Hitman: Absolution

 PC
User Score
7.2

Mixed or average reviews- based on 1732 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,008 out of 1732
  2. Mixed: 470 out of 1732
  3. Negative: 254 out of 1732

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  1. FraserCDN
    Jan 29, 2013
    3
    This game is GARBAGE. I played all the other Hitmans but this is junk. Anything you do gets you targeted. Even if you change disguises after you have been noticed it makes no difference they still know its you. Silent sniper rifles attract attention. This is a real let down. No matter what you do it leads to a gun fight. I like playing Hitman and being stealthy and limiting the amount ofThis game is GARBAGE. I played all the other Hitmans but this is junk. Anything you do gets you targeted. Even if you change disguises after you have been noticed it makes no difference they still know its you. Silent sniper rifles attract attention. This is a real let down. No matter what you do it leads to a gun fight. I like playing Hitman and being stealthy and limiting the amount of dead, but no this game MAKES you have to finish in some BS gun fight. I used C4 to kill a target and was on the other side of the map and they still pin pointed me.… Expand
  2. EE061003
    Nov 28, 2012
    0
    Its a shame how brutally square enix murdered this once beautiful franchise and wats worse they have overhyped this trash for almost 2 years.Game is absolute trash as die hard fans have been rating on that page.The best thing i did after finishing absolution was to reinstall Blood Money and realize what die hard fans have loved about this hitman franchise for a decade now been ruined byIts a shame how brutally square enix murdered this once beautiful franchise and wats worse they have overhyped this trash for almost 2 years.Game is absolute trash as die hard fans have been rating on that page.The best thing i did after finishing absolution was to reinstall Blood Money and realize what die hard fans have loved about this hitman franchise for a decade now been ruined by linear gameplay n trashy broken mechanics with sandbox levels gone(i wont go in detail as u knw already i ur an old hitman fan).20th November marks the eulogy of hitman franchise.There goes another iconic character just like Sam Fisher :(… Expand
  3. hegyitaho
    Dec 8, 2012
    4
    disguise system is appalling hence the whole game is pointless. if that was to be fixed the game would be mediocre OK. graphics are great but gameplay wise it feels like a step back compared to the previous installment.
  4. Littlebomb
    Nov 25, 2012
    5
    You can't save. Need I say more? If you do happen across a check point and decide to reload all the mobs respawn. Mind Blown yet at this poor example of decision making on the dev's? I mean, the most fundamental part of a game (saving) is broken. What more is there to say? Oh yea, disguises don't work. Remember those disguises that are one of the main features of Hitman? Well now they justYou can't save. Need I say more? If you do happen across a check point and decide to reload all the mobs respawn. Mind Blown yet at this poor example of decision making on the dev's? I mean, the most fundamental part of a game (saving) is broken. What more is there to say? Oh yea, disguises don't work. Remember those disguises that are one of the main features of Hitman? Well now they just keep you from being spotted in stealth as quickly. Yep, that's right. I mean if you can't save in sandbox style assassin game what's the point? Just like ME3 every game besides indies are getting this consolfication of our favorite pc titles. At least Deus Ex was still really good. Here's hoping Thief doesnt get butchered. Even Dishonored knew to have SAVING. Checkpoints...really?… Expand
  5. dreamerdonkey
    Dec 29, 2012
    1
    What game I played actually?????? I don't know because I don't think this is a game of Hitman series. It is completely different thing. If you never play the other game of this series may be you can like this game (I am not quit sure about that) but if you play the other game of this series then please don't even think to give it a try. Because I don't want another heart broken fan of thisWhat game I played actually?????? I don't know because I don't think this is a game of Hitman series. It is completely different thing. If you never play the other game of this series may be you can like this game (I am not quit sure about that) but if you play the other game of this series then please don't even think to give it a try. Because I don't want another heart broken fan of this series. Now let me tell something about the game, in the game there is a shiny bald guy, who was once very famous for being not detected under disguise but it this game he is too familiar to everyone that even under mask people are able to detect him from a mile away, That ruined the whole thing. Game story is linear. Its previous sandbox type game play is completely lost. All you can do that is try to sneak in (which is not a practical solution for this game) but most of the time you have to bang you enemy just like typical third person shooter. So the bottom line is its a heart breaking disappointment for the fan of this series.… Expand
  6. lamar5559
    Dec 21, 2012
    0
    Hitman Absolution is a far cry from past Hitman games. As a long time fan, I feel betrayed by the developers, IO Interactive. Graphics are good, sound is ok, gameplay is horrible, and the story is bland. Do not buy if you are a fan of past games, it will ruin the series. Waste of $50

    I think that Absolution is the last game I will buy that's made by IO, I used to be a huge fan, but    Hitman Absolution is a far cry from past Hitman games. As a long time fan, I feel betrayed by the developers, IO Interactive. Graphics are good, sound is ok, gameplay is horrible, and the story is bland. Do not buy if you are a fan of past games, it will ruin the series. Waste of $50

    I think that Absolution is the last game I will buy that's made by IO, I used to be a huge fan, but they've been going downhill since Kane and Lynch.    … Expand
  7. onregon
    Dec 24, 2012
    4
    Though Hitman: Absolution is a fun and interesting game, it betrays everything that previous titles like Blood Money and Silent Assassin stood for. Agent 47 isn't supposed to sneak behind walls and hide from people, he's supposed to take a disguise and hide in plain sight like a real hitman would. The new disguise system is completely useless. Though the idea of a group of people notThough Hitman: Absolution is a fun and interesting game, it betrays everything that previous titles like Blood Money and Silent Assassin stood for. Agent 47 isn't supposed to sneak behind walls and hide from people, he's supposed to take a disguise and hide in plain sight like a real hitman would. The new disguise system is completely useless. Though the idea of a group of people not recognizing you while your wearing their uniform is smart, I doubt every single Chicago police officer knows each other enough to look at you while your wearing a police disguise, notice they haven't seen you before and ask for your I.D. I thought this was the new amazing graphics and improved gameplay, classic Hitman game that I've been waiting for, I was definitely wrong.… Expand
  8. hateabsolution
    Mar 9, 2013
    0
    I'm sure everything I hate about this game has already been mentioned, and nobody will read this anyway, but let me reiterate it yet again. EVERYTHING that was good about Blood Money has been removed (i.e. customizable gear, sandbox style gameplay, funny kill animations... just to name a few). And apparently rolling from behind one couch to another and crawling through air ducts is moreI'm sure everything I hate about this game has already been mentioned, and nobody will read this anyway, but let me reiterate it yet again. EVERYTHING that was good about Blood Money has been removed (i.e. customizable gear, sandbox style gameplay, funny kill animations... just to name a few). And apparently rolling from behind one couch to another and crawling through air ducts is more realistic than a disguise actually working? Or is it more fun? The answer to those questions is NO, at least for me. I stopped playing when at some point I was wearing some chipmunk suit that covered 47's face, and was still being recognized from across the map. I play without disguises and you end up listening one long, boring NPC conversation after another. I just needed to make sure I add another 0 score for this game, which is why I signed up for this site. It bothered me that people are rating this game positively. I pre-ordered the game because I was in denial that the developers could screw up the franchise too bad after Blood Money, and I wanted to support the developers. Oops! Won't make that mistake again. In fact, anybody involved in this atrocity deserves to be blacklisted from game design, and a job in general, and their kids should starve to death. If I can stop just one person from buying this piece of crap, then I've done something good with my life.… Expand
  9. dexterlakeclub
    Mar 29, 2013
    0
    This is NOT a Hitman game. They have butchered the disguise system so badly that I can't even stand to play the game. The classic Hitman strategy of disguising as a guard to enter the guard territory is ruined. This game has been severely dumbed down and ruined. The only great thing about it is the combat and the game engine over all. The fact that the game engine is so solid just makes meThis is NOT a Hitman game. They have butchered the disguise system so badly that I can't even stand to play the game. The classic Hitman strategy of disguising as a guard to enter the guard territory is ruined. This game has been severely dumbed down and ruined. The only great thing about it is the combat and the game engine over all. The fact that the game engine is so solid just makes me wish this game had lived up to any of its potential.… Expand
  10. Yohan
    Mar 19, 2013
    2
    Contracts and Blood Money blew my mind so many years ago. So naturally I was looking forward to this game for a long time. Hitman become one of my most loved franchises. I went back and played the first 2 games about a year ago and while the graphics were limited the classic Hitman gameplay was as great as ever.... Then came along Absolution. I played through the entire game searching forContracts and Blood Money blew my mind so many years ago. So naturally I was looking forward to this game for a long time. Hitman become one of my most loved franchises. I went back and played the first 2 games about a year ago and while the graphics were limited the classic Hitman gameplay was as great as ever.... Then came along Absolution. I played through the entire game searching for a Hitman game. I found the story interesting and could appreciate how they tried to bring a different story to the Hitman series and for the most part it worked. As a 1 hour long movie its worth watching on Youtube. But as a game? What I got was a brutal kick to the face. Disguises don't work, It's impossible to progress without the stupid instincts mode, most of the time you are hiding in cover (since when did Hitman hide in cover?), plus many more gameplay problems. I will sum it up to say that this is the BIGGEST disappointment in my 25 years as a gamer!..... If they are going to bring back Hitman again, firstly Jesper Kyd needs to score it and secondly the design team need to play all the previous Hitman games start to finish multiple times. I fear without those 2 points. Hitman will never recover!… Expand
  11. Magnethead
    Mar 18, 2014
    2
    In short: awwww man, they broke it. Frustrating game because it has so much potential. The graphics feel smooth and the mechanics are better than ever but they removed all planning, thinking and stealth (actual stealth - welcome to cover-based running). You still have different approaches but you can't plan any of them and often have to choose one at random because the consequences areIn short: awwww man, they broke it. Frustrating game because it has so much potential. The graphics feel smooth and the mechanics are better than ever but they removed all planning, thinking and stealth (actual stealth - welcome to cover-based running). You still have different approaches but you can't plan any of them and often have to choose one at random because the consequences are unclear. In one mission you can choose to disguise yourself as an electrician or try to sneak in around the back but you have no way of knowing what the difference is so you choose randomly. You can't bring your own weapons or gear either, so the game comes up with the most stupid excuses to place sniper rifles and other useful things on site for you to find. It doesn't make sense.

    The world feels alive and each character has their own story, which is cool, but in the end your role is merely that of a spectator and not a protagonist. You're there to watch in awe how cool the world looks, not to play in it. Such a shame - great potential, awful execution.    … Expand
  12. jackhunter
    Jan 14, 2014
    4
    The game betrays the spirit of Hitman games. It was turned into a action centered games, where you run and hide in corridors. Hitman was about solving a puzzle to killa s pecific victim, now the game has turned into a random action game. Dont do it. Dont buy it.
  13. AmongstYou
    Nov 2, 2013
    2
    This is one of the most hallow games I've ever played. I literally felt empty upon completion. The story is a mess, the gameplay and level design is inconsistent, the implementation of a "Instinct" feature, and also voice acting that is laughably bad. I'd say it's not as bad Splinter Cell: Conviction, but the problem being that this game is worse. There is no reason to play this game atThis is one of the most hallow games I've ever played. I literally felt empty upon completion. The story is a mess, the gameplay and level design is inconsistent, the implementation of a "Instinct" feature, and also voice acting that is laughably bad. I'd say it's not as bad Splinter Cell: Conviction, but the problem being that this game is worse. There is no reason to play this game at all. It is the most vapid and empty game I've ever played in my life.… Expand
  14. Leonem
    Jan 17, 2014
    2
    -The game isn't made by the same devs
    -Bad Story / Cliche Characters
    -James Seth Lynch -Adam Jensen's DLC -Abusive use of swears. -Bad "Over-the-shoulder" view. -No Map -Stupid Instinct that Holds your hand -Absurdly Small and divided levels/On rails -Checkpoint save system/On rails -Broken Disguise System -Painfull Cover System -Stupid and useless scoring system -Can't close    -The game isn't made by the same devs
    -Bad Story / Cliche Characters
    -James Seth Lynch
    -Adam Jensen's DLC
    -Abusive use of swears.
    -Bad "Over-the-shoulder" view.
    -No Map
    -Stupid Instinct that Holds your hand
    -Absurdly Small and divided levels/On rails
    -Checkpoint save system/On rails
    -Broken Disguise System
    -Painfull Cover System
    -Stupid and useless scoring system
    -Can't close doors
    -No looking through keyholes
    -No Light switch
    -No weapon selection
    -No Sniper Case/Magic pockets
    -Quick time events
    -Can't kill most targets
    -Stupid Escaping levels
    -Stupid scripted cutscenes
    -Stupid "One of a Kind" mission
    -Stupid Gun Game to get your ballers back
    -Garbage Bins everywhere

    -Total disregard by the compagny for the real fans

    +Nice Graphics/Animations
    +Nice voice acting
    +Dragging corps with the fiber wire

    (-The game isn't made by the same devs)
    That says a lot. Nothing more to say about this.

    (-Bad Story/Cliche Characters)
    The story isn't that bad. The problem is that it was obviously made for a Movie, not a game.
    They made a good 3D movie and butchered it with bad gameplay. The Story broke the gameplay of the whole franchise so in the end, it's worst than better.
    Most protagonists and antagonists simply doesn't fit well in the Hitman lore and feels absurde. (Blake, Birdie, Sanchez, Sexy Nuns...)
    All that comes with the devs team changing and the AAA title mash-up in a lot of ways.
    Heck, I would say that they mashed-up AAA game Titles with AAA movie titles.

    (-James Seth Lynch)
    The proof that Absolutio Devs cares more about kayne & Lynch than Hitman.

    (-Adam Jensen's DLC)
    Another Proof with J.S. Lynch that the game is a big and bad AAA titles mash-up.

    (-Abusive use of swears.)
    It's not that big of a deal, but the first time we encounter Blake Dexter, he says the "F" word 12 times.
    (-Bad "Over-the-shoulder" view.) Every other Hitman games were TPS and weren't using this bad and stupid POV that block Half your screen. H2:SA was on console so it's not a matter of "consolisation" but a matter of dumbing down everything for the CoD/Mass Effect/Etc audience. Obviously. (-No map / Instinct / Small levels / Checkpoint system / ) There wouldn't be any Checkpoint save system if it was a real Hitman game. And as many said, when they reload back to a checkpoint, every enemies are back and put you in bad situations. The save system is broken. The whole game is broken. Everytime something is changed to the worst, it brings something else down with it. Instinct because No Map No Map Because the levels are small Checkpoints because the level are small again. In overall, the level design is crap. (-Stupid and useless scoring system) Makes you feel punished for trying to have fun. (-Can't close doors/No look through keyholes/Turn on switch) Why? Because of bad AI scripting and bad level design, again, probably! (-No weapon selection) Even if 47 isn't with the agency anymore, what exactly stops 47 from having his weapons from the last level. As 47, If I wasn't with the agency anymore, I would dig myself a hole and make my own stach of items. (-No Sniper Case/Magic pockets) Something that was there since the very first hitman game has been removed for no good reason. (-Quick time events) Casualisation. (-Can't kill most targets) What's the point of being a Hitman if you don,t kill your targets? There's none. (-Escaping levels) Again, am I supposed to feel like a hitman or something? Because it doesn't feel like it. (-Stupid cutscenes / "One of a Kind" mission) The "One of a kind" mission let you play something that should've been a cutscene while Target kills are done within cutscenes. This is plain and simply stupid. (-Stupid Gun Game to get your ballers back) Bad gameplay design, bad story line. (-Garbage Bins everywhere) Obviously, it's for the casual no-brainers with one cell in the brain. Unable to hide a body if there isn't 50 garbage bin around you. (-Total disregard by the compagny for the real fans) Trying to milk a franchise isn't a good way to please the fans. At all. The game is bad as a stealth game and is even worst as an Hitman game. It's a total disrespect to the fans. 47 is dead and trolls dance on his corps. A sad time for loyal Hitman fans.    … Expand
  15. eLipse
    Feb 11, 2014
    4
    "I wish this was more linear." "I wish they got rid of the targets or killed more of them in cut scenes." "I wish I had no control over the weapons I use each level." "I hate this."

    If you've ever found yourself wondering one of these things while playing any previous Hitman game then you have just found your game of the year. Congrats. So jelly.
  16. KillerAlfa
    Jan 8, 2013
    0
    It is not Hitman. It is Splinter Cell: Absolution. New developers just don't understand the idea of Hitman series. As Splinter Cell: Absolution it is not a bad game, but as Hitman: Absolution it gets 0 from me.
  17. Magdi_alafifi
    Mar 5, 2013
    2
    Tedious, Repetitious, monotonous, linear, Non-realistic with a very bogus absurd story...
    you weapons just vanish once you start a new mission, Combat and engaging is relatively easier then stealth playing.. the disguise system is useless, and nonsensical, why can't you keep hiding your head if you have no instinct left? Does agent 47 need some sort of a super-power energy to lift his    Tedious, Repetitious, monotonous, linear, Non-realistic with a very bogus absurd story...
    you weapons just vanish once you start a new mission, Combat and engaging is relatively easier then stealth playing.. the disguise system is useless, and nonsensical, why can't you keep hiding your head if you have no instinct left? Does agent 47 need some sort of a super-power energy to lift his hand? And naming that "thing" as instinct is clearly ridiculous, it's more of an ESP! And the ranking system is fu*ked, i usually get "Professional" in a perfectly stealthy playing, Yet i did get "Shadow" more then once when i killed all enemies and surely engaged in an open combat during the process.. And agent 47 character does help a lot in making the game much more boring, he always has the same expression, lacks charisma, and the creators are clearly trying so hard to make him look like a fearless badass, but all that came was a vague emotionless dull robot.. I don't recommend buying the game, and if you did i recommend you through it through the window and RUN RUN RUN! cuz agent 47 executes everybody, even the redundant useless least-important villains in the game just to make the game longer.    … Expand
  18. beladrim
    Nov 23, 2012
    6
    Hitman Absolution looks great... But it feels "wrong". This game walks the dangerous path of an other popular stealth game : Splinter Cell conviction. Forget the subtle stealth gameplay of previous games. Now... we have "instinct". A Meter bar that allows you to blend in. Or should i say... forces you. Like previous Hitman games, you can wear a disguise. Problem is, that diguise will beHitman Absolution looks great... But it feels "wrong". This game walks the dangerous path of an other popular stealth game : Splinter Cell conviction. Forget the subtle stealth gameplay of previous games. Now... we have "instinct". A Meter bar that allows you to blend in. Or should i say... forces you. Like previous Hitman games, you can wear a disguise. Problem is, that diguise will be useless 90% of the time unless you use the new flashy instinct bar. The instinct system would be great in some games. But in hitman? It just feels wrong. It's distracting, breaks the immersion completly and if anything it's frustrating without being challenging. Fortunatly, the game still allows you to be creative with the way you take down your target. Sadly the stealth in this can be resumed to how well you manage the instinct bar. Absolution is the perfect exemple of what happens when you try to reinvent the weel. I can only hope that the next game (if there is one) will try to get back to what made "blood money" so good : the fact that it was an assassin simulation game. Not a dumb action game with bar management as a stealth system.… Expand
  19. Zetoc
    Mar 7, 2016
    9
    When i first played it when i came out, i was very very disapointed. dident feel like hitman at all
    But i started 2 days ago to play it again, this time in purist mode and i gotta say i appreciate the game so much more now.
    Dont know if it is couse of purist but it is actually a pretty good game once you get used to the mechanics
  20. Escherichia
    Dec 20, 2012
    4
    Way too linear. Half of the game's missions are "Go from point A to B", you cant choose your equipment at the start, meaning you'll have to play with the weapons the designers chose to give you, which are pretty much always the same. The disguises are useless unless you use something called instict, which is some sort of mana bar that depletes each time you walk by somebody wearing theWay too linear. Half of the game's missions are "Go from point A to B", you cant choose your equipment at the start, meaning you'll have to play with the weapons the designers chose to give you, which are pretty much always the same. The disguises are useless unless you use something called instict, which is some sort of mana bar that depletes each time you walk by somebody wearing the same outfit you do. While it does make sense that a waitress in a restaurant knows you dont work there even if you have their outfit, it makes no sense that every single cop can tell you are not one of them unless you use your instinct bar and watch 47 cover his face with his hand while he walks by, then its cool. Instinct also lets you see through walls. I dont know why they had to remove pretty much everything fans liked about Hitman and add stuff that doesnt belong in a Hitman title.… Expand
  21. PaulGR
    Dec 19, 2012
    1
    A disaster... if you are a fan of the previous games, this is completely different.. like a completely different title; this is NOT the Hitman we knew. The Single Player is very short, something obvious as the team spent time creating a multiplayer option - a HUGE fail - neglecting the SP mode actually. I finished the game in about 8 hours and 1/4 of them was loading previous saves to getA disaster... if you are a fan of the previous games, this is completely different.. like a completely different title; this is NOT the Hitman we knew. The Single Player is very short, something obvious as the team spent time creating a multiplayer option - a HUGE fail - neglecting the SP mode actually. I finished the game in about 8 hours and 1/4 of them was loading previous saves to get a better score. You are not even allowed to hit someone unconscious without losing points - the only thing you are allowed to do is sneak, anything else ruins your score... you are an ASSASSIN FFS! Yes, you must be able to kill, hide bodies, and use disguises without this ruining your score completely... YOU ARE an A-S-S-A-S-S-I-N! Guns are useless (I swear I didn't even fire 1 single bullet in the whole game - oh and you can't even customize your guns!) I used the fiberwire (my most used and favorite in previous Hitmans) like 3 times maximum in the whole story, as if you kill someone, you lose... great job (The Fiber Wire is Agent47's trademark tool FFS!) Additionally, the game fails on options such as sneaking - it is really frustrating to be able for someone to see you through walls (major bugs.) Not what i expected, I do NOT recommend it - DONT LET its fancy graphics fool you!… Expand
  22. chuchurocket
    Nov 28, 2012
    0
    This is a "hitman game" where disguises are entirely optional and doesn't really work anyway, where you spend 90% of time NOT killing anybody, and if you touch anyone other than the target you get a big red penalty right on the spot. This is also a "hitman game" where plenty of your supposed contract "targets" either can't be killed or are not killed by you, and agent 47 can somehowThis is a "hitman game" where disguises are entirely optional and doesn't really work anyway, where you spend 90% of time NOT killing anybody, and if you touch anyone other than the target you get a big red penalty right on the spot. This is also a "hitman game" where plenty of your supposed contract "targets" either can't be killed or are not killed by you, and agent 47 can somehow conceal a 4 feet sniper rifle while wearing a t-shirt and pull it out of his ass . My favorite part is when you get rewarded "silent assassin" if you put on a silly wrestler costume and beat someone to death in front of hundreds of audience, yes that's right, a "silent assassin" that slowly beats someone to death in front of a crowd while half naked. You're also rewarded to "collect evidences", yes apparently agent 47 the emotionless contract killing machine is afraid of karma and needs to justify his action by playing PI and find discriminating materials of his targets.… Expand
  23. husm
    Dec 1, 2012
    0
    this is not hitman its mgs, or splinter cell or whatever. mostly thanks for a retarded disguise system u cant play smart anymore ur FORCED to play hide and seek w enormous mob of guards.
    and most disappointing is story, mr47 now drama queen (
  24. MrOtter
    Nov 27, 2012
    0
    Dull. Requires no lateral or constructive thinking what so ever, unlike some of its predecessors.

    These days the intelligence required to play a video game is indirectly proportional to its advertising budget and Absolution makes a good example of this.
  25. itran1
    Dec 27, 2012
    4
    This game has destroyed all expectations of a possible worthy sequel to Blood Money. The gameplay has little similarities to the previous Hitman games and more similarities to Splinter cell: Conviction. One of the major let downs is how frustrating this games is as the disguise system is absolutely broken which makes using disguises obsolete as NPCs of the same clothing can spot you outThis game has destroyed all expectations of a possible worthy sequel to Blood Money. The gameplay has little similarities to the previous Hitman games and more similarities to Splinter cell: Conviction. One of the major let downs is how frustrating this games is as the disguise system is absolutely broken which makes using disguises obsolete as NPCs of the same clothing can spot you out from a mile away. This makes obtaining the Silent Assassin rating excruciatingly frustrating as one little mistake can/will destroy all of your hard work. This leads to the checkpoint system, a new addition in Hitman Absolution which replaces the the save system from the previous Hitman games. I don't like this system as it has more cons than pros (just like this game). It's quite pointless actually as it doesn't seem to do much except for saving current completed objectives and allowing you to spawn there when you restart to the checkpoint, BUT when you do restart to the checkpoint all of the enemies that have been taken out will respawn to where they were in the beginning of the mission, thus destroying most of the progress that was made. Although in some cases this can help where some enemies that were there before are no longer present as they were originally somewhere else, allowing you to proceed through the level with less difficulty. The graphics are probably is only pro about this game, also the user interface is more advanced and more pleasing to the eyes, but i didn't care much for this. I didn't really care for the story either as i didn't care for the girl. The only part that got to me was when 47 had to kill Diana where i thought she didn't really have to die. This game was one of the most frustrating games i have ever played and when at times I should have felt rewarded for finally completing a difficult mission I didn't due to knowing even more frustrating moments will come up and i just wanted things to be over and done with. I barely had any fun playing this game due to its broken mechanics which led to much frustration, screaming and swearing constantly after having to restart each mission over 15 times to get a decent end rating.… Expand
  26. Jshtjls
    Dec 23, 2012
    7
    After waiting for 5 years for the new hitman game,"Hitman Absolution" is rather disappointing.
    i am never played the first hitman game or the third in the series,but i have played Hitman: Blood Money which much better than this new absolution.
    in term of Graphics,The new hitman game is better than all the previous hitman game combined including Hitman: Blood Money. the graphic is great    After waiting for 5 years for the new hitman game,"Hitman Absolution" is rather disappointing.
    i am never played the first hitman game or the third in the series,but i have played Hitman: Blood Money which much better than this new absolution.
    in term of Graphics,The new hitman game is better than all the previous hitman game combined including Hitman: Blood Money. the graphic is great which made agent 47 looked more realistic.also the landscape looked more stunning than ever before,each level is designed with detail which bring places in this game more alive.beside graphics,the new hitman also has triumph in term of sound effect and voice acting.the sound of broken bottle,knife throwing,gun shooting, etc is much more improved. overall,"Hitman: Absolution" is a triumph in term of technical aspect.but unfortunately,the gameplay is not as good as its graphic.
    if you had played Hitman: Blood Money,this game will surely be a disappointment.everything about what makes Hitman Blood Money thrilling and exciting,is all been erased.instead the developer choose to make agent 47 like a super assassin which can killed or subdued enemy with a single button.unlike Blood Money where you must carefully planned your stealth action since it takes more than a single press of button to subdued the enemy, the latest hitman is more like a button mashing instead of a stealth game.
    "Hitman: Blood Money" is thrilling,suspenseful,pulse-pounding stealth game that also supported with terrific musical score and novelty stories.while "Hitman: Absolution" is more of monotonous button mashing action game with lack of suspense whatsoever.
    for those hitman veteran,the latest installment of agent 47 might be one of the worst or disappointing game of 2012,while new player will crave this used-to-be great stealth game.nevertheless,Developer should pay more attention to game play instead of enchanted graphic.a great hitman game like "Hitman Blood Money" is more than just over the top graphic and sound effect.    … Expand
  27. PainMcPain
    Dec 20, 2012
    0
    Dear IO interactive,
    Please get your heads out of your asses and give us the game you promised. You know, the one where you said "Absolution would be easier to play and more accessible, while still retaining hardcore aspects of the franchise". Seriously, what the **** were you guys thinking? I'd buy DLC for Blood Money any day over this pile of sheet. Thanks for ruining another great    Dear IO interactive,
    Please get your heads out of your asses and give us the game you promised. You know, the one where you said "Absolution would be easier to play and more accessible, while still retaining hardcore aspects of the franchise". Seriously, what the **** were you guys thinking? I'd buy DLC for Blood Money any day over this pile of sheet. Thanks for ruining another great franchise. Sincerely,
    Pain McPain.

    PS. The DLC costume for the Deus Ex character is the most retarded ****ing thing I have ever seen in a game. Way to go.    … Expand
  28. uebergamer
    Nov 23, 2012
    0
    absolute sign v00d00m4n critic!

    "Assassin's Conviction: Saboteur & Lynch - Retardation"
    "head of 47 shines like supernova explosion to blind you from truth"
    "INSTINCT MANA"
    "magic wallhack cheat"
    "THIS GAME IS UTTER TRASH"

    hope this was 150 letters of flaming. thank you.
  29. rottentomatoes
    Nov 28, 2012
    0
    Don't waste your money. Don't waste your money.Don't waste your money.Don't waste your money.Don't waste your money.Don't waste your money.Don't waste your money.
  30. lobopt
    Nov 30, 2012
    1
    Oh and forgot I ABSOLUTELY WANT TO DECIDE WHERE I ENTER FROM AND HOW. and not sprinkling some guards to enter the only way possible and them so dumb not noticing me turning the wheel in the real Hitman games they would have shot me immediately even on easy.
  31. chocobo
    Dec 8, 2012
    6
    This game is plain hard (I'm on normal). The enemy density is way too high, margin of error is very small. I'm fine with that and I don't need a quick save function if you don't give me like one check point every level, and force me to overhear conversations (and have nowhere to go until the guys split) over and over again.

    This game gives you different choices to get to a goal, which    This game is plain hard (I'm on normal). The enemy density is way too high, margin of error is very small. I'm fine with that and I don't need a quick save function if you don't give me like one check point every level, and force me to overhear conversations (and have nowhere to go until the guys split) over and over again.

    This game gives you different choices to get to a goal, which is good. But when a certain route is already hard as hell, it's just causing the players to focus exclusively on that route, spending all their retries tackling the small open windows, making it the same as other linear experiences. You get two player behaviors out of that, 1) doing everything painstakingly slowly, like killing every person possible and hide their bodies away, and 2) sneak through with some luck, and get to the goal without experiencing anything about how the level looked, what was the scripted cool stuff, what was the special kills, etc. Both behaviors don't make a deep impression in players.

    With the painful check point/ reload system, exploring alternative routes is like restarting a level. I'd rather spend another retry polishing my last move than to risk any more retries to do any new stuff.

    I'm not kidding, but the most effective way to reach most goals in this game is to shoot everyone, and that's what I did when I just lost it. And of course the consequence is an extremely low score that you don't feel you've actually completed the level.

    It's been very long since the last time I finishes a game just for the sake of finishing it.    … Expand
  32. Hob
    Nov 21, 2012
    5
    Like Kane & Lynch without Lynch. Pretty as hell and that's about it for the upsides. I'd rather watch a good movie. This has too much filler, the game mechanics (especially disguises!) are rather unsatisfying, it's very linear and difficulty levels above hard are essentially broken due to the new gimmick not working anymore.
  33. EliteEvil
    Nov 29, 2012
    0
    I don't think you should consider this a hitman game in anything other than name. I think it plays a lot more like manhunt, if the violence was completely unsatisfying and it had a visit from the chest-high-wall-fairys. Among the worst aspects of this game are:
    No ability to save the game. I appreciate this game was probably developed for a console crowd with PC as an afterthought but    I don't think you should consider this a hitman game in anything other than name. I think it plays a lot more like manhunt, if the violence was completely unsatisfying and it had a visit from the chest-high-wall-fairys. Among the worst aspects of this game are:
    No ability to save the game. I appreciate this game was probably developed for a console crowd with PC as an afterthought but consoles have had plenty of save game space for years. The "instict mode". I think it is meant to replace the map but doesn't provide any of the functionality of maps in previous games, or for that matter, an actual map like you can get of town centers in real life.
    Disguises. I often got caught with disguises in the old games, but in this one I will spend ages smashing bottles to get a victim alone, kill them, and it won't let me take their clothes. If I do get their clothes I have to burn up all my instinct to get anywhere in the disguise. If I do get caught I cannot load I have to start the whole level from the beginning again because saving is so 2000 and late.
    Can't choose to start with a sniper rifle or shotgun or M90... or anything but a wire and pistols. Maybe this happens in later levels but I am sure agent 47 could find another gun SOMEWHERE. How about the ones I picked up before the latest cutscene?
    Cover based shooting pop up gallery. Ugh.
    v00d00m4ns review is a good summary of other failings that while still bad annoy me slightly less than they do him.

    Finally I have an AMD 8120, Radeon hd7970 and 8GB ram and really don't think much of the graphics either. They bog down far too much in plant areas to set it to ultra and I just don't think they are that good. I would say ME3 has far better graphics with a similar perspective and that runs nicely on max wherever you go in the game, so I think the people saying "nice graphics but..." are being too kind.    … Expand
  34. eyesofdeath983
    Dec 30, 2012
    1
    How it went from Hitman Blood Money to this is beyond me, this is one of the most disappointing games I have ever played in my life, everything that made the other Hitman games good are not in Absolution, your best bet is to play the old Hitman games and pretend Absolution didn't even happen.
  35. Sohen
    Mar 31, 2013
    1
    For anyone looking for creative, free, imaginative game play... steer clear of this one. All the planning and decision making that made the previous titles so immersive and stimulating are removed. There is no weapon load out choice, disguises no longer have any purpose and the levels are completely linear where the developer has chosen the course of action you must take as if you were onFor anyone looking for creative, free, imaginative game play... steer clear of this one. All the planning and decision making that made the previous titles so immersive and stimulating are removed. There is no weapon load out choice, disguises no longer have any purpose and the levels are completely linear where the developer has chosen the course of action you must take as if you were on the rails of a very slow moving roller coaster with no ups or downs. Very disappointed as this was a real step back. We really are living in a "dumbed down" period of gaming. Like Dishonored, you are encouraged not to kill people, even though you inevitably have to... you are an assassin after all. Both those titles push you in directions to get punished for being where they push you. Some people seem to like that paradoxical nonsense, but that goes beyond hitting your head against a brick wall when you're allergic to bricks yet are the only thing you can feed on Yeah... I don't get it either. The negative reviews really do represent the game... the positive reviews are for those who enjoy a really shallow, totally directed lacking in content experience.… Expand
  36. Matty_1980
    Aug 10, 2013
    0
    As a Hitman fan it was literally painful to play through this game. I followed the buildup of this game from the very start. As soon as IO Interactive muttered the words "Agent 47 is now on the run" something inside me said that Absolution was going to be bad. It turns out my inner feeling wasn't wrong. It's not that it's a 'bad' game, it's an 'ok-ish' Splintercell Conviction clone withAs a Hitman fan it was literally painful to play through this game. I followed the buildup of this game from the very start. As soon as IO Interactive muttered the words "Agent 47 is now on the run" something inside me said that Absolution was going to be bad. It turns out my inner feeling wasn't wrong. It's not that it's a 'bad' game, it's an 'ok-ish' Splintercell Conviction clone with some bugs and stupid broken A.I. But as a Hitman game it is very bad, the worst in the series in fact. They have taken everything that made Hitman so fun and special, threw it in the bin, then replaced it with a linear story driven action game. Playing through it was like watching a terrible B Movie, it was so bad i just had to keep watching/playing through.… Expand
  37. NoWanga
    Dec 18, 2012
    4
    For those who want a quick and easy review: a B game, but a D hitman game.

    As for the real review, as many others have pointed out this game appears to have mechanics that were borrowed from several other games. This game really does feel more like Splinter Cell: Conviction than anything else, but they also appear to have borrowed from Assassin's Creed as well. Hitman was all about    For those who want a quick and easy review: a B game, but a D hitman game.

    As for the real review, as many others have pointed out this game appears to have mechanics that were borrowed from several other games. This game really does feel more like Splinter Cell: Conviction than anything else, but they also appear to have borrowed from Assassin's Creed as well. Hitman was all about planning the perfect assassinations, or your own unique ones. Being in the right place at the right time, hiding your bodies well, and timing everything so you walk out the door just before everyone realized that something was amiss. In this game, however, it felt as though your goal was just to sneak through the level without being seen, and maybe ill a couple of people along the way. I realize they were going for a more story driven fell, but that doesn't mean that they can to condense the whole game into a bunch of micro levels and use mechanics that felt more like an action shooter than a stealth game. Although the game punishes you for killing people, the level design and the fact that the game rewards you for finding big guns make you feel as though you as supposed to go on a killing spree. The company tried to make another Darksiders, were 5 games were put in a blender and coated with an original story. What happened instead was a beloved series has been tarnished, and most likely ended. I don't foresee a return to what Hitman was following this blunder, and for that I am truly sorry.    … Expand
  38. theoldgamer
    Nov 20, 2012
    5
    I have to say, I am very disappointed in this game so far... I am only about 30 minutes in and so far it feels like I am playing a game on rails. Way to linear.

    1. The cut scene murder in the first mission is LAME. I don't want cut scenes, I want to execute hits! 2. Disguises don't mean anything... Heck, when you go through the first level and put on a disguise the game forgets    I have to say, I am very disappointed in this game so far... I am only about 30 minutes in and so far it feels like I am playing a game on rails. Way to linear.

    1. The cut scene murder in the first mission is LAME. I don't want cut scenes, I want to execute hits!

    2. Disguises don't mean anything... Heck, when you go through the first level and put on a disguise the game forgets you ever wore one, cue cut scene and you're back wearing 47's suit?!?

    3. The checkpoint system is stupid, I feel like I am playing Cabelas Big Game Hunter.

    4. Did I say this game feels like it's on rails?

    I'll force myself to continue playing to see if the gameplay gets any better, but my initial impression is that they really messed this up.

    All I really wanted (and I'm sure many other gamers too) was another bunch of levels added to Hitman Bloodmoney and maybe some updated graphics... Instead they radically changed the game for the worse.

    Bloodmoney was almost the perfect hitman game... Why didn't they build off that?!?!    … Expand
  39. xekcedom
    Nov 23, 2012
    0
    Just sad, The storyline straight out of a movie zo bizarre series, about the game mechanics very fair and very unfree across the stage.
    The nuns left over, this is not the movie machete, please.
    And most importantly, do not miss this game have 47 kills not speak!
  40. Goatsecks
    Nov 28, 2012
    4
    You can beat the game in about 30 minutes if you just run around and shoot everyone. The combat system is annoying and stupid, running into people and performing fighting animations which are really easy to mess up on. The levels are small. The point system is also a mess. It's easy to mess up in this game and have to restart the whole level. The only good things are the sound, graphics,You can beat the game in about 30 minutes if you just run around and shoot everyone. The combat system is annoying and stupid, running into people and performing fighting animations which are really easy to mess up on. The levels are small. The point system is also a mess. It's easy to mess up in this game and have to restart the whole level. The only good things are the sound, graphics, and story.… Expand
  41. HopZ
    Feb 6, 2013
    8
    A good game in it's own right, but too linear and simplified compared to it's predecessors. Loses points for elements of linearity, unappealing storyline, awful save-system, overuse of pre-rendered cinematics and un-enjoyable disguise mechanics. Gains some points back for great performance and graphics, solid gun-play mechanics and beautiful (albeit overly linear) level design. AnA good game in it's own right, but too linear and simplified compared to it's predecessors. Loses points for elements of linearity, unappealing storyline, awful save-system, overuse of pre-rendered cinematics and un-enjoyable disguise mechanics. Gains some points back for great performance and graphics, solid gun-play mechanics and beautiful (albeit overly linear) level design. An underrated game, because it is not loyal to the original fan-base.… Expand
  42. Neal0790
    Dec 11, 2012
    7
    This game is kind of a love hate situation with me. Sometimes i really wanted to play and got hooked in, but then there were moments where i felt like it just dragged. I will say the graphics are nice, and it looks great in 3D. Story wise this game is completely forgettable. I dont know who wrote the story/ dialog for this game but who ever it is should find a new carrier. The story isThis game is kind of a love hate situation with me. Sometimes i really wanted to play and got hooked in, but then there were moments where i felt like it just dragged. I will say the graphics are nice, and it looks great in 3D. Story wise this game is completely forgettable. I dont know who wrote the story/ dialog for this game but who ever it is should find a new carrier. The story is there i just couldnt care less about it. Even the moments that were supposed to be "dramatic" barely felt dramatic at all. The ideas where there but it was presented like crap. Open world wise its kind of a mixed bag. Some levels have plenty of different ways to kill your target that are creative, while a few levels it feels like the developers ran out of ideas. Disguises also have there moments that feel broken. There could be 100 gaurds but if you kill one and steal there clothes every guard will recognize you. But at the same time if there is one chef serving food to everyone and you steal his clothes not one person will think twice. If you think about it most likely people are going to remember the one person who looks like noone else and forget about the person who is dressed like 30 other people around you. Overall i give it 7/10. The game is fun, but doesnt seem like it was setup properly to be a real hitman game. The balance being all over the place kills it. It feels like they catered to a different crowd this time around. Hitman games are supposed to be hard, anyone who played a previous hitman game knows this. But in hitman absolution you can pretty much stroll though the whole game with your hand over your face if you wanted too. I didnt feel like i had to plan out anything in this game or explore. Alot of the stuff was just blatantly pointed out to me on what i should do. Game is worth $25-$30 on sale. Took me 7.5 hours to beat according to steam and thats with a complete stealth play though. You could probably beat the game in 2.5 hours if you shot your way though. lol… Expand
  43. Kenjiro
    Apr 3, 2013
    4
    It would be good game, if it have:
    - open world
    - saves
    - weapon selection
    - saves
    - map
    - SAVES!

    What's wrong with developers, which want to ruin silent killing game and make some one-error-replay-full-mission-game with QTE which you could not break?! Sorry, this game is not worth the money at all (even with 60% discount which i find).
  44. RedAFX
    Dec 2, 2012
    7
    Severely lacking imagination when compared to the sandbox classics before it, the atmospheric, fun and challenging gameplay of Hitman 2 is long gone. Hitman sits at the top of the pile of this year's poor selection of games, nothing more than a PC gamer alternative to Metal Gear Solid 4.
  45. Gamer_Baby
    Apr 15, 2013
    1
    A poor addition to the Hitman franchise. Hitman was a series that didn't need changing, it was as if IO Interactive have never heard of the old saying "If it's not broke don't fix it" Everything that made Hitman so great and unique has been removed and replaced with material copied from other gaming franchises. As a result Hitman Absolution is very similar to Splintercell Conviction ratherA poor addition to the Hitman franchise. Hitman was a series that didn't need changing, it was as if IO Interactive have never heard of the old saying "If it's not broke don't fix it" Everything that made Hitman so great and unique has been removed and replaced with material copied from other gaming franchises. As a result Hitman Absolution is very similar to Splintercell Conviction rather than a Hitman game. The big open sandbox levels have been replaced with heavily scripted linear levels so it can tell a story. Previous Hitmans were all about gameplay, Absolution is more about a story. The story was like it was written by Steve Stiffler from the American Pie films, very childish sick gross out trying to be edgy but fails. In my opinion games should always be about gameplay, if i want a story i'll watch a DVD or go to the cinema. The less i say about the broken AI the better.… Expand
  46. Human
    Jan 17, 2013
    7
    This being my first Hitman game, I don't know what I am talking about. That being said, I thought this game was alright. I finished it, what more do you want? I felt like the stealth mechanics were a little broken and I found myself over-relying on the instinct vision mechanic, and the scoring system was completely useless. However, overall it looks good, plays well and was fun for a fewThis being my first Hitman game, I don't know what I am talking about. That being said, I thought this game was alright. I finished it, what more do you want? I felt like the stealth mechanics were a little broken and I found myself over-relying on the instinct vision mechanic, and the scoring system was completely useless. However, overall it looks good, plays well and was fun for a few evenings, but it's not changing the industry.… Expand
  47. leandro9542
    May 13, 2013
    4
    As I have been playing hitman after hitman since the first one, I can say this for sure, this game its nothing more than a generic stealth game, that most of the time your only goal its find a door, and when you finaly has the chance to perform a kill, its always a simple and not clever kill, its was lost the game essence, turning into a average game with a good story, hiding a boring gameAs I have been playing hitman after hitman since the first one, I can say this for sure, this game its nothing more than a generic stealth game, that most of the time your only goal its find a door, and when you finaly has the chance to perform a kill, its always a simple and not clever kill, its was lost the game essence, turning into a average game with a good story, hiding a boring game with a stupid mechanic of saves, and a lot of pointless goals. It's with a great sadness that I submit this review, from my favorite franchise, the first of the all five games, that I couldn't end, because after each level it was getting more and more boring.… Expand
  48. AnnoyedatThis
    Jan 27, 2015
    0
    If you liked Blood money and bought this game as many did because Hitman Blood-Money was just a top shelf hitman game, Only to be presented with some form of Linear choiceless rail driven drivel story that side tracked combat and cutscenes and presented you with a wonderful 0 HITS

    This is just like the Tomb Raider Reboot these newer developers should just stop and please PLEASE either    If you liked Blood money and bought this game as many did because Hitman Blood-Money was just a top shelf hitman game, Only to be presented with some form of Linear choiceless rail driven drivel story that side tracked combat and cutscenes and presented you with a wonderful 0 HITS

    This is just like the Tomb Raider Reboot these newer developers should just stop and please PLEASE either get a job in something else or KILL THEM SELVES.    … Expand
  49. JayE
    Oct 29, 2014
    5
    Hitman series has taken a low blow to the lower intestinal region, this is nothing like the brilliant Blood Money game and prior games.

    If you are a classic Hitman fan, you may want to avoid this game. The first fish market mission was great, you have the usual hitman style gameplay in a sandboxed area, then everything goes haywire. It turns into a linear storyline, classic hitman    Hitman series has taken a low blow to the lower intestinal region, this is nothing like the brilliant Blood Money game and prior games.

    If you are a classic Hitman fan, you may want to avoid this game.

    The first fish market mission was great, you have the usual hitman style gameplay in a sandboxed area, then everything goes haywire. It turns into a linear storyline, classic hitman elements are thrown out the window, it turns into a linear Max Payne style game.

    Not good. This is not the Hitman we know.
    Stopped playing after 3-4 missions.

    Attempting to play the game while ignoring the fact that it is a hitman game failed.
    At a basic level it simply doesn't deliver, not sure what the devs were trying to accomplish but it just doesn't work.

    For the love of Hitman... bring back the classic Hitman style sandbox gameplay, don't try to be an emotional linear action FPS... it simply doesn't work with this franchise.

    55/100    … Expand
  50. Bumble-Reviews
    Apr 8, 2013
    5
    Mediocre. To sum it up short, it has a terrible story with no consistency, one-dimensional characters, flimsy level design, and linear set pieces. It removes the core of Hitman, that is planning to perfection on how to kill your targets. It's gone in this game, save a few levels.

    However, the game has great game mechanics. Had these been implemented into bigger maps and a less    Mediocre. To sum it up short, it has a terrible story with no consistency, one-dimensional characters, flimsy level design, and linear set pieces. It removes the core of Hitman, that is planning to perfection on how to kill your targets. It's gone in this game, save a few levels.

    However, the game has great game mechanics. Had these been implemented into bigger maps and a less pretentious storyline, it would have worked. Other than the Instinct feature, the game benefited from it's great controls.

    It isn't without it's faults though. The disguise system is horrendously imbalanced and doesn't help you at all. Considering it's a core feature of the Hitman series, this hits hard.

    Though the game has it's moments. Levels like, King of Chinatown, Terminus Hotel, Hunter and Hunted, Streets of Hope, and Blackwater Park are brilliant, and are some of the best in the series. Although, the other levels are completely unplayable, since the player will have no ambition to grudge through them and their linear design void of player choice.

    If you see this game on a Steam Sale, I'd say you should buy it to see just what it's about. That doesn't change the fact that it's a huge disappointment in the series after Blood Money.
    You're better off purchasing the HD Collection if you're a console player.

    This game had huge potential IO. Fix it with the next game.    … Expand
  51. MagnesiumDew
    Jan 28, 2013
    7
    Having played every other Hitman game, Absolution seems to me a little lacking in freedom and open environments. Now Hitman Absolution is an amazing game, updating everything from Blood Money, and adding new features like instinct and cover. But the level design is limited an there isn't much to find in the level. In Blood Money you could explore, find mysterious weapons and an unknownHaving played every other Hitman game, Absolution seems to me a little lacking in freedom and open environments. Now Hitman Absolution is an amazing game, updating everything from Blood Money, and adding new features like instinct and cover. But the level design is limited an there isn't much to find in the level. In Blood Money you could explore, find mysterious weapons and an unknown viewpoint on the target in his office. Now if this review was for me personally, Absolution would have scored a 6. But because most will play this having not played the other games, it is a good game with good mechanics. I wouldn't pay more than £30 or $40, but for anything under, it will be a good weekend with it.

    But for us previous 'Hitmen' the game isn't as expected. If you have played any other Hitman game then Absolution will disappoint. The 'costumes' and 'disguises' that only work if you hold down control, smaller mission areas than Blood money or silent assassin, and the fact the you can't choose weapons before an assignment. Overall, a good game in itself, but it doesn't live up to Blood Money.    … Expand
  52. RaveHeart
    Jan 28, 2013
    6
    One of the most anticipated titles of 2012 with unworthy expectations. In the 20 missions of the game, just the 3 of them are on a classic blow. At other missions you will have to explore areas and dicking around to retrieve information and to fulfill various objectives. In short, the title and goal of the game takes a secondary role in the gameplay and leave the exploration to take aOne of the most anticipated titles of 2012 with unworthy expectations. In the 20 missions of the game, just the 3 of them are on a classic blow. At other missions you will have to explore areas and dicking around to retrieve information and to fulfill various objectives. In short, the title and goal of the game takes a secondary role in the gameplay and leave the exploration to take a leading role. It's a really annoying and makes it as something very different for the series.… Expand
  53. Sylvianblade
    Dec 30, 2015
    5
    The reason why hitman games used to be great despite obvious flaws is because the game didn't shove its story and long cutscenes down your throat.It was just you doing your job and figuring out the plot mattered only in the end. Instead in absolution we got a hollywood style hitman who somehow has developed feelings.The plot is so cliche not to mention the most annoying characters I'veThe reason why hitman games used to be great despite obvious flaws is because the game didn't shove its story and long cutscenes down your throat.It was just you doing your job and figuring out the plot mattered only in the end. Instead in absolution we got a hollywood style hitman who somehow has developed feelings.The plot is so cliche not to mention the most annoying characters I've ever seen in a game. I wouldve enjoyed this game if it was Jason Statham and not hitman.

    Gameplay is decent but in-game achievements ruins everything by not letting you figure out the multiple ways to kill your target yourself.    … Expand
  54. randomname47
    Feb 28, 2021
    0
    if you believe this is a good hitman game you loose my respect and i now consider you a uneducated idiotic clown.
  55. ElWrobel
    Nov 20, 2012
    8
    In my opinion,this game is brilliant. BUT if you're expecting a true Hitman,you're in for a shock. Disguises are no longer almighty,where in all previous games,once you've changed your clothes,you were practically invisible,in Absolution enemies actually know each other,that means if you disguised yourself as a cop,the cops will quickly see through you,but guards won't,unless you startIn my opinion,this game is brilliant. BUT if you're expecting a true Hitman,you're in for a shock. Disguises are no longer almighty,where in all previous games,once you've changed your clothes,you were practically invisible,in Absolution enemies actually know each other,that means if you disguised yourself as a cop,the cops will quickly see through you,but guards won't,unless you start acting suspiciously,forcing you to sneak a lot more than in Blood Money for example. Whole game is a lot more cinematic and story driven (however I found the story to be a bit generic,similar to a lot of Hollywood high budget flicks,but for me it's just a binder for the next levels) ,there are a lot of missions in which you just have to get to a specific point (personally I didn't like them,but it's not like they're badly made). I think that Absolution is also a bit more realistic,thanks to the AI changes,enemies can finally spot blood (they could in Blood Money as well IIRC,but that didn't seem to work most of the time),as mentioned before,they know they're colleagues and generally,they seem a lot more human. Also the fiber wire is the only completely silent weapon,so if,for example,you'll stab a cop and there's another cop nearby,he'll hear it and investigate. Using firearms was improved,they actually have individual feeling,enemies react to wounds and they're simply more fun to use now. There are 5 difficulty levels,I'm playing on expert right now and the game is hard,it's almost impossible to boldly go in,all guns blazing,on a group of enemies and walk out alive,unlike in Blood Money,where it was as easy as hiding behind a doorway and shooting the s:):)t out of your enemies. Now let's move on to the flaws. There are some quite annoying restraints,I'll explain that with an example. In one of the first missions,you have to first get to the upper floors,after which you get a checkpoint and it's a one way road,you can't go back to ground floor. Aside from that,I absolutely HATE some of the animations,even though I stopped paying attention to them after a few hours. If you take out a pistol,there will be a really fast animation of taking it out of the holster,but if you want to conceal it,it will miraculously disappear from your hand,same goes for all the objects. Also walking animation seems a bit strange at first and I didn't like that fact that you can conceal large firearms like assault rifles or even sniper rifles,I think it would be great to patch that up and give the players a suitcase,which could hold one large firearm,instead of putting it in an amazingly deep pocket somewhere inside 47's suit. And I didn't like the animation of shooting one pistol,which is one handed and seems very unprofessional (but that's just my deviation : D). So,to sum it all up,this game differs from the previous installments by putting a lot more weight on the sneaking,instead of disguising and going up to your target,more limited freedom,partially caused by the fact that enemies can actually see through your disguise and smaller levels. But it still requires you to think,I'd even say that a bit more than in the previous games (especially on higher difficulty settings) and is really enjoyable. Oh,I almost forgot,gun upgrading,which was great and detailed in Blood Money and actually had an impact is nonexistent in Absolution. So basically,as a standalone game I give it a 9,but as a part of the Hitman franchise,I'd say 6+,maybe 7 is more appropriate.

    EDIT: I decided to change my mark after a few more hours. I still enjoy the game very much,but disguises are lot less useful when compared to previous games,some would even say they're useless :D I wouldn't agree with that,but the whole detection system should be toned down a bit because enemies are eagle-eyed and can see through your disguise at quite a distance in a record time even on normal difficulty,forcing you to go in blind quite a lot since you can't practically do any reconnaissance.
    And I thought I'll add a few words about how well the game is optimized. My PC: GTX 260 216 OC,4 GB RAM and a quad core Intel Q9400 @ 2.66 GHz can dish out an average of 30 FPS on high to ultra settings (with trilinear filtering though),so,considering the quality of graphics,is quite astonishing    … Expand
  56. dubesor
    Nov 20, 2012
    6
    Too bad they have taken a different route and moved away from an open world innovative disguised 47 and moved towards a more mainstream action-stealther with flawed disguise-system and forced linearity. It isn't a bad game but don't expect a Hitman Blood Money 2.
  57. Zeban
    Apr 29, 2013
    3
    The Hitman you knew is gone.
    Be prepared for an ordinary Cover-based stealth shooter that is very linear and with a silly story. They really cheated me this time, by putting the enticing label of Hitman on there, and giving me this uninspired, linear and braindead stealth-shooter, where you're basically not even doing hitman-work. The freedom of earlier games is completely gone, disguises    The Hitman you knew is gone.
    Be prepared for an ordinary Cover-based stealth shooter that is very linear and with a silly story. They really cheated me this time, by putting the enticing label of Hitman on there, and giving me this uninspired, linear and braindead stealth-shooter, where you're basically not even doing hitman-work. The freedom of earlier games is completely gone, disguises are tacked on and dont work like they should, gameplay elements seem to work against eachother. Broken checkpoint-saves. You're mostly just going door to door instead of planning and executing awesome assassinations...

    The most fun I had in this game was going crazy and just go on killing sprees, the stealth mechanics used are just so old and boring, clearing a mission through stealth and not killing anyone has never been this boring before... much of the time I didnt even have a target.... yawn.

    + Graphics, sound

    I was thinking of putting all the annoying game changes and disappointing quirks in Absolution here BUT I'm short on time so I'll cut to the chase and just say WHY this game FAILS.

    - It's masking behind the great HITMAN-label and dont deliver.
    - THAT and it seems they did'nt even try to make a hitman game. They put 47's face on Sam Fisher basically.

    I'm deeply disappointed and I dont understand how they could do this to Hitman fans. We waited so long too.
    I'm giving it 3 because of the Sniper Challenge, atleast that was fun while it lasted.

    Verdict Rip-off.    … Expand
  58. mintlo
    Nov 20, 2012
    5
    I'm disappointed in this. The graphics and audio are nice, however the actual gameplay is somewhat point and click...the game leads you like a carrot in front of a donkey on how to take care of your objectives. There is no save option, only occasional checkpoints. The AI is not good. There are those 'invisible walls' that I find so annoying. The bottom line is that it just isn't funI'm disappointed in this. The graphics and audio are nice, however the actual gameplay is somewhat point and click...the game leads you like a carrot in front of a donkey on how to take care of your objectives. There is no save option, only occasional checkpoints. The AI is not good. There are those 'invisible walls' that I find so annoying. The bottom line is that it just isn't fun to play.… Expand
  59. orosznyet
    Jan 22, 2013
    3
    First of all this is my first Hitman game but it was on sale for 16$ so i can not resist that low price. In the beginning I enjoyed the whole stealth and assassination thing and it was fun, really cool experience. After 10 hours I uninstalled the game. Why? Because every single NPC has an eagle's eye and this is not realistic rather unfair. The checkpoint system in this game is totallyFirst of all this is my first Hitman game but it was on sale for 16$ so i can not resist that low price. In the beginning I enjoyed the whole stealth and assassination thing and it was fun, really cool experience. After 10 hours I uninstalled the game. Why? Because every single NPC has an eagle's eye and this is not realistic rather unfair. The checkpoint system in this game is totally irrelevant. The game itself looks good but the gameplay with this disguise system is really poor. (It's hard to avoid bad words...) If this game is on sale you can give it a try but wait at lest 75% off. With "free saving" the game would be less bad (8/10).… Expand
  60. Bender
    Nov 21, 2012
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. WTF !!!

    Honestly WTF, the game is not compatible with Windows XP.
    3 H to install, 1h 30 to update and then nothing !
    I asked Amazon to give me my money back because in the product description the game is compatible with XP...    … Expand
  61. Matty2012
    Apr 15, 2013
    1
    Simply the worst Hitman in the series, it's not even really a Hitman game. All the fun of Hitman, the big open sandbox levels that encourage exploration are gone, weapon select at the start of each level is gone, the cool music from Jesper Kyd is gone. Hitman games were always game play over story, Absolution is story over game play (it's not even a good story). Most of it encouragesSimply the worst Hitman in the series, it's not even really a Hitman game. All the fun of Hitman, the big open sandbox levels that encourage exploration are gone, weapon select at the start of each level is gone, the cool music from Jesper Kyd is gone. Hitman games were always game play over story, Absolution is story over game play (it's not even a good story). Most of it encourages sneaking about without being seen trying to make it from one door to the next, it's just no fun and nothing like a Hitman game.… Expand
  62. douglasaagostin
    Apr 6, 2013
    2
    i think, against all opinions, the history is the worst of the hitman series. Isn´t wise let a killer who want´s kill you, alive. But, this happens in the game, again and again.
    About the customization, the game is fun.
  63. MrGigglesworth
    Nov 20, 2012
    10
    TL;Dr version: Well the story mode is kind of meh but the true gem here is Contracts mode which is pure nirvana for fans of the series.

    Obligatory Wall of Text: As a 30 something member of the Nintendo generation I have an instinctive revulsion to publishers and devs defecating on the classics just for a quick buck. I was especially concerned about the Hitman ip as I list Blood money    TL;Dr version: Well the story mode is kind of meh but the true gem here is Contracts mode which is pure nirvana for fans of the series.

    Obligatory Wall of Text: As a 30 something member of the Nintendo generation I have an instinctive revulsion to publishers and devs defecating on the classics just for a quick buck. I was especially concerned about the Hitman ip as I list Blood money and Silent Assasin as two of my all time favorite games. Luckily, they didn't do to 47 what they did to poor Sam Fisher. This game is actually quite good, perhaps an 8.5 or even a true 9/10 (not that kind of 9/10 that paid 'critics' give to nearly every game released), but I'll rate it a 10/10 just irritate the 13 year old hipsters jumping on the hate train to awesome town.    … Expand
  64. jim008
    Nov 21, 2012
    9
    The only reason why there are negative reviews for this game in the series is that it's no longer an easy game. The mechanics are much harder now, you can no longer just grab an outfit and do almost anything you want. Police also can recognize a bald man with a bar code on his head now. With that, the kills are much more rewarding. You really have to think to figure out how toThe only reason why there are negative reviews for this game in the series is that it's no longer an easy game. The mechanics are much harder now, you can no longer just grab an outfit and do almost anything you want. Police also can recognize a bald man with a bar code on his head now. With that, the kills are much more rewarding. You really have to think to figure out how to assassinate your targets because the stealth aspect is a lot harder now. The real break from the previous installments is how much harder it is to figure things out when you are constantly trying to sneak pass people. A lot of people complain about being on the run all the time, that's because this game is hard and they're just stuck on the earlier missions. If you want to be a mass murder instead of a silent assassin, the game also sets it up perfectly by putting you in crowded streets and access to explosives. The shooting at this point is very similar to any modern day fps. There are story levels that's pretty linear but there's definitely a good mix of levels that's traditional Hitman. The new fun ways to take out your targets are creative and fun. Of course that also means you need enjoy solving puzzles because it's no longer as obvious. With the exception of the few plot driven levels, there's multiple entries and many different ways to kill your target. The only reason why it might seem like there's no options is if you're going for the perfection kill, no disguises, no blown covers and only kill your target. Otherwise, there's a ton of options and the only downside is that some civilians might get killed when you drop a chandelier down. The only complaint I have is that if you killed someone by making it look like an accident, it shouldn't take points off for the kill. You're still a ghost if a horrible "accident" happens to kill civilians.… Expand
  65. 48Laws
    Nov 20, 2012
    8
    This game is an excellent addition to the franchise. Yeah, some of the older favorite options are gone (purchasing guns pre-mission, open world maps), but I think the pacing of the game was handled very well. I can see how not liking the story could make the game blah for some people, but I was hooked from the start and had a blast all the way through the game. It felt great taking controlThis game is an excellent addition to the franchise. Yeah, some of the older favorite options are gone (purchasing guns pre-mission, open world maps), but I think the pacing of the game was handled very well. I can see how not liking the story could make the game blah for some people, but I was hooked from the start and had a blast all the way through the game. It felt great taking control of 47 again, and after a few clumsy take-downs I was able to sneak/blast through whatever situation I found myself in. I plan to re-play the game, and would recommend it to newcomers and silent assassins alike :)… Expand
  66. SonOfGiants
    Jul 22, 2013
    0
    Just a horrible Hitman game and a horrible stealth action.
    This is what happens when out of the game about making killer "modern" console stealth action game.
  67. ComradeWinston
    Aug 9, 2013
    0
    Much smaller levels, very few paths to your target, very linear level design, no black market, no syringes or other interesting assassin tools, not many interesting ways to kill your targets, little and more often than not zero history behind your targets or any motivation to kill them besides them wanting to kill you.

    Environments and targets have very little variation, most of the    Much smaller levels, very few paths to your target, very linear level design, no black market, no syringes or other interesting assassin tools, not many interesting ways to kill your targets, little and more often than not zero history behind your targets or any motivation to kill them besides them wanting to kill you.

    Environments and targets have very little variation, most of the environments are in the US, the vast majority of which are in North Dakota and New York. Has an odd underlying crude sexual theme which simply doesn't fit very well with this game. The game's story focus essentially throws out the premise of being a hitman until its very end.

    You can still be spotted by people wearing the same outfit as you as though every gardener on the planet knows one another, and being spotted in any difficulty besides easy is almost always certain death.

    Contracts mode puts you in the same levels obviously designed with a linear story in mind. The only freedom it allows in the game's constrictive levels here is the contract's name/description, who you're killing, what single weapon you can choose to start with, and what you are wearing.

    All in all, a serious disappointment and downgrade from Blood Money.    … Expand
  68. Bannana_Man
    Apr 15, 2013
    0
    I'm still playing Hitman Blood Money 7yrs on, every level is such a joy to replay through again and again. Unfortunately the same can't be said about Hitman Absolution. It's not like a Hitman game and the levels are very linear story driven trash that aren't even worth a second play through. AVOID this game, rent it or buy it second hand, don't waste your money. Hitman Blood Money is aI'm still playing Hitman Blood Money 7yrs on, every level is such a joy to replay through again and again. Unfortunately the same can't be said about Hitman Absolution. It's not like a Hitman game and the levels are very linear story driven trash that aren't even worth a second play through. AVOID this game, rent it or buy it second hand, don't waste your money. Hitman Blood Money is a masterpiece, Absolution is a total disaster that has killed a once great franchise.… Expand
  69. ArtyomNAzist
    Aug 17, 2013
    0
    Ha-ha,very funny you can hide your sniper rifle or AR into your pocket.Yep,it's called "Realism" and "Hardcore", stupid and uninteresting storyline, all gameplay consists of a idiotic tricks,like Throw that bottle,knife or another %itemname% in dark corner.

    0.
  70. Slyguyi69
    Nov 21, 2012
    8
    Hitman Absolution gives a challenge for sure. The play style and updated graphics make it an overall appealing game to play. Although there are a few changes to the game like tossing a coin, there are plenty of other things to toss around. The one thing I will say about the game is it's difficulty. The missions are quite a challenge to get through and sometimes downright annoying, so IHitman Absolution gives a challenge for sure. The play style and updated graphics make it an overall appealing game to play. Although there are a few changes to the game like tossing a coin, there are plenty of other things to toss around. The one thing I will say about the game is it's difficulty. The missions are quite a challenge to get through and sometimes downright annoying, so I guess it's the incentive to want to play it more. Overall I gave it an 8 as its not a game that's keeping me glued to the computer but if you're thinking of buying it and have enjoyed the previous hitman games then I think overall you will like it. If you're not up for a challenge and just want a game to walk through don't bother with it. It's going to take you some time to play. Great job Square Enix on a great title!… Expand
  71. voathun
    Nov 23, 2012
    8
    After having played the first few levels, I was
    very disappointed. Almost everything I loved about the previous
    Hitman seems to have gone. The exploration of sandbox stages and finding interesting ways to perform the kill in a world full of possibilities. Here I have to infiltrate buildings and evade stuff through segmented and pretty linear levels. I hated it at first and as a    After having played the first few levels, I was
    very disappointed. Almost everything I loved about the previous
    Hitman seems to have gone. The exploration of sandbox
    stages and finding interesting ways to perform the kill in a world
    full of possibilities. Here I have to infiltrate buildings and evade stuff through
    segmented and pretty linear levels. I hated
    it at first and as a classic Hitman game this one deserves
    something around 4/10.

    But it would unfair to condemn Absolution, because as game
    it's really good. The control and gunfights have been improved
    considerably. Visually and artistically its stunning, even
    on older cards like my gtx260. All those little conversations
    among enemies create a dense atmosphere. Many claim the
    disguise system is broken. At first I thought that too, but
    its not. It just takes time (and good will) to adjust to the pretty merciless mechanic, especially on higher difficulty settings.

    Despite all the strengths this tile has, I seriously hope
    IO reconsider their design approach for future Hitman games.    … Expand
  72. ferinth
    Jan 9, 2013
    10
    I don't understand the low ratings. I've played all hitman games on their respective era I won't talk about graphics its a must. But the game play I think is an improvement. Its much more realistic. You don't see all the people on the map via your machinery instead you sense nearby enemies and use your senses to guess their movement. When you put up a cop suit you just don't instantly turnI don't understand the low ratings. I've played all hitman games on their respective era I won't talk about graphics its a must. But the game play I think is an improvement. Its much more realistic. You don't see all the people on the map via your machinery instead you sense nearby enemies and use your senses to guess their movement. When you put up a cop suit you just don't instantly turn into a cop but still a suspectible person (think that you are the chef of the kitchen and you don't recognize a different face among your crew, impossible) I think game deserves a better user rating and its been overly underrated.… Expand
  73. Godwin
    Dec 26, 2013
    0
    Such a shame, a great franchise ruined for no other reason other than what? Laziness? Trying something new? I'm not sure bug the game stinks.

    The reason why I'm giving it such a low score and not an average one is because of the great games preceding it.
  74. gartenzwerg
    Jan 29, 2013
    7
    H:A looks and sounds good, but as sad as it is: It's just one more of those linear, quick-time-event-infested and scripted action games out there. You'll probably enjoy "Dishonored" way more than this - like me.
  75. bazialex
    Jan 21, 2013
    7
    Hitman as a game has clearly made a name to it self when it was first released in year 2000 with code 47 playing it on PC. Those were the good old days. I would love to rate Hitman: Absolution somewhere in the 90's but for a reason or another the creators of the game has decided to make it purely a stealth game where scoring is based on stealth. come on you are a hit man you can adopt anyHitman as a game has clearly made a name to it self when it was first released in year 2000 with code 47 playing it on PC. Those were the good old days. I would love to rate Hitman: Absolution somewhere in the 90's but for a reason or another the creators of the game has decided to make it purely a stealth game where scoring is based on stealth. come on you are a hit man you can adopt any strategy you like and scoring should be based on stealth. Also you can not choose which weapons to use for each mission. However I like the fact they kept the game as authentic an original as it is in terms of character. story line is nothing new but interesting. graphics is good but could have been better. Cinematic is not realistic you would be wearing a certain custom with a certain weapon and it will be gone in the movie scene no body does that now. most of the game is in the dark with shades of blue and grey not much of out door missions and diversity. not realistic with environment back ground issues if someone keeps shooting a car it needs to blow. graphic issues with funny angels. attention to details is lacking in general could have been a great game. hopefully in the next release ubisoft will look into the pitfalls mentioned however its a nice enjoyable game to play and if you are a hitman fan its a must buy.… Expand
  76. casablancaAK
    Jan 30, 2013
    7
    No long in depth review here, I'll keep it simple.

    Pro's - Great looking, game play is very good if a bit short. Very enjoyable but for one thing!

    Con's- No save function!! if you are killed or need to stop for any reason before you reach a check point, you have to start level again! repetitive and very frustrating!!!
  77. Viperjed
    May 23, 2013
    1
    Despite the linear levels and the flawed disguise system, this game fails to encompass the components that made previous Hitman games successful. My biggest complaint is the rating system whereby it is impossible to obtain silent assassin on the majority of the levels since it just involves getting to the next level. Even when a satisfactory rating is obtained, scores can be reset toDespite the linear levels and the flawed disguise system, this game fails to encompass the components that made previous Hitman games successful. My biggest complaint is the rating system whereby it is impossible to obtain silent assassin on the majority of the levels since it just involves getting to the next level. Even when a satisfactory rating is obtained, scores can be reset to zero for no reason or overwritten to a negative number on replay. There is no reward system for completing levels such as gaining money to upgrade weapons except for in multiplayer where it costs an unrealistic amount of money to upgrade anything ($700,000 for a silencer upgrade, PLEASE!). Replaying levels is unsatisfying because agent 47 is only able to carry one weapon. In closing, very disappointed and not a well thought out game.… Expand
  78. Brosman
    Oct 21, 2013
    8
    This game is quite fun. Ive never played a Hitman game before this so i cant compare, but it holds up on its own. Its fun to wonder the areas and find an interesting way to kill your target. Ill never get tired of killing people in a chicken suit.
  79. Ravenschild
    May 20, 2013
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Having played this series on PC since it first launched (I got the first game the week it came out),I feel this is the worst Hitman to date. It plays more like Splinter Cell than any of the games so far in the series. You cannot set your kit up for each job (not even on replay),nor do you have access to the weapons you pick up and keep (for the main game part not for the making contracts part) including when you change to the next part of the chapter and are in the same area. So somehow you lose all your weaponry other than the silverballers and a garrote by hopping over a fence,entering a door,climbing to a roof etc. The storyline is decent and the graphics are very nice,yet with the having to roll and hide like Solidnsnake from Metal Gear Solid games on playstation 1 in order to use the weapons you have, makes the game feel completely not like the rest. If you want to start with a silenced sniping rifle and eliminate sentries,you cannot. If you want to use the bomb set up you cannot unless these items are specifically on that level. You must toss bricks,bottles and other assundries in order to mislead them (and this somehow repeatedly does not make them increasingly more suspicious) or bludgeon them to death with these same objects all in order to get to your target to shoot them with a silenced pistol when in at least one mission you could have sniped them cleanly. This is a complete departure from what made Hitman as popular as it was.Lets face it, if 47 lost his safe houses and had collected weaponry from doing jobs after losing them, he would set up another one. It isnt rocket science. If I wanted to play Splinter Cell or Metal Gear Solid,I would play those games.… Expand
  80. doublevisionsfc
    Jun 10, 2013
    2
    I wanted to enjoy this game and the effort they put into the story and the cinematics but I think anyone can agree if you played blood money and past hitman games, this one would just make you mad. While the disguise system is more 'realistic' it just takes away all the fun. More realistic isn't always better. And although it tries to be more realistic it still fails, for example you areI wanted to enjoy this game and the effort they put into the story and the cinematics but I think anyone can agree if you played blood money and past hitman games, this one would just make you mad. While the disguise system is more 'realistic' it just takes away all the fun. More realistic isn't always better. And although it tries to be more realistic it still fails, for example you are in a chef disguise at the chinese parade, i kept getting spotted by chefs, its not like all the freakin chefs know each other at a giant parade. I mean maybe all the staff knows each other at a strip club, but at the parade? So if the game developers are gonna be 'realistic' at least be thorough. Also some of the level designs are terrible, terminal hotel design was terrible. As all the fans will agree, they took everything good about hitman, and turned it into crap. Also you can't pick your weapons, you're constantly getting points deducted unless you play flawlessly, man the list just goes on.… Expand
  81. Osmium
    Aug 3, 2013
    2
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Just finished the singleplayer campaign, and I have to admit: I'm glad the game is over. Hitman Absolution in my opinion is not a good game. The storyline if you can call it that is absurd and poorly written, the dialogues are ridiculously cheesy. Every single character in the game is one-dimensional and so exaggerated it's laughable. Also, I despise the depiction of women in this game, they are either the videogame standard "damsel in distress", pure sex objects, or the leather latex ninja killer nuns trying to murder you... seriously?
    The design of most missions is boring, linear, predictable, especially of the short missions. It seems the designers tried to make this a pseudo hollywood-like experience, but they fail miserably, especially due to the bad story and characters as mentioned above. Controls are okay, except for button mashing when performing certain actions what for, what's the point in this? And of course the game contains several quicktime events worst mechanics in modern videogames, which does not at all fit into this game. The checkpoint based gamesave system is unfair and broken, very annoying, as is the mission evaluation system which often does not give correct score when finishing mission.
    I loved the previous Hitman games, but this one is not a good sequel. Why didn't they make more missions like the "King of Chinatown"? That was the only part in the game I liked. Their "story" unfolding afterwards no thank you.    … Expand
  82. Pro_Gamer
    Aug 6, 2013
    1
    After playing the Hitman HD Collection i have to say that this game is a major step down in almost every way. It looks much prettier, but the levels are far far smaller than previous games, this one is much more about the story than it is about the gameplay. I loved how previous Hitmans allowed you to select your weapons before dropping you off in a huge sandbox of fun that allowed you toAfter playing the Hitman HD Collection i have to say that this game is a major step down in almost every way. It looks much prettier, but the levels are far far smaller than previous games, this one is much more about the story than it is about the gameplay. I loved how previous Hitmans allowed you to select your weapons before dropping you off in a huge sandbox of fun that allowed you to explore and do as you wish. With Hitman Absolution the story forces you down narrow paths and small linear levels full of cutsences, hell even some of the hits turn into cutscenes which takes away the point and a huge part of the fun. I don't want a cutscene to take over and kill a target for me i want to do it myself. Not being able to select your own weapons before each level also takes a lot of the fun away. After play Hitman Contracts and Hitman Blood Money i was super excited for Hitman Absolution, but sadly it just didn't feel anything like a Hitman game.… Expand
  83. Coffeewaffee
    Nov 20, 2012
    8
    Whilst the transition to more modern gameplay elements does skew the Hitman formula to a degree, it still all works quite nicely. Disregard what others say about the game being "Agent 47 on the run", that's literally exclusive to the first chapter of the game and even then it's broken up between standard missions that you'd expect to see in Hitman.

    Sure, the developers made it feel    Whilst the transition to more modern gameplay elements does skew the Hitman formula to a degree, it still all works quite nicely. Disregard what others say about the game being "Agent 47 on the run", that's literally exclusive to the first chapter of the game and even then it's broken up between standard missions that you'd expect to see in Hitman.

    Sure, the developers made it feel rather different by having the plot progressed by 47, but I personally feel this engages the player more, not just practically random missions connected by news reports and briefings. It's still Hitman, but the developers wanted to try something new.

    As for the people complaining about frame rates, I've had zero issues with an AMD phenom ii x4 995 BE, AMD Radeon HD 6970 and 4GB RAM (on high settings). Computer optimization people!    … Expand
  84. Longbow
    Nov 23, 2012
    9
    As most reviews say, this is not the Hitman you know, this is very different. The levels are not as big as some of the previous games, but if you ask me, they are way more detailed and more options than the previous Hitman games. You don't get to much of an open world anymore, but more a, get from point A to Point B style. i was skeptical about this at first, but grew to love it, evenAs most reviews say, this is not the Hitman you know, this is very different. The levels are not as big as some of the previous games, but if you ask me, they are way more detailed and more options than the previous Hitman games. You don't get to much of an open world anymore, but more a, get from point A to Point B style. i was skeptical about this at first, but grew to love it, even though it's a From point A to B, you still get alot of diversion and ALOT of choices on how you wanna get there. The new disguise system is 50/50, i love how it adds to the realism. The cop will know you are not one of his colleagues, but how is the civillian to know that you are not a cop? It is a bit to sensitive though, even though you are standing with your back to a guy who is 6-7 meters away he will still notice that you are not one of them, and that is a bit to much. You don't get to choose what weapons and equipment you wanna use anymore at the start of the game though, but i think this adds to the fun, and it works well with the story, this also means that you don't have a pocket filled with thousand coins anymore, instead you gotta find objects around the world, that you can use as distractions/weapons, this is also a welcome change.
    The story is also a big part of Absolution, in the previous games. You got your mission and then you executed it, however you felt like and that was that, and that was good, cause that's why you played it.
    I felt alot more motivated to keep going in this one, cause of the story and what happend in it, and even though i mostly try to do it stealth with none or a few extra casualties , there was just places where i went in guns blazing cause i didn't think the ones i was up against deserved to live. I also had some really heartpounding moments, cause i was so focused on killing my target for one reason or another and that rarely happens to me.
    On that note, it also alot funnier to do fire fights in Absolution: When you empty your 45 cal. UMP magazine into a guy and you see him spasm all over the place as he falls to the ground, feels really awesome.

    All in all I will give this game a 9/10 it is a great game, but with a few things i would like tweeked, but these things are so minor that they can be looked through pretty easly. Don't expect the next version of Blood Money, but a deeper more involved game.    … Expand
  85. DrAwesomeO
    Jan 12, 2013
    9
    You all have to be the biggest gang of babies on the face of the Earth. WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA, IT'S NOT BLOOD MONEY VERBATIUM, WAAAAAAAAAAAAA! THY PUT AN ACTUAL STORY LINE THAT DOESN'T BLOW WAAAAAAAAAAAA!!! Just stfu. Play the game for what it is. If you get over yourself, you see it's got some great mechanics, visuals, storyline, and endless options.
  86. Zachhockey2
    Jan 5, 2013
    8
    This is a step back in the series from Blood Money. It's a good game, but not up to par in terms of the Hitman series. I'm not a complete fan of the way the new disguise system works. It's a realistic feature to have members whatever disguise you're wearing recognize you when you're too close, but not for all disguises. For example, a police disguise. There are hundreds, if not thousandsThis is a step back in the series from Blood Money. It's a good game, but not up to par in terms of the Hitman series. I'm not a complete fan of the way the new disguise system works. It's a realistic feature to have members whatever disguise you're wearing recognize you when you're too close, but not for all disguises. For example, a police disguise. There are hundreds, if not thousands of police officers in a big city and there is no way that every officer would recognize every single one of his fellow officers to know that you're not who the outfit suggests the hitman is.
    How powerful they made hitman in this game is also disappointing. Seeing through walls and whatnot. Also, the point system is a little strange to see in a Hitman game.
    To rate this game a 0, like many are, is completely unfair. It's definitely not a complete fail by any means, but didn't live up to my expectations.    … Expand
  87. Ps3blaze22
    Nov 21, 2012
    10
    Look, i'm not going to lie, okay? this game isn't perfect but it's one of the best games this gen imo and i'm not exaggerating, it's sad that most prefer to play generic first person shooter instead of actual good games like this, this game deserves a 9 but i gave it a perfect score to counter all those 0's coming from trolls that haven't even played the game.
  88. zaninif
    Dec 31, 2012
    10
    This is by far the best game I played this year. The major pros are: 1) The graphics are the best I've ever seen; 2) The gameplay encourages thinking before acting; it's not a shoot-them-all kind of game, which is a good thing; 3) Excellent story and presentation: I usually don't watch cut scenes, but the story is so good and the cinematic presentation is so well-executed that I could notThis is by far the best game I played this year. The major pros are: 1) The graphics are the best I've ever seen; 2) The gameplay encourages thinking before acting; it's not a shoot-them-all kind of game, which is a good thing; 3) Excellent story and presentation: I usually don't watch cut scenes, but the story is so good and the cinematic presentation is so well-executed that I could not just skip the cut scenes (yes, it's that good); 4) Superb animation and voice acting, particularly Dexter's (the main villain); 5) Great replay value: I have already played 45+ hours (the first play through took me 18 hours) but I don't feel I'm done with this game yet. I just have a few complaints about this game. They are not deal breakers, but they become really annoying at times. The major cons are: 1) Lack of enough checkpoints (i.e., save points): It's already bad enough that the game does not allow you to save the progress at any time, but in Hitman this gets exacerbated by the fact that you don't have enough checkpoints in normal difficulty. This discourages exploration because if you get killed you have to restart the level, making the gameplay more linear than it should be (.i.e., it encourages you to just complete the objectives as quietly and quickly as possible and move on to the next level); 2) The score system is unbalanced: for a game that allows you to hit people in so many ways (with bottles, bricks, syringes, knives, metal pipes, tomahawks, etc) I would expected to be encouraged to hit people; unfortunately, the score system penalizes you really hard if you hit civilians (3000+ points) and non-target bad guys (300+ points) . Overall, it… Expand
  89. Mohammad22
    Nov 21, 2012
    10
    Hitman: Absolution isn't perfect but it's one of the best games to release this, it's kinda sad that most "gamers" prefer to play generic, bland and crappy military first person shooter instead of really good games like this, this game deserves a 8.5 but i gave it a perfect score to counter all those 0's coming from trolls that haven't even played the game.
  90. Flastie
    Nov 28, 2012
    9
    Yes this Hitman is too much corridor. Also selection of weapons (no mods) and the embarrassing fact that large sniper rifle (and any other big guns), you just hide it under a coat . But if I have to evaluate the game as a whole its great, and I still have the urge to pass it again and again. I went through it twice already and now i have started playing on the purist difficulty with anyYes this Hitman is too much corridor. Also selection of weapons (no mods) and the embarrassing fact that large sniper rifle (and any other big guns), you just hide it under a coat . But if I have to evaluate the game as a whole its great, and I still have the urge to pass it again and again. I went through it twice already and now i have started playing on the purist difficulty with any support off .. AND THIS IS WHERE THE REAL HITMAN BEGINS. At this moment, you forget all the shortcomings of this game. It is definitely not a dumb Console shooter but you will get a decent amount of paranoia, anxiety, and you will need logical and tactical thinking. If i evaluate the AI in Blood Money and Absolution (the hardest difficulty)Absolution is the winner, relates to the reality of a response and adversaries alike. A graphic is just amazing. Great gameplay, AI, reality of environments and graphics. For me it's 9/10.… Expand
  91. Baneil
    Nov 21, 2012
    10
    Hitman Absolution is a game plagued by two things, people who want games to be able to change without HUGE backlash from old and new fans alike, and people from /v/ who expect games to never change and always be about the same thing and never even begin to try and change how they are played or even what your goal is.

    I can do anything i could do in blood money but now i have even more    Hitman Absolution is a game plagued by two things, people who want games to be able to change without HUGE backlash from old and new fans alike, and people from /v/ who expect games to never change and always be about the same thing and never even begin to try and change how they are played or even what your goal is.

    I can do anything i could do in blood money but now i have even more options, game play wise this game stayed more of the same than it changed the instinct had some interesting results and i can see were it effected level design.

    The story is pretty simple but the characters make it more enjoyable. Contracts mode is also one of the most clever ways to give a single player game a Multiplayer mode without it feeling tacked on in a long time.    … Expand
  92. Sh8de
    Nov 23, 2012
    8
    Departure from the Hitman we knew in Blood Money but nonetheless a good game. My only big issue is with the disguise system and some minor interaction issues. Allows you to be creative with the kills and presents a good enough challenge that I will go through again and try and achieve perfection on all of the missions.
  93. MoreBokeh
    Mar 17, 2013
    9
    I've never played the other Hitman games, but I thoroughly enjoyed this game. I really didn't expect to, as I figured the entire franchise was slow and clunky, but this was fun and engaging.
  94. Cheesie_Wotsit
    Apr 15, 2013
    1
    I liked Hitman Blood Money so much i bought it twice, once on Playstation 2, then again on Xbox 360, still play it today. I bought Hitman Absolution on day of release and traded it in already it was that bad. All they needed to do was take Hitman Blood Money and improve the AI. Instead they took all the fun of Hitman out. Last game i ever buy from IO.
  95. scut
    Jan 27, 2013
    9
    I really do not understand all the negative reviews here. Maybe this game was just poorly put together on release? I'm about 4 hours in and having a blast. The graphics are spectacular, music + sound + ambiance are great, the story is silly but enjoyable, the controls are fairly nice (for keyboard + mouse)... for those of you complaining about the 'FPS' mechanics, you can choose to be asI really do not understand all the negative reviews here. Maybe this game was just poorly put together on release? I'm about 4 hours in and having a blast. The graphics are spectacular, music + sound + ambiance are great, the story is silly but enjoyable, the controls are fairly nice (for keyboard + mouse)... for those of you complaining about the 'FPS' mechanics, you can choose to be as stealthy or as shooty as you want, the game leaves options open. The multiple achievements for each mission is especially nice as it encourages you to explore all the different ways you might complete a mission.

    And, ultimately, the game is just fun. It's a lot of fun.

    The only game mechanics I don't like: the you can't just adopt a disguise and walk around willy nilly, as people (with the same disguise) will see through it. And mashing a button to 'subdue' a person is kind of silly. Just let me press the button and be done with it. And some missions drift away from the open-ended 'figure out how to kill these guys'. But I'm okay with that.

    I suppose if you were looking for a clone of Blood Money with better graphics you might be disappointed. But regardless, if you judge it as a game on its own merits, it's very well put together, well presented, and very fun.    … Expand
  96. lifexux
    Nov 23, 2012
    8
    First off, let me just say that the graphics are absolutely stunning. Environments are well detailed and the crowds look so realistic. This is a very polished game and i would recommend it to anyone looking to have a fun time. There are several flaws though being that this isn't really going the same path as the other hitman games so some fans might be disappointed.
  97. NotarztMoD
    Nov 26, 2012
    9
    I played all the Hitman games and I loved them all and I also love this one. Only problem I see is that IO seems to have forgotten about Blood Money and I was really hoping they'd continue the story. But if you ignore that fact and only look at Absolution on it's own, I think it's a pretty damn good Hitman. It's hard, it's cool and the story gives a nice new aspect to the whole thing, evenI played all the Hitman games and I loved them all and I also love this one. Only problem I see is that IO seems to have forgotten about Blood Money and I was really hoping they'd continue the story. But if you ignore that fact and only look at Absolution on it's own, I think it's a pretty damn good Hitman. It's hard, it's cool and the story gives a nice new aspect to the whole thing, even thou it might not be the most innovative and logical one.… Expand
  98. Jame
    Jan 4, 2013
    9
    Wow, amazing game. I'll get the bad THING out of the way first and that is the DISGUISE system. You are too easily recognized by people wearing the same clothes, realistic, but ridiculous.
    Second of all red reviews should be ignored because they are mainly complaining due to the game "crashing" or "bad controls" or "bad graphics". Crashing? Your computer's fault. Bad controls? Play it    Wow, amazing game. I'll get the bad THING out of the way first and that is the DISGUISE system. You are too easily recognized by people wearing the same clothes, realistic, but ridiculous.
    Second of all red reviews should be ignored because they are mainly complaining due to the game "crashing" or "bad controls" or "bad graphics". Crashing? Your computer's fault. Bad controls? Play it with a controller. Bad Graphics? Get a better computer. Make sure you have an ideal computer before even trying to review a game. Not their fault.
    The game itself is amazing, Good story, clear view on who's the "bad guy" and the game's audio and visual are stunning. Unlike the past Hitman games you seem to be more interactive with the environment. 9/10    … Expand
  99. AwesomeGamer
    Nov 21, 2012
    10
    I find it pathetic that some folks still can't take off thier nostalgia goggles for seconds to review this game fairly instead of hating on it and giving it a low score because certain moment in the story that i won't spoil here annoyed them, it's sad to see games like this, Darksider 2 and Assassin's Creed III get bashed while generic military first person shooters get praised by the sameI find it pathetic that some folks still can't take off thier nostalgia goggles for seconds to review this game fairly instead of hating on it and giving it a low score because certain moment in the story that i won't spoil here annoyed them, it's sad to see games like this, Darksider 2 and Assassin's Creed III get bashed while generic military first person shooters get praised by the same people, this game isn't perfect but it's one of the best games to release this gen imo, great story, great graphics and gameplay, absolutely no bugs/glitches, just perfect.… Expand
  100. Verbrannter
    Nov 26, 2012
    10
    This is an amazing game with great graphics and: Great gameplay(!). The story is not the best but the gameplay is such amazing...... Killing people in dozens of possibility. You have to play this awesome game on hard or harder, 'cause it makes more fun!!!
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Awards & Rankings

59
#59 Best PC Game of 2012
20
#20 Most Discussed PC Game of 2012
23
#23 Most Shared PC Game of 2012

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
79

Generally favorable reviews - based on 26 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 18 out of 26
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 26
  3. Negative: 0 out of 26
  1. PC Master (Greece)
    Feb 6, 2013
    80
    Despite the deviations and minor shortcomings, it remains true to its roots. It just brushes them aside for a while, just long enough for it to tell its story- a story where the traditional contracts and other usual components just wouldn’t fit. [January 2013]
  2. DarkStation
    Jan 8, 2013
    60
    Hitman: Absolution does stand out from the ocean of gray and brown shooters that populate the market, but not in enough good ways to warrant a recommendation.
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  3. DarkZero
    Dec 26, 2012
    70
    It's not a bad game by any means, and it does fix some problems with the controls that plagued previous games, but having the story that essentially makes Agent 47 less of a hitman and more of an espionage hero, makes Absolution a decent stealth game but not a fantastic Hitman game.
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