Lugburz

I thought the AC series was all about the 2012 end of the world thing and nothing after this period will emerge, it turned out i was wrong.

Considering the subject matter, I don't think the next setting would be set in any eastern locations such as China or Japan unfortunately, because playing as an Asian main character is "out of the hands" from Ubisoft; being pretty much a Western game company and attempt at doing a another Technu-like game is far-fetched at least in my eyes.

In the other hand, a setting in Victorian England is interesting and seems plausible. Now you just have to find a moment in history fitting that period.

@pyrodactyl said:

@Lugburz: Also, higher difficulty levels would be fine if they didn't add way more guards in very bad spots and completly threw the game off balance.

You are right on that, some guards locations are impossible to bypass if you are going for 'suit only' and 'not spotted' but i don't find that a bad feature but quite a good one. The harder the game the better it is.

So here i am gonna list the improvements that IO introduced to Hitman Absolution and whether they are effective or simply drastic. This blog will be updated frequently as i progress through the game. It will have me listing as many features and mechanics that don't work for a Hitman game, while some do in terms of improving over the last installments.

Good Improvements

• The disguise system is way improved in terms of realism and detection capability. In the past Hitman games you can simply pick up a disguise and walk just like you were that previous owner of the said disguise if you meet certain requirements such as holding the right weapons. Whether in Hitman Absolution if you disguised yourself as a cop for example, walking by fellow cops will blow your cover if you are facing them.
• The Enemy AI is more balanced, focused and fierce. They will simply chase you if they are suspicious until you decide and hide from their sight. Especially in harder difficulties were they react immediately and are more alert they will prove to be your will...worst enemy in the game.
• The serious addition of the cover system is pretty much helpful in any stealth game, which is absent in previous Hitman games. They allow you to "peak" around corners and walls instead of standing behind a wall and rotating the camera for better view. It also help for changing from cover to cover with "Sam Fisher-y" fashion without exposing your cover.
• Using objects as distractions. As far as i remember you only had a coin before to distract NPCs and make look "elsewhere". In Absolution you can nearly throw any object available whether for distraction purposes or lethal ones. This allow for more organic use of the environment objects laying around and work them for your advantages.
• What Hitman Absolution is great at is delivering tension. Tension is really vital to any stealth game, and since this Hitman game relies a lot on stealth, it builds up your tension meter to really heightened states, which in turn might make you do something illogically or act otherwise sharply.
• The combat and gunning feels a lot more "punchy" and delivers much more impact. With that said when you go about in a level without firing a single shot but you eventually do it because you need to assassinate you target or just you have to, it gives both a soothing and a shocking effect, helped by the dramatic sounds or effects accompanying these acts.
• The abundance of challenges and difficulties. The inclusion of challenges in this game helps the replayability value it tend to offer. You cannot always finish all the challenges in one playthrough, but maybe after three or more playthroughs. Challenges are their to remind you that there are different play styles you can achieve if you experiment and improvise. Not to mention the five difficulty options that surely will satisfy every person type out there whether he is new player, expert, or a perfectionist.

Bad modifications

• Hitman games are known for their virtually open sandbox levels where you have the freedom to go exploring and plotting to ultimately finish your objective(s). Unfortunately this game kills that concept in favor for more segmented sections in a level connected by checkpoints where exploring and plotting are kept to a minimum. Checkpoints are the real enemies in a Hitman game because implementing them means restriction and no more quick saves. It defies what the real premise those Hitman games were set for, which is experimentation.
• IO this time seemed to forgot what made previous Hitman games so original and fun and focused on a story that is more akin to movie fanatics. Hitman games were always about gameplay, with players always regarding the story as a flavor or ignore it completely. Whether in Absolution you have entire levels build with the story as a backbone, relying heavily on cut-scenes and wasted segmented levels, which seems radical in a Hitman game.
• The tailored and streamlined fashion of the game levels will render immersion useless, which again a factor that made the previous games enjoyable. Occasionally you will find yourself in a level with a setup of weapons and a suit that designed for that said level, you have no control over your equipment whatsoever prior to a level.
• It makes playing with Agent 47 seem less professional , and less playing as Agent 47 as a whole. Agent 47 now has emotions and apparent eyes (remember how his eyes always concealed especially in covers) that change the look of the cold-killer that he was before, a professional assassin who kills for money and probably enjoyment, now he kills over sentimental issues and for the sake of saving a girl.
• The instinct vision (or mode). You know maybe the Eagle Vision is cool in Assassin's Creed and Dark Vision too in Dishonored (it depends on the person) but seriously i never feel the obligation of including a similar "supernatural" vision to a Hitman game.
• The fact that this game plays a lot more like a stealth game rather than a Hitman game is depressive.

That was guilty pleasure.

I would say both games utilizes pure stealth gameplay, of course if you intend to be stealthy and stick to the "shadows" in both of those games. In my humble opinion i think Dishonored have more options to how your missions and targets executed.

If you prefer dense stealth game with somehow contrived environments then pick Hitman.

If you prefer otherwise what lacks in this new Hitman game, which is open levels with assassinations aplenty then choose Dishonored.

@haffy: "I'd be more disappointed if this game came out and it was too similar to blood money"

Wrong son. I just want what they gave us in blood money and a bit more, i think that is not that demanding.

It is just simply:

-Only kill your target(s)

-Do not be spotted

-Find the evidence (i think that is optional in some levels, or not required at all)

In the other hand, in levels were there is no assassinations, you will get the rank of 'shadow' instead.

Metal Gear Solid 3

Metal Gear Solid 4 (to some extent)

Metal Gear Solid 1

Heavy Rain

Silent Hill 4

Yet to notice any glitches in the PS3 version. Works smoothly here.

I don't know what version you are playing but in consoles (PS3 on my behalf) there is always a line in the pointer that shows the path your soldier will take. I don't know if that helps or not but it is useful at some situations.