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LTTP: Hitman 2 is Awsome

Helscream

Banned
HGEgNWm.jpg


So I just wrapped up an exhaustive playthrough of Hitman 2 and I am really impressed with what IO Interactive was able to achieve.

To give yall a brief history I remember playing the original Hitman: Codename 47 back around its original release (think I was like 11 or 12 years old). Looking back on the original it was abit clunky and goofy, but I still remember being totally sucked into the game-world. The player literally takes control of a test-tube clone literally engineered to being a killing machine (not just machines! to quote the original). The story takes more of a backseat and puts gameplay upfront, but you have some cool moments that makes the player curious about Agent 47 and the lore behind his creation. The ending was pretty freaking crazy as Agent 47 basically fights all the previous test-tube clones to get to Doctor Otto Wolfgang Ort-Meyer.

Hitman 2 Silent Assassin was cool and improved on the original, still a bit wonky in spots.
Hitman 3: Contracts was a further polished and refined Hitman experience.
Hitman 4: Blood Money was clearly the pinnacle of the original Hitman Quadriology (if thats even a word)

Hitman 5: Aboslution was a mess and a insult to the original design philosophy of the first four. From what I can gather IO Interactive tried to follow what mainstream games were doing thinking people would like it more. Obviously this was not the case and it backfired. I remember back when the game was still in production that David Bateson was not going to voice Agent 47. I was part of the crowd who was extremely pist off by this decision. Thankfully David Bateson was asked to return, and he did. His unique, awesome voice, does a stellar job in the recent Hitman games.

Fast-Forward to 2016 I bought the original first part with the Prologue and Paris level for Hitman. Played it, enjoyed it, but decided to wait for the whole thing to release and play the game then. Waited a year, play through the entire first season once and didn't bother with it again.

Fast-Forward to 2020 and I picked Hitman 2 on a PSN sale and when I booted it up I noticed you could get all the legacy content updated with the Hitman 2 modern tweaks and improvements. Since I had the original first season already the Legacy Pack was free of Charge which was really freaking cool. I don't know why I didn't before, but I noticed all the additional equipment you could unlock by Maxing out your Mastery on each level, as well as certain feats, challenges and unlocked all the desired items I found useful or interesting.

In other games spending a bunch of extra time running through the same level trying to unlock extra stuff can end up being exhausting, or simply boring. However with how detailed and complex everything is in every Hitman level your time spent helps you learn more about the map such as unique routes, item placement, schedule for patrols and your assassination targets. The game does such a fantastic job at encouraging you to goof off trying to find more and more ways to take down your targets and the possibilities seem almost overwhelming at times. There are even special, somewhat hidden solutions to cleverly eliminate your targets. A great example is that of the Bangkok Hotel, were through careful observation and collection of the right Intel. You can goad the two assassination targets to meet up alone, have a heated argument, and then one target pushes the other out the window to fall to their death.

This brings me to my most important subject of praise and that of course is the gameplay. IO Interactive does a excellent job at creating these very large levels with a high amount of density of player interactivity for each region of said levels. Not only does the player have multiple paths to move around the environment, but these levels are littered with all kinds of items that all have their unique function within those levels. Want to just break a door open? Grab a crowbar. Want to loosen a gas valve where you target likes to light a smoke and then hilariously catch on fire? Grab a wrench. Want lure a real estate agent away in a secluded place to take his disguise? Grab about 10 blueberry muffins and leave him a trail to follow as he endlessly "ohm nom noms" away.

I could go on and on, but the point I want to stress is the player is given so many options to help accomplish their goal and never does the game once impede on Agent 47's abilities or enforce some artificial barrier or restrictions. For example on the last level of Hitman 2 called "The Ark Society". The stakes are pretty high and the story builds things up to make the player think that maybe it will be different or artificially harder than other levels. Or perhaps if Agent 47 gets spotted that its game over. However Hitman 2 does not do this at all, in fact it allows the player to screw up terribly, but will still give the player an opportunity to complete the mission despite how crazy shit gets. It is such a relief to play a game that grants the player the same about of power from the very beginning of the game, to the very end and never impedes on that. Aint none of that cinematic bullshit of "oh hey, Nathan Drake has unlimited ammo and cannot die here! oh hey don't get spotted by Nadine in this scene, otherwise she will cut your balls off!" Agent 47 is a badass at all times, its up to the player to make the legend come to life.

The difficulty of the game and the way NPC's react to the player and their actions are very logical. You get spotted in the wrong area, they will tell you to leave and then reprimand you if you don't. However certain NPC's will not mind your presence depending on their function in that region. Leaving a deadly weapon out in the open will worry civilians and they will report it to the authorities. The best advice I can give anyone who is thinking of playing Hitman 2 is patience. If you act too hastly, NPCs will notice your activities and interfere with your mission. Take your time and observes your surroundings. There will always be a opportunity to accomplish what you need to do, you just have to wait for the right moment.

Lastly the story is kinda neat in that, it does a cool job at interconnecting the story of the first four games with the plot of the recent storyline. There is alot of detail in the text entries you read and discover and it helps bring the setting to life. It is almost Metal Gear Solid-like in how it connects everything. Presentation is also going in a different direction from the original four hitman games. The UI is very simple, minimalist, and clean. I really miss Jesper Kyd and his music, but I guess IO Interactive wants a more likeable/relatable perspective of Agent 47. The feel and vibe of the original Hitman games were somewhat melancholy even perhaps bleak. Jesper Kyd did a great job at captivating the mind of a test-tube engineered killer with no empathy and simply kills as it is in his nature. I don't take issue with the new direction of how Hitman is now presented, but the original four titles will always have a special place in my gaming library.

TL;DR
If you like stealth, exploring levels, gathering intel on the situation and methodically devising a plan to achieve your objective.
If you haven't played Hitman 2, you should. Pick the game up (atleast get the legacy pack) grab all the extra content and have a blast.
It will be worth every penny.

(I enjoyed this game so much I went through every level on Master Difficulty and went for "The Classics" challenge. So here is my shameless plug)

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(EDIT: Damn Typos)
 
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Kuranghi

Member
Hear hear!

I champion this game as the most important GOTG, I never had as much as in these two games, I put 900 hours on it in total and I don't regret any of it... except fucking The Mallory Misfortune *shudders*

Did you do the any of the Easter Eggs? There are like 100 of them lol, some great ones, I recommend doing a EE run even if you finished everything, I can tell you the best one if you aren't bothered to see them all.
 

TTOOLL

Member
Nice thread! Thanks! After some "stealth" parts in Uncharted 2 I've been craving for more. I thought about Splinter Cell but I guess it's dead. I played a lot of Hitman in the past and forgot about it after I bought a PS4. I'll sure give it a try!
 

Shai-Tan

Banned
for whatever reason I haven't played Hitman since Blood Money. I'll have to get to it eventually. If I want to play the levels from the last Hitman should I play them in that version or play them in Hitman 2? I remember reading somewhere that they didn't look correct but I didn't know if that was a launch issue.
 

R6Rider

Gold Member
One of my favorite games this past gen.

Tons of replay value and some of the best levels in the series.

for whatever reason I haven't played Hitman since Blood Money. I'll have to get to it eventually. If I want to play the levels from the last Hitman should I play them in that version or play them in Hitman 2? I remember reading somewhere that they didn't look correct but I didn't know if that was a launch issue.

Just get Hitman 2, and it will have the improvements made to the Hitman 2016 levels.
 
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Kuranghi

Member
for whatever reason I haven't played Hitman since Blood Money. I'll have to get to it eventually. If I want to play the levels from the last Hitman should I play them in that version or play them in Hitman 2? I remember reading somewhere that they didn't look correct but I didn't know if that was a launch issue.

They changed the lighting, time of day and colour palette (and added more Bloom) of the levels in the Hitman 2 legacy versions. I think Hitman 1 looked better in terms of colour palette, and the less bloom but everything else is better. They even touched up the environment quite a bit in the legacy versions too, for example the fountain in Paris got a really sweet transparent shader added to it that simulates water pouring over the lip of the top section and it looks amazing to this day.

My advice: get Hitman 2 and the legacy pack and never look at the original version of the Hitman 2016 levels, that way you won't know what you are "missing"!

Also, make sure you mess with the camera news team near the fountain at the start of the level, this was when I realised the dialogue/AI was going to make this game amazing, so funny still even though I've done it 50 times lol. Just go with your heart of what would be funny to do - not violence - although its funny to punch her out as well.



Here is the fountain change, colour cast changes from bluey/green to warmer colours, you could prob change it back with reshade anyway, if it really bothered you.
 
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GHG

Member
I need to play this, loved the first hitman that we got this gen and this has been sitting in my library since it was a humble choice option.

Great writeup.
 

Soodanim

Member
In the recent F2P weekend it made its way onto my must play list, so I'm going to get round to that before long. I don't have enough stealth games like this and setting up Blood Money was proving to be a bit of a pain, so this well made game seems like a better option.

The whole Legacy pack thing is amazingly customer-friendly, too. They deserve a hell of a lot of praise for doing something I rarely see, but wish more games would do.
 
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T-Cake

Member
It's a fantastic experience, I am sad that I haven't been able to spend as much time on each of the maps as I'd like to. I hope they make a third entry for PS5 and port the previous two sets of maps into that.
 

R6Rider

Gold Member
Is it with the disguise system of bloody money or again the broken one from absolution?
It has the good style back from the old titles/same as Hitman 2016.

Disguises allow you into certain areas, there is no "press button to act natural while walking" like Absolution had. Enforcers are throughout the levels and are the few that can see through your disguise. Also certain disguises allow you to carry certain weapons and tools.

Edit: Almost forgot that you can also blend into spots such as sitting at a table, bartending, cleaning floor, etc. using disguises.
 
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Golgo 13

The Man With The Golden Dong
So Hitman 2 contains Hitman 1’s missions by default? Or is there a separate purchase required if you purchase the standard edition? For the sake of this question let’s say I’m on Playstation 4
 

R6Rider

Gold Member
So Hitman 2 contains Hitman 1’s missions by default? Or is there a separate purchase required if you purchase the standard edition? For the sake of this question let’s say I’m on Playstation 4

This should make it more clear: https://www.ioi.dk/hitman-legacy-faq/

I know Hitman 2016 was a PS+ game at some point, so if you got it then, you should get the levels free for Hitman 2.
 
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MarlboroRed

Member
Amen to that OP! Fantastic games, well worth more sales and recognition. IOI really cares about the IP, and it shows.

They went above and beyond what people wanted from a new Hitman.
 

Helscream

Banned
Hear hear!

I champion this game as the most important GOTG, I never had as much as in these two games, I put 900 hours on it in total and I don't regret any of it... except fucking The Mallory Misfortune *shudders*

Did you do the any of the Easter Eggs? There are like 100 of them lol, some great ones, I recommend doing a EE run even if you finished everything, I can tell you the best one if you aren't bothered to see them all.

I'm taking a short break for now (been playing Hitman for like 2 weeks straight almost). But I will most definitely be playing through the game again. There is just so much shit the player can do its hard to keep track of it all. There is still the New York and Last Resort level I will need to purchase as well. I did see the easter egg on Marrakesh with the "rain" effect. Pretty damn funny.

Is it with the disguise system of bloody money or again the broken one from absolution?

The instinct system of Hitman: Absolution is still a feature however it has been overhauled and functions better than it did in Absolution. You have Enforcers, or special NPCs that can still detect Agent 47 through a disguise, but it has a more logical function. Certain Disguise will allow you to enter and explore certain regions, even allowing you to be openly armed with a weapon. If you detect a NPC that can see through your disguise all you have to do is be mindful and don't get too close. Don't do anything suspicious and walk at a normal pace. Once you understand how the system works you can easily avoid Enforcer NPC's.

Amen to that OP! Fantastic games, well worth more sales and recognition. IOI really cares about the IP, and it shows.

They went above and beyond what people wanted from a new Hitman.

IO Interactive really did do a fantastic job. I was really skeptical, but they really took the poor recepetion of Hitman: Aboslution to heart and looked back to the original design of the older Hitman games. Then proceeded to extrapolate that design into outer space. IO Interactive is one of the rare game developers that understands what sets apart Hitman from other games out in the market. Instead of trying to paint broad strokes like a mainstream title, they take everything that makes their game unique and crank it up to 11.
 

Eimran

Member
The instinct system of Hitman: Absolution is still a feature however it has been overhauled and functions better than it did in Absolution. You have Enforcers, or special NPCs that can still detect Agent 47 through a disguise, but it has a more logical function. Certain Disguise will allow you to enter and explore certain regions, even allowing you to be openly armed with a weapon. If you detect a NPC that can see through your disguise all you have to do is be mindful and don't get too close. Don't do anything suspicious and walk at a normal pace. Once you understand how the system works you can easily avoid Enforcer NPC's.

It has the good style back from the old titles/same as Hitman 2016.

Disguises allow you into certain areas, there is no "press button to act natural while walking" like Absolution had. Enforcers are throughout the levels and are the few that can see through your disguise. Also certain disguises allow you to carry certain weapons and tools.

Edit: Almost forgot that you can also blend into spots such as sitting at a table, bartending, cleaning floor, etc. using disguises.

Thanks guys. Happy to hear this. I absolutely loved the PS2 trilogy but was so dissapointed with absolution. Definitely gonna give the games a new try. Currently still have a big back log so maybe they'll release a complete version with both games and all the episodes.
 

rahuljx

Member
I had never played a Hitman game until Absolution which I loved. So when I heard the fans werent happy I was quite surprised they thought it was terrible. Then I played Hitman 2016 on PS Plus and was blown away. It was miles better than Absolution and just one of the best games I had played in a while. The variety and level design were ridiculously good and the graphics had tons of polish. So had to buy Hitman 2, and as many others have said its one of the best games this generation. Havent platinumed it or anything but its a game I keep going back to.
 

Hostile_18

Banned
I only played The Prologue and Paris level of 2016. I just bought the Sequel and season pass in the sale for £24 combined. The first games levels remastered in 2 were a free upgrade as well. So looking forward to playing the whole thing. 😁
 

amigastar

Member
I still have the game in my Steam Library. Gotta try it out sometime, i am a huge Hitman fan since the first one.
 

Hostile_18

Banned
It's a great time to jump in with a third entry on the way.

I love that 2 has all the first games levels and cut scenes in it!
 

Denton

Member
Hitman is the best stealth series ever, great writeup. I bought Hitman 2 CE, but I am waiting for Hitman 3 now to play all of it (incl. replaying 1) in the engine of 3 to get the most features.
 
I debated getting this game when it was on sale, and I never really asked opinions, but seeing how much love it's getting I'll have to just cave in and get it. Thanks for the read, and the recommendation. I'll get back to you when I have had a chance to play it.
 

Andodalf

Banned
Omg has that been confirmed? 😁


“A Platform of Assassination
The World of Assassination trilogy is fully realised with HITMAN 3 and we are establishing our new game as the ultimate place to play all three games. Players of our previous HITMAN games will be pleased to know that it will be possible to ‘import’ locations that they own from the previous two HITMAN games into HITMAN 3, essentially putting all 20+ locations from the entire trilogy in one place.
Playing the entire trilogy from beginning to end, from within HITMAN 3, also means that the progression systems in HITMAN 3 work across all locations. You can unlock an item in Dubai and take it with you to Paris, for example. Now that we’re talking about items and progression, we’re pleased to say that HITMAN 2 players will have the option to carry over their hard-earned unlocks and progression into HITMAN 3. This is something that players have been asking for and we’re delighted to confirm.
HITMAN 3 will act as a platform for the entire trilogy, and we are excited to finally realise a vision that we had five years ago; to create a game world that would continually grow and expand over time. In the coming months, we’ll share precise details about how location and progression carryover will work.”


From their website!
 

JayK47

Member
I picked up the last two Hitman games on sale and played the story missions once, wrapping them up in about 8 hours each. I do not get how they are so much better than previous games. I did not feel compelled to go back and replay a single level. The forced online only, which adds nothing for me, doesn't help. Hitman 2, which seems to include Hitman 1, was a little more fun, but with less levels. I liked that I had at least a few more weapons to start each level, one of the things I hated about Hitman 1. Maybe at my age I am tired of grinding and just do not have time for it. I will keep Hitman 2 installed and may go back, but why? Been there done that.
 

T-Cake

Member
I wonder if there’s cross-platform progression? I have some nice unlocks on Steam but thinking of switching over to Xbox Series X for the next game.
 

Hostile_18

Banned
“A Platform of Assassination
The World of Assassination trilogy is fully realised with HITMAN 3 and we are establishing our new game as the ultimate place to play all three games. Players of our previous HITMAN games will be pleased to know that it will be possible to ‘import’ locations that they own from the previous two HITMAN games into HITMAN 3, essentially putting all 20+ locations from the entire trilogy in one place.
Playing the entire trilogy from beginning to end, from within HITMAN 3, also means that the progression systems in HITMAN 3 work across all locations. You can unlock an item in Dubai and take it with you to Paris, for example. Now that we’re talking about items and progression, we’re pleased to say that HITMAN 2 players will have the option to carry over their hard-earned unlocks and progression into HITMAN 3. This is something that players have been asking for and we’re delighted to confirm.
HITMAN 3 will act as a platform for the entire trilogy, and we are excited to finally realise a vision that we had five years ago; to create a game world that would continually grow and expand over time. In the coming months, we’ll share precise details about how location and progression carryover will work.”


From their website!

Man that leaves me in an impossible dilemma... start playing 1-2 in 2 now or play 1-3 in 3 😂🙈
 

Helscream

Banned
I picked up the last two Hitman games on sale and played the story missions once, wrapping them up in about 8 hours each. I do not get how they are so much better than previous games. I did not feel compelled to go back and replay a single level. The forced online only, which adds nothing for me, doesn't help. Hitman 2, which seems to include Hitman 1, was a little more fun, but with less levels. I liked that I had at least a few more weapons to start each level, one of the things I hated about Hitman 1. Maybe at my age I am tired of grinding and just do not have time for it. I will keep Hitman 2 installed and may go back, but why? Been there done that.

When I did my first playthrough of the original game I wasn't feeling it at the time. Not sure why, but I played through and once and put it back down. Wasn't until I got around to playing the second game that I started to really enjoy the game. Bought the GOTY Legacy Pack and played through all the levels multiple times. Online features are present, but as far as I can tell do not interfere with the single player experience in any capacity.

I think a game like Hitman is best enjoyed when you want to step away from the over-saturated third person/first person shooter/action games market. In my case I had did an exhaustive playthrough of all the Metro games. Then did an exhaustive playthrough of DOOM and DOOM Eternal. By the time I finished my Nightmare playthrough of DOOM eternal I was ready for something with a different approach. Granted I had alot of fun, but I was just not in the mood for another shooter.

My advice would be put the game down for now. Eventually you'll want a different flavor of gameplay and perhaps feel up to doing some stealth of infiltration. Hitman is about the absolute freedom to do whatever you want and experiment with what options are available. However it is never about action, and more about cold calculation and execution.

If you aint feeling it, than you aint feeling it.
 

Nikana

Go Go Neo Rangers!
Still have this wrapped in the plastic from a BF sale from 2018? I should probably get to it. 😂
 

MMaRsu

Member
Hitman 2 is amazing. Hitman 1 as well. So is Blood Money.

I got into a twitter beef with some rando who kept insisting that the newer Hitman games are based on Absolutions Chinatown map..
 

Paasei

Member
Still playing it myself, because I managed to miss quite a few Elusive Targets, which I need for that Undying Look suit. I have the Classics done too and working on the challenges to 100% every map.

These games have a near endless replayability value, as there are plenty of unique ways to kill and also contracts to do for an extra challenge.
 

Hostile_18

Banned
When are you meant to move on to the next level? I get flashbacks of Dragon Age Inquisitions first area replaying Paris over and over 😂
 

Tesseract

Banned
p. much every hitman is good, i played them through blood money

need to catch up, still gotta finish absolution
 

Helscream

Banned
When are you meant to move on to the next level? I get flashbacks of Dragon Age Inquisitions first area replaying Paris over and over 😂

IMO after you max out your mastery of a map (level 20 is the max for almost all stages) you can go ahead and move onto the next mission. Only other thing you could try and strive for after hitting the mastery cap is playing on Master Difficulty and perform a Silent Assassin/Suit Only clear.

p. much every hitman is good, i played them through blood money

need to catch up, still gotta finish absolution

Honestly you can skip Absolution. Unless you just want to check it off your bucket list, Absolution is a skippable entry.
 

Hostile_18

Banned
IMO after you max out your mastery of a map (level 20 is the max for almost all stages) you can go ahead and move onto the next mission. Only other thing you could try and strive for after hitting the mastery cap is playing on Master Difficulty and perform a Silent Assassin/Suit Only clear.

I think im up for doing the main story missions (whatever level that takes me too) and ill come back for the other things if I go for the trophies. Don't want to replay too many times ;)
 

xrnzaaas

Member
IMO after you max out your mastery of a map (level 20 is the max for almost all stages) you can go ahead and move onto the next mission. Only other thing you could try and strive for after hitting the mastery cap is playing on Master Difficulty and perform a Silent Assassin/Suit Only clear.

Honestly you can skip Absolution. Unless you just want to check it off your bucket list, Absolution is a skippable entry.
I recently replayed Absolution and tbh it's still a pretty enjoyable entry. You just have to accept that the mission structure is different from other Hitman games.

When are you meant to move on to the next level? I get flashbacks of Dragon Age Inquisitions first area replaying Paris over and over 😂
It's entirely up to you. I would recommend that you at least complete all of the mission stories for each level to see the "biggest" assassination options. Personally I tried to max out each new level spending at least a few days with it, because after that it's harder to remember where the cool items or passageways are or where to disable surveillance.
 
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Maiden Voyage

Gold™ Member
Just picked this up while it was $12 for the Gold Edition. I 100% the first game. Is there still no way to carry over those unlocks to the 2nd game?
 

Helscream

Banned
Just picked this up while it was $12 for the Gold Edition. I 100% the first game. Is there still no way to carry over those unlocks to the 2nd game?

Its a unfortunate design flaw, but if you played just the first Hitman game, and then play Hitman 2 none of that progress will carry over.

The way it works is when you download and install Hitman 2, you are able to integrate the "Legacy" content. Which is a fancy way of saying you can download and install all the content from Hitman 1 into Hitman 2. So all the new bells and whistles, gameplay features, and graphical upgrades will exist in the Hitman 1 Legacy Content. The drawback here is the only way to obtain all the unlockable content from Hitman 1 is from playing the "Legacy" Content with the Hitman 2 game. Atleast this is what I had to do when I played through the game.

It sucks, but that is how it is. However if you did purchase Hitman 1. When you play Hitman 2, you should have a option to download and integrate all the Hitman 1 content into Hitman 2 for free.
 

Maiden Voyage

Gold™ Member
Its a unfortunate design flaw, but if you played just the first Hitman game, and then play Hitman 2 none of that progress will carry over.

The way it works is when you download and install Hitman 2, you are able to integrate the "Legacy" content. Which is a fancy way of saying you can download and install all the content from Hitman 1 into Hitman 2. So all the new bells and whistles, gameplay features, and graphical upgrades will exist in the Hitman 1 Legacy Content. The drawback here is the only way to obtain all the unlockable content from Hitman 1 is from playing the "Legacy" Content with the Hitman 2 game. Atleast this is what I had to do when I played through the game.

It sucks, but that is how it is. However if you did purchase Hitman 1. When you play Hitman 2, you should have a option to download and integrate all the Hitman 1 content into Hitman 2 for free.
Do we know if the same will be true for Hitma 2 content to 3?
 

Helscream

Banned
Do we know if the same will be true for Hitma 2 content to 3?

No idea. I would hope there will be some consideration to include player progression from Hitman 2 to Hitman 3. The only thing I can think of, its because Hitman 1 released episodically and Hitman 2 released as a full game, this may have complicated the matter of transferring player progression from Hitman 1 to Hitman 2. Just a theory.
 
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