It's just business as usual for your favorite crimson tied assassin.
music is fantastic, not just the quality, but it really encapsulates the spirit of the game. sharp, edgy, suspenseful. voice acting is top notch.
graphics are great. not sure why every character in the game is totally ripped and has a tree trunk neck, but whatever. lighting is wonderful, helps set the mood for each hit flawlessly.
controls are great, very workable on a keyboard.
gameplay is exactly what one would expect from the hitman franchise. there's always a couple ways to go about making a hit. plenty of room for experimenting. think this time around the path to becoming a silent assassin is much more intuitive. some of the maps are more difficult than others, but on the whole much less rigid as some of the previous games in the series. we suppose one could say that it's less challenging in that respect, but on the highest difficulty it's still no picnic.
the story is a little less interesting this time around. there are other characters in the game, but they are really only ever hinted at. other professional hitmen. on at least two occasions it becomes necessary for 47 to get them. we like that this game didn't have to depend on the other clone plot device.
the notoriety mechanic was a novel idea. the more wrecklessly open 47 is the more difficult it will be for him to complete the following missions. the trouble with that mechanic is that if one is always careful there's nothing to worry about.
the ability to use "accidents" to dispatch 47's targets is long overdue. adds a bit more replayability to the game. not a whole lot, dead is still dead, but it's still a source of amusement. getting the ability to hide a body indefinitely by sticking them in a crate or freezer or dumpster is a lifesaver. in the previous games if 47 drugged someone it became a race against the clock before they woke up and raised the alert. this is a lot more flexible and ultimately that's a blessing.
there's always room for improvement, but this game is definitely a step forward.