Hitman has never been a small franchise, but it’s 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. It’s complicated. By all accounts, it isn’t a terrible game, but many would agree that it isn’t a good Hitman game. Conrad Zimmerman, writing here at Destructoid at the time, seemed to like it. However, most would say it’s 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. It’s 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 47’s motel room with a rocket launcher. He’s 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 “failed stealth” moment since the Hitman games are often about avoiding gunfights. It was, fortunately, not entirely indicative of the game’s content at launch, but it was jarring.
On Steam, Hitman: Absolution commands a 92% “Very Positive” rating with users. Like I said, it’s not terrible. Just don’t 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