Hitman HD Trilogy

Three classics everyone should play - it's just a shame more wasn't done to modernise them. [Apr 2013, p.78]

Yes, 47's animations and shonky plotting have hardly aged gracefully. But when this killer's aim is still so precise when pulling off thrillingly executed puzzles, I can overlook a couple of wrinkles on that barcode branded bonce.

Three games, 40 levels and more than 75 hits? That's a lot of content by any measure. You also get the Hitman: Sniper Challenge with this.

Not the cleanest port in the world, Hitman HD Trilogy nonetheless brings together three of the most beautifully complex experiences released on the PS2 for reasonable price. [Issue#229, p.76]

Blood Money alone makes the collection worth it, but from a technical standpoint the developers really went for the bare minimum.

This trilogy is a great example of too little, too late. Don’t get us wrong: Agent 47 and all his perils mashed into a trilogy pack make for a great way to spend your day, but it should have released before Absolution. With the physics being completely outdated and the so-so graphics, it drains our primitive need to play. We just play for old times’ sake and we still love it.

A must-have HD trilogy for fans of the Agent 47. Yes, those games show their age and aren´t perfect at all, but their gameplay fundamentals are still very solid nowadays.

Look past the blurry graphics and what remains is the incredibly solid gameplay that defines the series. Every level, from the first one in Hitman 2: Silent Assassin until the last one in Hitman: Blood Money, is an amusement park filled with possibilities. [March 2013, p.82]

Sadly, not a lot of love has gone into cleaning up these remakes. The time capsule is rusty, but there’s enough old school challenge and timeless dark humour to justify a buy. [March 2013, p79]

Agent 47’s exploits may not have aged well but his past experiences are as devilishly violent and ingenious as they always were. That is why they are timeless and that is why you should own this.

It isn’t the most interesting remake; it’s just a great collection of good (old) games. All the games have aged and know their problems, but there is enough fun to be had.

Hitman HD Trilogy reminds us a lot of the Splinter Cell HD Trilogy. There are three great stealth games bundled on one disc, but the HD update is so non existent that it is hard to ignore how much these games have aged.

While the original model, texture and animation work of these three Hitman titles hasn’t held up all that well, the actual technical work done on this HD collection is solid. There’s widescreen, a higher resolution and undoubtedly a better frame rate than the original titles - and that’s the best you can expect without stretching to be more of a remake than a straight port. Three games in one place for a budget price is pretty good, too.

Taking into account that those games have around ten years behind them, there's a pretty good adaptation to the standard visuals we enjoy today. You'll find some issues with the interface and navigation, but it's the price to pay to enjoy and relieve these great infiltration titles.

The most famous hitman goes back to his roots in this HD compilation. The game may satisfy the franchise's fans, but it might not have as strong of an effect on players not familiar with the franchise.

It’s evident to me that HD Trilogy was cooked up quickly, without investing neither sufficient means nor heart and soul. [CD-Action 04/2013, p.80]

It is, without a doubt, the series that has evolved the most since its beginning. There is almost no comparison between Hitman 2: Silent Assassin and the recent Absolution. And it is not only the difference in visual fidelity, there is a huge gap in terms of gameplay, only noticed when we played the first game in this HD Trilogy.

This may not be the most exciting celebration of 47's career that Square Enix could have mustered, but it is one last chance to experience the single best real-world assassin game around - and a chance well worth taking advantage of, if its dark magic has somehow managed to elude you until now.