Hitman

Oh No! I’ve found a game that preys on my perfectionism. Branching paths have been a part of my media consumption since my youth. Choose your own adventure books like The Cave of Time by Edward Packard were big in the Scholastic Book Sales program. Turn to page 17 if you choose this route or turn to page 37 if you’d rather do the alternative. There are probably mountains of books that are partially read at my parent’s house There’s so much to see here but the achievements are not the guide they should be.

I’m disappointed and also excited by how many achievements i didn't unlock. At first I was upset that there wasn’t an achievement for hiding for the first time or gazing at one’s self for an extended period of time. Of course there might be but the amount of times I’ve installed and uninstalled this game is massive. Part of their episode gimmick has led me to think I own the game (i buy things all the time digitally) since if you even download the game it shows up as a game you own. Queue up the download and 10 hours later you realize you only have one of five levels and you just need to type in 16 of your credit card digits to unlock the game. Giving this game (and Hitman 2) so many “chances” from all of their free episodes and from Giantbomb.com dubbing it their game of the year finally paid off. Everybody is going to have their own experience with this game. I’m not sure if I want to read them or experience them.

There is a funny scene where they sing a knock off birthday song. The people that own the birthday song. [Happy Birthday to You - Wikipedia.] I can understand not wanting to pay the cost to include the authentic song in the game but I was so anticipating what the writers would do with those restrictions in place. They nailed it.

The writing in this game is my favorite in any game. Well maybe not the writing per se, but the spoken delivery from each character. There is a wealth of well voiced dialogue that is possibly missed unless you scour every inch of the game. I want to do this but I really can’t do this. I’m missing out on real life chasing ghosts and clever soundbytes. If you’re reading this, I highly recommend you do though. In my review of Final Fantasy XV I (probably didn't but I'm sometimes ashamed to go back to my old writing) said something about how the dialogue was endearing. Well this dialogue had me rolling and I wish I could make time for more of it.

After watching Mad Max (1979) recently and for the first time I found it curious how Mad Max Fury Road (2015) was completely useless and colored my opinion about what Mad Max would have been. When I played Avalanche’s Mad Max I was using Fury Road as what that game should have been. I still loved that game under a haze of complete ignorance. I’m ready to go back to it (even though there isn't a new game plus) after I finish watching Mad Max 2 and Mad Max: Thunderdome. So my plans for Hitman 2 leading into Hitman 3 and finally the recently announced Bond game will have to wait. [Actually no, Mad Max is too hard to go back to. Love, but can’t recommend]

I want the Bond game but just getting the ringtone is not going to somehow make this series or style of game more Bond than they already are (they are already Bond enough). There are sound cues from The Professional (circa 1994) that I swear make their appearance in Goldeneye (circa 1997). I’ll call it “echoed steel drum.” I played This Is The Police because I thought that it would give me a taste of COPS, which I’ve probably seen every episode of thanks to pluto.tv. Things borrow and blend. Hitman doesn’t need the bond license. IO needs the Bond license as a status symbol.

Access is Drew Barrymore in ET and the career she got out of it. Someone knew someone and the rest is history. If the Bond license is going to give the Hitman structure access, give me ALL of the Bond movies in episodic format (sense the hypocrisy?). $10 a piece and you’ve got me for $250 dollars. Drip feed me. Give it to me between launch and the 3rd Final Fantasy remake episode. I will keep coming back if you have the license. I don’t think that’s what I’m getting though.

Before we get Bond please do something with Hitman 1 and 2. Lose the episode structure in 2020 for Hitman 1, please. Do the same for Hitman 2, once Hitman 3 comes out. I cannot recommend this game with the abuse that it does to your harddrive. You’ve obfuscated what is and isn’t a purchase and it worked on me. There should be

I love games that invite me to observe parts of the world for cues on what to do next. The signs have a geographical and region specific use of signs. The game wrapped up really well and I am thoroughly confused (not a bad thing). I don’t have enough time to sort it out but I will be reading the Hitman compendium next time I get on a plane. Knowing there is a Hitman 2 and soon to be 3 makes this series one to watch for me. I don’t watch streamers but if I did I’d love to see someone struggle through this game, with the chat blocked of course.

The play Hamilton is a prime example of how hard it is to wrap something up. The first half of the play is amazing. The second half, well terrible. COVID-19 forced Disney’s hand and got the play on Disney Plus, which seems like the perfect Hitman 3 mission. The gunplay in Hitman is horrible and if they are going to leverage the Bond license the gameplay needs to go from a 2/10 to a 9/10 real quick in the shooting department. I’m already miffed by what was presented in the Hitman 3 trailer released today but they have a template that works. If they keep up the writing and make some dialogue choices possible Hitman 3 could be an amazing game in which anybody that platinums it you have more respect than all the Halo legendary completion combined.

I’m more moved by my past and what ifs and what could have beens than anything in storytelling. My fascination is of the OJs and the Kennedys of the world and not the arbitrary world building that so many of us care about in our media consumption. Maybe I’ve got a few synapses that I severed long ago but I have a disconnect between comprehending world building in books, movies, and videogames. I can’t do it in videogames. I guess I’m just too excited to be playing and I can't turn off (or on) the part of my brain that requires focus.

I can’t keep playing games. Sine Supremas and Zero Charisma from ET are role playing game nods. Supreme nothing with zero charisma. Doing my best not to be a hapless ineffectual person. Videogames are oftentimes trying to repackage and regurgitate our reality. Do elements move in the way they do in the real world. Is the NPC’s gait believable. While digital foundry picks apart the images (annoying down to the gnat’s ass) we naturally scrutinize our games in comparison to our reality. Unfortunately so much of our reality is now playing games that it seems like our reference point is another game or a movie, not the real thing. Playing this game, especially since the Bond license has now been acquired by IO, has had me questioning what that game might feel like, what does it look like? Hitman missions reminds me of Mission Impossible 1 or something in Die Hard. It’s not missing much. For me it’s better than Metal Gear 5 and I wouldn't get caught playing something like Untitled Goose Game, at my age.

Director’s commentary is like movie engineering 101. When are developers going to do something besides PR bluster. I’m sick of it. I’m about to pick up my copy of Cyberpunk 2077 and I just got sick of peering into the living rooms of the developers. They aren’t saying anything. Bioshock Collection is the only commentary know of besides Metal Gear 4 with the ipod commentary that gives the player any information. I’m ready to quit gaming because of how disrespectful of our time these games are. Hitman 1 almost has a conversation for what inspired their game. Richard Branson is in the game in all of his bored billionaire pixilation. It’s not him but they sure allude. Say something! I don’t want a coy twitter post. Say something. You don’t have to give the interviews. I have listened to more movie commentary and come out of the other side of them more informed and curious about the movie making industry than I thought possible. No, I shouldn’t have to seek employment in the industry so I can learn the ins and outs. Tell me. You spend 1,000s of hours making a game. Gatekeep commentary behind achievements or a platinum. It’s really unfair and makes me realize I’m looking for inspiration from the uninspired. So i quit.

So many server issues. Offline and Online mode. I just don’t care. I’ve turned the corner on what it means to be a live game but 4+ years after launch clean up the game and give me 1 download. If I had experienced this realtime at launch and come home to a new episode that I could exploit to the fullest before the next drop then that download model makes sense. Get your intern to update the file.g Hitman. Fan of learning, fans of getting by, and fans of getting over. I don’t have time to love and embrace Hitman like I want to so i can't be a fan of learning. I didn't download a guide because I didn't want to just get over. I just wanted to get by. I haven’t save scummed like this since Fallout 3 and Fallout New Vegas and that says something about my love for a game. How dare i deal with the consequences of my own actions. Those games however, are impossible to go back to. Hitman's gunplay makes wanting to play 2, 3, or even the new bond game unlikely for me.

The gunplay in Hitman is horrible and if they are going to leverage the Bond license the gunplay needs to go from a 2/10 to a 9/10 real quick in the shooting department. Maybe 1st person in parts?. I’m already miffed and bored by what was presented in the Hitman 3 trailer released in mid-December. They have a template that works but i can just replay the systems of Hitman 1 if they’re going to bore me with the same gameplay. VR might help but i’m not in the market for that.. If they keep up the writing and make some dialogue choices possible Hitman 3 could be an amazing game. One in which anybody platinum you have more respect than all the Halo legendary completion combined. They need more robust achievements and a director’s commentary especially one that is triggered by in gameplay. It could be amazing, but won’t be.

Score: 9.8/10 5 out of 5 stars. I might regress to the backwards compatible games because maybe there is some commentary or interviews out there in the ether, because other than PR, they can’t be bothered. Yes, the appropriate 2016 game of the year. Even over Doom. Well maybe not.