AtheistPreacher

I don't use the podcast feeds, but forum search is also borked for me in the same way. Trying to search for anything just returns an error message.

I really couldn't tell you, I've never used the feeds.

It's very thin, yeah. The new description from the "Get Premium" page is:

• Ad-Free Podcasts
• Behind the Scenes Access
• 10% off Merchandise For The Length of Your Subscription
• Access To Exclusive Merch
• Access To Premium-Only Discord Channels

So, basically ad-free podcasts, slight discount on merch, more merch options, and a Discord channel. Funny that they don't even mention access to the old premium content, which is the only benefit I actually care about (I'm not interested in the Discord channel, have never bought merch, and ads on podcasts are easy to skip).

IDK, I'd like to support the site, but these days it feels more like a donation rather than giving you any worthwhile benefits. *shrugs*

This obviously sucks, but I feel kind of stuck with it. Cloud saves are essential and being able to play most any game online at all requires at least the Essential tier. I've got too much invested in the Sony ecosystem to switch over to Xbox (not that I'm actually inclined to do so anyway).

So I decided to just pre-pay for a number of years out. My subscription had recently auto-renewed anyway; I added four more years and my next renewal is in mid-2028 (annoying that you can't seem to add more than one additional year at a time, I had to make four separate purchases). IDK, possible that they'll eventually add some sort of "Basic" tier with all the features I really need (cloud saves and online play), and that hence paying $60x4 will come back to bite me... but that's about the worst that could happen. I'd rather risk that scenario than have to start paying $80 as early as next year.

Yay four years for the price of three? *sigh*

I feel like part of the joy of Freelancer is that you no longer need to plan a perfect hit every time. Getting that Silent Assassin rating was always a thing in the campaign, but in Freelancer it entirely depends on what your optional objectives are... in some cases getting spotted or getting into a pitched battle won't even matter. It's nice to be able to do things more freeform without worrying about ratings. You just have to worry about finishing the mission at all, and secondarily your specific objectives for the merces (but I don't hesitate to skip an objective if it's at all likely to lead to a mission fail).

Also, the Sieker emetic dart gun is stupidly overpowered. Once you get that, it's usually quite easy to dart your targets and send them to a bathroom where you can drown them for an accident kill totally unmolested. And if you've taken the "Big Pharma" syndicate—which has objectives like "poison target," "poison target – emetic," and "poison target – dart gun"—you'll often end up doing a lot of the objectives without any extra effort. So if you know the OP strats and are really familiar with all the locations, 15 minutes is usually a realistic amount of time to finish a mission, even with three or four targets.

I mean, it wasn't a terrible game when considered in isolation. Not a great one, either, but fine. Plus it had Keith Carradine, and who doesn't like Keith Carradine? It just wasn't a Hitman game, like at all. IOI themselves knew it, which is why they wrote what amounted to an apology letter to fans saying that they knew Absolution had missed the mark and they'd return to the real Hitman formula for the next game... which turned out to be the 2016 reboot, so they definitely delivered in spades.

Hah, the long load times on PS4 is something I'd sort of forgotten about. I did buy the first two games on PS4, but then I was lucky enough to snag a PS5 at launch, so I never had to deal with the long loads for Hitman 3 or Freelancer. And I can imagine how it would be particularly bad with Freelancer due to the constant loads back into the safehouse.

I believe the alt+F4/"close the app" exploit still works for consoles, or so I remember reading somewhere?

FWIW, the one bug in Freelancer that I'm shocked they've yet to fix is that it remains impossible to get the coin for your tool case. You can get the coin for the wall, the one that costs 5,000 and persists between campaigns, but not the one for the case. Bizarre, as there have been a couple patches since release and it seems impossible that IOI doesn't know about it.

Eh, that's really not true, though. Hitman: Absolution definitely had a story; in fact it focused on that to the exclusion of everything else. So much so that it wasn't really even a proper Hitman game, but a thriller in which 47 was running away as often as he was assassinating someone. Which is of course why no one liked it.

But Hitman WoA seemed to find the right balance. They managed to include a story that was vaguely compelling while never sacrificing any of the gameplay that makes Hitman what it is. Too bad they couldn't keep doing those sublime cutscenes with that good Square Enix money like they did for the first game, but it was still a better story throughout the trilogy than I was really expecting.

I do think that Hitman WoA really is an all-timer. Hell, the first game won GB's GOTY in 2016, and this combined version is just the same thing with three times the levels plus Freelancer mode. That is an insanely good package. And there's really nothing else out there quite like Hitman. It's one I think I'll still be returning to years from now when I've forgotten most other releases.

I had a better opinion of Freelancer than you did. It's not perfect, but it did give me what I wanted out of a mode like that and revitalized my interest. Sure, the bespoke targets from the campaign are more fun on a first play, or even the first few plays, but at some point you've done those missions so many times that you're worn out on them. Maxing your mastery on all locations will do that to you. I really like 47's ridiculous house, I like that the stakes are higher instead of infinite save scums, I like that there's some kind of currency to earn (otherwise why is 47 doing all these hits, anyway?), and also just the way that Freelancer strips the game down to its most basic elements. It's definitely not a mode that should be played first, because playing it well relies on knowledge of the locations gained through playing the campaign... but when you've got a handle on all the campaign missions, Freelancer is fun as hell.

I'm really getting the sense that this game isn't for me.

I played the hell out of ES3, ES4, and FO3. By the time ES5 and FO4 rolled around, I had zero fucks left to give. I was simply tired of the formula and it really hadn't substantially changed. I realize I'm unusual in that ES5 seemed to be the one that most people latched onto the most strongly, but I guess for me it was really just a timing thing.

And so now, seeing the more tepid response from critics at bigger outlets, and watching Nextlander stream it today, my sense is that Bethesda sure has put out another one of those, and I am filled with ennui. Also, I'm appalled but not surprised that item burden is still a thing and that the inventory management apparently still sucks. I'm sure there will immediately be PC mods that allow you to carry infinite weight, but c'mon guys. No one actually enjoys needing to constantly drop or transfer stuff.

@therealturk: Nope, there doesn't seem to be a point to S-ranking missions unless you want the trophy/achievement for getting them all. It's the only trophy I don't have and I'm not going to bother. Parts are all gotten though buying in the shop, completing training exercises, collecting combat logs, defeating arena opponents, or finding on missions. Worth noting that you'll need to play through the campaign at least three times if you want all parts; I consulted an endings guide after my first play to make sure I was picking the right choices.

I've played it pretty hard since release and just tonight I finished getting the third and final ending to the game. It might sound crazy that I've already played the campaign three times, but you'd be surprised how fast it goes once you no longer have to scour stages for combat logs and hidden parts (and also start skipping briefings and cutscenes you've seen already). It took me three days to see credits, but then only a day each for the second and third plays. Some of the missions can be completed in about two minutes, especially if you've done them before.

As several people have already mentioned, the tank builds are really, really powerful. Almost disappointingly so. Once I settled into tank treads with dual gatling guns and dual "songbird" grenade cannons, I pretty much just steamrolled everything. Any other build felt like I was unnecessarily handicapping myself, and I never really ran into any enemy for which that build didn't seem like the answer... with the possible exception of the late-game boss IB-01: CEL 240, who seems hard regardless of what your build is. But even for that fight I kept things mostly the same, only switching out my songbirds for stun needle launchers, which it turns out are even better than the songbirds for single targets.

At this point I've done everything except S-rank all missions, and it's left me feeling... a little cold? I enjoyed the game well enough, but S-ranking everything just sounds like a slog, nor do I feel any need to keep playing through the story. And I'm not much for competitive multiplayer in games like this. So after five days I think I might be done with it for good, I just don't really see myself returning to it. It'll probably still end up on my top ten games of the year list, but not with much enthusiasm.

I suppose I'm not too surprised. Though this now seems to clearly be the best entry in the series (For Answer remains a strong second-best from what I recall of it), I remember enjoying the hell out of that first game as a kid—partly, I think, because I'd simply never played anything like it before—and then slowly getting less interested with each sequel. Ultimately I think mech games just aren't quite my cup of tea.