Hitman 2

GAME REVIEW

Hitman 2 is an exciting game for lovers of assassination games and stealth! In this game, you take the role of Agent 47, a bio-engineered killing machine. As Agent 47, you work for a group known only as The Agency/Organization, a secret assassination group. You will go from one open district to another and assassinate targets given to you by clients.

Just like Hitman Blood Money, the game allows you to plan your assassination, choose weapons and gather intel before you start missions. After each mission, you are given a rating. This rating will tell you how well you performed. You need to be quiet, stealthy and efficient to earn the highest rating called “Silent Assassin”.

The story

As Agent 47, you are the game’s story. Although the game has a plot, the story is actually written by you. The way you take your targets out, how you plan the assassination and how well you execute your plan is what this game is really about.

This game is all about being the legendary assassin, Agent 47! In order to be that legend, you need to think like that legend. So you will really need to calculate each and every move that you make.

The levels

Hitman 2, just like its predecessor, has amazing levels. The amazing level design is what makes this game unique. There are numerous paths and spots that you can use to your advantage. The world is alive, and almost every NPC (non-playable character) that you see in the game has very well-coded AI. They can spot you committing a crime and can even report you to authorities.

Each location is different and unique. You will travel all over the world in this game, and tail your targets. The setting of every location is different as well. You can’t keep using the same method of attack, as you will fail. At some locations, people will recognize you as well, which can affect your rating.

The amazing AI

The artificial intelligence in this game is spectacular. The AI will work hard to make it extremely hard for you to get the silent assassin rating. They will also adapt to your play style.

The AI can also recognize you and see through your disguise if you are caught committing a crime. The NPCs that walk around in the world can also report you to authorities and can even report seeing dead bodies, bombs or weapons.

Just like most stealth games, The AI can also react to noise and investigate any disturbance. They will also react to gunshots. Some NPCs, called “enforcers” can recognize you and immediately try to arrest you even if you are wearing a disguise. The NPCs will also pick up dropped weapons and store them in a secured location.

They can also spot blood and can even follow a trail of blood, so you need to be careful about dragging a dead body across the floor.

Unique to this game, the AI can also see your reflections. This is a very unique feature, as in most games, the AI can’t really react to reflections. So if you are sneaking up on someone, you have to make sure that they can’t see you in a mirror.

If the enemy NPCs finds a dead body, they might actually start looking for you, and your disguise might not work anymore. In that case, your cover will be blown.

Disguise system

Just like in previous Hitman games, you can take the clothes of the people that you kill or neutralize. This will allow you to enter restricted areas, but the enforcers might see through your disguise so you will need to avoid them.

You have to make sure that you hide bodies so that the NPCs don’t get an idea of what disguise you might be wearing. There are some disguises that can never be blown, but are extremely hard to come by. Almost all disguises will stop working if you are caught doing a crime, or any other suspicious activity.

The weapons

Hitman offers a huge variety of weapons. You can use shotguns, pistols, SMGs, Assault Rifles, Sniper Rifle, mines, bombs and even poisons to take out your targets.

You may need to replay a level multiple times to unlock new weapons and new methods to neutralize your targets.

Opportunity system

As said before, the world is alive! The game will give you opportunities and it will be your job to make full use of them. You can follow opportunities and use them to take your targets out.

Each level has multiple opportunities, and they usually start with an NPC saying something to another NPC.

Stealth system

Just like in most modern stealth games, you can take cover behind objects and walls. You can crouch and sneak, jump through windows, pick locks and climb pipes.

You must still be careful though! Enemies can spot you from miles away, and can get suspicious if you are doing something that can be considered unusual. You must also be careful about what you are carrying when you are walking around in the world. Sometimes, your stealthy approach can easily fail if you are carrying a weapon while wearing a civilian disguise.

Graphics and performance

Hitman 2 is an absolute nightmare to run on a computer that has a processor with less than 4 cores. Even with 4 cores, your CPU will be doing 100 percent most of the time. That is mainly because the AI demands a lot of CPU power. The game is extremely easy on the GPU side of things though.

Before you buy this game, try to get a CPU with 6 cores, to get the best possible experience. Sudden frame drops are quite common in areas with a lot of NPCs

Summary

Hitman 2 is probably the best assassination game in the market today. It is just like the classic Hitman games, but is very forgiving. It is also extremely realistic. It has flaws, but it gets the job done better than most other stealth/assassination games.

Score: 9/10