Things Learned in Hitman Absolution

Hitman Absolution.

A whole lot of blood.

(spoiler alert)

My Flatmate Will recently got a copy of 'Hitman Absolution' for the Xbox 360, and needless to say, I've been playing a fair bit of it. Which has taught me some very harsh lessons about myself, but before I get to that, I suppose I should review the actual game a little bit.

Camera

'Hitman' is made by 'IO-Interactive', which I know in the past (Kane and Lynch Dead Men) has brought certain problems with it, however I can say with a certain degree of confidence that 'Hitman' has solved all the old issues of view. They've thankfully kept in the 'click switch' basically meaning that by clicking the left thumb stick in, you change the camera from being over your left shoulder, to your right shoulder. A very handy thing for shooting round corners. 

Gunplay

Obviously, a large part of 'Hitman' is to do with finding men of a questionable moral disposition and shooting them. (I for one prefer the good old tactic of firing as many bullets in their general direction and hoping I hit) The Aiming system is relatively smooth for the most part, only catching, for instance when you shoot round corners, but as a whole it is an incredibly smooth and enjoyable experience.

Stealth

Now for the Important part. The main focus of 'Hitman' is trying to kill your enemies in fascinatingly quiet ways, be it using a fish to poison more fish, or even poisoning a line of cocaine  The ways you can kill your enemies are endless, I once pulled a man out of a window just after he had learned he did not have Prostate Cancer, I even waited till just after he told his doctor over the phone that "no-one can shit on this day" ... I'm still not sure how I feel about about my actions at that point.
The stealth mechanics in the game are by far some of the best I have seen, alongside such games as 'Splinter Cell', or The 'Assasins Creed' series and many many more. And by rights, they should be as this is the fifth installment to the 'Hitman' saga, so they've well and truly nailed it down.
Disguises are also a major (albeit optional) part of your mission, allowing you to sneak past enemies using you 'instinct ability' to trick them into believing you are among their ranks. When you are in a disguise, ordinary citizens will not look twice at you, even if you are in a 'restricted' or 'hostile' area, enemies and police (yes, these are two different categories, which is a refreshing light in the world of cop killing games) however will take notice of you so it's best to keep your distance.

Story

Without giving too much away, the story follows the infamous 'Agent 47' as he tracks down various targets for his contractors, all while trying to protect another contact from being eliminated. It is quite heart warming in parts where you get to see '47s' human side, and I for one felt a much stronger connection to him than I have in the previous games. The story flows pretty seamlessly from one mission to the next all the while hurtling towards what I can only assume will be a climactic conclusion. 

It really feels like everyone is out to get you.  

Lessons Learned

1. I am a terrible assassin. On a certain mission (which I shall not name) the anit-hero inside me decided that everyone in this area decided to die. So instead of using my usual method of hiding among the shadows and avoiding contact with the enemies as much as possible, I went through the level guns blazing. What made me feel even more bad-ass was the fact that I was dressed as a priest, and the level had some pretty dramatic classical music blaring out to accompany my hail of justice.
2. When possible, I will find the most extravagant way of eliminating my enemies, when given the chance, i will opt for blowing them up with a remote explosive to silently eliminating them when no-one is looking.
3. I myself have a very questionable moral stance. Actually, I learned this is the 'Army of Two games', but given the chance, I would kill a target instead of letting them live, as it means one less person I need to worry about.
4. Finally, when given the option, i will toy with my prey, rather than giving them a clean death. In one of the missions, a character shoots a nun out of frustration, and once given the option to either kill him cleanly, I decided to chase him around an old Hackney carriage with a hatchet in one hand... for about 10 minutes, imagining that '47' was reciting the Verse;

"Cursed is the ground because of you;

through painful toil you will eat of it

all the days of your life.

It will produce thorns and thistles for you,

and you will eat the plants of the field.

By the sweat of your brow

you will eat your food

until you return to the ground,

since from it you were taken;

for dust you are

and to dust you will return.”

Before finally laying him to rest with said hatchet.

I guess that concludes my little review, i would highly advise anyone out there to purchase this gem as you will get many hours of enjoyment out of it.

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Till the next time Internet.

Seddon