Thirith on 5/6/2016 at 09:13
It was mentioned in the "NOW what are you playing?" thread, but I'm quite surprised there isn't at least some discussion of the new Hitman game. Certainly, it follows perhaps the greatest disappointment in the franchise, and it's released episodically, which tends to get some people riled, but I've been playing it for a week now and am greatly enjoying it. I'd played the first two Hitman games before, and I've checked out Blood Money repeatedly, but I always liked the idea of the game better than the actual execution (no pun intended). This Hitman, though, has grabbed me, and when I'm not playing it I find myself thinking about approaches, methods and escape routes.
Having said that, I've mainly played the two tutorial missions so far, which are like Hitman miniatures: a hit on a master thief on a boat and one on a defector at a Cuban military base, both framed quite neatly and convincingly as in-universe training exercises. The first of the two is mainly there to familiarise the player with the game's mechanisms and controls; the second already offers various creative methods of infiltration and assassination. Also, Hitman cleverly uses challenges to prompt but not preempt the player's creativity (at least with the appropriate options reduced or turned off): what could you do with that slide projector? How to put that mockup fighter jet to good use?
Just now I took my first stab (ha!) at the first 'proper' mission, a double assassination at a Paris fashion show. The mission is great at creating a miniature world in detail, and while my first run a) overwhelmed me and b) ended with me getting shot and killed, I'm already brimming with ideas on how to get close to victim A. The fact that there are hundreds of people around? That's a challenge, not an imposition. And the male model looking quite a bit like me? Well, with a bit of makeup added and the right outfit, I'm sure I can walk out in front of the crowd and no one knows any better. Though... can I actually kill someone while posing on a catwalk? That remains to be seen.
Anyway, tl;dr: I can't say how this will play for Hitman afficionados, but from what I've heard they're enjoying it. The starter kit, which includes the two tutorial missions and Paris, is relatively cheap, and the episodic model actually makes sense for this one, as far as I'm concerned. I'd be surprised if this wasn't a game that a fair number of TTLG regulars would enjoy.
derfy on 5/6/2016 at 19:26
I keep hearing bad things about online dropping out and losing your progress towards a challenge. I may pick it up later.
redface on 5/6/2016 at 20:25
Had no issues with the connection yet.
I bought the first episode (tutorial + Paris) and played it for four or five hours. It was fun, a nice sandbox. The biggest downside were the clunky controls (keyboard and mouse), as in worse than the previous games. They really do stand in players way sometimes.
Waited a long, long month and eagerly bought the second mission (Sapienza). Played it for an hour or two and then called it complete.
I'm not going to buy the third or next episode anytime soon. Maybe when the whole game is complete. I guess this episodic system doesn't work for me, and it's not the cost, it's the fact I can't be arsed with this game for two-three hours and then wait a month for another location. While it worked fine with the Walking Dead games, with this one, for me it doesn't. I need the whole game and this is too... dilluted? Looking forward to a quality Hitman week by the end of the year.
Thirith on 5/6/2016 at 20:45
I can't speak for KBAM controls, but the game pad controls are just fine and IMO muchbetter than the KBAM controls in Blood Money.
I'm not usually one for sandbox experimentation, but already the tutorial levels made me want to try out different approaches, and the Escalation mode got me into trying to perfect an assassination according to specific parameters. If you don't get much out of trying out multiple different solutions, definitely wait until all the missions are out. As it is, I'm absolutely okay with this being episodic.
Thirith on 14/6/2016 at 06:39
Quick update: This morning before going to work I finished the second big mission, the one set in the coastal town Sapienza. The developers are brilliant at creating these detailed, self-contained worlds (this just popped into my head, but they'd be perfect at creating a game version of The Prisoner's Village), and it's easy to see why people liked this one better than the Paris episode, which was already very good: there is so much variety, with the village, the church, morgue and graveyard, the mansion, ruin and underground lab. In a way the game feels like Evil Bond, especially in this sunbaked locale.
One thing I realise, though: I have to push myself a bit to get out of my comfort zone. There are lots of unique ways to get your targets, but I've found that in both episodes I used a similar approach, both times getting one target by putting rat poison in their drink, following them to the bathroom and drowning them in the toilet. Now that's perfectly okay, but in this respect the game reminds me of Thief: there is a general way of getting through each mission, but sometimes self-imposed restrictions can make things more fun. Hitman helps you in this by hinting at the various ways the targets can be taken out, in more or less detail (you can choose in the options whether to get the full information on the opportunities, just their labels, or nothing at all), and while exploring the levels you come across tons of objects and situations that suggest more creative approaches.
While this does differ from Thief in relevant ways, I do think that the Hitman episodes might appeal to a lot of Thief fans. It's the large, interesting locations, the methodical approach that's required from the player, the fun ways in which things can go awry - and I'm sure you can even knock everyone out and drag them to a pantry, if you're good.
Next up: first I think I'll replay Sapienza, trying to kill both (or all three, kinda) targets differently, and then I'll check out the third episode set in Marrakech.
scumble on 17/6/2016 at 16:33
Are you paying for episodes as they turn up? I'm not sure about paying for promised content upfront. Is there a release schedule?
Thirith on 17/6/2016 at 16:36
You can do either, though paying for the whole thing upfront gives you a bit of a discount. I don't think the upcoming episodes have concrete release dates. The starter pack gives you the two tutorial levels and the Paris mission; if you like replaying a mission, experimenting and perfecting your approach, I'd say it's pretty good value for money.
Renault on 17/6/2016 at 16:53
I think they said they're planning on releasing one mission each month for six months, following the initial release. If you buy the whole thing in one shot, it's $60. Otherwise, you can buy the starter pack for $15, and then each individual mission for $10 after that (bringing your total up to $75) or buy all of the follow up missions at one time for $50 (bringing your total to $65).
I guess you can tell I've been pricing this out lately...
scumble on 17/6/2016 at 18:45
In the uk that's £10 to start and £6.99 per episode. It's not bad considering the price for video rentals by comparison.
Yakoob on 18/6/2016 at 05:16
Do I need to play the first episode to understand the 2nd? I never got into Hitman, but was thinking of picking up the 2nd one just for the sandbox "just sink in and absorb the whole town while blending in"
or should I just give Blood Money another chance?