Hitman: Hitting Men

Colorado is 100% the low point of the trilogy, for me. Entirely hostile, no VIP costume, and - worst of all - you can't even disguise yourself as the target who's wearing a mask the whole time.

The lack of a Berg disguise is a staggering oversight, agreed. But I actually have a weird soft spot for Colorado, and I'd much rather revisit it than my personal least favourite, Bangkok (which feels boxy, cramped and artificial, in a way that none of the other levels do).

Season of Wrath roadmap is out:

Elusives in Hokkaido and Berlin (I think?).

Oh my God, is that… a suit that's not entirely fucking horrendous!?

(That second elusive does look like Berlin, yeah)

Was the Hallowe'en one out last year as well? I definitely remember playing something spooky-related on PS4 at some point.

Looks like it's the same Hawke's Bay escalation - at least, those are the same unlocks as last year.

Was the Hallowe'en one out last year as well? I definitely remember playing something spooky-related on PS4 at some point.

Wasn't the last Halloween one on a farm where you're dressed as a scarecrow? Never played it, but I remember it.

The scarecrow outfit is just part of Colorado, and there were some specific challenges for it that might have been Halloween-related, but there was a total overhaul of NZ in Hitman 2.

I thought this was fascinating. The Sniper Assassin maps in the game are effectively full levels and people have modded the game on PC to allow you to wander around in them. There are a few visual glitches as you'd expect and the interiors need a bit more detail but they're astonishingly complete (check out the caveman at 16:35). There are similar videos for the other two sniper maps.

I know IOI have hinted that they have more Hitman stuff in the works going into 2022, I wonder if some sort of reuse of these maps could be on the cards? Feels like a lot of good stuff that's just been shunted into a bonus mode hardly anyone plays.

** klaxon **

Chongqing. Never done it. Should be interesting.

Done, Silent Assassin.

It's a really interesting one because the target has a long and varied route with plenty of opportunities, but there are guards absolutely everywhere and none of the disguises really allow you to move around freely.

In the end I did it in a very cautious way:

Spoiler - click to showHis route takes him through the small office behind the arcade. So I hid in the dumpster just outside, took out his bodyguard with the aid of the emetic pistol first time through and then waited for him to come back round on his own to get him.

Also done, SA. That wasn't hard at all.

Spoiler - click to showThe only issue was that I don't know the level and didn't know what I might need, so went in with coins and a lockpick just to feel the place out. After that, finding him was the only difficult bit… Gar's right, there are guards everywhere. But once again, AI exploitation comes to the rescue - got into a position where I left a gun in his path, the bodyguard picked it up and just strolls off while the target conveniently leans over a wall. Shove, scream, whoops, off to the nearest exit.

At least it wasn't another poison kill. That's my 15 Elusives done, no more challenges left.

Got a weird thing with the DLC though: I bought the pack, but the store list shows shopping cart icons besides that, Act 2: Pride and Act 7: Wrath. Everything else is ticked. Weird. Going to need to investigate how to fix that, else I can't play those bits when I eventually get there…

What do you get if you click on the game's icon and select Manage Installation?

Whenever a new Deadly Sin is released, I have to manually install it from there in order for it to work. Hopefully everything you are entitled to appears in that list, regardless of what the store thinks.

According to the Xbox Store, I own everything. Nothing was installed, but it all is now. It's still saying I don't own the pack, Pride or Wrath in the H3 Store tab though.

I'll see if I can access it in the right part of the game, but Wrath is currently marked 'Get access' on the Featured page at the front. Huh.

Definitely try and access the escalations from within the game (you don't need to play them if you want to avoid spoilers - just make sure you can get into them).

Submit a player support request if it doesn't work - they're actually really good and have helped loads of people with problems like this.

https://ioisupport.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/requests/new

Will check it at some point soon, I've got two weeks off so plenty of time going.

I also had a brief tinker with the Sniper Assassin mode, which I've never touched until you mentioned it. Made me recall how much I enjoyed playing the mobile Hitman Sniper game… reckon I'll give that a go instead of ploughing into Colorado next.

The Sniper Assassin mode is pretty impressive but I'm absolutely woeful at it. The challenges are really, really hard (for me, at least).

You used to be able to play it two-player but I think they've removed that functionality now, which is a shame.

They dropped all the multiplayer stuff, which was a shame; Ghost mode was quite fun, too.

Definitely try and access the escalations from within the game (you don't need to play them if you want to avoid spoilers - just make sure you can get into them).

Submit a player support request if it doesn't work - they're actually really good and have helped loads of people with problems like this.

https://ioisupport.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/requests/new

No luck. I uninstalled and reinstalled all the modules (not the game) but Pride and Wrath refuse to be recognised. Ticket time then.

That Elusive was pretty good! Got him on my fifth or sixth run, with an uncharacteristically risky explosion kill.

Spoiler - click to showAfter a few attempts at finding the guy, and a couple more figuring out how to tail him, I noticed the target stopping next to a moped parked along the street, at the bottom of a staircase (next to the chain-link courtyard are behind the apartment building). The bodyguard was halfway down the steps, I was at the top; popped a couple of round in the tank and thankfully the explosion only got the target. Quick jog to the train station to exit.

Not bad - third run, in the end, after I spent fifteen minutes unable to find him first time through.

Spoiler - click to showStarted as a Block Guard, ran downstairs (emetic gun to get rid of one enforcer), then hid in a cupboard in the arcade side room until he passed with his bodyguard. Hit the bodyguard with the second shot of emetic while the target chatted, then choked him out and hid him in a cupboard while Mr. Rage carried on his merry way. Grabbed a screwdriver from the same room while I waited for him to loop back round, stuck him in the neck with it when he passed through, and stuffed him in the same cupboard before a leisurely exfil.

Would have been a shorter time, but I ended up going for the farthest exit.

EDIT: I avoided the spoiler blocks up-thread, but turns out I did the same thing as Gar, so… Snap?

** klaxon **

What Gar said.

EDIT: Oh god, it's one where the target could be one of three people. In a place I've never done. Ugh.

This is the first one I remember playing in Hitman 2 - where my approach was very straightforward:

Spoiler - click to showMurder one of the three at random, if it's not the right guy then quit and restart.

However I'm pretty sure I had full Mastery on Hokkaido at the time, which makes it a LOT easier as you need level 20 in order to even bring any items into the level with you. Still reckon I can do it, it'll just be a bit of a faff as it requires more setup

Spoiler - click to showfor something that's only got a 1 in 3 chance of being the right person anyway.

In the meantime I've had another couple of runthroughs of Hokkaido this afternoon (it's one of my favourite levels in the whole trilogy, so that wasn't any kind of hardship) and unlocked a couple more starting locations, which should help a fair bit.

This is the first one I remember playing in Hitman 2 - where my approach was very straightforward:

Spoiler - click to showMurder one of the three at random, if it's not the right guy then quit and restart.

This goes against everything I want to do in Hitman. And yet. And yet.

Dooming myself to embarrassment, and it's been a while, obviously, but I vaguely remember it not being too difficult to work out which of the three it was..?

It changes each game, as do their routes. You can work it out (and I think Diana eventually just tells you outright) but my method is a lot quicker.

Essentially then, it's about working out an SA method of killing one potential target, then doing it ad naseum until that potential is actually the target. Fiver says there's an easy poison opportunity in there as well.

Sigh. Fine.

All done and I feel dirty as hell.

https://twitter.com/MrMartyBarty/status/1459948498053476365?t=-giczKh3vkQAOrTqf4-s8g

Spoiler - click to showFigured out pretty quickly that the three potential targets all appear to look the same, since I kept running into what looked like the same person in multiple spots that weren't possible for one guy to be in so quickly. Also worked out pretty quickly how to get a staff outfit, how to get poison from a Fugu fish (the NPC talk and the presence of a sushi bar made me expect it even before I found it), and where an easy poison kill point was. Turns out I didn't need to try more than once… I did multiple exploration runs but my first poison attempt was correct straight away. I only struggled a little on the way out because I don't know the level layout for exits and worried constantly about running into an enforcer.

Seems like a great level, but I still feel scummy for not doing it properly. Oh well.

Hnnngghhh. Spent a good couple of hours yesterday getting up to level 12 Mastery on Hokkaido so I could unlock the chef starting position and make things a bit easier for myself - executed the kill perfectly - then got spotted by an Enforcer on my way out. Still got the ET but no SA for me.

Hokkaido is such a good level though. I've done most of the big ticket challenges and a very silly escalation and I'm up to level 14 now, I think I might stick around and finish this one off. I know some of these Elusive Targets are a bit rubbish but as a method of keeping us all coming back to Hitman 3 regularly throughout the whole year, they certainly do their job.

Still plugging through Hokkaido. I did the new Ice Cold Cowboy challenge which was added with the Season of Wrath, it's not especially difficult and it gives you a polar exploration suit. I reckon I've got a SASO approach worked out now so going to give that a go tonight - then I see there's an even harder one to do it all in the Ninja outfit…

it gives you a polar exploration suit

There are a few of these big-parka suits now, but not really any locations that they look right for. Not that there isn't a certain measure of hilarity in wandering Santa Fortuna on a ski coat, but I do like being a little bit thematically consistent…

I reckon I've got a SASO approach worked out now so going to give that a go tonight - then I see there's an even harder one to do it all in the Ninja outfit…

I think I've done that one. Never managed the baseball bat stuff, though.

Cheesed out an SASO by repeating the same poisoning run until RNGesus gave me the right guy. Feeling kinda guilty about it, but I also ran through a couple of other outstanding Hokkaido challenges (some of which I'd missed on PS4) so I've got a small sense of accomplishment.

Mastery 20 on Hokkaido, go me. Definitely one of my favourite levels in the whole trilogy (it's probably between this and Berlin for the top spot). I just love the locations in this game that feel like they could be real places.

I also always forget how much harder getting full mastery is in Hitman 3, the removal of a few easy wins like "No Evidence" and the Master level challenges compared to the previous game does leave you having to explore the depths of the challenge list a lot more. I recommend The Dexter Discordance for a silly and straightforward 3-stage Escalation with a satisfyingly high body count.

Back on the Hitman wagon, since Debs has gone out for the afternoon/evening. Doing Colorado, already up to Mastery 15 thanks to picking off a whole bunch of challenges (the scarecrow ones were fun to get). I dunno about all the hate, I quite… like the level? I get there's no catch-all outfit, you can't go everywhere without swapping and whatever. But the kills are varied, it's a challenge to work them all out and still get away in one piece. I'm enjoying it!

It’s fine first time around but I rarely feel the urge to return to it. The targets are particularly unmemorable and every disguise is a slightly different variation on a soldier. It’s not my least favourite level in the trilogy but it’s definitely near the bottom.

That's fair. To be honest, I'm clearing out every level and then moving on, so I won't be returning to any of them, not just this one.

Mastery 20 now, so just got to work out the last of the challenges… god knows how I'm meant to get them all in the slurry pit, that'd mean dragging at least one corpse the length of the map.

Worked out an easy solution to the slurry pit conundrum that takes several other challenges into account. It involves making everyone spontaneously combust. So that'll be fun.

Completely buggered up my exit on The Fugitive and got spotted by an enforcer on my way out, so no SA for me.

OOOOOOOOOOH

https://www.ioi.dk/hitman-3-year-2/

Year 2
HITMAN 3 – Year 2 will start on 20 January 2022, with post-launch support confirmed for another 12 months. New maps, storylines, modes and ways to play are all lined up for 2022, which is set to be another exciting year.

Oooooh

Elusive Target Arcade
A new way to play Elusive Targets arrives in HITMAN 3 in a brand new game mode that we’re calling Elusive Target Arcade. Prepare to take on the ultimate Elusive Target challenge in a change to the established formula in this fan-favourite game mode. All Elusive Target Arcade content will be a permanent addition to the game. Full details on how this game mode works will be shared in early January 2022.

OOOOOOOOHH

VinceMcMahon.jpg

New maps

OOOOOOOOH

If that's not 47's house, then I'll eat my hat.*

(* after constructing a hat from chicken nuggets)

If that's not 47's house, then I'll eat my hat.*

47's HOUSE CONFIRMED

I hope that ray tracing support leaves all the graphics exactly as they are but makes 47's head incredibly reflective.

Seriously, though, this is incredible news. I think most people were expecting support to slowly dwindle now. But maybe the unexpected success of Hitman 3, and the fairly muted response to the Seven Deadly Sins, has caused IOI to rethink their plans. New maps is a particular surprise as they've expressly said in the past that they didn't plan to do those. And permanent Elusive Targets (in what is clearly some sort of score attack mode) is a long-overdue addition. I'm very pleased. Take my money.

This is fantastic. Can't wait.

They're not getting any more money from me until I get all the DLC I paid for before. It's still an 'open' bug report, and I doubt it's going to be resolved any time soon.

All challenges on Colorado done. There's an escalation to tackle and the next part of Patient Zero, then it's onto the end of Hitman 1!

I can't believe you're 100%ing all of these levels before moving on, you madman. You're in for a treat though, Hokkaido is a brilliant level.

Speaking of Patient Zero, I've been playing through that too. One of those bits of side content I'd never really got around to playing.

The Bangkok mission, The Source, was a bit disappointing but I really enjoyed the Sapienza mission, The Author. Loved the night-time atmosphere and it was nice to explore an area of the level that was previously a bit under-used. Going to try and mop up a few of the challenges before moving on.

Finished the Colorado escalation at lunch, and then went straight into the Patient Zero mission. That was… unexpected? And really quite enjoyable, a nice short sniper assassin stage that breaks up the usual formula nicely, and was quite quick to do. Only got a couple of challenges there to do (killing all targets in five shots, easy, but hiding the bodies does seem to depend on you randomly getting ones near hiding spots), then it's off to Hokkaido.