Hitman 2: Silent Assassin

Rating:
Summary: A Different Kind of Shooter
Review: This game takes into detailed account all of the shortcomings of the first Hitman game, Agent 47. Good ol' 47 is back in this thrilling new game, and for those who haven't played the first one, you're missing part of what makes this game great.
Silent Assassin introduces in-game saves, (something that the first hitman, Agent 47, inexcusably left out) as well as a vastly improved musical score and some new weapons. The music, by the way, is performed by The Budapest Symphony, which is every bit as majestic as it sounds.
For the Duke Nuke'em and Quake 3 types, this is not necessarily the game for you. Go rambo and you'll find yourself 6 feet under by the time you can get out your cholroform. Stealth, secrecy, and patience are the orders of the day. You must watch the guards to figure out their patterns, search carefully for your foe; all while appearing normal. Another improvement to this game is the AI. Wearing a disguise WILL NOT allow you to simply waltz into the maximum security prison anymore.
Running, holding the wrong type of gun, or even hanging around a guard too long will make the bad guys suspicious. They don't like people behind them. Some will ignore you, some will avoid you, some will ask for ID, and some will just shoot you.

If you think you can be patient and discreet, and (usually) resist the urge to just stand there lookin' cute and when something moves you shoot, this is an outstanding game with to-die-for (well, to-kill-for) scenery. A few areas are rather droll, with few innocent bystanders -- much of the time everyone around is a guard, or sometimes the civilians are more observant than the guards. For those who have played Thief 2: The Metal Age, you know what I'm talking about.
Overall, this is an outstanding and challenging game. Though the list of missions is short, there is no limit to the number of ways to do them, and you'll enjoy performing them over and over again.
Sorry if you already read this one, I wrote it before I had an account.

Rating:
Summary: It's a hit!: The best stealth/shooter I've played
Review: When I got my XBox, Hitman 2: Silent Assassin was one of the first games on my list that I wanted (I had read reviews everywhere, but at the time it had not yet been released). When I finally did buy it, it did not disappoint.

The game is set-up with an interesting storyline, but one that you will soon forget as you progress through the game. You are Agent-47, a retired hitman who has gone straight. But when a priest whom he had befriended is kidnapped, he goes on the hunt for his captors. Along the way though, Agent-47 picks up right where he left off, and several missions into the game you forget why you're offing people because the priest is no longer even mentioned.

The missions take you to several different locations, and Agent-47 has many ways to accomplish a task (at the end of a mission, you will be rated on kills, stealth, aggression, etc). He can kill someone, drag the body into a hiding place, and change into the person's clothing as a disguise. You can also take any weapons they may be carrying. This gives the game a whole new depth: you're not just stuck walking into a scene and shooting everyone within your sights. Instead, you can walk undetected past a guard, as long as you keep moving and are wearing the right diguise. It doesn't always work, but that's half the fun, right? No tactic is guaranteed to work in this game, so sometimes you have to try multiple tactics to complete your mission.

The controls are fairly simple to use. You can access your map or mission objectives fairly simply, and can also holster or swap weapons with just several buttons. Unfortunately, when you first start out there's a tendency to hit the wrong button when you're in a shootout and drop your gun, but you'll soon learn not to do that. :-)

On screen, you also have several guides. There's the crosshairs of your gun, which will appear whenever you are carrying a gun (as opposed to having one holstered, for more covert operations). There's also a damage meter (a shot in the head hurts you a lot more than a grazing blow to your leg), and the heartbeat monitor. This is a GREAT tool. When an enemy is suspicious (such as when you're trying to sneak by him), it will pulse, and eventually flash red. This gives you the opportunity to lay low and wait for it to stop, or open fire before he does. This is invaluable in the stealth missions, and a really unique feature. This will also tell you to a reasonable certainty if guards have been alerted to look for someone suspicious milling around their compound.

There's a host of weapons and tactics available in this game, from your typical guns to crossbows, piano wire, and ether rags. Each gun takes a different type of ammo and can hold a different number of rounds, and true to real life, once your clip is empty, it takes precious seconds to reload. The sniper rifle is probably my favourite of the weapons. You can switch into the scope view and get such a surprisingly detailed view, it's just an amazingly lifelike option. You will have to use this on several missions in order to complete your assigned tasks. The map is an invaluable tool, as it shows in real-time the location and movements of everyone, including VIP targets and innocents (like hotel maids or deliverymen).

The missions themselves are also very diverse. Some of them require a very specific sequence of events to do them properly (change into officer's uniform here, pick up sniper rifle there), but others can be completed in a variety of ways. You can sneak into an area undetected, or walk in firing and shoot down everyone in your path. Having since played games (such as Silent Hill 2) where things MUST be done a certain way and in a certain order to see results, I really appreciate this flexibility.

Pretty much the only bad thing I have to say about the game is the lack of saves, which all things considered probably is not THAT terrible. Basically, once you get into a mission, you can't just save on a whim, meaning that if you get shot or muff something up, you've got to start over (and over, and over). Considering some of the missions are long (and if you screw up at the end, you're in trouble), this can get annoying. It's not so bad on the easier missions, but some of them are downright difficult, and you can get frustrated. Also, walking is a bit difficult at first (you use both thumbsticks to control where you look/aim and where you go). Several tries into it, I found that inverting the aim in the options menu helped tremendously.

All in all, "Hitman 2: Silent Assassin" is definitely one of my favourite games on XBox. The flexibility and difficulty are just about right for a game like this, and it makes other "stealth/shooter" games (like "007: Agent Under Fire") look downright foolish. Bottom line, this is a must-have for anyone who wants a serious shooter game with a real plotline and believable background to it.

Rating:
Summary: Quality fun at a low cost now.
Review: This game is fun. Generally you will progress through the levels with guns blazing. Sometimes you may stealth, but it is fun to run around with a double barrel shotgun and cause havoc. The thing that makes this stealth/action game fun is the fact that there are so many weapons. The music and sound effects add to it, but there are a LOT of weapons. I love the combat knife and anesthetic sneak ups.

I just don't see a need to tell you about the graphics or the gameplay. The gameplay is good for stealth, but it is better for action. The plot is interesting as well, and I think the final level really brings it up nicely. Although the badguys may start to become annoying(there are quite a few), you will learn their names with time. Anyways, this game is pretty good and should not be overlooked. 5 stars

Rating:
Summary: Definitely one of the best
Review: Hitman 2 is, without a doubt, one of the most superb shooter games I've ever played. However, it should be duly noted that it, like its predecessor, is not a normal shooter. If you like melee games like Unreal, Hitman 2 may not be for you. It's all about stealth. On the harder levels you cannot win if you just go around shooting everyone.

That said, this game excels at being a thinking man's shooter. You can make it through many missions and only kill your targets if you're careful. You can now drug people, so that they wake up later but you can still steal their keys, guns, etc.

Hitman can assume disguises if he finds them, or he can change into the clothes of dead adversaries. This allows him to infiltrate enemy territory without raising an immediate alarm. Unlike in the original game, however, guards now see through disguises quickly if you stay near them too long, or carry a gun they wouldn't normally carry. They're very smart.

The weapon selection is top-notch. Old favorites like the fibre wire, Hardballers (now called Silverballers), army m60, and the WA2000 Sniper are back, along with some new additions like the SPAS auto-shotgun and the hunter's crossbow. You can even get a silenced pair of Ballers if you beat the first mission without firing a single shot (think: anesthetic or fibre wire).

Controls are pretty much the same, with one crucial exception: you now hold a key down to toggle run/walk. In Hitman, there were 2 separate keys for run and walk. Now there's a forward key and a key you hold to run. Much more intuative, I think.

The only thing that detracts from the game is the overall interface; by this I mean the system of choosing missions. In Hitman, the player created a profile which kept a list of previous missions for easy replay. This is gone. Hitman 2 keeps track of games simply through saves, so a list of 30 save games mixed among 3 difficulties can get confusing when they have only the name of the mission. However, if you just stick to loading the top game, you're pretty sure to have all the weapons you had when you stopped playing the night before.

Overall, this game is extremely fun. Better graphics than the original, beautiful levels, awesome weapons, and an amazing soundtrack that sounds straight out of a spy movie. If you like espionage/assassin games, games that require stealth not slaughter, then this is the perfect game for you. And even if you like killing everyone and everything that moves, this game has lots to offer (I like whacking pigs with a golf club or picking doves out of the sky with a crossbow).

Buy this (and the original, if you don't have it) and enjoy! You won't regret it.

Rating:
Summary: I don't have the literal game I just go the demo of it....
Review: SO FAR ITS GREAT! I mean...improved graphics.....same good gameplay...new missions....didn't run too bad on my pentium 4 1.7ghz 256 mb of ram geforce 2 mx....etc. The rest of the review and the detailed version is next up:
Graphics: 9.7; highly superb. The textures look much better as well as other added effects!!And the shadows look a hell of a lot better as well-there are also a lot of other effects that u can enable not available in the original hitman-including enviroment bump mapping!(Though not supported by my video card so its inacessible....)Also, the sun looks very realistic!Now they are using volumetric complex real-time suns!And clouds.
Sound Effects:7.6 Same old sounds-same quality. But good enough!
Music: 8.9: Excellent! Same quality-but very good and kool new songs and sound tracks!
GamePlay: 9.5: Superb! There's a lot more gameplay-and a lot of the old gameplay-which I defnitley like! There's a hell of a lot more places to explorer-and u can do a hell of a lot more things, like for an example-I'm pretty sure you coudn't pick up grociery bags and nearly not as much gameplay or places to explorer. Much more realisim in gameplay as well. There's defnitley somewhat improved gameplay!
KeyBoard control:8.1, not any different from the last 1-just you can zoom in with your eletric binoculars-but besides that- they are great and comfortable from my opinion!

Overal Grade: 9.0. Slammin' defintley a must have-can't wait to get the real full version-its gonna include a lot more final improved qualities and futures and add ons!:). I defintley reccomend this for any gamer!

Rating:
Summary: My Favourite PC gameof all time.
Review: I love playing games where you can kill people.
I love playing games where you get to be stealthy and spy.
I love games with lots of weapons.
I love games with OPTIONS.

This game has all of those. The only thing linear about this game is the mission you have to take. How you succeed on the mission is up to you. THAT is why I love this game. I can do an infinite amount of things in one level just to win; Steal this guys clothes, plant the bomb here, do this, do that.
My favourite aspect of the game is the fact that you don't have to be stealthy if you don't want to. Sometimes, you just don't want to sneak around, you want to kill everything that moves. Hitman lets me do that, but it also lets me sneak around and finish off a mission with out bloodshead and death.

it also lets me strangle people with Fiberwire.

5 stars.

Rating:
Summary: Great game, but somewhat buggy.
Review: Eidos has taken a very underrated game and made a sequel that is at least as good as the original. The first-person shooter genre is plagued by simple run,jump, and fire jobs that can get a little long in the tooth.

The first Hitman was a breath of fresh air. No more saving every 5 minutes and mindless spray and pray shooting, while running from your oppenents to regroup. In a similar fasion to Deus Ex, the Hitman series requires some thought and strategy to more effectively complete your objectives. While the second installment of Hitman has introduced saves, they are smart about it. You have a limited number. If you were adept at the first game, you may not need them much in this sequel. (I've used 2 so far) A nice assortment of weapons are at your disposal and more can by earned through good gameplay.

As in the first, the music is a welcome addition to the visuals. It is available as a soundtrack, and I may very well pick it up. The graphics are well done and keep in mind, I had to turn the quality down due to my aging GeForce256 card. I imagine they are much better on a newer video card. I heard raves about how good the menus are in Hitman 2 and jeers about those in the first game. I personally liked them better in the original, but after a short while, these are easily acceptable.

Now to the bad... This game is buggy. Granted, I am playing it on a somewhat dated system. ( PIII 733 / 768MB / GeForce256 32MB ) There is already at least one patch out for this game. The performace of the game is fine when it is running, but I have yet to be able to launch, play and quit the game in one session without a hard reboot of my computer. It is more stable at lower quality settings but still somewhat problematic. The AI can be a little quirky sometimes, with soliders inexplicably finding out your cover, but it's not too bad.

Despite those issues, this game is worth the hassle it has thrown at me. If you want a change from the same old FPS games, or liked the first Hitman, you would do yourself well to indulge in this game.

Rating:
Summary: A Good Game With Some Small FLaws
Review: Hitman 2 paces you in the shoes of Agent 47, a professional assasian. In the wake of his first adventure, he is now trying to live out a peacful life of obscurity in Scicily, seeking religious redemption. However, the kidnapping of his friend and mentor cast him back into the world of contract killings.

A 3rd person shooter/suspense, this game has some very appealing aspects. First off, the graphics are noticably beautiful. There is no skimping on the texture of the game, from Russia to India the scenery looks stunning. The weapons of the game are also great. You begin with a fiber wire used to silently strangle your hapless enimies (a real treat to watch) and depending on the skill level, dual .45 pistols and a silenced 9mm. Along the way you can acquire various sniper rifles,(which include a hunting crosbow and a .50 caliber barret antitank rifle) pistols, sub,achineguns and shotguns. Before you go on a mission you decide which weapons to bring (you can only carry so many) and your choice impacts your plan.

The missions of the game are very fufilling. While they always have the same basic premiss (sneak in somewhere and kill someone, then escape) they are different enough to not become boring outright. The method of disposal is up to you. You can beatsomeone to death with a golf club, plant a bomb on thier getwaya car, disguise yourself as a waiter and poison thier champagne, or of course...kick the door down and unload on everybody in the room. You are rated after each mission based on your stealth and agression. Ratings range from proffesional and iceman to sociopath and butcher. Which is good and which is bad is up to you.

Your abilities in the game are somewhat situational dependent. The agaency the Hitman works for often drops items in a secure location for him to use, such as bombs or poison. However, it is up to you to use these or not. You can take the cloths of killed bodyguards r civilians, but if the guards find a dean man with no cloths, they will become suspicious of wo is wearing them.

Now for the unfortunate bad points. First of is the plot. It starts off well enough, with the Peace-seeking 47 unwillingly thrown back into the world of killing, but the plto fails to deliver. it wanders around someone stealing a nuclear weapon and engineering clones of 47 (from the original Hitman). It fails, in the end to resolve the character of 47. Second, the game looses replayability very quickly. I beat it in about a weekend, and then started issuing challenges to myself, like seeing if i could accomplish a mission without changing cloths, or shooting anyone or something like that. Once you have exhausted all the different approaches for the missions, of which there are around 15 (way to few!) theres not much left to do but move on...

Which is a shame, because the setup of this game is so much fun. If they make a 3rd, they should borrow from Soldier of Fortune II the random mission generator, a feature which allows you to go on a mission that has nothing t do with the storyline or anything. It would keep the game fresh and entertaining for more than a weekend.

All in all, this game is worth buying. While it has its faults, gamers seeking a good looking, challenging game have found a great pick.

Rating:
Summary: Hitman 2 = Awesome
Review: This game isn't very long but definitely not a waste of your time. It is challenging, fun, and somewhat customizable. What I mean is you can beat the level however you want. $300,000 per hit. No rules. One condition. Excellent.

Rating:
Summary: Hitman 2: It's twice as nice...
Review: Poor old 47, he can't get some peace and quiet.
Since his last game, 47 has turned into a catholic and has retreated from the agency to a nice garden shed at the back of a church. So things seem peaceful for our hero...

But then some italian gangsters appear and kidnap his friend and mentor Father Vittorio, demanding £5,000,000 in two days.
This leaves 47 no choice but to return to the Agency and plead for help.

The best bit about Hitman 2 is that the developers have kept the best bits of the first Hitman game and have improved on the niggles that appeared on the first game. Aiming has been improved with a first person mode, and you are now rated on your preformance.

The ultimate aim of the game is to find Vittorio, then to kill the scumbags who kidnapped him! You can play this game in many ways. You could go in gung-ho style and shoot all things that breath, or you can use stealth and sneak in, kill and sneak out.

There are plenty of unlockables and the difficulty of the game is very challenging.
If your looking for a shooter which forces you to think rather than blast, then buy this game.

It won't dissapoint.