Hitman 2: Silent Assassin
Hitman 2 is a first person shooter which rewards control and stealth over full-out blasting. Gorgeous graphics and freeform gameplay make this great for teenagers and adults.
You don't have the $500,000 ransom they demand, so you call up your agency and arrange to do some missions for them in return for help rescuing the priest. And you're off! You're wandering through very well done maps, with a diverse collection of tools at your disposal. Do you pick the locks to go in the back way? Shoot the guy from the trees, sneak up and wire him, maybe chloroform him in a corner?
The game is very open-pathed. You choose which way to approach a mission, what might work best. Your opponents are smart and react to finding bodies or to unusual behavior. This isn't a go-here-then-go-there game, it's a game where you're placed in the world and have to decide which approach works best for you. There's a stealth meter, you can hear your footsteps, you can see your shadow.
Having just finished playing Splinter Cell, though, the game suffers a bit in comparison. The movements are more jerky, the lighting not nearly as nicely done. You can peer through keyholes, but not around a partially opened door, or shoot around the door. You can't move along walls and peer around the corner. So some stealth techniques we found quite natural and helpful from Spliter Cell were impossible here.
Also, the open-endedness of the missions can lead to frustration. Even taking one step two far or opening the wrong door can lead to mission failures, so you can spend hours on a single mission trying to figure out which technique will work. In essence you learn what each AI character does and then work around it - which isn't very realistic.
Still, the game is quite fun to play, the graphics are very nice, and the missions are interested. Recommended for any fan of the stealth-fps genre.
Hitman 2 Walkthrough
Buy Hitman 2: Silent Assassin from Amazon.com
 | To start out, you're a retired hitman, enjoying the beauty, peace, and serenity of Sicily, Italy. You talk with your friend, the priest, about your hope for being one with God. Unfortunately for you, this is when the bad guys show up and kidnap the priest. |
You don't have the $500,000 ransom they demand, so you call up your agency and arrange to do some missions for them in return for help rescuing the priest. And you're off! You're wandering through very well done maps, with a diverse collection of tools at your disposal. Do you pick the locks to go in the back way? Shoot the guy from the trees, sneak up and wire him, maybe chloroform him in a corner?
The game is very open-pathed. You choose which way to approach a mission, what might work best. Your opponents are smart and react to finding bodies or to unusual behavior. This isn't a go-here-then-go-there game, it's a game where you're placed in the world and have to decide which approach works best for you. There's a stealth meter, you can hear your footsteps, you can see your shadow.
Having just finished playing Splinter Cell, though, the game suffers a bit in comparison. The movements are more jerky, the lighting not nearly as nicely done. You can peer through keyholes, but not around a partially opened door, or shoot around the door. You can't move along walls and peer around the corner. So some stealth techniques we found quite natural and helpful from Spliter Cell were impossible here.
Also, the open-endedness of the missions can lead to frustration. Even taking one step two far or opening the wrong door can lead to mission failures, so you can spend hours on a single mission trying to figure out which technique will work. In essence you learn what each AI character does and then work around it - which isn't very realistic.
Still, the game is quite fun to play, the graphics are very nice, and the missions are interested. Recommended for any fan of the stealth-fps genre.
Hitman 2 Walkthrough
Buy Hitman 2: Silent Assassin from Amazon.com
Editor's Picks Articles
Top Ten Articles
Previous Features
Site Map
Follow @lisavideogames
Tweet
Content copyright © 2023 by Lisa Shea. All rights reserved.
This content was written by Lisa Shea. If you wish to use this content in any manner, you need written permission. Contact Lisa Shea for details.
