HITMAN 2.

Some will argue it's a glorified expansion pack improving on the existing foundation that HITMAN 2016 laid out; others will say it's a new game that learns from most of its predecessor's mistakes. Whatever side of the fence you sit on: HITMAN 2 may very well be the last good classic AAA stealth series that hasn't gone the way of Deus Ex, Thief and Metal Gear Solid... and that's worth bearing in mind.

Before I delve into pros and cons, and whether you should buy this game, I'd first like to talk about what's different in HITMAN 2 when compared to the previous game HITMAN 2016 (which I'll refer to as HITMAN from now on). To start with we've got 2 new mechanics - pockets of vegetation/grass on maps hide us if we're crouched and you can now escape a NPC's line of sight by walking amongst a small group of people (this system is practically identical to the one used in Hitman: Absolution). There's also a less noticeable gameplay mechanic that's been introduced: NPCs can now see you in mirrors and other reflective surfaces (this change for realism doesn't make things incredibly hard but it will keep you on your toes as bathrooms used to mean a guaranteed unnoticed kill).

Next we have 3 difficulty settings - Casual, Professional and Master. Casual is a completely new difficulty setting aimed at people unfamiliar with the series and those of us who wish to muck around without having to worry about cameras or dying right away (thanks to the huge increase in damage Agent 47 can take in this difficulty mode). Professional is essentially HITMAN's Normal difficulty mode renamed, and with an extra change - cameras that spot you with a weapon or illegally trespassing will alert nearby guards. Master difficulty is HITMAN's Professional difficulty mode but slightly easier in terms of challenge - there's more enforcers, and you still only have 1 save per mission, but most items that are visibly held are no longer suspicious.

In addition to this, all difficulties are available from the start and can be effortlessly selected without having to exit out and access another menu. Lastly 2 new gameplay modes have been added outside of the main campaign: Ghost Mode (a race against the clock killing targets with a silhouette of another online player who you are competing with) AND Sniper Assassin (a mode very similar to Hitman: Absolution's "Sniper Challenge" which has you sniping targets from afar and aiming to rack up a nice score - this can be played solo or with another person online).

As you can see quite a bit has changed since HITMAN, for the better I believe. So let's get onto pros and cons!


1. The game is no longer episodic
2. 6 new maps that are of much more consistent quality than those that were offered in HITMAN and the NPCs on these maps have serviceable accents
3. New gameplay mechanics as well as new ways to play HITMAN 2 outside of the campaign
4. More unique and creative ways of killing targets
5. A better story that answers a lot of questions HITMAN raised and even explores some of Agent 47's past
6. A lot of additional free content in the works and continual live-content updates
7. The game looks breathtaking at times (try out the Whittleton Creek map and you'll see nice shades of red and yellow that just make your jaw drop)
8. The briefcase has returned - praise be!!! Sniper Rifles have been made an illegal weapon in this game, regardless of disguise, so the briefcase is now your best friend. Conceal that bad boy, go to a location, retrieve it (complete with an unpacking animation for some rifles) and deliver some Hitman justice 47-style. You can also use the briefcase to smuggle in other gear and even use it as a melee object at close and long-range. Have a rest fans of the Hitman subreddit: you did good, you did good

https://steamproxy.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1570177950

1. Denuvo DRM - there is lots of debate on why it's needed and just how much impact it has on a PC but when HITMAN removed DRM years later, the effect on performance and stability was negligible at best. This has now been removed!
2. Quite a few reskins of HITMAN's items - I understand why this was done but it's a bit disappointing

1. 6 maps (the first is arguably more of a semi-tutorial and thus this is a smaller offering than what HITMAN gave us campaign-wise)
2. Always-online (already unlocked content can be used offline, but in order to unlock new gear you will need to be connected to the Hitman servers)
3. Performance is slightly worse when compared to HITMAN and many echo this on the forums - it's especially worse on some of the HITMAN maps that were remastered and included in HITMAN 2 as the "legacy pack"
4. Stability - I've only had 10 crashes in my 180+ hours of gametime but a lot of other users have encountered frequent crashing
5. More questionable decisions from IOI regarding time-limited content like Elusive Targets and a Christmas reskin of a map that was available permanently for HITMAN will now be time-limited for HITMAN 2 - this makes no sense!
6. Gold edition for HITMAN 2 has an unreasonable price tag IMHO

https://steamproxy.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1595641125


To conclude HITMAN 2 is what HITMAN should've been thanks to its fun levels, extra polish and for the most part: listening to its fans. I do think HITMAN 2 and the series as a whole is often underlooked, and perhaps there's some valid reasons as to why that is the case, but I think the game and IOI is worth supporting simply because it's the last of its kind in an industry where Fallout 76 and Star Wars Battlefront II are all too often the norm. It's a breath of fresh air quite frankly and the game has amazing replay value if you dig semi-linear sandbox maps and the groundhog day gameplay where you're always revisiting a level and looking for another way to approach it and pull off that perfect kill.

With some more patches I believe HITMAN 2 can be a 9/10 game. A game that's incredibly hard to stop playing once you start... but right now I'll give it a 8/10. If you're a big fan of the series you should definitely consider grabbing it though.

HITMAN 2. Some will argue it's a glorified expansion pack improving on the existing foundation that HITMAN 2016 laid out; others will say it's a new game that learns from most of its predecessor's mistakes. Whatever side of the fence you sit on: HITMAN 2 may very well be the last good classic AAA stealth series that hasn't gone the way of Deus Ex, Thief and Metal Gear Solid... and that's worth bearing in mind. Before I delve into pros and cons, and whether you should buy this game, I'd first like to talk about what's different in HITMAN 2 when compared to the previous game HITMAN 2016 (which I'll refer to as HITMAN from now on). To start with we've got 2 new mechanics - pockets of vegetation/grass on maps hide us if we're crouched and you can now escape a NPC's line of sight by walking amongst a small group of people (this system is practically identical to the one used in Hitman: Absolution). There's also a less noticeable gameplay mechanic that's been introduced: NPCs can now see you in mirrors and other reflective surfaces (this change for realism doesn't make things incredibly hard but it will keep you on your toes as bathrooms used to mean a guaranteed unnoticed kill). Next we have 3 difficulty settings - Casual, Professional and Master. Casual is a completely new difficulty setting aimed at people unfamiliar with the series and those of us who wish to muck around without having to worry about cameras or dying right away (thanks to the huge increase in damage Agent 47 can take in this difficulty mode). Professional is essentially HITMAN's Normal difficulty mode renamed, and with an extra change - cameras that spot you with a weapon or illegally trespassing will alert nearby guards. Master difficulty is HITMAN's Professional difficulty mode but slightly easier in terms of challenge - there's more enforcers, and you still only have 1 save per mission, but most items that are visibly held are no longer suspicious. In addition to this, all difficulties are available from the start and can be effortlessly selected without having to exit out and access another menu. Lastly 2 new gameplay modes have been added outside of the main campaign: Ghost Mode (a race against the clock killing targets with a silhouette of another online player who you are competing with) AND Sniper Assassin (a mode very similar to Hitman: Absolution's "Sniper Challenge" which has you sniping targets from afar and aiming to rack up a nice score - this can be played solo or with another person online). As you can see quite a bit has changed since HITMAN, for the better I believe. So let's get onto pros and cons! [h1]Pros[/h1] [b]1.[/b] The game is no longer episodic [b]2.[/b] 6 new maps that are of much more consistent quality than those that were offered in HITMAN and the NPCs on these maps have serviceable accents [b]3.[/b] New gameplay mechanics as well as new ways to play HITMAN 2 outside of the campaign [b]4.[/b] More unique and creative ways of killing targets [b]5.[/b] A better story that answers a lot of questions HITMAN raised and even explores some of Agent 47's past [b]6.[/b] A lot of additional free content in the works and continual live-content updates [b]7.[/b] The game looks breathtaking at times (try out the Whittleton Creek map and you'll see nice shades of red and yellow that just make your jaw drop) [b]8.[/b] The briefcase has returned - praise be!!! Sniper Rifles have been made an illegal weapon in this game, regardless of disguise, so the briefcase is now your best friend. Conceal that bad boy, go to a location, retrieve it (complete with an unpacking animation for some rifles) and deliver some Hitman justice 47-style. You can also use the briefcase to smuggle in other gear and even use it as a melee object at close and long-range. Have a rest fans of the Hitman subreddit: you did good, you did good https://steamproxy.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1570177950 [h1]Neutral[/h1] [b]1.[/b] [strike]Denuvo DRM - there is lots of debate on why it's needed and just how much impact it has on a PC but when HITMAN removed DRM years later, the effect on performance and stability was negligible at best.[/strike] This has now been removed! [b]2.[/b] Quite a few reskins of HITMAN's items - I understand why this was done but it's a bit disappointing [h1]Cons[/h1] [b]1.[/b] 6 maps (the first is arguably more of a semi-tutorial and thus this is a smaller offering than what HITMAN gave us campaign-wise) [b]2.[/b] Always-online (already unlocked content can be used offline, but in order to unlock new gear you will need to be connected to the Hitman servers) [b]3.[/b] Performance is slightly worse when compared to HITMAN and many echo this on the forums - it's especially worse on some of the HITMAN maps that were remastered and included in HITMAN 2 as the "legacy pack" [b]4.[/b] Stability - I've only had 10 crashes in my 180+ hours of gametime but a lot of other users have encountered frequent crashing [b]5.[/b] More questionable decisions from IOI regarding time-limited content like Elusive Targets and a Christmas reskin of a map that was available permanently for HITMAN will now be time-limited for HITMAN 2 - this makes no sense! [b]6.[/b] Gold edition for HITMAN 2 has an unreasonable price tag IMHO https://steamproxy.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1595641125 To conclude HITMAN 2 is what HITMAN should've been thanks to its fun levels, extra polish and for the most part: listening to its fans. I do think HITMAN 2 and the series as a whole is often underlooked, and perhaps there's some valid reasons as to why that is the case, but I think the game and IOI is worth supporting simply because it's the last of its kind in an industry where Fallout 76 and Star Wars Battlefront II are all too often the norm. It's a breath of fresh air quite frankly and the game has amazing replay value if you dig semi-linear sandbox maps and the groundhog day gameplay where you're always revisiting a level and looking for another way to approach it and pull off that perfect kill. With some more patches I believe HITMAN 2 can be a 9/10 game. A game that's incredibly hard to stop playing once you start... but right now I'll give it a 8/10. If you're a big fan of the series you should definitely consider grabbing it though. [h1]P.S. If you have any concerns over HITMAN 2’s privacy policy I strongly recommend reading my Steam friend’s excellent review (it’s a bit direct but right on the money): https://steamproxy.com/id/Duckilous/recommended/863550/ [h1]P.P.S. If you like these reviews and want to see more of the same, you're more than welcome to follow my curator page. If you don't like curators or groups, I completely understand (I'm not a big fan either). It's just a much easier way to find old and new reviews I've made:[/h1] http://steamproxy.com/groups/rblc#curation