Hitman Absolution is an almost perfectly executed addition to this series, but ultimately it falls short of perfection.
Hitman Absolution is like every other game that has been released in the past, it will be loved by some gamers and absolutely hated by others, all for different reasons, but the main difference from all the other games that have been released in the past few years is that the amount of mixed thoughts surrounding this game have been magnified by 10, simply because it does appear at first glance to be a shameful attempt to usher in new fans by "dumbing down" what Hitman was and should be, to "the point of no return", or the point where Hitman games would be "casualized" so much that they're made into something that they aren't (a full blown action game).
Fortunately, I'm very pleased to tell you that this game has not been made into a full-on third person shooter, void of any stealth mechanics whatsoever. Absolution still offers the same amount of choice and challenge that fans of the previous games will be pleased to see, while attempting to improve on a few key mechanics of the game without actually "dumbing the game down" or changing the game in any considerable way. Actually, there are five different difficulty settings that will allow you to choose your suitable difficulty setting. If you're a fan of the past games, Expert and Purist difficulties are perfect for you, they're challenging and punishing. Purist difficulty doesn't offer the player any sort of information to help them, no hud, no assistance whatsoever, except from audio cues.
Hitman Absolution occurs after the events of the previous Hitman game, Blood Money, in which gamers once again return to play as the ever unique and mysterious Agent 47, the genetically engineered clone assassin, who, after many events that I won't mention here so as not to spoil the story for everyone, is given a very personal assignment that leads into a deep tale of deception, vengeance, and ultimately, absolution.
The game's story is a really unique experience that players really won't see in any other video game out there today, although it's similarities to movies can be very noticeable at times, as the game definitely draws much inspiration from "road movies" with many bits and pieces of the game's story and visual design inspired by some of the works of film director, Quentin Tarantino. It's really shown in the way that the game presents itself, in that it gives you this very serious subject matter, such as going about killing targets as a hitman, in the ultimate goal of getting away with murder, while managing to include these many gritty and humorous locations and characters into the mix. So yes, Absolution manages to capture much of the dark humor that was present in the previous Hitman games, but it is more pronounced here, while still remaining subtle, and for the most part it succeeds. In one portion of the story, 47 is being hunted down by a group of vicious assassins dressed as nuns, which is very outlandish and yet it is never so outlandish that it feels tacked onto the story for the sole sake of making players laugh or smirk. The humor here mostly seems to fit with what the game tries to accomplish, without becoming random and overdone, just as the previous games managed to do. It will try to make the player smile sometimes, but it never draws the player's attention entirely away from the story at hand and it usually maintains subtlety, which only works in this game's favor. However, there are just those few points in which you'll sometimes notice that the game tries way too hard to crack a joke, making some jokes so dirty and blatantly twisted that they lose their subtlety. Even if these few jokes do retain some humor, the novelty of the joke seems lost when the game goes a little too far to make somebody crack up. Also, in one portion of the game, you are given access to the bird costume like the one present in Blood Money, which while it is quite funny to wear, it also has no connection to the locations in which you're granted use of this disguise, unlike when the disguise was used in Blood Money, where it managed to work as a disguise in the area that it was used, simply because other people were dressed as birds in the level, and it gave players a distinct advantage in the process eliminating all of your targets, Absolution just has a bird disguise, only for the sake of having a bird disguise.
This Hitman game, just like with every other Hitman game before it, is one that is appreciated with time. The odds are very high that many won't enjoy Hitman Absolution's campaign the first time that they play through it, but it becomes much more enjoyable the third or fourth time they play it. The first time that one plays through the campaign, they may become slightly confused by the plot, as it can feel severely disjointed and poorly designed at first, just as the previous games did, in which it almost appears random and it doesn't appear to make any sense as to why you are in certain locations and doing certain things at certain points in the campaign.
However, I found that the story felt much more fluid and better explained as I played the game a second time, in which many key questions that I had from my initial play through were answered completely. The plot felt much more complete and satisfying when I was willing to sit through the decently sized, 15 hour campaign a few more times. The game's story is also excellently told through delicately designed cutscenes which are just as dramatic, dark, serious, and emotive as they are beautiful and epic. The cutscenes depict a very gritty theme that remains present through out the game, while having an epic and serious style, and it's cutscenes never interrupt the gameplay and end up being extremely satisfying and well placed. They all add a certain mood and epic style to the game which was left out of the previous games, without becoming a nuisance.
Most of the game's visuals also add to this overall mood that offers an epic and gritty outlook to the world Hitman revolves around. The world and characters in this game are extremely detailed, down to the smallest detail. The level of detail here is amazing, all thanks to the new engine created specifically for this game, Glacier 2, everything from explosions to character models and clouds of polluting smoke spewing from smokestacks all have a distinct cinematic and artistic feel to them, and it all has a stylish and aesthetic feel to it, and the visuals are just very unique and creative. Each place has a certain meaning and pronounced style that really makes each location a joy to travel through, and the plus side is that with the game's amazing focus on visuals and detail, the game plays very smoothly with very few hiccups at all. Although there are a few points where the frame rate noticeably drops and slight freezes occur during gameplay, but I haven't found anything that has become overbearing or game breaking yet, and these visual issues have never reached the point in which I've needed to restart the game or system as I'm playing through a level.
The voice-acting here is also top-notch, this comment is especially directed towards David Bateson's work as Agent 47, whom he has perfectly portrayed since the first installment of the series which was released in 2000, and this is no different in Hitman Absolution. All of his lines are delivered with pure excellence and deepness here, and that not only makes the campaign's story much more riveting and exciting to see unfold, but it also makes 47 a much more invested and appealing character that is worth following along in the game's story. The voice-acting for the rest of the cast is also well done, relying on a cast of notable actors such as Keith Carradine and Powers Boothe. While the acting itself is excellent from the supporting cast, the script may rely a little too strongly on profanity to make a solid point, and while that's not necessarily a bad thing, there are certainly many other ways that the developers could have proven to the player that there are these vile and cruel people that Agent 47 is up against, rather than deciding to give every single bad guy an overactive potty mouth.
The soundtrack is also excellently designed in the game, and while it may not always be as fantastic, robust, and noticeable as Jesper Kyd's work with the previous Hitman games, the soundtrack here works for what game is designed for, Hitman Absolution. The game's soundtrack alters based upon the play style that one chooses. If the player decides to take the stealthy route through the game, the game's dynamic soundtrack will focus more on ambience and suspense, whereas players who choose the action-packed route will find that the soundtrack centers on loud, booming guitar riffs and epic music that is also very appealing. The tracks as a whole are excellent and they work well with the game's distinct sense of identity. Exploring the many different play styles that the game offers seems much more valuable just for the sake of hearing the many different sounds that the game has to offer.
The gameplay itself is also excellent, it doesn't differ that much from the gameplay that the previous games offered and it stays true to what the games have always been about, but there are a couple differences here and there that can either be seen as massive improvements or major setbacks from what the previous games offered, based upon personal preference of course.
For one thing, the checkpoint system is a serious issue which feels out of place and poorly used. When you play through this game, you'll notice that the game allows you to switch your play style in between each level. For example, say I start off the level as a mass murderer blowing everybody up with explosives and shooting everybody down with machine guns and shotguns, once I've done all I've wanted to in that checkpoint, you then move onto a door that will take you to the next checkpoint. Once you enter that next checkpoint, you'll notice that no one was disturbed by the constant gunfire happening just next door, it's a small problem, but it just feels strange and it ultimately prevents you from immersing yourself in the game as much as you should have been able to.
Players are not allowed to go back to previous checkpoints either, which you are able to do in games similar to this one, such as Dishonored, which is honestly a shame, as the checkpoints in Absolution, while decently sized for their purpose, make the levels appear much smaller than they did in previous Hitman games, and if targets were able to travel freely through different checkpoints rather than remaining in one checkpoint, the game could have had much more depth in what you could do in the game. However, this does not harm the game for what it does accomplish, as there are still plenty of options to explore in most of the checkpoints of the game, but larger environments focused less on checkpoint progression definitely would have given the player much higher levels of choice and variety. The checkpoints also may detract from the initial challenge that fans remember from past games, as you aren't forced to start an entire level over from the beginning if you fail or die without saving your game, instead you are forced into starting from the previous checkpoint, which can sort of ruin some of the tension that the old games relied so heavily on.
Now that the majority of the bad things about the gameplay are out of the way....
That lost tension is somewhat regained when dealing with the difficult yet realistic disguise mechanic. The mechanic here relies on a new addition to the Hitman world known as instinct. It's basically this bar that is filled as you complete certain actions, such as hiding bodies and taking out enemies silently. By filling this meter, you're able to blend in while in disguise, which will allow you to hide your face from NPCs who are about to become suspicious of your disguise. You can also hide yourself by performing other tasks, especially if you're running out of instinct. If you're disguised as a janitor for example, you are able to grab a mop and mop the floors, or if you're dressed as a guard you can pretend to observe and study control panels for an unlimited amount of time, so that you can observe your environment without bringing any attention to yourself.
The system works differently than it does in previous games, in Absolution, if you steal a guard disguise for example, you will need to avoid NPCs that are wearing the same disguise as you are, so you need to avoid guards at all costs in order to remain undetected. So rather than allowing the player to seamlessly drift through levels using one overpowered disguise like you could in Blood Money, and rather than making disguises almost impossible to use like in Silent Assassin, the game really finds the middle ground here, where it is very challenging and relies and proper planning and timing at some points, rather than randomness and simplicity. After my time with the game, I found the disguise mechanic to be much better than it was previously, simply because the game always warns you when you are about to be noticed, whereas in previous games, there was usually no warning as to when your cover would be blown whatsoever, and it just was annoying. Here, it is a very challenging system that is also reasonable and fair. It will penalize you for being careless while in disguise, but it doesn't make it impossible to wear disguises in the first place. The system retains the style of the previous games, even though it could have been balanced a little bit better for higher difficulties.
The game's combat is much more refined and fluid than it was in previous games also, thanks in part to the improved AI of the enemies, as they will try and flank you and outsmart you, whereas in previous games guards would just run at you from all directions and try to kill you, usually failing miserably. The gun combat is visceral and intense, and it still offers a very tough challenge, especially on higher difficulties The game also supports a variety of moves in hand-to-hand combat using quick time events that are actually quite fluid, fast paced, and yet fun to use and they are used very well here. The game has tons of environmental weapons that you can use to kill enemies, from fire extinguishers to baseball bats and everything is extremely violent and gruesome. The combat system works fine in this game, and it definitely worth some time playing through the game without using stealth, just to see the drastic difference as compared to the previous games, however, the AI isn't perfect, and minor problems such as guards shooting at walls and charging you for no reason still occur sometimes, and you also will find yourself missing a lot of things playing through the game from an action focused perspective, the odds are high that you'll miss out on vital information and comical conversations if you start shooting at everybody at first sight, so the stealth option still seems like it's the best way to play through Hitman Absolution, but it is still really a quite enjoyable and viable play style to use regardless of these flaws.
The stealth game play is also really fun to use, and the inclusion of a cover mechanic helps make the experience much better than before. The game is much more rewarding when you remain silent and unseen, and it is quite rewarding when you find out how to complete a level without being spotted and not changing disguises.
The only thing that many fans may not like about this new game's gameplay is that many of the areas that Agent 47 heads through during the campaign are both slightly linear and focused too much on advancing to the next checkpoint rather than killing targets. There are some points in the game where you will feel as if you are playing a classic Splinter Cell game rather than Hitman, and these somewhat linear levels that lack targets feel incomplete and like missed opportunities in the campaign where a great sandbox styled level or checkpoint could have been placed. That was my one main problem with the campaign overall, the lack of targets, it felt as if there weren't as many as there should have been, and the gameplay felt dull at some points of the game without a dedicated target to kill, however, the amount of choice in how to go about completing a checkpoint or level is satisfying in it's own way. The one plus of the campaign that really makes it special is it's emphasis on completing challenges, which adds to the replayability of every level in the game, and it makes the game that much more special, as you can see how many different possible ways there are to complete each level. However, I recommend that fans of the old games avoid the challenges page altogether as the challenges really prevent you from discovering inventive ways of taking out your targets all by yourself. While the levels offer a lot of variety in how to complete them, certain levels feel too straightforward and focused on moving forward, rather than studying your target's movements and striking at the perfect moment are gone from these levels during the story which is a shame, even though, if you accept this game as it is and not of think of it only as a Hitman game, these linear levels will not be as bad as you'd think, even compared to really linear stealth games like Splinter Cell, these linear portions of the game are fun and unique, and they still offer plenty of choice and variety in how you complete them.
The few let downs of the campaign are really changed with the ever fun and brilliant Contracts mode, which is an online mode within the game that allows you to create your own custom hits on any NPC that appears within the game's story mode. This mode is really addictive, and it's the biggest and best attraction for hardcore fans of the previous games, as it is the ultimate test of challenge and creativeness, as you're completing contracts created by other Hitman players and you get to create your own cool contracts. It's really fleshed out and it offers creativity and variety in levels that sort of appear extremely linear within the campaign. It's the mode that was made for the hardcore fans of the franchise and it seems like it is the better mode of the game when compared to the campaign. If there is any facet of the game that will keep you coming back for more when you get finished with the campaign, it is this mode. However, it would have been nice to include an offline component for Contracts mode so that we could just challenge our own scores, but regardless, this is the most fun that I've had with any game in a very long time, and Contracts mode is just a blast to play.
Having played this game for as long as I have, I can tell you that it isn't the perfect Hitman game, it's flaws are mostly covered up by everything that the game does right, from it's amazing visual style, ambitious soundtrack, interesting story and characters, smooth intelligent gameplay that stealth gamers will enjoy, the improved AI, the strong emphasis on choice and variety, it's comical moments, and Contracts mode, as well as it's minor improvements to how the game works, such as the tweaks made to the disguise system. But there are points in which it's slight flaws with the AI, it's excessive use of profanity, shallow attempts at humor, slightly linear level design, visual and graphical flaws, and it's checkpoint system all shine through the good and simply make this game a little less than perfect. It feels so close to perfection, and it feels like almost everything done in this game was done right, and it's a shame that these small things didn't allow it to become the perfect Hitman game, it is so close, but it just falls short. However, without comparing it to any other Hitman game, I can say that this is definitely an enjoyable game as compared to other games currently on the market, it's stealth gameplay and vast emphasis on choice is rare in games today, so I'd personally recommend Hitman Absolution to anyone who is interested in trying out a new stealth game with a huge emphasis on choice. Hitman Absolution is one of those games that you can tell that a lot of time and effort was put into making, and it's one of the better games that I've had the pleasure of playing on this generation of consoles.
Pros
+Great voice acting, soundtrack, story, and characters
+Outstanding visuals with a very focused art direction.
+Fun, fluid, and diverse gameplay with a strong emphasis on choice.
+Vastly improved AI from previous games
+Great scoring system
+Contracts mode and a wide variety of difficulty settings.
Cons
-Small checkpoints
-Some small AI issues
- Some freezes and glitches, frame rate issues.
-Somewhat linear level design for some levels
My Final Score: 9.0/10
My Personal Score of Hitman Absolution: 9.7/10
Worth playing? Absolutely.