Hitman Series Official Thread

[NIGELG]

there is way too many versions. I read thru it all... had to do a double check a few times.

Not going to buy it... will wait till super cheap. If it comes to steam I'll pick it up there.

[Nagorak]

IOI was published by Eidios software until Hitman Blood Money. Square Enix purchased IOI's Hitman IP and as a result the game got better graphics and extremely dumbed down gameplay with absolution. It was square Enix's goal to make Hitman more mainstream for more profit by creating an action game and leaving the stealth elements in the past. Square got a new CEO shortly after absolution. Hitman 2016 was a compromise made between IOI and Square Enix's new CEO however it failed to sell up to square Enix's expectations and they were dropped immediately after. The episodic launch of Hitman 2016 was square enix's way of releasing all of it's new titles at the time as well.

IOI went to warner bro's for Hitman 2018 and I think some licensing issue between them is what kept it from being sold on the EPIC game store. IOI went independent for this release and they have a new 007 James bond game coming out soon. Hopefully they can stay in business on there own.

I agree with you for the most part regarding the newer games. They have great level design and alot more advanced AI and scripted kills. I still feel that the original games had more satisfying kills that didn't require any kind of scripted sequences outside of accidents in blood money. Overall I think the new games are great though.

Thanks for the summary. I had forgotten that the new Hitman was released episodically. I refuse to buy most episodic games until they are fully complete. I don't imagine the episodic format helped sales.

In any case, like you I hope IOI manages to survive on its own. Maybe Hitman style games aren't meant to be AAA blockbusters, but have to be scaled back to be more for their niche audience.

[Nagorak]

I just bought the standard Hitman 2 content for the campaign. I think the gold gives some side stuff that isn't necessary. I'll have enough content without gold, but it's up to you. I agree, I don't understand that bullshit at all.

OMFG, I didn't even buy the right version. I got the Hitman 3: Hitman 2 Expansion which sounded right, but that is just the extended stuff and not the base game. That one is called Standard. If I go ahead and get gold now I'll have wasted money. Sent a request for a refund. Very poor wording on this.

That sucks. There really are too many different version. I don't even know why they sold Hitman 2: Standard, they should have just had Gold with the extra two missions. There is no reason they should still be selling limited versions on a new game.

Personally, much as I enjoy the Hitman games, I'm still not paying full price for a game when I have such a long backlog of games to play. I need at least a 25% discount to bite.

[Jet Black]

That sucks. There really are too many different version. I don't even know why they sold Hitman 2: Standard, they should have just had Gold with the extra two missions. There is no reason they should still be selling limited versions on a new game.

Personally, much as I enjoy the Hitman games, I'm still not paying full price for a game when I have such a long backlog of games to play. I need at least a 25% discount to bite.

Yeah I got ****ed, but love the game anyway. They wouldn't refund or grant me gold with both the standard and expansion, so shame on me I guess. It's too bad a fun game has left a bad taste because of the stupid Epic store.

Having only played about half of the Hitman 1 portion, the levels are good and the engine looks great. The episodic nature is obvious and levels are meant to be replayed with more unlocks over and over. I find it pretty funny most of the time and shocked My wife when she heard me say "Yes! I'm about to drown this asshole in the toilet!"

[Exposed]

I don't know if this will help anyone, but if you're like me and never played any of the recent Hitman games and don't know what to buy, this is what you need:

1. Purchase Hitman 3 Standard or Deluxe edition. Personally I didn't feel Deluxe was worth it, there's no extra locations.

2. Purchase Hitman 3 DLC (Access pass): Hitman 1 GOTY edition. This is free with any Hitman 3 standard or deluxe purchase until January 30th, after that you have to buy it.

3. Purchase Hitman 3 DLC (Access Pass): Hitman 2 Gold edition. $20 currently.


This will give you all locations and content from the prior Hitman 1/2 games including their respective DLC locations. Download and install.

Now, what confused me was if I was just getting the locations/levels, not the whole game. You are getting the entire Hitman 1 and 2 game content, including cutscenes. The levels have supposedly been updated to Hitman 3 engine but I never played the original so can't compare. But, the main thing is that it's the whole game and you can start from Hitman 1 and proceed to Hitman 2 before actually starting the Hitman 3 content.

That's what I wanted and bought last night.

[DeathKnight]

FYI if you got Hitman 1 season 1 for free from Epic back in August of last year (or for some reason purchased it through Epic previously) you'll get the free upgrade to the GOTY access pass for an indefinite period of time when purchasing Hitman 3. Apparently no expiration.

[Destroy]

Bunch of racial bigots, they left out vegan and PETA!!

[Jet Black]

Bunch of racial bigots, they left out vegan and PETA!!

No, that was on purpose. PETA would never allow Agent 47 to slap the **** out of people with a giant fish if they were involved...

[the_sextein]

I've hardly had time to play this lately but I've decided to start over with Hitman 2016 and just play through the whole trilogy as one game. Looks like the Hitman community is pretty happy with Hitman 3 levels and I look forward to getting to them eventually. I figure I will do a thorough playthrough and unlock everything which will probably take most of the year. There isn't a whole lot coming out this year that I care about unless Dying Light 2 or Stalker 2 actually make it so I'm going to use this to keep me busy.

The 3000 series destroys the glacier engine. Hopefully the RTX effects that they add later on this year will give the game a nice little upgrade in visuals.

Benchmark results at 4k max everything:

[KAC]

Can you go Rambo in these games?

[NIGELG]

Can you go Rambo in these games?

Yes but it looks dumb because it's not a run and gun type of game.

[Silent-Runner]

Can you go Rambo in these games?

in theory, yes. It will makes the game a ton harder and you will completely miss the whole point of the game, but yes, you can. I'm not sure if you can do it all the way through the games though.

[KAC]

I don't know if this will help anyone, but if you're like me and never played any of the recent Hitman games and don't know what to buy, this is what you need:

1. Purchase Hitman 3 Standard or Deluxe edition. Personally I didn't feel Deluxe was worth it, there's no extra locations.

2. Purchase Hitman 3 DLC (Access pass): Hitman 1 GOTY edition. This is free with any Hitman 3 standard or deluxe purchase until January 30th, after that you have to buy it.

3. Purchase Hitman 3 DLC (Access Pass): Hitman 2 Gold edition. $20 currently.


This will give you all locations and content from the prior Hitman 1/2 games including their respective DLC locations. Download and install.

Now, what confused me was if I was just getting the locations/levels, not the whole game. You are getting the entire Hitman 1 and 2 game content, including cutscenes. The levels have supposedly been updated to Hitman 3 engine but I never played the original so can't compare. But, the main thing is that it's the whole game and you can start from Hitman 1 and proceed to Hitman 2 before actually starting the Hitman 3 content.

That's what I wanted and bought last night.

This is exactly what I ended up purchasing. I got the Hitman 1 GOTY already and had to buy Hitman 2 Gold and Hitman 3 Standard. However, there are some more DLCs with the game. Punched through the prologue and now did the Paris mission. So far so good. Quite enjoyed it. Unfortunately had some body detections etc. which ruined a bit the mood and at the end I just dropped a chandelier since I used the rat poison on the wrong items. Made a run for it after that lol. Hilarious game to be honest. Think I will do all the 18 main missions at least.

[KAC]

Did 4/6 missions in Hitman 1. Having a blast with it lol.
Highly recommended. Can’t wait to go through all the missions. There are tons of ways to assassinate and it is quite satisfying when a plan comes together. I doubt I will try to 100% the game but I can see how you can end up spending a lot of time in the game. For now I am playing for the story and just giving each mission about 45-50 minutes. This is enough typically to assassinate 2 targets and also get some extra story.

[Exposed]

Did 4/6 missions in Hitman 1. Having a blast with it lol.
Highly recommended. Can’t wait to go through all the missions. There are tons of ways to assassinate and it is quite satisfying when a plan comes together. I doubt I will try to 100% the game but I can see how you can end up spending a lot of time in the game. For now I am playing for the story and just giving each mission about 45-50 minutes. This is enough typically to assassinate 2 targets and also get some extra story.

If you don't plan on replaying this game, then it's recommended to do all the mission stories per level. There's usually around 4-6 of them in a single level. You don't have to follow through to the end to assassinate the target, just enough to get the completion status. Then do the next. Some mission stories are timed and will disappear forever if you don't find them.

[KAC]

I do end up getting 3-5 stories per mission thus far so that is OK I guess.

[KAC]

Finished Hitman 1 and immediately starting boning Hitman 2. Down pumped 2/6 missions already. I can totally see how anyone who had to pay 3 times for this game would be put off but the good thing is I got the full packet for $60 including Hitman 1 and 2 DLC so can’t really complain. Really plays like a single game and the gameplay is solid. I am really enjoying the different ways to kill and follow through on story missions. Can’t wait to get home and play some more.

It really brought back the feel of the original Hitman games. Not sure where Hitman left it’s own formula in the dust but seems they are back. All the upgrades to gameplay are worth it. I may even go back and play through Absolution and some other Hitman games I missed on.

For now, I really am loving the game. It satiates my need for a bond like spy adventure. .

[Silent-Runner]

what i loved the most about the series is that you have so many ways to accomplish your missions.

[twonha]

It really brought back the feel of the original Hitman games. Not sure where Hitman left it’s own formula in the dust but seems they are back. All the upgrades to gameplay are worth it. I may even go back and play through Absolution and some other Hitman games I missed on.

For now, I really am loving the game. It satiates my need for a bond like spy adventure. .

Hitman 1 and 2 are now hella old; Blood Money is peak Hitman; Absolution is exactly where IO took a wrong turn and almost blew themselves up; current trilogy Hitman 1/2/3 is IO back to Blood Money levels. So if you enjoyed the World of Tomorrow games, don't go back; just keep replaying them and find everything they have to offer.

[KAC]

I think I may have played Absolution but not Contracts and one other game that I can’t remember.

Either way first need to complete 2 and 3 and the DLC missions as well.

[KAC]

Wow this game is absolutely phenomenal. I have not had this much fun trying to kill people in a game since forever.

Just hit Mumbai and am quite excited to figure out what to do next.

[Trunks0]

Yea Hitman is probably one of my favourite series. I fell out playing it like a decade ago though. Sounds like a revisit is finally in order

[KAC]

I didn’t realize that I was now playing the DLC until they moved back to cutscenes rather than still comic style movies. Hitman 2 seemed to have improved on everything compared to 1. Excited to see what is in store for me in Hitman 3. DLC seems well incorporated as a continuation of the story rather than a random map. I like it a lot!

Is it wrong that now everywhere I go I am thinking what is the best way to choke someone. Or how I can move without being noticed? Or why the toilet doesn’t have a basket where I can store bodies.

[KAC]

The locations in this game are absolutely gorgeous. Having a ball with it. Dubai, Mumbai, China, Maldives, New York, Berlin; one iconic location after the other. Just downright stunning throughout. Some really memorable missions and ways to kill. I honestly hope IOI keeps churning out missions for this game. The trilogy might be done soon (I have 2 missions left) but it seems I also have a few bonus missions to be completed.

I think there is absolutely nothing I don’t like about this game. It is accessible yet also can get quite difficult at times. The ingenious ways to kill people are just amazing and sometimes hilarious.

Right now the series has a solid 9.5/10 rating from me. I am hoping for a grand finale. I may even indulge in the overpriced DLC.

[Exposed]

Even when you're done with the whole trilogy there are user made contracts you can access from the main menu. There are also elusive targets that come in once in a while also in the main menu.

[Trunks0]

The locations in this game are absolutely gorgeous. Having a ball with it. Dubai, Mumbai, China, Maldives, New York, Berlin; one iconic location after the other. Just downright stunning throughout. Some really memorable missions and ways to kill. I honestly hope IOI keeps churning out missions for this game. The trilogy might be done soon (I have 2 missions left) but it seems I also have a few bonus missions to be completed.

I think there is absolutely nothing I don’t like about this game. It is accessible yet also can get quite difficult at times. The ingenious ways to kill people are just amazing and sometimes hilarious.

Right now the series has a solid 9.5/10 rating from me. I am hoping for a grand finale. I may even indulge in the overpriced DLC.

Well they got a big pool to dip into. They have the entire original series, 5 entire games worth of content, to pull from after all.

[NIGELG]

This gaming forum is kind of lame. A great game like Hitman 3 gets no real kind of discussion here .I have logged almost 100 hours into Hitman 3 and Hitman 2,142 Hours in Hitman 2016 and countless hours in Contracts and Silent Assassin.

These games are extremely replayable and new content for Hitman 3 is released regularly. The graphics are great.

[theshadowcult]

This gaming forum is kind of lame. A great game like Hitman 3 gets no real kind of discussion here .I have logged almost 100 hours into Hitman 3 and Hitman 2,142 Hours in Hitman 2016 and countless hours in Contracts and Silent Assassin.

These games are extremely replayable and new content for Hitman 3 is released regularly. The graphics are great.

there is like 5 people on the entire forum man. not everyone can play every game

[Mangler]

REAL gamers™ doesn't play singleplayer games with always online requirements.

[twonha]

These games are extremely replayable

Although there are always a million ways to get done what needs doing, I always find myself needing a lot of time off from the series before I can dive back in. It's a taste I really can't repeat on a yearly basis. I spent 80+ hours on Hitman '16, but could only muster 30 or so on Hitman 2. The gameplay loop feels the same, so taking different paths and using different items doesn't shake up the assassinations enough for me.

I'm in no rush to play Hitman 3, even though I'm sure I'll love it by the time I get around to it.

[NIGELG]

REAL gamers™ doesn't play singleplayer games with always online requirements.

It's worth it. REAL gamers have proper internet connections.

[Mangler]

I've been waiting for the end of the playstation exclusivity deal, I want my VR mode on pc.

[Drexion]

A great game like Hitman 3 gets no real kind of discussion here.

The instant that IO decided to implement always online DRM in their single player games they immediately turned off maybe half of their playerbase. Now yes the games are still awesome, and yes they are still financially successful - but the portion of the playerbase they turned away were those that used to discuss the Hitman games on forums etc. ALL the hitman threads on all the popular gaming boards are a shadow of their former selves, as the people who don't mind always online drm are simply not the grassroots fans that IO built up over the past two decades.

Now usually companies redeem themselves by releasing a DRM-free patch a couple years after the game's release - but IO chose to remain stubborn - not even CDPR (via GoG) could convince them to remove the DRM on a 6 year old game and had to kick them off the service due to backlash. I'm glad IO is still successful but they made their bed and chose one part of their playerbase over the other.

(it's not about having a proper internet connection either, for many people the concept of always online DRM in a single player game is something they simply don't want to partake in for one of many reasons.)

[NIGELG]

The instant that IO decided to implement always online DRM in their single player games they immediately turned off maybe half of their playerbase. Now yes the games are still awesome, and yes they are still financially successful - but the portion of the playerbase they turned away were those that used to discuss the Hitman games on forums etc. ALL the hitman threads on all the popular gaming boards are a shadow of their former selves, as the people who don't mind always online drm are simply not the grassroots fans that IO built up over the past two decades.

Now usually companies redeem themselves by releasing a DRM-free patch a couple years after the game's release - but IO chose to remain stubborn - not even CDPR (via GoG) could convince them to remove the DRM on a 6 year old game and had to kick them off the service due to backlash. I'm glad IO is still successful but they made their bed and chose one part of their playerbase over the other.

(it's not about having a proper internet connection either, for many people the concept of always online DRM in a single player game is something they simply don't want to partake in for one of many reasons.)

I think that more than that is the EPIC hate.

I have been playing Hitman games since 2002 but by your analysis I'm not a ''grass roots fan''. A real fan would buy the game regardless of online DRM or platform of release(Epic or Steam).

But what are some of these ''one of many reasons''? Are they rational reasons?

[NIGELG]

I've been waiting for the end of the playstation exclusivity deal, I want my VR mode on pc.

I think you mean Epic games exclusive.

[Mangler]

I think you mean Epic games exclusive.

No, the VR mode is playstation only, but apparently it is only a timed exclusive.

[twonha]

The instant that IO decided to implement always online DRM in their single player games they immediately turned off maybe half of their playerbase. Now yes the games are still awesome, and yes they are still financially successful - but the portion of the playerbase they turned away were those that used to discuss the Hitman games on forums etc. ALL the hitman threads on all the popular gaming boards are a shadow of their former selves, as the people who don't mind always online drm are simply not the grassroots fans that IO built up over the past two decades.

Now usually companies redeem themselves by releasing a DRM-free patch a couple years after the game's release - but IO chose to remain stubborn - not even CDPR (via GoG) could convince them to remove the DRM on a 6 year old game and had to kick them off the service due to backlash. I'm glad IO is still successful but they made their bed and chose one part of their playerbase over the other.

(it's not about having a proper internet connection either, for many people the concept of always online DRM in a single player game is something they simply don't want to partake in for one of many reasons.)

Until I see some numbers, I'm not inclined to believe that DRM has forced away half (or even a quarter) of the die hard fans. Come on - Hitman is a 20 year old franchise, the die hard fans are very likely to have aged into a life where discussing game franchises on forums is a thing of the past altogether (case in point: see any forum that predates big social media platforms). And I'm not so sure Hitman is a hugely popular franchise among the teenagers that are most active on Reddit or Twitch. I also don't believe that comparing online discussion of Hitman is a clear sign of its popularity. There are so many more games to discuss these days, you could probably point to any successful AAA/AA game and say there's too little discussion about it, even though the game did well financially, reviewed well and has a reasonable fan base (case in point: Prey, Titanfall 2).

I'm glad there are always people advocating against DRM. But I don't think the impact DRM has on games is as large or as significant as some people want to think. Also, I am not at all convinced that Hitman's always-online requirement serves more as DRM than as a way to keep track of player statistics and an important driver of continued engagement, across the entire World of Tomorrow trilogy.

I think Hitman as a franchise and IO as a company were almost dead before Hitman '16, and that probably decimated the activity among the fanbase much more than any DRM decisions have done. Episodic content, a necessity at the time, probably didn't help either. Last but not least, the Epic Store is not as popular as Steam, so essentially Hitman 3 hasn't been released yet to, what, three quarters of the gaming community at large?

One thing I do mind about IO: their communication isn't a strong point. For anyone who hasn't had a tattoo put on their neck out of love for the franchise, it is unclear what purpose the always-online requirement serves, it's unclear which of the three dozen versions of the game(s) to buy, it's unclear what you get when you buy the game and when (like the VR part)... The games themselves are fantastic, everything around it gets sketchy at times.

[NIGELG]

Until I see some numbers, I'm not inclined to believe that DRM has forced away half (or even a quarter) of the die hard fans. Come on - Hitman is a 20 year old franchise, the die hard fans are very likely to have aged into a life where discussing game franchises on forums is a thing of the past altogether (case in point: see any forum that predates big social media platforms). And I'm not so sure Hitman is a hugely popular franchise among the teenagers that are most active on Reddit or Twitch. I also don't believe that comparing online discussion of Hitman is a clear sign of its popularity. There are so many more games to discuss these days, you could probably point to any successful AAA/AA game and say there's too little discussion about it, even though the game did well financially, reviewed well and has a reasonable fan base (case in point: Prey, Titanfall 2).

I'm glad there are always people advocating against DRM. But I don't think the impact DRM has on games is as large or as significant as some people want to think. Also, I am not at all convinced that Hitman's always-online requirement serves more as DRM than as a way to keep track of player statistics and an important driver of continued engagement, across the entire World of Tomorrow trilogy.

I think Hitman as a franchise and IO as a company were almost dead before Hitman '16, and that probably decimated the activity among the fanbase much more than any DRM decisions have done. Episodic content, a necessity at the time, probably didn't help either. Last but not least, the Epic Store is not as popular as Steam, so essentially Hitman 3 hasn't been released yet to, what, three quarters of the gaming community at large?

One thing I do mind about IO: their communication isn't a strong point. For anyone who hasn't had a tattoo put on their neck out of love for the franchise, it is unclear what purpose the always-online requirement serves, it's unclear which of the three dozen versions of the game(s) to buy, it's unclear what you get when you buy the game and when (like the VR part)... The games themselves are fantastic, everything around it gets sketchy at times.

Yes, I have been playing Hitman 3 for a long time. I am almost ready to finish up the last Sniper Mission and that will be it for me. I got my 5 dollars worth.

[Mangler]

https://www.ioi.dk/hitman-3-year-2/

Ray Tracing
Together with our partners at Intel, we’re committed to bringing the best possible performance and optimization to our PC players. HITMAN 3 has already been enhanced on PC with support for 8+ core CPUs and Variable Rate Shading. In 2022, HITMAN 3 will also support Ray Tracing on PC.

PC VR
HITMAN 3 launched with support for PS VR and we’re happy to bring HITMAN VR to PC in January 2022. Full technical details, including the platforms that we’re supporting will be revealed before Year 2 starts on 20 January 2022.

Elusive Target Arcade
A new way to play Elusive Targets arrives in HITMAN 3 in a brand new game mode that we’re calling Elusive Target Arcade. Prepare to take on the ultimate Elusive Target challenge in a change to the established formula in this fan-favourite game mode. All Elusive Target Arcade content will be a permanent addition to the game. Full details on how this game mode works will be shared in early January 2022.

[twonha]

*dusts off Oculus Quest 2*

Awesome! I assume this coincides with a Steam release? Nothing in particular against the Epic Store, but I prefer having my stuff in one place for Hitman. Props to IO Interactive by the way for seeing Hitman 3 be the 'most successful' Hitman, without having released on Steam.