Hitman Absolution:
Developer(s): IO Interactive, Nixxes Software (PC)
Publisher(s): Square Enix
Director(s): Tore Blystad
Artist(s): Visual Works (CGI)
Series: Hitman
Engine: Glacier 2
Platform(s): Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3,Xbox 360,Cloud (OnLive)
Genre(s): Action-adventure, stealth
Mode(s): Single-player, asynchronous multiplayer,(third-person view)
Distribution: Optical disc, download
After
resting for approximately for six and half years, the deadliest, cold blooded
assassin called 47 is back.
Is
the agent still the same old emotionless brilliant silent killing machine or
has time made him into just another loud mercenary?
For
those who are new to this franchise, Agent 47 is an Assassin who is employed by
a shady corporation called “The Agency”. Agency contacts is Assassins through
their “Handlers”. In the case of 47 the Handler is “Diana Burnwood”. She is the
only POC for Agent 47 in the Agency. Diana provides the startup Intel to 47 and
47 does all the field work. These two have co-ordinated and successfully
completed several High profile Assassinations. Player assumes the role of Agent
47 and completes the missions.
Hitman
franchise is known for its stealth gameplay, great environment, some of the
best background scores made in gaming industry and testing the patience of
gamers to the limit
The
game we are discussing and are about to dissect is the fifth installment in the
franchise. Let us discuss about the game and its features one by one
Story:-
The
game starts with Agent 47 being assigned a “Contract” but this time its not by
his handler “Diana Burnwood” but this contract is for the Handler. As she has betrayed
the agency and caused a lot of troubles for them. As a defector she knows
everything about agency and should be dealt by extreme precaution. And no one
is a better then 47 to handle delicate situations like these. 47 accepts the
contract. And one event leads to another. The story is very predictable and
sometimes it even feels clichéd. There is nothing extraordinary in the story.
The plot is there because it has to be. This is the age of games with amazing
and Jaw dropping plots with multiple outcomes and ending. Almost every good
game has it. In this game, player is completely controlled by the script. No
decision making leads to demotivate the player to go through the game even one
more time. The story is one of those “Read-and-Forget” types, well in this case
“Play-and-forget” types. I won’t say that the story is bad and worthless but
it’s not up to the mark of the plot standard followed in the gaming industry of
this age.
Rating:- 6/10
Environment:-
a. Aesthetics:
The
environment in this game is of very dark shade. Almost to the “B-grade Grindhouse
movie” level. Any more darkness added to that would lead to a post apocalyptic
era setup. Except two or three levels everything in this game environment is
either filthy or about to collapse. Sometimes this dark and shady setup does
not fit to the logic. How can one of a weapons research and manufacturing
facility look like an abandoned chemical factory from outside? How can prison
look like a gutter with few holding cells? Why this “Birdie” guy is covered in
pigeon shit (Yes you heard me correct “PIGEON SHIT in the literal meaning)? Etc.
This world misses the realistic setting like the suburbs where there are
neighbors watering the plants, kids playing in the park, settings like a
Vineyard, or the Opera House or even the “White House” as shown in its previous
installment “Hitman Blood Money”. None of the world in this game gives the same
sense as they had in its predecessors. All that player gets is shitty pub or a filthy
hotel. I mean the story does not demands these dark settings at all. If these
levels and missions are placed in a normal-daily-life environment then also the
story would have made the same sense and then that normal environment would
have made more sense. I believe that the dark shade was completely unnecessary
Rating:- 5/10
b. Usefulness:
If
points mentioned above are overlooked and you are comfortable with the
“Grindhouse” environment settings then the environment is pretty detailed and
useful to the player. Many interactive things are placed very intelligently in
the game. Most of the times these interactive objects are useful and helps the
player to complete the mission at hand. You can use a bottle to distract the AI
and make your way ahead. You can turn a valve and fill the room with smoke or
steam to decrease AI’s visibility. You can always kill or subdue the AI and
Hide the body in a Closet, refrigerator or garbage container or you can hide
yourself in it just like good ol’ times. The environment is one of the best and
most useful features in the game. There are hide spots in environment where 47
can hide from the enemy such as he is pretending to eat donuts while disguised
as a cop. The setup is so detailed that it provide numerous ways to approach a
target or destination giving the player freedom to devise his own way of
assassination or escape plan. The best example for this can be experienced in
the mission called “Attack of the Saints”. This mission is one of the best
missions in the game just because of the helpful environment. Some objects
placed in the game can be used as traps to kill your targets. These kills are
by far most satisfactory because only the player knows that it was not an
accident. There is so much freedom in the world that an observant player can
set up multiple traps just for One target and wait for the rat to fall in any
one of the trap. The only thing I personally missed are the sniping spots.
Snipers are almost useless as the targets are placed in the deepest-darkest pit
possible. And where you can see your target there the game teases you by
providing no sniper. Other than this the usability of the environment and the
freedom it provides to the player makes it one of the most useful environments
in the Hitman franchise.
Rating:- 9/10
Gameplay:
a. Abilities:
As
we know that Agent 47 is a clone made by the DNA of Five most dangerous
criminals of the world. But that doesn’t mean he has superstrength or flight
abilities. The abilities he was always famous for was his complete lack of
emotions, great intelligence and analytical skills. In previous games player
used a god like mini map to devise the infiltration and execution which sounded
more realistic. In this game that map has been completely removed and is
replaced by an ability called “Instinct”. This ability help 47 to see the path
of the NPCs and targets, locate the objects of interest (Remember “Eagle
Vision” from Assassin’s Creed Franchise). This is a good feature if you are a
new player to the series but if you know this series a little too well then
this ability will make things a walk in the park unless you are playing in
higher difficulty level. But I think it’s a good thing to have.
Another
new thing which is added is the cover system. Now player can take cover and sneak
past the enemy. Player can switch between covers and even allows you to fire on
enemies or drag them to the cover and choke them quietly. This is very useful
when things do not go according to plan, rather than being stuck or running
haplessly to avoid damage you can execute enemy one by one. This feature
properly fits to a stealth game like this. And switching covers and interacting
while in cover is flawless.
A
slight change is also added to the shooting system also. “Point Shooting” is
added to the game. This is slow motion tag and kill shooting system same as
“Splinter Cell Conviction”. This is also a good feature added but if a player
plays as the game’s norms i.e. killing only the target and not even touching
non- target NPCs then I would say that this feature is completely useless
because the game discourages the killing of any enemy except the defined
target. If you don’t give a rat’s-ass about the point system of the game then
this feature is for you. Also this feature feeds on the “Instinct” and there is
a right balance for using this feature. The game will not let to exploit this
feature.
Rests
of the abilities are same as the previous game. However these abilities have
been upgraded to certain extend such as
·
47
can attack any mob in more ways than its predecessors including with the guns
and objects within the environment. In a mission you can kill an enemy with a
bong. Yes I said it right, with a “BONG”.
·
Hand
to hand combat is upgraded with Quick Events which keep the player on toes e.g.
when 47 passes by any guy involved in a Bar brawl.
·
You
can hide two bodies in one container now and also hide in the containers
already containing the bodies
·
One
of the best things is now 47 can pretend to surrender and deceive opponents and
then use enemy as shield.
·
Disguise
system is still there but with a few realistic tweaks. Suppose you are in a
cops disguise and walking in a bar then no one will be suspicious as no one
knows you in the bar but if you are in a police station then every cop in the
station will be suspicious as they are not able to identify you as a cop. In
order to escape this kind of situation you can use Instinct to get away.
·
Saves
are removed by checkpoints. These checkpoints are placed in the world for the
mission. Increase the difficulty lesser the checkpoints
The
old abilities are nearly tweaked to perfection however few of the newly added
abilities need to be more perfect.
Rating: 8/10
b. Weapons:
Weapons
are the same as the previous game. Silverballers and Fiberwire are back.
However there are few changes to the Inventory system, the circular inventory
is replaced by D-pad like inventory. Syringes are removed and 47 can find
poison in the world instead of his inventory.
The
Fiberwire kill is upgraded; player can kill, drag and dump the body faster with
it. All in all there is a satisfactory arsenal of weapon and objects which can
be used as weapons.
The
use of the weapons is in a way discouraged in this game, thanks to the points
system. If you are a seasoned Hitman player then you can actually complete the
whole mission without firing a single shot. As player does not receive any
money after the mission so the upgrade feature has been completely removed
which I personally missed. Other than this, weapons in this game are okish and
does not make any big difference
Rating: 6/10
c. Missions:
There
are 20 missions in this game in story mode. Completion of each mission takes
you one step close to the final target. These missions are sequential in order.
So Sandbox lovers, you guys will be disappointed.
Most
of the missions are broken in three parts
1. Infiltration: In this player has
to infiltrate the area and reach the point where he/she will be able to see the
target
2. Execution: This is the part where
player plans and executes the target
3. Exit: After completing the
objective player needs to exit the area
After
completing the mission, points are awarded to the player depending on how the
mission was completed. If you completed the mission by not killing any
non-target NPC and hiding the bodies after sub-dueing then expect good rating
and points. If player performs a signature or accident kills for target then
big bonuses scores are given. If spotted and killing civilians and non-targets
then significant penalties are imposed. Player can subdue people for a small
penalty, but you can equalize that penalty by hiding their unconscious bodies.
If player sets all the traps in the mission and finds all the disguises then
bonus points are awarded. These point are given a ranking online after
comparing the score with your friends, Country and then whole world. So
basically these points give you your boasting rights that’s all.
Also
there is a “Contract Mode”. If you have completed the story mode then this is
the only thing which will inspire you to click on that “Hitman Absolution” icon
on your desktop. Contracts mode is the only feature that shows the Sandbox side
of Absolution, here you can create your own custom hits within the game’s
levels, choosing whatever NPCs, weapons or disguises you want. After that,
you can challenge your friends to complete your contracts faster and more
efficiently than you.
There
are five difficulty levels. Increasing the difficulty the AI will behave
according. Try goofing around with the AI in Purist (Hardest) mode and you will
regret it for your life as there are no checkpoints also. Basically the
difficulty settings provide every type of game play for every type of player
Rating: 8/10
Presentation:
a. Voice Acting:
Remember
what I said about the story? “B-grade Grindhouse” movie plot. Well the voice
acting is also the same. Every character in this plot (except 47 and Diana) has
a thick accent or they are busy delivering extremely clichéd dialogs. The only
people who will be speaking normal English are 47 and Diana. 47’s VO is given by
David Bateson and as always the voice is as cold and chilling which fits the
character beyond perfectly. Apart then this nothing is extraordinary.
Rating: 5/10
b. Background Score:
Background
score is given by Thomas Bärtschi with additional music written by Peter Kyed,
Peter Peter and Dynamedion. Music is satisfactory but you will always miss the signature
music of the series which was given by Jesper Kyd. There is only one instance
when 47 kills the target and “Ave Maria” starts playing making the kill extra
special. For the first timers you won’t even notice that but followers will
miss “Kyd’s” touch.
Rating: 8/10
Verdict:-
There
are very few games which provide such freedom to the player for executing the
task and improvisation if something goes wrong. But this game is handicapped by
its story and the points system. But also becomes edgy when other options like
“Contract Mode” and difficulty levels are explored. This game will keep you on
your toes not because of its story but because of its gameplay. This Agent has
not lost its Shinigami touch yet. Worth a shot!!!
