Hitman 2

Yes the story missions when enabled are too hand holdy. I suggest turning them off and seeing if you can discover them naturally by yourself during your first couple of runs through a mission.

I have gone through all 6 missions now, but I didn't move onto the next mission until I reached max mastery of each mission.
The episodic nature of the first mission forced you to replay the missions while in Hitman 2 you have to exercise self restraint.

I really get the game, like Hitman 2016 they really have nailed what Hitman is about, its essentially a puzzle game where you have multiple targets on a large map and your given free agency to take them out however you want. I like going back and finding new ways of completing the missions and exploring every nook and cranny as well as engaging in some of the more difficult challenges. Currently going do all the classic kill challenges on each map on Professional difficult and then going to repeat it on master difficulty. But I bet a lot of people won't be like that, they will just go through the missions once and be done with the game and probably feeling really short changed for what they got out of it.

From what I read so far online, the game isn't performing great commercially. But the design of the game means it will never have mass market appeal. I'm fine with people not getting the game and not buying it, just sad there probably won't be more games in the series like it and the developers may decide to take the game down a more mainstream avenue in the future like they did with say Absolution, that's to say if the developers survive in the long run.

Kerplunk124 wrote: »

I haven't got to Hitman 2 yet but I really came to love the episodic format in 1, shame they stopped it.

The episodic format suited Hitman 1 really well. But as usual it got heavily criticized by some gamer's just for the sake of being criticized because.... well you know gamer's on the internet must rage about everything.

You can still play Hitman 2 in the same way but you're relying on self restraint.

Zero-Cool wrote: »

I have feck all self restraint I read that Hitman 2 wouldn't be episodic because of all the complaints the first got. Reading social media comments was so annoying, dopes saying they refused to buy the last one and won't buy 2 unless it was a full game at launch. Hitman said you got it out, but guess what, the majority of these absolute eejits didn't buy 2 and had no intention of it, just wanted to moan. I saw some people stand up for the episodic last game who had the same feeling as me, thought it was a **** move to pull, played it and realised how well it worked. They got destroyed in any comments I read.

People are just assholes I'm afraid.

Not to take the thread off topic but it is indeed annoying reading many game forums and comment sections. A large % of posters have this black and white view of everything with no in between. If you try to present an opposing side to the prevailing herd point of view you get screamed at or called a shill etc.
To be honest I don't think its just gamers who do this though.

Anyway back on to Hitman 2. Checking my Steam stats I got 167 hours out of Hitman 1 and reside on 47 for Hitman 2 so far and that will rise over the coming weeks and months. Its a game I'll spend a few hours every couple of days over the weeks and months and really get my money's worth out of for a single player game.

As I said already I really get what the developers are aiming for here and appreciate the games narrow focus. Its a game that's not targeting typical mass market appeal but appealing to a specific mindset. It makes the type of gamer who gets it very happy but on the other hand leaves the majority of players cold. I appreciate these types of game very much and am only too happy to play them now because I know they cannot be made indefinitely. At the end of the day game developers are businesses that need to make money and with publisher's to appease each game needs to make more money than the last. But the last two Hitman games really feel like the developers have really listened to what the more dedicated fans of the series wanted and developed a game with them in mind. A case of gameplay/artistic vision not being compromised to make the bottom line (although they of course they hoped that vision would make them tons of money).