Hands-on review: Play as Agent 47 in Hitman 2
Hitman as a series has been out for a very long time, although the franchise went through a major reboot a few years ago with the game called 'Hitman'. Hitman 2 is a direct sequel to the aforementioned reboot, but does it manage to bring anything new to the table?
It's hard for me to personally answer this question, because Hitman 2 is actually the first ever Hitman video game I have ever played so I'm entering the series with fresh eyes. From what I have played so far, the game is interesting although it may be a little on the short side.
Basically in every Hitmangame, you enter a level with a target and/or targets that you will have to kill. You can try to just kill targets with any normal gun, although this is ill advised because main targets are usually surrounded by a lot of security or innocent bystanders.
In order to get the highest rating, you have to minimize the body count and kills must be done silently without any witnesses whatsoever ever. This is obviously easier said than done because each level is populated by lots of NPCs that can nark on you every time they see a dead body lying on the ground orsomething like that.
My introduction to Hitman 2 was a positive one because the first stage in this new game is set in the Hawke's Bay. This is only the second game I know that has a setting in New Zealand following on from a stage that was featured in Street Fighter V.
You get to investigate a pretty cool looking mansion out at the beach. While it's a beautiful looking setting, the only downside to the New Zealand stage is that it can only be played during night time. It would have been nice if the level was set in the day time so you could truly appreciate how wonderful New Zealand looks.
There are other locations in the game from around the world and the levels take place in various different locations. One of my other favourite levels in the game outside of the New Zealand one is when Agent 47 gets to visit a fancy looking race track.
The only minor thing I did not like about Hitman 2's visuals is that the graphics kind of look outdated by 2018 standards. We've been treated with lots of awesome looking games this year including Marvel's Spider-Man, Forza Horizon 4 just to name a few. Even though I played this game on my Xbox One X, the graphics just don't hold up well in 2018.
In terms of gameplay, Hitman 2 is fun because it encourages players to come up with many different and unique ways to kill targets. One way I killed a guy when I poisoned him with a coconut ball. In another incident, I chased a target into the sea and they drowned in the ocean in fear.
It is also fun getting to dress up in many different disguises in order to trick guards or any other people that might be suspicious of Agent 47's presence. The game is meant to be played more than one time because there are a numerous different ways you can kill people. You don't just have to always shoot a gun because Agent 47 can use the environment and items in his disposal to get rid of his targets.
When it comes to the game's length, there are only six levels available in Hitman 2 which kind of makes it a very short game. Sure the game is meant to be played more than once, but I feel the game could have been much longer if a few more story missions were added.
Anyway, Hitman 2 might be a very short game, but there is a lot of replay value on offer since there are so many different ways you can kill targets. Sure the game plays similarly to the previous Hitman game, but there's still enough here to satisfy series veterans.
Verdict: 8.0/10
