Quick Look: Hitman: Summer Bonus Episode: The Icon

Yup, guard-type NPCs will bag dead bodies and drag them to certain secluded areas so that everyone else can go about living their lives like nothing's happened.

It's a shame the picture-in-picture stuff isn't in this game like with Blood Money. The end of this QL could really have used it.

Stop listening to Dan, damnit!!!

Minutes to facepalm: 5 minutes in

BULLETPROOF SUIT.

I haven't played it yet (due to dumb rollout not letting me buy this map yet), but I wouldn't be surprised if that was one of the kills where the camera cut to the kill. It probably didn't because they decided to time it weirdly.

Brad still doesn't really get suspicion or at least follow it enough. He just was in sight of suspicious NPCs and got seen when he had the SFX outfit on. When I play I am always keeping an eye on those guys at least and avoid them at all costs.

I'm not saying it to be the guy who is saying he needs to play perfectly, but he just totally got seen by suspicious NPCs in this and seemed totally surprised by it.

@emtee: Holy shit, did not notice that!

Not gonna watch because I actually want to experience something in this game for myself for the first time, for once.

Kudos where kudos is deserved. This might be the most successful HitDan episode yet.

The Boat exit in the fashion show level required a key as well.

I think the series is great as well. I can understand some people who love the game getting frustrated at watching Brad and/or Dan's unique coaching. But, Brad mentioned a few times (I think mostly on the Bombcast) that the only times he plays the game are for these videos and UPF, so it's understandable that he might forget some game's mechanics and/or is generally rusty at it if it's been a while between missions.

@brad, I am so proud of you right now! Well done.

I'm genuinely confused as to why Dan was assuming that Brad could safely pick that door lock right beside the guard because "he's on the phone and you have a headset on." What train of logic led to that conclusion?

Brad really needs to learn the 2 fundamental skills of Hitman as taught by Dan Ryckert:

1) Don't do 'up to something' stuff.

2) Get the hell out of there.

I don't think I've ever made it through one of these Hitman videos. It is so frustrating to watch them missing miss things as someone who has already cleared the mission

id just put it in perspective; you've already beaten it plus i'm pretty sure you've played it many tens or more hours than brad and dan have plus as a passive viewer you're obviously going to see stuff they miss as brad needs to play, talk, and try to remain entertaining all at once.

haven't watched it yet but sounds like they did pretty well all things considered!

i also am getting more and more tempted to buy in for the whole game. sounds like they've really knocked it out of the park, just has the somewhat unfortunate stigma of being episodic.

About to watch. Is isn't the Friday night I deserve, but it's the one I need right now.

@ripelivejam: I feel the episodic nature really helps this game. There is so much to do in each location. I feel that the detail and many options would have been wasted if players just ran from level to level. Plus there are benefits and unlocks from completing objectives in each location that benefit the player in future locations.

I've found new places I didn't know existed on the map even after several replays. I had never gone up to the Bell Tower that Dave Lang mentioned for the elusive target. I don't do the sniper rifle much.

Jst my opinion, but I feel episodic design has greatly increased my enjoyment of the game world. If the game was less detailed, I would agree that episodic is a barrier.

I wonder if they are sitting far away from the tv they are playing this on.

It's probably just that they don't realize you can see white dot people on the map from much farther away, there's no reason to be surprised by them.

@dovah: hmm me and $47 may part ways shortly. damn you too many good games!!!

e: oh god i realized why gmg has that discount amount (possibly)

@jeverage: in the same boat. It's aggravating. It's like a post-order bonus.

Hitmen are cold, calculating and motherfucking cool. They do not run unless they need to.

@abrasion: Very good point. He does look considerably more ballin' slowly walking away from toilet explosions than running away from them.

Does bulletproof armor protect you from pasta sauce?

These are great! Thank you!

no video series makes me as frustrated as these do. it's like brad is actively trying to screw up, or have as little fun on screen as possible for like 90% of the time.

Everyone always mentions how a big plus of the episodic nature of these levels is that people don't rush through the game, but I always thought that is a weird argument to make and a bit presumptuous. Nothing would have stopped people from exploring each level especially if they incentivized it by way of game-wide unlocks. Reach mastery level 10 on Paris to unlock the remote explosives for all the levels. Reach mastery level 20 on Sapienza to unlock a second starting location on all future missions from the very start - so on and so forth.

It also would give people more choice. I like to play through a game front to back and then go back to previous levels to search for unlockables. That way I won't lose the thread on the story, which is there by the way, but no one remembers it because of the episodic nature means you see a 2 minute video every 30 days.

I fucking LOVE watching these

I like the arrogance Brad and Dan have about somehow knowing everything in Sapienza when they've barely explored maybe half of the level in the three videos they've done over three or four months. You guys have to actually play more of the game to learn all of the ins and outs of each map. Brad shouldn't feel ashamed to play the game in his free time because it won't take away from the videos at all since Dan is the one that directs the action.

I'm not very surprised at the lack of sympathy in the comments toward him missing stuff while commentating. As someone who has put videos up on YouTube, it's VERY easy to miss things while narrating, and just in general. You don't realize how much it happens because you don't know it happens.

I'm tempted to buy this game because as I watch I'll be thinking "I can do better than that!" "How did you miss that?" etc... I'm sure I'd also not do as well as I thought I could.

Yep, those annoying SF tech guys, imagine someone periscoping down the sidewalk while wearing a hoodie of the startup they sold to CBS Corp, intolerable...

This really was a frighteningly competent series of hits. Love this series.

They did in fact announce the remaining 3 locations a long time ago. I cannot wait for Japan, it's going to be excellent (I loved the look of the Japanese themed place in the intro video).

As someone who also puts up commented playthroughs on Youtube (both blind and prepared), I've never understood where the "It's hard to play and talk at the same time" thing comes from. It's really not, in my experience. Part of being good at commentated playthroughs is knowing when you can afford to focus on the commentary and when you need to focus more on the game.

I've totally missed things that I might not while playing on my own, without commentating, but to say it's that easy? I don't think so, honestly. Your last point is a good one, however, but when I watch a video back while editing, it's uncommon that I find something I didn't see while recording.

@humanity: I understand your points. I'm only speaking for myself but I know I wouldn't have gone back and done some of the silly, fun stuff on earlier levels as I would have been focused on doing the assigned tasks. I ran around in some of the different outfits as well as basically following and messing with people to see what they do. I don't think I wold have done the goofy stuff otherwise because I'm just a person who focuses on stuff the game is giving me to do.

@humanity: I understand your points. I'm only speaking for myself but I know I wouldn't have gone back and done some of the silly, fun stuff on earlier levels as I would have been focused on doing the assigned tasks. I ran around in some of the different outfits (outfits not part of the mission)as well as basically following and messing with people to see what they do. I don't think I wold have done the goofy stuff otherwise because I'm just a person who focuses on stuff the game is giving me to do. I seem to be always finding locations or weapons or new route to climb that I missed beause they dont. necessarily revolve around the missions.

Thats just the way I play games so other people may well have not needed the episodic structure to get them to just try crazy stuff.

Wow that man got hit twice! that's like super death!

@vasta_narada: Maybe I overstated it a bit, but I miss some silly thing around once every 30-ish minute video. Because Giant Bomb puts up tons of videos, that's a lot of silly yet understandable mistakes.

2 clean kills from Brad

what's going on. Is he ready for an Elusive Target?

Can't wait to see Brad take on Gary Busey.

That's got the up-to-something logo on it.

Dan Rykert, 2016

Good stuff guys! But come on, how obvious was it that to watch the teeth kill up close, you just needed to get rid of the guy who kept turning the pressure back down.

Is Brad going to kill Gary Busey? I sure hope so.

I don't think Dan has ever played a Hitman game. The Fiber-wire is extremely useful for stealthy kills and dragging bodies out of sight, which is incredibly necessary sometimes. I really wish he would stop railroading people into playing a certain way.

@burncoat: It's like the tranq pistol all over again.

i so love how every video with brad in it turns into a pissing contest of how much better a commenter thinks they are at the game than him.