It's been a long time since we've seen Agent 47 in action, so the news that Hitman Absolution was in development has been more than welcome.
But Danish studio IO Interactive doesn't want to simply re-introduce us to the iconic assassin-for-hire - it wants to show a different side to the cold and calculated killer. As a result, this latest Hitman title includes a very different when compared with past games.
What I Saw: Set in a dark and rainy Chicago, Agent 47 is the target of a citywide manhunt. IO didn't explain the reasons behind the situation, but it's obvious that the assassin isn't keen to be taken in by the police. He has a bit of a shady past and everything, after all.
In the behind-closed-doors E3 demonstration, Agent 47 is seen crashing through the windows of an abandoned and dilapidated library. The police start rushing in through the front doors, covering almost every exit and beginning a search for the anti-hero. Here's a few points as to why the game caught my eye.
Hunt or Be Hunted: This isn't your typical hit. Agent 47 doesn't really want to kill any of the policemen hunting him down, but in this desperate situation he doesn't have much of a choice. Starting from a first-floor balcony, the hitman has a limited inventory - in that he just has his brains and his fists - in which to subdue or evade the many guards seeking him out.
That doesn't mean you won't have any means of attack whatsoever. Power cords can be found on desks which can be used to perform silent kills, while a bust makes for a great impromptu tool for thwacking cops on the back of the head. I watched Agent 47 discover a gun which he later used to shoot down a chandelier, crushing a bunch of policemen underneath him.
Instinct: A new feature has been introduced to Hitman Absolution called Instinct - what this does is allow Agent 47 to fine-tune his senses and see what kinds of objects can be interacted with, who is a nearby threat and their predicted path of movement. This allows you to then move out of the way if you notice that a cop is going to walk into your hiding place.
IO told me they brought this into the game so that players wouldn't have to get frustrated in trying to constantly guess where opponents were going to be. Apparently, unless you designed the library stage yourself (which I assume a lot of people didn't) you'd have a hard time understanding and enjoying the game due to the almost 'human' nature of the enemy AI.
Multiple ways of tackling stages: Just like most Hitman games, there's the opportunity to deal with situations in your own personal way. The library is huge, offering different approaches to escaping the place. Balconies can be clambered on, skirting on the walls can be inched along and rows of desks strewn in disarray make for a useful maze of cover.
Two specific points in which Agent 47 can choose to be tactical include sabotaging fuse boxes to distract cops and take out the lights, and grabbing a police officer and using him as a human shield to slowly back out of a populated lobby area. Of course, IO says that should you want to, you can avoid sabotage and human shielding in favour of classic sneaking around.
Action sequences: IO has brought its trademark Danish humour into Hitman Absolution, while maintaining the series' reputation for fast-paced interactive cinematics. As you make your way out of the library and onto a rooftop, Agent 47 has to escape the spotlight of a police helicopter, which doesn't make life easy for you by trying to shoot the ever-loving crap out of your person.
Later, the hitman barges his way into an apartment to shake the chopper, only to find that he's stumbled into a hippy-dwelling pot palace. The long-haired occupants are distracted by the floodlights and police noise, thinking that they're the ones in trouble, and as Agent 47 sneaks behind them into the next room you can see why - they're growing a forest of hemp, Lock Stock style.
A doped up hippy slouches on the sofa and watches the assassin kill a couple of cops whilst in disguise, laughing as he probably thinks he's hallucinating.
Disguise Yourself: The art of disguise is back in Hitman, and this time it comes with an extra perk - Agent 47 takes the time to walk and act more like the character he is portraying, while the player has access to a feature that allows him to cover his face in populated areas where he may get spotted.
Walking out of the hippy apartment and past the scrum of cops charging up the stairs, an officer seems to recognise Agent 47 as he blends in by nabbing a doughnut. "Hey, you. I remember you… you're Forrester, right?" After the cop waffles on about how this Forrester chap quit the force, 47 turns and says, "I never left" before casually bowling it into the street. Like a boss.
But Danish studio IO Interactive doesn't want to simply re-introduce us to the iconic assassin-for-hire - it wants to show a different side to the cold and calculated killer. As a result, this latest Hitman title includes a very different when compared with past games.
What I Saw: Set in a dark and rainy Chicago, Agent 47 is the target of a citywide manhunt. IO didn't explain the reasons behind the situation, but it's obvious that the assassin isn't keen to be taken in by the police. He has a bit of a shady past and everything, after all.
In the behind-closed-doors E3 demonstration, Agent 47 is seen crashing through the windows of an abandoned and dilapidated library. The police start rushing in through the front doors, covering almost every exit and beginning a search for the anti-hero. Here's a few points as to why the game caught my eye.
Hunt or Be Hunted: This isn't your typical hit. Agent 47 doesn't really want to kill any of the policemen hunting him down, but in this desperate situation he doesn't have much of a choice. Starting from a first-floor balcony, the hitman has a limited inventory - in that he just has his brains and his fists - in which to subdue or evade the many guards seeking him out.
That doesn't mean you won't have any means of attack whatsoever. Power cords can be found on desks which can be used to perform silent kills, while a bust makes for a great impromptu tool for thwacking cops on the back of the head. I watched Agent 47 discover a gun which he later used to shoot down a chandelier, crushing a bunch of policemen underneath him.
Instinct: A new feature has been introduced to Hitman Absolution called Instinct - what this does is allow Agent 47 to fine-tune his senses and see what kinds of objects can be interacted with, who is a nearby threat and their predicted path of movement. This allows you to then move out of the way if you notice that a cop is going to walk into your hiding place.
IO told me they brought this into the game so that players wouldn't have to get frustrated in trying to constantly guess where opponents were going to be. Apparently, unless you designed the library stage yourself (which I assume a lot of people didn't) you'd have a hard time understanding and enjoying the game due to the almost 'human' nature of the enemy AI.
Multiple ways of tackling stages: Just like most Hitman games, there's the opportunity to deal with situations in your own personal way. The library is huge, offering different approaches to escaping the place. Balconies can be clambered on, skirting on the walls can be inched along and rows of desks strewn in disarray make for a useful maze of cover.
Two specific points in which Agent 47 can choose to be tactical include sabotaging fuse boxes to distract cops and take out the lights, and grabbing a police officer and using him as a human shield to slowly back out of a populated lobby area. Of course, IO says that should you want to, you can avoid sabotage and human shielding in favour of classic sneaking around.
Action sequences: IO has brought its trademark Danish humour into Hitman Absolution, while maintaining the series' reputation for fast-paced interactive cinematics. As you make your way out of the library and onto a rooftop, Agent 47 has to escape the spotlight of a police helicopter, which doesn't make life easy for you by trying to shoot the ever-loving crap out of your person.
Later, the hitman barges his way into an apartment to shake the chopper, only to find that he's stumbled into a hippy-dwelling pot palace. The long-haired occupants are distracted by the floodlights and police noise, thinking that they're the ones in trouble, and as Agent 47 sneaks behind them into the next room you can see why - they're growing a forest of hemp, Lock Stock style.
A doped up hippy slouches on the sofa and watches the assassin kill a couple of cops whilst in disguise, laughing as he probably thinks he's hallucinating.
Disguise Yourself: The art of disguise is back in Hitman, and this time it comes with an extra perk - Agent 47 takes the time to walk and act more like the character he is portraying, while the player has access to a feature that allows him to cover his face in populated areas where he may get spotted.
Walking out of the hippy apartment and past the scrum of cops charging up the stairs, an officer seems to recognise Agent 47 as he blends in by nabbing a doughnut. "Hey, you. I remember you… you're Forrester, right?" After the cop waffles on about how this Forrester chap quit the force, 47 turns and says, "I never left" before casually bowling it into the street. Like a boss.
