So the saying goes, good things come in threes. And in its final (for now) installment, developer IOs Hitman trilogy concludes with the excellent Hitman 3.

A more narrative-focussed experience, Hitman 3 delivers exactly what devotees of the meticulous stealth-focussed assassination genre could want.

Just as in the previous two games, you take on the role of bald-headed enigma Agent 47, as he works through a small number of incredibly well-crafted locations from around the world to take out a key enemy or enemies. It is a simple set-up, but, as ever, the complexity comes down to the detailed, interwoven worlds that the developers have put together. Each of the six levels are unique sandboxes, with hundreds of ways to tackle your mission. And despite the narrative playing a greater role in each level, the joy in Hitman comes from slowly learning the intricacies and interactions within each of them. If you’re here to run through each level once and be done with it, that option is still there for you. But know that playing through once is only ever a foretaste of what the game has to offer, and Hitman 3 will seem fairly short with only a single playthrough.

There are many ways to tackle each mission, and to help that online, one significant upgrade in this new entry is the concept of mission checkpoints. This means you can start somewhere within the mission area, potentially cutting out dead time or helping you target a specific way of taking out your target.

It makes it easier on future runs to get to some areas that would require a bit of an extra time investment and as someone who is generally time-poor I appreciated their inclusion, even if purists may not like their shortcut nature.

The Hitman reboot’s aesthetic was defined back with the first game in the trilogy, and it continues that here. Clean lines and a realistic aesthetic are now hallmarks of the franchise, and Hitman 3 doesn’t shake that up. It is fundamentally the same game engine producing similar results, though on Series S and X, and PS5 there is one substantial upgrade.

With these next-generation consoles, Hitman 3 now runs at 60 frames per second. This makes a big difference, and while the Hitman trilogy is not generally a run and gun, fast-paced shooter (unless you’ve done something, very, very wrong), the big upgrade in framerate and reduction in input lag is very welcome. Additional benefits are a big upgrade in resolution for the Xbox Series X, where I spent most of my time with the game and the inclusion (finally) of screen space reflections. It looks excellent on a 4K display, and even on the Series S it looks great too.

As in Hitman 2, if you have progress in either of the two previous games, you can access that in Hitman 3, as long as it is on the same platform. This commitment to bringing forward both entire games into one, neat package is remarkable, and makes Hitman 3 the definitive Hitman experience. It is a policy and technical achievement that other games should take note of – looking at you Jackbox Party Pack – and, through optimisation, Hitman 3 even takes up less disk space than before. I just wish more developers were committed to making better user experiences like this.

Now there is a wrinkle, in the Hitman 3 is an Epic Games Store exclusive on PC, but IO has worked with Epic to ensure progress is transferred and has provided a full FAQ if you find yourself in that situation.

Hitman 3 is, yes, more or less, more of the same as in Hitman 2. But that’s not a bad thing. Hitman 3 stays true to what made the rebooted series great, with its focus on replayability, player choice and emergent gameplay. It gives me great hope that the next title from IO, James Bond, will be similarly fantastic. If you liked either of the two previous entries, you will find plenty to love in this new entry. The locations are beautiful, well-designed and throw up unique and interesting gameplay challenges.

Hitman 3 is not a revolution, but instead has the feeling of a purposeful coming together of the learnings from years of experience in this world.

With the additional purchase of Hitman and Hitman 2 levels in the one package, I can’t consider this latest entry anything less than the ultimate collection of Hitman games ever produced.

The post Hitman 3 (Xbox One, Series S | X) Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and independent game developer, IO Interactive, today announced HITMAN 2, the follow-up to the acclaimed international video game, HITMAN.

Featuring entirely new hyper-detailed sandboxes full of living, breathing environments to explore, HITMAN 2 offers players the freedom to plan the ultimate assassination utilizing an assortment of tools, weapons, disguises and a variety of stealth techniques to creatively trigger their own unique chain of events.

Hitman 2 Standard Edition

“We are thrilled to partner with IO Interactive on HITMAN 2 and bring the latest game in this iconic franchise to the passionate HITMAN fanbase and new players,” said David Haddad, President, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. “IO Interactive has done a fantastic job with the Hitman franchise, and this new game will provide a distinct gameplay experience for players to be creative in larger sandbox locations.”

“We are very proud to announce HITMAN 2 as the next exciting chapter in our ever-expanding world of assassination. Building on the success of our previous game, HITMAN 2 introduces exciting new features, new modes and franchise firsts to make for a larger and richer game,” said Hakan Abrak, CEO, IO Interactive. “We couldn’t have wished for a better partner than Warner Bros. to bring this game to our passionate community and introduce new players to our universe. Welcome back 47!”

Hitman 2 Gold Edition

HITMAN 2 takes players on a global adventure across a mix of bustling international locations, including a vibrant Miami setting with the colorful ambience of an in-progress motorsport race bringing a new backdrop to the series. From sun-drenched streets to dark and dangerous rainforests, each intricate location provides multiple paths to discover and unparalleled game depth.

Continuing the ultimate spy thriller story, HITMAN 2 allows players to take on the role of the masterful Agent 47 and embark on a mission to hunt the elusive Shadow Client and unravel his militia once and for all. However, when 47 learns the hidden truth about his past, nothing will ever be the same.

Hitman 2 Collectors Edition

HITMAN 2 introduces new ways to play with the Sniper Assassin mode, a standalone feature that brings a co-op experience to the Hitman series for the first time, allowing two players to work together online to take down their targets. Sniper Assassin can also be enjoyed in a single player mode for those who want to play as Agent 47.

Sniper Assassin is available to play now as an early access bonus for consumers who pre-order the HITMAN 2 Standard, Gold or Collector’s Edition. As an additional pre-order bonus, full game early access will be available for Gold or Collector’s Edition owners four days before release.

HITMAN 2 will be available for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 4 Pro,  Xbox One X and PC beginning November 13th, 2018.

The post Hitman 2 Announced! appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Hitman is a long-standing series following Agent 47 on his various assassination jobs with a bit of story in between to make it just a tad more interesting. This latest entry, Hitman: The Complete First Season, is set seven years after Hitman: Absolution with a quick snippet of prologue being a prelude to the Hitman: Codename 47.

As Agent 47 you again undertake various contracts to assassinate the high and mighty, seemingly, for the greater good. Taking out the targets is where the player comes in. While killing is the main objective it isn’t just about eliminating the target but rather doing so with style. Killing the target is the bare minimum requirement but every mission is rated and so the task is not so much to simply kill the target but to do so as much flare or subtly as possible.

The Levels really have a sandbox feel to them. There is an area and within it things happening around you whether you choose to interact or not. You could take advantage of an accident to acquire a new disguise or simply be in the right place at the right time to over hear a useful bit of information that might get you a lot closer to your target than you could have hoped for. But all these things aren’t just in your face, you need to both explore and investigate the area to fully optimise the possibilities at your disposal. The game really enables resourceful players a lot of creativity in how to take out their targets (honesty not something I thought I’d ever say about killing someone). However, if clean and precise is not your style you can still be as messy or boring as you like.

Mistakes can be made and while a messier approach is an option you are punished for it at the end of the mission as it impacts your overall rating and possible bonuses.

As you progress you gain overall levels. These levels allow you to start with better advantage and sneak in things in better places depending on your level. So not only does each level provide an already large variety of lethal options but gives those perfectionist opportunities to come back later and perfect their killing score.

You will find the save option to be your biggest friend. You can spend quite some time staking out a bystander to simply obtain a better disguise to get you closer to the main objective and one wrong move, like thinking a door was a walk-in freezer, can waste a lot of time having you start all over from scratch again if you forgot to save. There is an autosave feature but it’s timing doesn’t always provide the best restart points.

While there is story I have to say I didn’t find it a big contributor to my motivation to play the game. I can easily say the hitman missions are what the real draw cards are and if they happen to contribute to a bigger story well, then I guess that is almost a bonus.

Mechanically the game is mostly smooth. There can be some issues with opening and closing doors if you are in the wrong angle or spot but mostly the combat, stealthing and overall gameplay mechanics work well with the environments to provide a fluent experience that allows you to adequately perform the tasks you want.

Hitman does require a certain amount of meticulous attention and patience. I can say you really need to be in the right mood or the sort of person to simply enjoy the planning and seeing a good plan come to fruition to fully enjoy this game. Admittedly I can be an impatient gamer but I find the lengthy build up to the final completion of the job certainly makes its end a lot more satisfactory.

A big annoyance I found in the game was the need to login as online each time you start up the game. Playing offline actually subtracts from the games experience. While you can complete missions in offline mode doing so deprives you of rewards and in game achievements. Logging into servers takes quite some time so you are generally not inclined to do so in the first place. If you complete a mission offline you simply miss out on the in-game rewards and bonuses and if you would like those rewards, you have to re-complete the whole mission in online mode. This is frustrating and frankly turns me off playing further. It really subtracts from an overall enjoyable game.

Hitman: The Complete First Season is a compilation of new episodes for Agent 47 to complete. It provides even more elaborate and varied jobs to take. It does require a certain level of patience and perseverance but certainly provides and fun challenging and unique set of scenarios to play through.Sadly, the online/offline issue ruins a good thing but if you remember each time to login and don’t have internet issues it has a fair bit to offer. I can appreciate it may not be every one’s idea of a fun killing time but is well crafted game that offers its own version of this.

The post Hitman: The Complete First Season (PlayStation 4) Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Io-Interactive is pleased to confirm the details of what will be included when HITMAN: The Complete First Season arrives on disc on January the 31st, 2017.

Released in a day one edition SteelBook, HITMAN: The Complete First Season will deliver the ultimate physical version of the game, with over 100 hours of gameplay. Featuring all of the Season One locations and episodes from the Prologue, France and Italy to Morocco, Thailand, USA and Japan. Play as Agent 47 to take out powerful high-profile targets in an intense spy-thriller story across a world of assassination.

“The disc combines everything we have learned, refined and updated over the course of a 10 month live season. It’s the direct result of live input, development and feedback from our players,” said Hannes Seifert, Studio Head at Io-Interactive. “Especially for our fans who want to own the game in a box, we’ve made it a high quality SteelBook box. We also added loads of additional downloadable bonus content to release on the 31st of January for everyone getting this beautiful edition of the game on a disc and everybody owning the digital Full Experience or upgraded versions of the game.”

Included with HITMAN: The Complete First Season box is bonus downloadable contentsuch as 3 Bonus Missions Pack which includes The Icon and A House Built on Sand missions, plus the brand new upcoming Landslide mission aswell as the Official Soundtrack featuring the original game score. Also included is the ‘making of’ HITMAN documentary charting the journey from showing the game to our fans for the first time before E3 2015, through to the digital launch in 2016.

This Edition will also have HITMAN Requiem Blood Money Pack which includes the signature Blood Money white suit, white rubber duck and chrome ICA pistol and the PlayStation 4 version includes the 6 additional exclusive The Sarajevo Six contracts.

HITMAN: The Complete First Season features all of the locations, Challenges, Opportunities, Escalation Contracts created by the studio and Contracts created by the community. And it will give access to all upcoming Elusive Target live game events taking place after January 2017.

HITMAN: The Complete First Season will be available on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Windows PC.

The post HITMAN: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON RELEASING ON ONE DISC appeared first on Shane the Gamer.