Hitman 2
If the chance to hunt down king of death scenes Sean Bean doesn’t tempt you, nothing will…
While the core singleplayer stages in Hitman 2 are fantastic, there’s a lot about Agent 47’s package (the game, that is, not his secret silenced Silverballers), that gives off the feeling of simply being a platform for more to come. We’d love to see that involve more levels, but in the meantime the game’s online offerings offer plenty of extra challenge and replayability in a variety of ways that put you to the test, and keep you coming back for more.
Returning from the first game is Contracts mode. Surprisingly fun and moreish, it’s here that you can create and share your own hits – opening up all the game’s levels to experimental kills. Every inhabitant of every map becomes a potential target, who you can attach certain kill conditions to. Some of the best player-made contracts either challenge you to take out a seemingly easy target in the most efficient way possible, or to mentally reverseengineer the thoughts of the player who made it. Just how did they get that particular item to that area unnoticed? With the Legacy Pack, you can make contracts in the enhanced versions of the original game’s levels as well. Who knows what more maps could come to the service in the future? Both making and completing contracts is great fun.
Elusive targets are making a comeback, with your first target, The Undying, being played by Sean Bean. Repurposing the Miami map, the mission breathes fresh life into the familiar setting, giving you just one shot to take out the Beanster before you fail forever. Some extra guidance in the briefing helps you plan out the kill without the fear of
THE HIGHLIGHT IS THE BRAND-NEW GHOST MODE – A ‘FIRST TO FIVE KILLS’ HEADTO-HEAD CHALLENGE.
failure becoming too overwhelming, though it’s still a thriller. We can’t wait to see how things like elusive targets continue to add to the game over time. The highlight of the online game is the brand-new Ghost mode – a ‘first to five kills’ head-to-head challenge where two Agent 47s compete. Existing in different worlds, the chaos you cause affects you and you alone, and over time your outfits will become compromised as the bodies stack up. Your kills must go unnoticed over a cooling period for you to nab that point, and non-target kills take points off your score. Ghoulish ghost crates provide extra items and disguises to give you the edge. It takes a while to click, but when it does it feels truly fantastic, and matches are tense. Currently only supporting Miami, there’s more to come.
Hitman 2’s online action gives you the sense that things are only just getting started, but what’s here is fantastic. We’re keen to see it grow over time. Oscar Taylor-Kent