DISCLAIMERS:
- the reviewer has not finished the game with 100% completion
- the game was played using the Xbox 360 version of the game intended for United States audiences
After skipping most of the era of the seventh generation of consoles, Hitman finally made his return in 2012 with Hitman: Absolution. This game was a dramatic change for the series, turning it into an action stealth third person shooter like Metal Gear Solid V for example. This review will judge Hitman: Absolution on its own merits.
The gameplay of Hitman: Absolution is generic but executed very well. The game is essentially a standard third person cover shooter with some basic stealth mechanics and the Hitman series’ signature open ended environments and objectives, though not to the same extent as in previous Hitman games. Controlling Agent 47 feels satisfying without any obvious problems. The only real problem to be had with this is that it makes killing everybody in a mission much more viable than it would be with more cumbersome controls, though the players score will still be severely damaged if they use this tactic. Levels are well thought out and allow for many creative ways to complete missions while at the same time not making it too easy to exploit some mechanics to beat missions in unintended ways. This means that playing missions multiple times is heavily incentivized. Something new that Hitman: Absolution introduces is a detective mode style mechanic that does things like show enemies through walls while also allowing Agent 47 to hide his identity from people who would recognize him despite the costume he may be wearing at the time as long as he has meter to use. Hitman: Absolution also introduces an online Contracts mode which allows players to create missions in the levels from the story mode by killing a target of their choice while bringing weapons and clothing of their choice, adding even more replayability. Overall Hitman: Absolution is extremely replayable and has some of the best feeling third person cover shooter action ever made.
Technically Hitman: Absolution is very impressive. Environments are extremely detailed, there are many technically impressive moments, and the variety of visuals impresses too. The art style is somewhat unique and fits well into this style of game. Overall the visuals of Hitman: Absolution are easily one of its greatest qualities.
The sound in Hitman: Absolution is a bit above average. The music generally fades into the background but none of it stands out as being particularly bad. Sound effects are quite a bit above average with some that stand out as being particularly good. Voice acting is all good, too. Overall the sound of Hitman: Absolution isn’t a selling point but it is far from a detracting force on the game’s quality.
The story in Hitman: Absolution is about average. Nothing particularly spectacular happens. Some of the writing is above average, though not in the context of the story. The story has very little influence of the gameplay, though, meaning that it doesn’t really matter overall.
In terms of value Hitman: Absolution is above average. The campaign has a sizeable length, though it isn’t quite long enough to justify paying full price alone. The high amounts of replay value and the online mode easily justify the price if the player is up to them, though.
Overall the reviewer would give the game an 8.5/10.
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