Hitman: Absolution

Hitman: Absolution is a triumph, top to bottom. Fans of the series can look forward to the best entry yet, without question.

For new players, the systems in Hitman can take some getting used to. Once acclimated, my only real problem was deciding how I wanted to take out my target. With the incredible number of options, it's possible to play the same level multiple times, in a completely different way each time. Add to that the user created challenges, and the result is a fun game that has tons of replay value. With five difficulty settings, the game will appeal to both hardcore stealth fans and casual gamers alike, and it's a terrific package that anyone can enjoy.

A meticulous, engaging game and accomplished sequel that improves upon its predecessors in an organic way series fans will appreciate. [Jan 2013, p.55]

Absolution throws down the gauntlet –it's difficult but extremely rewarding and never malicious or unfair. It offers great freedom, looks terrific and is packed with huge number of optional tasks and challenges. I spent 15 hours with Hitman but that's just a beginning – I'll be definitely coming back for more. [13/2012, p.30]

Hitman is back and is in great shape. Io Interactive delivered a game suitable to both hardcore fans looking for a challenging experience and new players, thanks to the many options in difficulty and features set; this adds to an highly cinematic experience with a mature story and interesting social features. Probably the best game in the series and one of this gen's best stealth games.

If you're new to the series, there's plenty of warm water here to sink into, but franchise stalwarts need not worry. Agent 47 is as cunning, deadly, and silent as you want him to be; it just so happens that purist players will also be the most rewarded. Regardless your level of experience, Hitman: Absolution scratches a very specific itch, one that involves a butterfly knife or possibly an accidental electrocution.

Contracts is a huge addition, and one that'll add months of replay value long after you complete the single player mode. Throw in a "killer" presentation and you've got one of the year's most surprising sequels.

One of the best stealth experiences in this generation. Great freedom comes from a sandbox structure that allows the player to decide how to take out his targets. Multiplayer gives a boost to duration and add some extra flavor challenge.

Hitman: Absolution is compelling to passionate fans as well as new players. It is the assassination game everyone was waiting for. Move over Corvo and Connor, it is Agent 47's time to stand on top.

Hitman Absolution is one of the best stealth games in last years. Great campaign, full of content and superb graphics in the return of Agent 47.

Hitman's temporary hiatus did worlds of good for the franchise, and Absolution is one of the strongest entries in the series to date. It shows true evolution, moving Agent 47 forward and playing up his enhanced abilities well, both when it comes to hitting a well-placed shot to the head of a scummy target or stealthily moving through a building full of police.

Like Dishonored before it, it's actually a true pleasure to play a game that lets you tackle it from multiple angles.

On the right difficulty setting Absolution is Hitman at its cleverest, funniest, twisted best. [Christmas 2012, p.63]

Everything about the world revolves around entertaining you, whether it's the wide scope of murder-options or the amazing dialogue in between. Whatever kind of killer you decide you want to be, Absolution is an unmissable hit. [Dec 2012, p.68]

Absolution is a fantastic addition to a series that defined a genre last generation, and I can't wait to see what they come up with for our favorite bald assassin moving forward.

While Hitman is still slower than most games, it's also smarter. Devising a strategy, using the environment and disguises to your advantage, and leaving before anyone knows you're there are the hallmarks of a perfect hit, and Absolution proves Agent 47 is still gaming's premier hitman. [Dec 2012, p.98]

In closing go and pick this game up. With the flood of FPS's we have seen and the huge amount of titles launched before Christmas, Agent 47's return should not be overlooked. There are two games I would recommend this year and Hitman: Absolution is one of them. A really enjoyable game that offers hours and hours of replayability whether through leaderboards and challenges in the campaign, or through the very awesome and cleverly conceived Contracts mode.

Absolution is not flawless as the AI has some occasional odd issues and portions of the mission design can be questionable. The narrative also struggles a bit at the end too, leaving some storyline gaps that could use some conclusion. All in all however, Hitman: Absolution is a technically sound title that brings back what players fell in love with in the first place, while simultaneously bringing forward new mechanics that work in harmony with the old.

Hitman: Absolution reaches out to a broader audience with some new features, but manages to stay true to its nature. Some new features, like badly placed checkpoints and mission structure, sometimes ruin the game, but the mission offers an amazing amount of killing options you'll be surprised in a positive way more often than in a negative.

There is definitely a different kind of fun to be had in Hitman, and it's one I highly recommend.

Offers refinement of a beloved series in many ways, boasting more visual pizzazz than most anything releasing this year and a well-paced story which features a good share of weirdness without attempting a scope beyond its means.

It's not as cerebral as Hitman: Blood Money. But that doesn't stop Hitman: Absolution from being a smart, unique action title, and a hell of a lot of fun.

Hitman: Absolution is an enjoyable and unique stealth-action game with amazing visuals.

Hitman: Absolution is an intelligent and finely-crafted game that remains faithful to the series.

Absolution has the pacing and exotic set-piece locations of a James Bond film, which seems appropriate given that 47 is essentially Bond stripped of his smirk, gadgets, and vices.

Hitman: Absolution is the sequel to Blood Money that fans have been itching for. In terms of game mechanics it's the best Hitman that IO Interactive has ever created, although the lack of inherently unique settings is a disappointment. That said, IO has more than made up for that with the brilliant asynchronous Contracts mode, adding replayability to a single-player game in the most smart and stylish way.

Ultimately, Hitman: Absolution marks a faithful, gorgeous and only occasionally maddening return for a series that’s been gone far too long. It may have trouble finding fans among twitchy gamers with short attention spans, but guns and brains should never be mutually exclusive. And those kids can get off my damn lawn.

An enjoyable rarity among games these days: it rewards patience and, rather than tacking on a standard online multiplayer mode, it instead encourages replay through steadily ramping difficulty levels that are themselves increasingly more satisfying.

Longtime Hitman fans will undoubtedly be put off by some of the changes Io has made here, but if you're willing to dig a little deeper, you'll find a game that's as rewarding as any Hitman prior.

It's a compelling return to form, featuring some of the series' most well crafted, inviting and testing stages, and while much has changed in the six-year interim, you'll be pleased to hear that Agent 47 hasn't.

Hitman: Absolution does have a few flaws, but these certainly don't take away from what is a polished and in-depth package that turns killing into a fine art. Hitman purists may decry the latest title, but in our opinion the balance between stealth and action is just right. Most importantly, you feel that you always have the freedom to bring death in any way you choose. The world is your oyster; now go kill in it.

There are some bugs and the story is disappointing, but it says a lot about the experience that I was able to quickly shake those things off and keep replaying levels or building contracts again and again.

Hitman: Absolution is not a masterpiece, a game without flaws, but is still one of the greatest stealth games of the year, an excellent mixture of the classic Hitman formula plus brand new mechanics. And the Contracts Mode is really funny, especially for the hardcore fans who need a higher level of challenge.

With all its fancy visuals and some properly directed cinematic moments, in addition to all the features packed into the solo mode and multiplayer mode, Hitman: Absolution can still get tedious.

This may sound like Absolution is a bad game. It isn't – it's just a bad Hitman game. Features bleed from other games and the bizarre need to position Agent 47 as an action man with feelings and a rough moral code has diluted its identity. That said, there is deep replay value, both in the single-player and Contracts modes.

Drifts too far from the franchise's sweet spot. A lengthy campaign offers plenty of opportunities for diabolical fun, but the stealth mechanics feel like a string of bad decisions, and a lack of pure assassination missions - exactly what the franchise built its fame on - doesn't help. Most telling, this isn't the Hitman I'll revisit for years to dig out all its secrets.