Size: Version: v 3. Commandos 3: Destination Berli. Dark deception. The hong kong massacre. AI Shoujo. Dress-up Traveler. Based across 20 locations, the game puts you in control of the eponymous assassin.
At the beck and call of a mysterious underground agency, missions will involve sneaking around and killing a fair few of the 80 individual characters. More than a simple waste 'em up, however, the game features a back story where the player finds himself covering up the illicit tracks of a mad genetic scientist.
Already the AI seems more than capable, with guards acting on both sight and sound. Unfortunately, we have no idea how long we'll have to wait for the final product.
What a life, eh? Lounging around on roofs, popping off heads of state with high-powered sniper rifles; waltzing into media tycoons' mansions and pumping them full of bullets while hysterical blood-splattered children run screaming for the door The sheer joy and thrill of being a world-class hitman is unparalleled. And guess what? Oh yes, The Daily Mail and other truth-and-justice-seeking tabloids will have a field day.
Obviously, as far as we're concerned, the purely fictional world of the video game can be as twisted as it likes, and indeed, the gore content of Hitman appears to be adequate for the most devout Lee Harvey Oswald acolyte. Of course, sensationalism and blood are often all you need to sell a game, and The Mail and The Mirror can kick up as much 'sick and evil' dirt as they like - any publicity is good publicity.
But what gamers really want to know is: will it actually be any good? Well, on the premise that what we've seen is a cross between Thief: The Dark Project and Rainbow Six, the signs seem to indicate that it's going to be everything we could have hoped for. There are more than 20 real-life locations to explore, with realistic architecture and accurately digitised environmental sounds, such as the distant rumble of cars on a nearby motorway, or the delicate sounds of children playing downstairs.
All this acoustic flamboyance is not just for show, either. Like Thief, you have to carefully ascertain whether the room you're about to enter is actually empty, or packed full of trigger-happy security guards who've already sussed your own clumsy approach. However, unlike Thief, you don't have to rely on arrows to do the dirty deed. A whole lethal range of shooters is available to you, and once the storyline begins to reveal the true reason behind your antisocial behaviour, you'll find even bigger and messier weapons at your disposal.
Developer 10 has promised 'a major twist in the plot'. Artificial intelligence will also be one of Hitman's strong points.
They'll pick up vases, bottles, chairs and anything else that can hurt a man, or seriously hinder his progress.
Hell, they'll even converse with other unsavoury characters to co-ordinate ambushes and similar devious traps. Clever, very clever indeed. Look out for more very soon, and in the meantime don't forget to watch Luc Besson's brilliant film Leon. Now that's a hitman I've said it before and I'll no doubt say it again, a good musical score is worth its weight in gold. Hitman has some of the best tunes I've heard all year - I've been humming the main theme music for weeks now.
Each level's music has its own unique identity, straying free of cliche but dynamically altering to suit the on-screen action as needed. It's amazing how often this side of game development is just taken for granted by most people. So when a score manages to jump out and actually grab your attention, to hang around and enhance the overall atmosphere of the game rather than just fade away into the background, it deserves applause. Simon Holm, 10 Interactive's music man, take a bow.
But it would be for nought if the rest of the game didn't match up to it Luckily, Hitman is easily one of the most absorbingly engrossing games to arrive for a long time. True, the controls take a little getting used to at first. It's just fortunate for both 10 and the game itself that Hitman has enough of that 'just one more go' spirit to balance out the frustration caused by being constantly forced to have that 'one more go'. As the name suggests, you're playing the role of '47', a mysterious figure with no past who wakes one morning to find himself strapped to a table and told he's an assassin.
After that and a brief training session with a far too easily pleased instructor - "You've opened a door! Very good, you're the best we've had for a long time! It's the way each level is structured that keeps you coming back, time after time, death after death. Missions are always more than just 'kill the target' affairs although they do make up the meat of the game , and it's usually left up to you as to how you go about it.
Snipe from a distant rooftop or sneak up behind with a knife to the throat -whatever you think is best. Disguises play an important role, and there is nothing quite as classy as initiating a gunfight, switching clothes, then strolling casually away while bodyguards and henchmen run around like headless chickens trying to figure out what's going on.
If Hitman does have a problem, it's that it does such a fine job of creating an engrossing atmosphere that you start wanting to go beyond the limits of the technology on offer. An example to back up that rather convoluted claim would be during an early hit involving a meeting between gang bosses in a park, a patrolling helicopter and a sniper rifle. Essentially, you're expected to take a position on a nearby rooftop and kill the target during the meet.
Unfortunately, this does leave you rather open to fire from the chopper. Real-life sniper friends of mine assure me that the preferred location for taking the shot would be from within a top-floor window rather than leaving yourself vulnerable on the outside.
But making every building in the game accessible would probably be asking too much of both the programmers and the current levels of PC hardware. The action is mostly chaos with a few cool moments. This is not a compelling movie. Rupert Friend has replaced Timothy Olyphant as the bar coded assassin in the rebooted sequel Agent The Hit-man returns and is on the hunt for Katia van Dees, daughter of missing scientist Dr Litvenko who created the genetically engineered assassins several decades ago.
Agent 47 is not the only person wanting to get hold of Katia. Their is a shadowy syndicate after her and everyone thinks she will lead them to her missing father.
The syndicate want Dr Litvenko to produce more super- soldiers. Katia herself seems to have abilities to sense danger and when danger does arrive only Zachary Quinto's mysterious John Smith is willing to help her out. Right from the start we have a high octane action and body count as Agent 47 kills people in all manner of novel ways while he goes after Katia.
John Smith really does well to go toe to toe with him. It does not matter if you have never played the video games, the plot is just an excuse for action, killing and car chases with characters who stand still long enough for plot exposition and it has more holes than Swiss cheese. There is some nice bit of location shooting in Germany and Singapore.
It really is a film to disengage the brain and watch some action and adventure for 90 minutes. In that sense it is an unpretentious fun film. I think Olyphant would had been better if he reprised the role though. This is not a bad action movie, but it is not a hitman movie. Its not about a sneaky hitman. And rupert does not get the part right This is not living up to the first hitman movie that was awesome.
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