"Hitman can beat his foes like a true action hero!" (Hitman 2 - Silent Assassin (PC))

Member Name: ps2update

Product:	Hitman 2 - Silent Assassin (PC)
Date:	07/12/02 (441 review reads)
Rating:

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I would be lying brazenly if I didn't say that I was truly excited about playing this game, a huge fan of the original I was looking forward to, well…to more of the same really. More of the same though cannot be considered a bad thing though, can it? Our hero or antihero, if you will, who left gamers (in the PC only original) standing coldly over the body of his genetic creator, seems to have followed the path of so many great movie good guys, and turned to spirituality. Painting a fence, tilling the rocky land of thy neighbour for the good of the soul.
Unfortunately Mr.47's neighbour is a Sicilian priest, and Italy being how it is, it isn't long before our man's Zen-like tomato cultivation is interrupted by overweight gangsters, leaving Hitman a note and ransom. Unable to pay, 47 comes out of retirement and prepares to kick enough ass to save his friend, but as with any good plot darker forces work in the background...

GRAPHICS

The first thing that hits the gamer is the graphics, clearly one knows they
will be good (the transformation from PC to next generation consoles), but the movement of the curtain over the confessional keeps the gamer mesmerised for a while, just walking back and forth and enjoying the ripples of cloth reacting realistically, the graphics are truly stunning. The addition of the new 1st person mode gives the game another sight of the gorgeous graphics of the weapons, as one finds themselves firing bullets into floors and walls to watch Hitman reload his gun. The blood splatters of shooting the enemy are a true treat for the eye - shell casings and even clips fall from the gamer's gun.
19/20

SOUND

Hitman 2 has chosen for the main part not to use any background music, even during tense moments. Although one can't help but feel if the game had included some carefully done violin work or similar in certain tense spots the tension could have shot up, sometimes, thoug
h, the realistic silence other than the cry's of panic from guards and the sound of your gun is enough. For the FMV's and screens between levels a rather stunning set of tracks by the Nepal symphony orchestra is in place for the gamer to enjoy, although not to everyone's taste it definitely adds another level of grandeur to the game. As for the sound effects during the game, the hiss and whip of a silenced pistol or the crack of a gun butt to someone's face is played to perfection. Gamers will find themselves having played this game so much that they can distinguish between guns by the sound of them firing.
18/20

GAMEPLAY

The story of Hitman is typically like its predecessor, handled like a fine Hollywood movie plot, but with a darker edge. Gamers really get a sense that no matter how things turn out, there wont be a happy ending. The controls aren't the easiest thing to get used to, one stick controlling the camera and partially the direction, whist the other controls Hitman's movement, gamers have to learn to use both. The first big thing one will encounter in their missions is the addition of the Alert bar, which monitors the suspicion levels of the people and guards around the gamer. A feature of the first game was the totally unaware guards and NPC's, who seemed completely fine with strange bald men walking directly behind them and knocking shoulders with them, not even looking over their shoulders, but now one must question, have Eidos changed the balance too far? Even when not acting suspiciously Guards and civilians eyeball our Hitman. Possibly one of the best features of the original, and thankfully kept in the sequel, is the ability to steal the clothes of the people killed. Some would criticise the fact that gamers can unload an entire SMG clip into a doctor, then change into his oddly still pristine white clothes and assume his identity, but if the clothing did react realistically the difficulty of the g
ame would be surreal. Also when Hitman dons his newly acquired togs and steps out into the world, guards and civilians are far more suspicious of him, being a strange face, best not let them take a good look at you and hurry on past, adding a new 'will they spot my disguise?' level of tension to the game, although it would have been nice to see less alerts when wearing disguises that cover Hitman's face and body totally.
One flaw with the original that has been corrected was the fact that if one made the error of alerting the guards, it was game over as it seemed every guard on the level magically knew who you were, although now if one manages to clear the scene fast enough and act casual one can usually get away with it. Also adding to the games difficulty is the new save option, something denied in the original, allowing you to save before making any crucial leaps or taking game threatening actions, this cuts down on the amount of time gamers have to spend replaying bits of the level already covered and in addition to this allows levels to be longer. Although don't think it's too easy, the saves are limited.
Of course, without a doubt, one of the most fun and revolutionary parts of Hitman as a game is the ability to blend into the public, scope out your target and then enjoy the massive satisfaction of doing the deed, then slipping away without anyone giving a second thought and that warm fuzzy feeling of exploiting their ignorance, and as usual there are innumerable ways to deliver the hit, ranging from loading up with military machine guns and diving in and out of cover blasting people apart, to not even firing a single shot on some missions. At the end of it all gamers now get a grade system, telling how many shots have been fired, where the gamer hit, how many times 47 was spotted, measuring levels of stealth and aggression and, most importantly, a witty description of actions during the mission, ranging from "Mass Murderer&q
uot; to "Silent Assassin", which being the title of the game you are often rewarded with secret weaponry for.
The deed itself can now be performed in a huge variety of new ways, with a massive selection of pistols and a good array of rifles and machine guns to deliver cold vengeance with. In Hitman 2 the money element from the first game has been removed, so no longer does one have to decide whether it would be better to take the silenced 9mm with extra ammo, or take an SMG as well and have less, because even though one starts with a typically small variety of weaponry, from then on any weapons one picks up and finishes the level with, Hitman smartly takes home with him and stores in his garden shed. In the original since every bullet mattered you would often collect so many different guns that you would have to scroll down to see them, most of which being the same and with only a clip or less in them, now that has been replaced and Hitman simply thieves the ammunition from others guns, also fatal death is no longer the only way. Ever feel guilty for popping that innocent citizen so they couldn't squeal on you? Now Hitman is armed with chloroform and a handkerchief to subdue people instead, allowing you to truly play the tragic hero and spare the innocent, if that's your cup of tea. Why shouldn't you feel a twang of sympathy for the poor AI as yet another innocent cowers in a corner begging not to be shot? Of course if they have seen the gamer it's a bit late, or is it? Excitingly now Hitman can beat his foes like a true action hero, delivering blows to the head with rifle butts or pistol whipping people unconscious when too close to fire. It's little bits of innovation like this that make Hitman 2 so fun to play, gamers find themselves throwing caution to the wind and running toward their foe just to see 47 destroy their nose with the butt of his 9mm.
25/25

LIFESPAN

Although Hitman 2 isn't the hardest gam
e in the world to complete, the replay value of it is immense, since Mr.47 takes all his 'liberated' guns home with him to his shed, and the new ability to select earlier missions to play again, means gamers can go back and tackle earlier missions armed with far greater equipment and laugh at their inferior pop-guns. Each mission can be completed in such a variety of different ways, coupled with the new scoring system and the illusive "silent assassin" rating and its potential rewards will honestly draw gamers back time and time again, plus there's nothing more satisfying than killing evil people, then slipping away into the background, a silent figure in a suit...Definitely this is a game you will come back to time and time again.
22/25

ORIGINALITY

As games go, Hitman has to be one of the most exciting and novel of concepts, the only games it's really comparable to are the likes of Metal Gear Solid and Rainbow Six, Hitman is definitely a game that can hold its own in the video gaming community.
8/10

OVERALL

Hitman 2 is one of the games to own for your console, it is innovative, highly addictive and one of the most interactive games available. Eidos have done themselves proud with yet another AAA title alongside the Tomb Raider and Timesplitters games.





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