Hitman has been one of my favourite franchises ever since my Mum said I wasn’t allowed to play them as it “taught me how to be a clever killer”. I have followed the franchise all the way through, and whilst I really have no idea what the plot is at this stage… I plowed through the newest installment with the same excitement I had when I first tried the franchise.
Hitman 2 (2018) or Hitman (2016) Part 2, as I keep calling it (Because it’s basically an expansion and that’s just fine), is the best the series has ever had on offer. The gameplay is at a series high and the maps included with the base game promote replayability and constant improvement; I have seen a lot of people complain that Hitman 2 is just more of the same, but honestly… Why is more perfection a bad thing?
The maps featured throughout Hitman 2 are series highlights for me, with some real standout levels shining through as some of the best stealth game levels I have ever experienced. 3 maps in particular had me replaying over and over again just to finish all of the map challenges whilst perfecting my way to a Silent Assassin rating. Miami for example showcased perfection in the form of a bustling race course where you’re tasked with assassinating a driver who is the daughter of the CEO of a huge company. Following on from her assassination you must infiltrate your way into the company building to assassinate the corrupt CEO.
The other two maps that really stood out for me are Whittleton Creek, which serves as a suburban street you must infiltrate, and Isle of Sgail, which I can’t really speak about without spoiling huge chunks of the game – Just know that this level is Hitman perfected.
There are the usual quality of life improvements to be found in the game, but these mostly result in updated controls for 2018 that just improve on some of the clunkiness of its’ predecessor – What I was mostly excited for was to see that the Illusive Targets were back. These are targets that you get one chance at – Targets were a real highlight of the past game for me so it was a real treat to see this back again, ESPECIALLY as I got to kill none other than Sean Bean, and that this happened on the fantastic Miami level. For those wondering, I did kill him and it involved a fountain pen… To the eye. It was fucking brutal but I had one chance – So I opted for brutal as fuck instead of sneak in and take ages.
I have yet to delve into the multiplayer aspects of Hitman 2 (Multiplayer in games takes a bit of a back bench for me especially in Hitman), but I will report on this at another time. Stay tuned to Respawning for some streams watching me absolutely suck at Hitman 2 – It’ll be a laugh, I promise.
ALSO – Hitman Sniper is back with additional maps, and to anyone who played the original of this will be really stoked to see it return. If the season pass includes more maps for this I will love it. Sniper maps consist of the usual Hitman fare – Take out the target quietly – But instead of infiltration, you’re perched with a sniper rifle and have to use clever tactics to take out the target with just one thing at your disposal… BULLETS. Trust me you are in for a good time.
The story of Hitman 2 is definitely the weakest part of the game. Despite being a direct continuation of the first one it has become apparent that IO Interactive know full well that people aren’t playing these games for the storyline… But come on… I still would have liked a bit more than a powerpoint presentation being used to juxtaposition the game’s maps; is it really to much to ask for a LITTLE bit of CGI? The actual story itself did intrigue me though. Essentially you are carrying out contracts for a shady organisation to take down a terrorist who has ties to Agent 47… BUT GUESS WHAT – The shady organisation is… Well… Shady, and the man who grew up with 47 isn’t such a bad dude after all – Yeah, I will admit that the storyline reads like a trashy novel, but you know what? I love trashy novels.
Honestly, with the subsequent playthroughs of the maps I have been left chomping at the bit for more Hitman 2, and I cannot wait to dive deep into the DLC maps to get an extra hit of 47. Yeah it is a lot more of the same, but why does that have to be a bad thing? Hitman (2016) perfected the genre so more of the same if perfectly fine for me.