..Hitman Absolution..

HANDS-ON PREVIEW | ? Comments |

Agent 47 is a fairly recognizable video game character. His bald head and dark suit have graced four titles to date and one motion picture. However, it's been a good six years since we've seen him pop his shiny head out in a new game. Enter Square-Enix's upcoming release Hitman Absolution.

I was treated to a hands-on preview of Hitman Absolution at Square Enix's booth at E3, and it looks like Absolution will be revitalizing the series, improving on the old and bringing together all the best parts of the past titles. While Hitman Absolution's mechanics for gunplay are far superior to its predecessors, it's still really the stealth mechanics which again shine through.

Whether you decided to poison your enemy's food, snipe them silently, blow up their car, or sneak up on them with a knife, all of these feats of assignation can easily be executed by tight controls and a stellar design in gameplay. Of course, all the classic dangers that are typical of a stealth game are here: suspicious targets, the lingering dead bodies that alert your foes, the ever-watching eyes of crowds, etc. However, Hitman Absolution's A.I. does a fine job in pulling off a variety of reactions to your actions. Whether it's the crowds running and hiding, or cops hunting you down like a dog, your stealth skills will have to be primed and sharp to make progression really work. At least Agent 47 does it all in style, from his skills with a knife to his sharp suit. The addition of a visor mode helps make Absolution smooth and seamless to play. With the visor turned on, objectives and enemies become color-coded, making things much easier to navigate and see. This helps, because Hitman Absolution is loaded with lush crowds and beautiful level design. Graphically, the game looks amazing. 

Hitman Absolution won't put you on a linear rail when it comes to playing style either. Sure, the level we played gave us one objective (assassinate a contract), but there were a dozen different ways to get there and do it, and Absolution never suggests or forces you into any one path or style. Want to dress up as a chef and make your target think you're an innocent cook right before you knife him to death? Go for it. How about a little C4 on your target's car, Mafia style? It's there for you to do. How about the old gun right to the face? Why not? Or if you prefer, the sniper rifle from afar? To each their own. Hitman Absolution is brilliant, stealth assassin action at its best. The franchise is about to be rehabilitated, and there's no doubt Hitman Absolution will be a hit. 

Rando Evans   Followtinydinosaurs Three things describe Rando: Good beer, good food, and video games. On occasion, Rando flies a zeppelin through time seeking power crystals.

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