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I dream of being a hired goon.
What can I say? As a red-blooded
American man, the idea of money for violence appeals to me. Thanks
to Hitman 2, I can live out my sick fantasies without
actually having to go through the painful process of being
prosecuted for ending the life of multiple targets... Some people
are going to whine that the disturbing premise of a ‘Hitman’ game is
a bad idea to unleash on the public. The popular neo-fascist theory
is that (combined with red meat) games like this will eventually
drive the populace into a chaotic homicidal mania. I’m not going to
address these concerns, but instead quote Mr. Dennis Leary:
“…in the end, eggplant tastes like
eggplant, but meat tastes like murder, and murder tastes pretty @#$%
good!"
Mmmm... Murder…
A kinder, gentler, murderous clone
Allow me to tell you a story about a
gentleman by the name of 47. Mr. 47 is a highly trained assassin;
and also a big, bald, pale clone with a barcode tattoo on the back
of his head. Lately Mr.47 has been feeling a little guilty about the
many mass murders he has perpetrated, so he has decided to redeem
himself the old fashioned way: By paying off the Catholic Church,
seeking divine forgiveness. Not only has he given his fortune to the
church, but also has committed himself to tend the church garden and
live in a rickety tool shed.
Granted, tending the church garden
would make for a pretty lame game. This point is taken care of,
thanks to a couple of suspicious characters who treat 47’s priest
buddy to a savage beating and kidnapping for ransom. It is at this
point when 47 realizes that his redemption is doomed to failure,
unless he takes up arms and commits many heinous acts of murder. So
begins Hitman 2: The Silent Assassin, featuring the newly
reformed anti-hero 47.
A slightly updated graphics engine
Hitman 2
looks good for a multi-platform release. Anyone who has played the
first Hitman game will remember the detailed backgrounds, and
the character models that were oddly blocky by comparison. In its
newest incarnation, the graphics engine amplifies this quirk. The
background architecture is generally very detailed. The dense,
(mostly) near photo-realistic texture detail stands out as some of
the best I’ve seen on a cross-platform release. In the foreground of
this detailed world are merely adequate character models, generally
lacking in detail and variety. As you encounter other combatants and
characters, you will also notice that their animations are sometimes
jerky and out of place.
Lighting effects are effectively done,
but without being optimized for the powerful XBOX hardware, you’ll
end up noticing 2D rays of light poking through windows and static
ambient lighting indoors. While the lighting is merely adequate, the
real-time shadows cast by characters in the game are well done.
Environmental effects are used liberally throughout the outdoor
portions of the levels in Hitman 2; the Snow, rain and fog
are done well. Water effects are inconsistent: Small bodies of water
are well animated and detailed, but lakes and oceans are only a
solid texture. Sharply contrasting the frozen oceans is the blood
splatter, which accurately coats the walls behind your victim and
runs slowly downward.
The most visually pleasing effect in
this game has nothing to do with high poly counts, sharp textures or
environmental effects, but rather the physics engine that governs
dead bodies. When a person is hit in the chest at close range with a
shotgun, he or she will tumble head over heels (in a most hilarious
fashion) and land in a random position. Each part of the body is
allowed to move independently, and has its own weight. This means
that bodies on stairs don’t ‘float’, but lie realistically in the
position in which they land. Instead of clipping through walls,
limbs get propped up against them. Dragging bodies is also sickly
amusing, as heads and limbs get caught on obstacles and bend the
wrong way. After playing this game for only a few minutes I began to
wonder why all games didn’t have this type of body physics system.
This is the feature that the Hitman series will go down in
history for pioneering.
You’ll need the sub-titles
Characters in Hitman 2 speak the native
language of whatever country you happen to be in. It’s kind of
interesting to see a guard trying to stop you, spouting some foreign
gibberish, while you try your best to get away without running or
pulling out your weapon. The music chimes in at appropriate times, a
very slick and classy mixture of orchestra and chorus. The weapon
effects are accurate and surround-sound effects are subtle but
audible. As far as I can tell the sound is perfect, it doesn’t annoy
and fits perfectly with the Hitman ambience.
A bloodbath ensues
The gameplay in Hitman 2 is
varied and somewhat open-ended. Most levels will provide more than
one way to kill your target, but each option has a linear path that
must be followed. Despite the obvious linear nature of your mission
objectives, the gameplay never feels canned the first time through.
When first I played this game I had
assumed that the main action would be a stealth game like MGS2
or Splinter Cell, and was horrified when the guards noticed
me. I then proceeded to kill every single living thing that came
onto my path and (much to my surprise) I beat the level.
“Well, this is too damn easy.” I
thought to myself. While playing the first Hitman, you
would fail the mission if you simply slaughtered everyone; Hitman
2 seemed to be dumbed-down.
Ah, but I was wrong. While sneaking
past defenses is a big part of this game, all-out, John Wayne style
frontal combat also plays an important role. Hoards of enemies will
track you down and try to kill you as soon as they are aware of your
presence, your main concern ends up being whether or not you can
eliminate your target without dying yourself. This is a lot more fun
and forgiving than worrying about following a pre-conceived script
that has to be discovered via trial and error (such as the first
game).
The stealth portions offer up the
really tense moments of this game. There is a serious sense of
urgency while walking past a group of armed guards into a secured
area, while dressed like a mailman or kitchen worker. If you run or
you get really close to them, they will try to stop you and check
your identification. If you are dressed like a soldier and are
carrying any weapon except the standard-issue service weapon, they
will grow suspicious. Civilians will freak out and report you if
they catch a glimpse of a non-concealed weapon. Thankfully you will
be alerted when the guards release a description of you, from there
it’s just a simple matter of stealing a different set of clothes
from a different corpse.
Hitmen are cool.
While the graphics are adequate and
the gameplay robust, the slick presentation of Hitman 2
really steals the show. 47’s character animation portrays a man that
truly isn’t worried about getting caught up in a firefight. His
actions are measured and quick, whether it be garroting a victim
from behind or walking nonchalantly into a restricted area, his head
arrogantly cocked to the side. Most of 47’s paraphernalia bears his
wicked silver crest, all the way down his custom pair of ‘Ballers’
(Colt M1911 .45 ACP pistols).
Your garden sheds serve as your home
base, and you return there after every successful series of
missions. The first shed you visit contains all of the weapons you
have acquired thus far into the game. Empty spots on the walls
(complete with faded paint silhouettes) serve as teasers for weapons
you have yet to encounter. There are a lot of weapons in this
game. After marveling at his ever-growing arsenal, 47 moves on to
his other shed to play with his laptop. Here a female contact with
‘The Agency’ outlines your next mission, as well as sending you
video files, pictures and satellite maps to study.
The third-person camera works well,
using the same scheme as Splinter Cell. A first-person camera
can be accessed at any time, which instantly converts the control
scheme to a Halo style FPS layout. Your gun is tiny in first
person mode, about the size you would expect in a four-way split
screen deathmatch. When looking down in first-person mode, you can
see your body, feet and weapon (readied state or not) and everything
seems to be in reasonable perspective. Like the dead body physics
system, the first and third person camera system is a feature that
needs to become standard in action games.
Final Digs:
Hitman 2: Silent assassin
is a tense game that does a few things
wrong, and so many things right. This isn’t a game you want your kid
to get a hold of, and self-actualized hippies and religious zealots
should stay far, far away. Some may find this game too difficult on
the easiest setting, but a dedicated gamer will beat it the first
time in about a week (a couple hours per weekday, and a solid
weekend). A hardcore gamer will need about a weekend.
The multiple mission paths and
unlockables included here make for some good replay value. If you’ve
beaten MGS2 and Splinter Cell, consider getting this
game and getting your murder on… or you could go back to playing
Halo, yet again.
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