I admit I haven’t played the original, but I have Hitman 2 and Contracts. As the name Hitman implies you play a world class assasin.
This series is an awesome mixture of the best elements from splinter cell and grand theft auto in that it’s a smart game that gives you LOADs of options, allows for a stealthy approach, and gives you full freedom to blast anything you like without penalty.
To be clear I’m not a fan of GTA. I mean the games are ok but I think frankly a bit childish and definitely over-rated. But I do like the freedom of being able to unleash my frustrations with zero restraint.
The Hitman series have all kinds of rule busting features.
For instance you can access a map of the entire level which shows you exactly where all you enemies are… even in areas you have not explored yet! And you are alerted when your “cover is blown” or “the guards have found a dead body” which takes a lot of the guess work out.
Both Hitman 2 and Contracts are all about taking care of the business at hand; i.e. completing your objectives and moving on to the next level.
And each level presents you a variety of options.
You can utilize extreme stealth, get in and kill your target, then escape unseen. Or you can go on a full-blown rampage and shoot everything in sight.
But be aware if you opt for the berserker path, you could meet your match. The AI varies in its ability to fight you appropriate to the scenario. For example a group of biker thugs might be an easy slaughter for you, while a swat team that uses backup squads and sniper cover very intelligently can result in a swift end to your frontal assault approach.
The game is not primarily a 1st person shooter, and is played in the same “overview” mode as splinter cell, tomb raider, etc. But you can easily switch to first person view before the shooting starts.
I’m sure a critical eye could catch ample flaws, but overall I rate both titles I have played in the series as superb. Off the top of my head the only complaint I might file is I think the controls lose responsiveness when your enemy gets right on top of you (as in actually runs into you)… it seems harder to shoot them in these situations.
But then maybe that’s a touch of realism as it probably would be harder to shoot an opponent who barrells into you melee style. In other words when you are crowded it could be harder to raise your pistol and get a solid shot off.
Analysis of the close quarters firing difficulty aside I recommend Hitman 2 and Contracts to anyone who likes action games and shooters and games that are smart in their layout and interaction.
