…anyone but me care?
Hitman was probably my game of the year 2016, and they've been dropping new content - elusive targets, escalation missions, bonus missions, an entire mini-campaign - pretty regularly since release, such that I'm fairly confident in saying I've played more Hitman in the last 2 years than just about anything else.
I'm really looking forward to seeing what they reveal in… an hour and 20 minutes from now. I'm hoping that it's episodic again; I really like having the breathing room on each level, though I've discovered that mentioning that on the subreddit is a serious no-no, unless you want to be repeatedly told how wrong you are.
I'll be interested to see what changes they make to the gameplay, if any; I love the concept of Hitman, but in execution (ahem) it just didn't click with me - though I'm willing to admit that my own impatience is a considerable factor. Too often, I found myself having to repeat a huge chunk of the mission but now lacking the composure to get back to where I was, which ended up in a serious tilt.
I don't think that's the sort of "problem" that could be solved without fundamentally changing the experience, though, so maybe I just need to learn to take it slow.
Hitman is best approached as a puzzle game, as much as anything. Learn how the pieces move, save often, and don't necessarily even go for the kill first time around.
Copied from the Reddit megathread:
Hitman 2
- Releases November 13 for PS4, Xbox One, PC
- Not episodic. Hitman 2 is the whole package.
- Three editions: Standard, Silver (includes Sniper Assassin, Executive Pack and Expansion 1, but doesn't appear to be available in the UK at this time), Gold (same bonuses plus Early Access and Expansion 2)
- If you pre-order, you can download and play Sniper Assassin right away.
- Collector's Edition (possibly console only?): Includes Collector's Pack (containing Concussive Rubber Duck and Midnight Black Suit) as well as:
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- Gun Case Replica & Collectables
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Sniper Assassin
- Online co-op multiplayer (Agent 47 is assisted by Agent Stone and Agent Knight)
- Levels appear to play similarly to The Vector from Patient Zero
Six new levels, including:
- Miami (set during an international motorsport race)
- Chateau in the mountains (set during a wedding - might be Sniper Assassin-exclusive)
- Rainforest
New weapons
- Marble bust
- Dead fish
- Tape measure
- Defibrillator
- Muffin
- Iron
- Pool ball
- Bolt remover
New system to blend within crowds and surroundings
Story revolves around eliminating the Shadow Client
More Elusive Targets are planned
Each expansion adds a new location, as well as missions, outfits, and weapons.
The briefcase is back!
New weapons
Okay, now I'm definitely interested.
It's presumably a vector for poison or distraction, but I didn't actually see the stream, so I don't know for sure.
This gives me a reason to power through the first one, certainly. I'll have to make an effort.
There's still some confusion over whether any season 1 unlocks will carry over; I was half-expecting this to plug straight into Hitman 2016, just as a new campaign like the Patient Zero stuff, but I guess they decided to go standalone.
I guess we'll find out more over the next 5 months, but there are still a few things I'd need answering before I'm sure I'll pull the trigger on this.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the first one made a PS+ appearance in the next couple of months.
I doubt it, somehow; the intro pack is already free, and they've given Paris and Sapienza away gratis as promotions in the last 6 months, too. And there's a Complete This Time, For Realsies, Guys, Honest! Edition coming soon, too.
I liked the delivery method of the last game – it definitely gave each level more room to breathe and forced longer engagement with the title. Wonder if that was a necessary solution to get the game out the door and now they've proved it works there was more time to package everything together.
Dunno, maybe. There's a lot of whinge in the subreddit about the episodic release, accusing it of "nearly killing" the franchise (which is clearly why it got a sequel and enabled the developer to go independent…).
Reddit is full of idiots. People who think Noel Gallagher has become too experimental, people who believe in haunted dolls and people who think they could single handedly 'sort out' their favourite video game franchise.
Yeah. It's funny - before the announcement, every other comment was, "I WONT BUY IF ITS EPISODIC!!!1!" fury, and since the announcement, it's all, "aw, I kinda liked the episodes."
Are we just accepting the stupid naming conventions now? It almost didn't matter as much with the first game. Hitman. God of War. It somehow doesn't feel as specific.
But there has absolutely definitely already been a Hitman 2. This is Hitman 2 2, isn't it?
Yeah, it's one of my pet hates. All that happens is that the games get referred to by the year they came out. Doom 2016, Tomb Raider 2013, God of War 2018. It's pointless - how hard can it be to come up with a new subtitle?
Saw Doom 2 was announced at E3.
This is going to launch with six different locations, rather than the drip-feed of levels that the first game employed (to either great or dreadful effect, depending who you ask).
“We have six confirmed locations that will be immediately playable when Hitman 2 launches on 13 November 2018, and there will be multiple missions available within each location,” an IO Interactive representative told VG247.
Those missions include the main campaign missions, Escalation Contracts, player created Contracts and Elusive Targets, so you are free to spend as much time mastering a location as you want.
I have enough trouble getting into single levels, let alone look at a wall of content. But then, I'm clearly in the minority. It'll do well, I hope.
I'm really going to miss the episodic release; I hope they at least wait a good long while before they start on the Elusive Targets, or I'll never stand a chance at learning the levels well enough to manage them.
