Hitman Is A Sure Shot For Game Of The Year Contention
It’s that time of the year again, when people are putting together their best of the year lists for pretty much everything—including video games, of course. One game that has turned into a wonderful surprise is the latest episodic iteration of the Hitman franchise. It’s completely reinvigorated Agent 47 and positively slayed the competition.
Many were initially skeptical of Square-Enix when they revealed they were revamping the Hitman franchise as an episodic series. The move was initially dismissed as a desperate cash grab simply looking to take advantage of fans. However, the experiment has been a rousing success adding incredible value and retooling the classic gameplay to make it even better than before. The new game has been exactly the shot in the arm that the franchise desperately needed for years.
2012’s Hitman: Absolution was a perfectly solid game in its own right. However, many felt that the formula was beginning to become a bit stale and the level design was too linear and formulaic. As a result, it was a bit of a letdown, which caused the development team to go back to the drawing board and explore just what they could do with the franchise. They did this by experimenting in multiple ways, starting with the surprise success of Hitman Go. The turn-based puzzle game was an unexpected hit that managed to adapt the stealth-action of Hitman to a turn-based puzzle game incredibly well. And Hitman Go wasn’t the only foray for Agent 47 into the world of mobile gaming. Another title for iOS and Android was released in 2015, Hitman Sniper, in addition to a licensed slot reel that features Agent 47 himself and the tools of his trade, such as syringes, knives, sniper rifles, garrote wire, and, of course, the Silverballer pistols. While nowhere near what fans expect from a console title, this willingness to experiment ultimately lead to this year’s breathtaking entry in the series.
The locations of this year’s game have been a varied and exotic breath of fresh air. And, thanks to the episodic nature of the series, players are actually spending time exploring them. By rolling out a new location every month, gamers are encouraged to spend more time with each locale. They’re finding novel and interesting ways to complete the missions while also pursuing new assignments like the popular elusive targets (which have included actor Gary Busey). The first season was completed with the sixth mission, which was released on Halloween, and it reached what many have called a great conclusion.
Sadly, for fans looking forward to playing all the episodes during the holidays, they’ll have to wait a little longer. The disc release containing the first season arrives on January 31, 2017. It will include all of the missions and locations from season one along with any additional content available for the game so far.
A second season is already in the works and will include new locations and elusive targets There is currently no release date, but with the disc edition of the first season around the corner, there’s plenty to keep you busy in the meantime.
