Hitman has never been a small franchise, but itās never been bigger than it is now. The World of Assassination trilogy that started in 2016 propelled it into the stratosphere. Which is surprising, since the series seemed to be at its lowest a few years earlier with Hitman: Absolution in 2012. Now you can own that lowest point for $2 on Steam.
That might not be fair. Itās complicated. By all accounts, it isnāt a terrible game, but many would agree that it isnāt a good Hitman game. Conrad Zimmerman, writing here at Destructoid at the time, seemed to like it. However, most would say itās a bastardization, eschewing some of the more open-ended gameplay for what feels both more linear and also, well, dumber. Less sophisticated, if you will, and have forgotten what Hitman: Codename 47 was like. Itās assumed that, in an effort to achieve gameplay that is more accessible, it watered the whole experience down.
And then there were the rocket nuns. An early trailer depicted sisters of the cloth clad in bondage gear blowing up Agent 47ās motel room with a rocket launcher. Heās upset, so he has a bombastic gunfight with the BDSM nuns. He probably should have just said the safe word. However, the whole trailer seems like a āfailed stealthā moment since the Hitman games are often about avoiding gunfights. It was, fortunately, not entirely indicative of the gameās content at launch, but it was jarring.
On Steam, Hitman: Absolution commands a 92% āVery Positiveā rating with users. Like I said, itās not terrible. Just donāt play it directly after playing Hitman: World of Assassination or Hitman: Blood Money. Set your expectations in the right place, and you might not be disappointed.
You could do worse for $2. I do worse for $2 most days.
Published: Jul 25, 2024 11:48 am