would be peaceful and inviting--if you weren't aware of the slaughter to come. A unique sound for the new game is being provided by Jesper Kyd, an old hand with electronica and techno who's blending his specialties with the Budapest Radio Philharmonic. Recording is still in the demo stage, though the early results are said to be very promising. At any rate, the music should certainly be unique. For more details on Hitman 2, we sat down with the game's lead designer, Jacob Andersen.
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- Eidos Interactive
- Io Interactive
- Modern Action Adventure
- Release: Oct 1, 2002 »
- ESRB: Mature
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