When IO Interactive teamed up with Square Enix to bring us the Hitman reboot, I was excited. My excitement thawed quickly when I found out the game was released episodically. Once IO Interactive regained full control and decided to go with WB games, a “definitive edition” a.k.a. full version was released to amend what was done wrong. With the release of Hitman 2, none of those shenanigans anymore. Just a solid full version game packed with creative possibilities to fulfill a hitman’s contract.
Old yet delicious wine in new bottles
Hitman 2 does exactly what Hitman 1 did. Some new things got added, more on those later in the review, but for the most part, things remained the same. The Hitman series has always stood out of the crowd with a unique flavor of gameplay. Hitman 2 doesn’t try to be any different and that’s a good thing. As a fan of the series, I only want new vibrant locations which offer creative ways of killing my targets. Hitman 2 delivers on that front with six new locations.
The locations all have a very different feel, bringing enough variation to Hitman 2. Mingling with the V.I.P. crowd during a sunny Miami based car race is a whole ballpark away from hiding from a cartel-employed militia in Colombia. Navigating through the dense slums of Mumbai offers a whole other Hitman experience than the openness of the game’s intromission, Hawke’s Bay in New Zealand. None of the missions felt redundant, so job well done IO interactive.
Handy new way of hiding, unhandy way of murdering
Hitman 2 added a new ability where Agent 47 can hide in foliage and blend in with crowds. The first one comes in handy to lure some guards in and get rid off. The later helps you disappear when someone spotted through your disguise and you’re in need for a quick unnoticed getaway. A small number of new weapons have been added of which the dart gun is the only one I liked. The addition of loud exploding mines and grenades was not something I needed in a stealthy hitman game.
Ghost mode
The biggest and newest addition Hitman 2 offers, comes in the form of the multiplayer mode, Ghost mode. Ghost mode allows you to go head to head with another agent 47 and see who’s the fastest most efficient killer. You and your opponent start the game with no weapons and one common target. The objective is to score points by killing the target without being spotted. The first player to do so gets a point after which a new target shows up. The first to reach 5 points wins the match. I see the potential of this mode but found it a bit too fast paced for my own liking.
Story missions
The story continues where Hitman 1 left us. The full motion cutscenes are replaced with more storyboard like narratives, which feels just lazy to me. The story does nothing for me and only stands in the way of the action. During gameplay, you often find the opportunity to start a so-called story mission. Upon discovering some new intel, your trusty handler, Diana Burnwood, hints you towards using that intel to kill your target in a unique way. Replaying levels to discover and execute – pun-intended – each story mission felt really rewarding. The story of Hitman 2 is more what you make of it by the way you act during the levels. It’s you, the player, who decides how Agent 47 is portrayed.
Choose your own adventure
Hitman 2 offers a way to make your experience fully customizable. Besides choosing between different difficulties, you can also toggle off the help you get during story missions. This all can suit to your own liking. Paint by numbers or go full freehand painting to get the experience you want. After each mission is done you get some bonuses in the form of new places to stash some guns, new starter locations, new weapons, etc. The replayability of each mission is huge with these extra chooses you get when scoring well on previous runs. Playing levels over and over again to collect all the presented challenges Hitman 2 offers, is my favorite way to play Hitman. Mastering a level to the fullest of my abilities is what I seek in a Hitman game. Hitman 2 offers just that to my heart’s content.
Conclusion
Hitman 2 feels like season 2 packed in full this time. If you grew tired of the first one, don’t bother with this one because the addition of 1 new multiplayer mode won’t cut it. But if you’re like me and only crave more NPC-packed levels to hone your creative killing skills in, you can’t go wrong with this release.
