Hitman - Episode 1: Paris Reviews
Hitman manages to live up to its own reputation and may very well get even better as more content is rolled out. A fine stealth game.
The first episode of Hitman has a lot to offer creative assassins, but enjoying it requires you to look past an array of inconsistencies.
One thing's for sure: The more I've played Hitman's debut "episode" the more I've enjoyed it. Despite the often boneheaded AI and dire loading times, Hitman has definitely combined the best of both worlds. There's scope for it to improve in some areas as the levels are released throughout the year but this is a fun, confident start.
Considering how much fun I'm having just playing these handful of missions available in the first episode, I suspect this new approach will work well, if they can keep up the high quality in future episodes.
Stealing a staff uniform from the locker room, dropping your gun into a wastebasket so you can let a guard frisk you before he lets you into the room of a Sheik, then knocking the Shiek out, stealing his clothes, and infiltrating a high-society sale of state secrets so you can tamper with an outdoor heater and let a woman blow herself up when she goes to grab a smoke. That's Hitman's highs.
Hitman returns to its puzzle-solving roots with an engrossing mix of stealth, violence, and very clever level design.
If the rest of the episodes match the quality on offer in Hitman's Paris debut, this could end up being the definitive Hitman game, its first big level already cementing itself as one of our favourite Hitman missions of all time. We can't wait for our next hit.
This first episode strikes a fine balance between accessibility and pleasing long term fans to make this the finest slice of Hitman since Blood Money. Some technical issues do sadly mar an otherwise superb start to Agent 47's latest.
The first episode of Hitman is a very strong start, and it's a return to form for a series that some were worried had begun to wander.
The Hitman Intro Pack is satisfying to play, there just isn't enough of it. This ought to be rectified by the second episode next month, and by then its servers should be stable as well.
Destination one in Agent 47's now-episodic global travelogue shows IO Interactive know how to get Hitman back in fashion. A strong, stylish opening to the new game.
Hitman lives up to the legacy of the original games, and redeems the series from the lows of Hitman: Absolution by taking the series to new heights.
While we've generally strayed from reviewing individual episodes of games here at GameZone, Hitman's approach to the episodic format is quite different. Since there is very little story to tell, and rather a whole lot of experimental gameplay that rewards multiple playthroughs, Hitman gets a pass on this.
When you're playing and engaged, Hitman is a thoughtful, well-paced, and beautiful introduction to what should be an incredible multi-part adventure. It's hard to imagine how Square Enix and IO could possibly screw up something this good. If nothing else, for $15 The Prologue and Paris Showstopper missions are absolutely worth your time and money. The stages were so lovingly pieced together and offer you seemingly endless possibilities for creative, violent expression. Even after you execute every hit every way you possibly can, you can create your own contracts or take on those of your peers for an extra challenge. It's an incredible bang for the buck, and I can't wait to to head to Italy next month.
Hitman's Intro Pack is a confident start to what I hope to be a fantastic season. With a fantastic Paris level showcasing how Hitman should be done, the game really takes you back to the roots of the franchise. I'm looking forward to playing the rest of the season, and seeing what else developer IO Interactive has to offer.
There has never been a better way to confront, or indulge, your inner assassin.
Hitman tries an interesting balance of stuffing a lot into a little, but doesn't exactly pull it off with elegance. While levels are large sandboxes containing numerous death-fulfilling opportunities, they come with the extra baggage of lackluster technical performance. Without the option of going to different locations of an equal size, Hitman currently feels like a product that lacks in its offering once enemy patterns and building layouts have been memorized.
Hitman's season premiere is a nice opening act that's centers around a luxurious world that feels authentic. If you can overlook the stagnant, often useless AI and enjoy the real fun of figuring out how to get to the kill, you'll have a great time.
All things considered, Hitman isn't a bad game. It's just overly repetitive, lacks true planning of objectives, and doesn't make sense as an episodic game.
Many believed Hitman would fail as an episodic release. As it turns out, a single massive map full of opportunity more than makes up for the staggered release schedule. Still, it stumbles with unexpected online requirements for a single player game and other technical issues.