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Hitman 2: Silent Assassin Review |
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Hitman 2: Silent Assassin
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For those of you who happened to have missed the first Hitman installment on the PC, this is going to be the first foray into the world of Agent 47, and you'll likely be glad you did. The first installment had it's share of problems, but overall it was a good game despite what some sites might say to the contrary. I enjoyed it thouroughly, and was looking forward in anticipation to it's sequel arriving on the Xbox, PS2, and PC. The Xbox is where I chose to pick up my fiber-wire again and see if Agent 47 is still as much of a bad-arse as he was nearly two years ago. Amazingly enough... he's even badder.
The gameplay is rather simple in explanation, but much more difficult in practice. Essentially, you are a genetically engineered assassin who kills for money. Absurdly huge amounts of money, but money nevertheless. Sounds simple enough, kill people, get paid. The reason Agent 47 is called back into duty is to find the people who kidnapped the minister he has befriended and now works for. they demand a half a million dollars as ransom. Bad move. Hitman have a way of um... well... holding grudges. So in order to find the kidnappers, he signs back on to his old assassin outfit to rustle up some info and pop a few skulls in the process. While it is posssible to go in guns blazing and do okay at Hitman 2, your skills will definitely be called upon and better utlilized to sneak, snipe, disguise, and make yourself as invisible as possible. Being detected is easy, much as it would in real life. You run too fast, even when disguised, and others will notice, and your suspicion meter starts to pulsate, and if you are dressed slightly wrong, or carrying a gun a person in a mailman uniform has no reason to be carrying, you'll be spotted. Then soon, you'll be fighting off a dozen or more men and possibly scaring your target into running for his life and escaping before you can even get a bead on him. You'll have access to a ton of cool weaponry and gadgets, each of which you'll either be given or find along the way. High powered rifles, silenced pistols, anasthetic (you just can't go around killing EVERYBODY), fiber wire for strangling your victims silently, and my personal favorite Silver Ballers. Pulling out these dual silver bad boys will send most opponents hurtling backward and stone-cold dead before they even hit the ground.
The controls are fairly simple, as you'll use the now-standard setup of move with the left stick and look with the right. You;ll switch weapons or equipment with a combination of the B button and the D-pad. It's a little bit of a pain in the butt, but it works well enough once you get used to it.
The missions are quite varied for a game that seemingly focuses on killing, and there are multiple ways to accomplish your goals. Some people's playing style will accomodate one way of finishing the job, while some people will find it easier or more satisfying another way. It's truly ingenious in design, and a nice realistic touch. You'll be graded on how stealthily or bloodily you finish each mission, and given such names as Butcher or Button Man for your deeds. This really doesn't affect the game much, other that to let you know how you're doing as a "silent" assassin. The only complaint I found with HM2:SA is that the controls are a touch too sensitive. Whether playing in inverted mode or not, it's a little too easy to push the stick too far and end up looking directly at the ground or sky while in the middle of a firefight causing you to have to restart the level. You'll have 7 saves per level, but the good news is that that's usually more than enough, and you can save anywhere. Excellent touch. There are also three difficulty levels to choose from, but Normal should be adequate and hard enough for all but the harcorest of gamers.
HM2:SA looks good, bordering on great. It's by far not the most graphically impressive game in the Xbox, but it earns it's keep. The animations are actually top notch and half of the fun of going postal on a group of guards is seeing each of them fly and land differently nearly every time. Limbs flail and droop realistically and bodies land against walls and stay there as they should instead of falling flat or clipping thru walls. The details in HM2:SA are nice, and for the most part they recreate real life very well. However, the game could have benefited from the inherent abilties of the Xbox hardware. Fewer flat textures, and more bump-mapped environments would have put the graphics over the top, but as they stand they are very good.
The soundtrack is great and as it should be being performed by a genuine symphony orchestra. The voice acting is among the best as well, and when in foreign locales (which is pretty much always), the locals speak in their native tongues. Gunfire sounds and death-gurgles are also well done and each weapon has a sound specific to itself. Agent 47's voice was well cast and fitting, being the kind of man he is. Not much was done with the Dolby Digital 5.1, but it's adequate if not engrossing.
Although there is no multiplayer in HM2:SA, it hardly fits the feel and atmosphere of the game. However, the game itself is lengthy enough and the different ways of completing each mission will likely have you replaying some levels over and over just for kicks and to see another way of completing a goal or just to pop a few more heads.
Being a fan of the first game, I was somewhat biased on how I wanted this game to turn out. But as many of you may have seen from my first impressions a few days ago, I was decidedly not impressed upon first inspection. As I expect it will be with many gamers, it took a while and a few missions to actually get accustomed to the game and let it sink into my skin. Overall, it's a great game that could have used a few minor touches in a few areas to make it stellar.
Review By: JakeT
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