Hitman: Absolution does not begin with amnesia for Agent 47, but in the six years that have passed since the release of Blood Money, the memory has become dull, apparently among the developers themselves. Otherwise how to explain what new game there is no connection through which the series once earned its popularity. Hitman: Absolution is responsive, cool, a little glossy, and in some places the best stealth game of the year. Taking into account even . But traditionally, the development of Hitman games is not without a number of compromises, and this will make some players quite nervous.

The concept of the new Hitman is simple: someone sets targets, and you eliminate them. The whole point is in how it happens. The banal choice between “hiding behind people” or “starting a shootout” is a thing of the past. In the new game you have to slowly monitor the movement of people over a vast territory, and also look for ways to manipulate them and influence elements of the environment in order to provoke another death. You can plant explosives where the victim likes to walk, or, for example, “accidentally” be in the right place at the right time. in the right place and lightly push the poor fellow straight into a dark alley for quiet and unnoticed reprisal. You can even borrow someone's clothes - this disguise will help hide your identity from many prying eyes. Except perhaps for detectives conducting a thorough investigation.

On high levels difficulty, you will have to figure out most of these tricks without help. 47, disguised, wanders and sneaks through police stations, court buildings, destroyed gangster hotels, corn farms, factories, scientific laboratories, extracts information about his target from overheard conversations and all sorts of objects lying around. And finally, he develops a plan and then tries to implement it. In case you haven’t played Hitman for a long time (or maybe ever), it’s worth saying that for the first time you can simply try to stay alone with the victim and introduce him to your garrote. But keep in mind, the game can offer much more creative and elegant methods of execution: “suicide”, an industrial accident, expired medications and, who would have thought, an unexpected breakdown of previously trouble-free equipment!

Thanks to convenient controls and clear rules, you can find your own style. The movement and camouflage system are fully in line with current third-person game standards: guards and people in the crowd will only suspect you if you give them a reason to do so, for example if you are wearing the exact same outfit as one of the NPCs . In this game, only drawers, cabinets and trash cans are allowed to look alike. New system Instinct (which is difficult to use on higher difficulties) allows Agent 47 to see through walls the movement of the target and other NPCs, marks interactive objects in the environment, and also helps to avoid detection by special characters who are more suspicious of you than others. Your Instinct gauge will replenish whenever you do something right according to the local scoring system, such as moving corpses out of sight.

Speaking of this system. It encourages any kind of optional but creative and challenging kills, and by the way, it's funny in itself that even in 2012 you can still find a big game that gives you points at the end of each level. And the majority additional tasks in your laptop may give you some interesting ideas about how you can use the environment to defeat your target. All of these missions cannot be completed in one game because you cannot try on every costume in a level. But they can be ignored if you prefer to remain completely unnoticed before dealing with the victim.

Several times during the game, all these advantages merge together to give the player an absolutely unforgettable experience. In one mission, 47 dresses up as a scarecrow to hunt down heavily armed guards in a cornfield, and even ties himself to a wooden pole for extra camouflage. In another, without unnecessary witnesses, he drops a heavy piano lid right on the head of one of the thugs, attracted by the beautiful melody. In the third, he leaves a safe open and full of money in a dilapidated drug den to distract the police. In the fourth, not without irony, he uses the tools of mad scientists against them. The game is similar to a series of edifying dark stories, where the central character is a bald killer, carefully sneaking from one shelter to another. Overall, it's incredibly fun.

Unfortunately, the enjoyment of the game is often overshadowed by a simple and hackneyed plot, which for the first time in the history of the series cannot be simply ignored. Agent 47 is trying to protect a young girl from his former clients and all kinds of arms dealers. This means that in between dealing with those involved in her imprisonment and her current miserable situation, she will have to spend a lot of time playing hide and seek with the guards or trying to take long detours instead.

This is Absolution's weakest aspect. Imagine, the game has already teased you with its advantages, but instead of them you are offered simple “stealth” tasks, like “hide and watch”. You have to spend minutes wiping your jacket on the walls, looking at the mini-map and turning on Instinct to finally find loopholes in the enemy defenses, and then kill and hide a couple of corpses in secluded corners. From a technical point of view, these moments are worked out well and sometimes it becomes quite interesting to play. However, other games boast a much larger variety of environmental elements that keep the player from getting bored. Absolution doesn't have that. In addition, instead of the usual save system, checkpoints are used here, because of which, after loading a level again, you have to practice the same “stealth” tricks over and over again.

Unfortunately, levels where you only have to deal with killing also suffer from these shortcomings. For example, a mission about halfway through the game where you have to kill a scientist with funny guns loses its charm every time you have to load from the last save point after another failure. And all because the cutscenes are played anew every time. It's interesting the first time, but then it only causes irritation and annoyance. Of course, if you are noticed, you can always hide and replay the situation, or use reliable guns, but this is not the same. And again, the next loading of the checkpoint entails the miraculous resurrection of all already defeated opponents.

It's not clear why the game doesn't have a proper save system, but if this was a limitation that had to be dealt with during development, then it could also explain why most of the levels are split into such small sections. In one of them, 47 is holed up in a motel while he is attacked by a group of spandex-clad killer nuns. They come from everywhere: from the motel parking lot, the crazy neighborhood golf course, the gas station, and the farm, but each of these levels is very small. So small that it poses a serious limitation on the flight of design ideas, and subsequently on your enjoyment of the game. Without a doubt, the developers gave it their all, and this level, again, features a fun cornfield. But he's not perfect.

However, if you don’t get involved in the main campaign, but go straight to the Contracts mode, then you can take from the game exactly what it does best. You choose a level and a weapon (which was not in the campaign, which for this reason looks like an evil puritan), and then determine a contract that other people will fulfill. You need to assign a target (which can be some special NPC, which is preferable to just plot character), means of execution and other conditions. Therefore, players who download this scenario will be evaluated according to the success criteria you define. If people enjoy this mode and find many unexpected uses for 47's skills, then Contracts is potentially the best component of Absolution in the long run. Although now, playing the press release, I cannot say for sure. I hope the funniest scenarios quickly make their way to the top of the list. You know, the kind that makes you feel like a silent killer with a morbid sense of humor.

Steel voice, iron endurance, golden hands. For twelve years, trademark equanimity, as well as complete indifference to anyone’s fate, was considered inseparable from the legendary killer. A shell for protection from worldly passions. So: the shell is cracked.EidosInteractive took on the role of a fairy and set out to turn the bald wooden Pinocchio into a real boy, made of flesh and blood. The object, as usual, was not asked.

“Oh, what a bald head... I wish I had one like that!”

Suspicious speeches have been pouring out of the mouths of the Danes for a long time. About terrible, blood-chilling things - plot, drama. Why scary? Yes, because there is nothing more dangerous for free gameplay than a strong script. It’s like a vertical of power and decentralization - they don’t get along together. When you need to throw the hero into a huge terrarium and bark “Search!”, the plot tightly squeezes his hand and leads him through the attractions. In general, a struggle between two elements. And this struggle can be traced from beginning to end.

The fiery paths are not the traces of the Delorean tires, but the route of movement of a certain person. Soon the person will fall into our clutches.

Since the time of the reference Agent 47, he has forgotten not many tricks - only peeking through keyholes. The bigger loss is the map. Instead of a detailed plan of the level with markers of ordinary people, guards, police officers and targets, Forty-Seven's personalized laptop shows detailed information according to the outrages committed, inventory, mission goals with comments and tests, for the completion of which they increase the final score of the mission (for example, “Chameleon”: get all possible costumes in the location).

The principles of the game remain unchanged. There is a guy in an expensive suit, and there is a man who has stayed in this world for a long time. He doesn’t want to die, so he protects himself with security, police, or simply hangs out in crowded places. Fans of shooting can forget about the stealth genre and pave the road to the goal with corpses. Adherents of the quiet passage, as usual, penetrate the holy of holies with the help of disguise - the very feature that makes Hitman special.

Double mirrors are the best invention of mankind. Hitman likes it too.

Hitman traditionally uses disguises. All NPCs at the level are divided into several social groups: guards, servants, cleaners, etc. Naturally, their level of access is different - floor polishers will not be allowed into the cordoned off premises, and electricians will not be allowed into the police station.

Counting ribs in hand-to-hand combat is difficult, but fun. The context sensitive buttons are a bit confusing.

It was time to go to the kitchen - waylay the cook and hit him on the back of the head with a block of wood. Or a bottle. Yes, with anything - having sneaked up on someone from behind, the true Silent Killer, drooling, will definitely suffer, choose a method of neutralization. In Absolution there are even more of them (although syringes with sleeping pills have almost disappeared), and the main one is to strangle with your bare hands. Not to the point of death, but to the point of fainting. Because extraneous murders spoil the rating. Only the purpose of the contract is worthy of a branded noose string! As for the rest... they will be carefully strangled by powerful and gentle hands Tobias Ripper to the accompaniment of his quiet “sh-sh-sh.” No time to be tender? Well, then wring your neck like a broiler chicken, take off the uniform from your lifeless body and reincarnate.

Before forcibly putting down the bainki, Agent 47 knocks the victim to the ground. Very thoughtful.

Pretended to be yours on the board? It's time to eliminate the target. Kills in Hitman are no longer staggeringly varied, but their number will still be the envy of the entire dynasty. Those in a hurry can not bother with sneaking and shoot the target with a “silverballer” with a silencer, maniacs can hack them to death with an axe, throw a knife, or blow them up. Accidents also remain, but often in-game statistics simply call them standard kills and do not give the highest rating. There are gas stoves, high balconies, electrified fences, a vat of fuel oil, a gas station... The height of grace is to provoke a shootout. Well, a falling chandelier as a symbol of the concept of “accident”.

There are no bananas here...

Nominally, Absolution is broader and deeper than its ancestors. But the schemes mentioned above do not work everywhere. Not in every chapter does a clone with a noose get an order. More than once or twice you will be asked to “outrun the cops,” and in general, our lively guy with a barcode unusually often turns from a hunter into a game.

Typically, these levels look like several intertwined corridors. There is no saving faceless crowd here; the killer is left alone with law enforcement officers or organized crime. The legendary killer runs from corner to corner, hides in trash cans and generally behaves atypically: either like a drunk, or like a homeless person. It’s clear that such episodes are annoying, and there is no incentive to go through them without noise and dust. At the same time, it won’t work to beat down all the renegades a la Steven Seagal—they’ll trample them, sir.

Another extremely important aspect - camouflage - has also suffered from innovation. In a nutshell: all the technicians know each other by sight, the substitution will be detected in no time. They put on overalls - if you please, go around other guys in the same uniform along roundabout paths. Other people won't say a word to you. It’s the same with all segments of the population: cops will spot a stranger with a badge a mile away, and bandits or club bouncers will only smile and joke after him.

On difficulties above average, this “realism” will show its sharp, rotten teeth: the speed of face recognition will reach an ugly value. A second - and alarm. Two and it's kaput. Hitman: Absolution, instead of brazen walks in someone else's costume, offers squatting from cover to cover. Rolling, hiding around the corner, sitting in the closet - just not to get caught, because this is fraught with general anxiety. The solution, although not the best, is to play on medium and low difficulty - then the suits will still allow you to openly, albeit cautiously, move around the location.

Red arrows indicate those who suspected Hitman. By the way, you can throw an ax at your head - it’s wonderful, isn’t it?

These two seemingly fatal blows were nevertheless compensated for. Instinct - an analogue of Bruce Wayne's detective mode - allows you to see people through walls (and targets across half the map) and the paths of their movement, and notice important details of the environment. And most importantly, he deceives his enemies! A suspicious bandit follows you with his eyes? Pressing the button, Forty-Seven shyly turns away his pale face and pulls his hat down over his eyes. Voila - the bandit scratches the back of his head, but does not touch the stranger. It looks fake, but it's useful. And it is spent at an alarming rate: two or three spies will devour the entire scale of instinct, and then the masked killer with all his giblets. On high difficulty, the instinct runs out instantly, and the passage becomes much more difficult.

Instinct can be spent more fun. For this purpose, a system like Mark & ​​Execute from the notorious Splinter Cell: Conviction. They stopped time, selected targets, and shot everyone in half a second.

THIS IS IMPORTANT: in all parts of Hitman it was always possible to save during a mission. But in the first two, say, loading a save before the general panic began, you could encounter this very panic, although it should not exist. In Contracts and Blood Money, the number of saves was strictly limited depending on the difficulty level. Absolution managed to combine both approaches, only instead of saves there are checkpoints. The higher the difficulty, the fewer there are. Each one acts once - you cannot return to the point and save again. Finding the points is difficult. Moreover, after loading the level will “roll back” to the starting version! Knocked out enemies will once again patrol the area as if nothing had happened. It’s especially satisfying when you neutralized about twenty people, accidentally made a noise and decided to replay the last couple of minutes.

A stranger among his own

Usually a person recognizes a familiar face in a quarter of a second. So Eidos made another concession. Have you dared to step into the shoes of a cop? Get ready for the fact that your “colleagues” will only need to stare at you for a couple of seconds to bring you to clean water. To prevent this from happening, do not stand like a pillar. Use your surroundings!

Everyman

The purposeful look of Agent 47 will make anyone doubt their own safety. Even in an ordinary suit, it’s not a sin to pretend to be a hose. Take the brochure and stare at her, not the victim.

Cook

No one sits idle in the kitchen. Is the cook shirking work and not even pretending to be busy? This means his conscience is not clear. This means that his black soul does not belong to the culinary business. This means that this is the One - that’s how they’ll figure you out.

But the situation changes if the Same One takes the samovar pose and lowers his eyes to the ownerless pan, in which, apart from the spoon, only the success of his operation is cooked. Fellow chefs will appreciate your resourcefulness and mistake the cold-blooded killer for an ordinary kitchen slacker.

Cleaner

“Oh my God, dirt! Let me clean it up!” - these are the thoughts, according to others, that are spinning in the head of that guy with a mop who almost rubbed a hole in the parquet. What an unfortunate mistake! Meanwhile, the false cleaner looks around angrily, wondering if he has enough ammunition to get to the exit?

Police officer

You can’t just go ahead and deceive law enforcement officers. The form is not enough - you need to know professional habits. Of course, we've seen enough cheesy action movies to make us think of donuts! Only a donut clutched in your hand will convince the sheriff of your professional suitability. You don’t have to eat it: flour spoils your figure. Just stare at him with your crowning gaze.

Found a dance floor? Jackpot! Hurry up, call your cop friends and rock out with the whole group to some old but cool music! When you get bored, you can leave the cheerful policemen to hang out so that you can walk around the neighborhood with impunity, humming a funeral march under your breath.

Stirlitz has never been so close to failure

And so it turns out: in the same one We will play Hitman in fits and starts. Open levels alternate with linear races, but there are still more of the latter. There are few testing grounds for testing a killer's skills: China Town, a strip bar, the provincial town of Hope. Real game begins only here, in these compact locations with a small but working ecosystem. In some places you will find whole crowds of passers-by, among whom Hitman is hiding no worse than Ezio Auditore. Not like the Mardi Gras festival from Hitman: Blood Money, but still. However, brace yourself: after rare outlets, the plot again drags the bald one into the gorges of game design.

Ventilation has never been so believable and useful.

Oh yes... a plot that decided to humanize the soulless flayer. Not to say that Hitman suddenly became a deep character with a tangled web of motives, fears and desires. It’s just that Diana Burnwood, who coordinated the actions of the bald clone over the phone, managed to stir not the string that strangles people, but the strings that are tense in the soul. Over the years of working together, Hitman became too attached to her.

When Diana handed over the Agency to the powers that be and our dispassionate pro received an order for her, he began to worry: how is this possible? So many years shoulder to shoulder, and... but business is business. But Mrs. Burnwood, taking advantage of the right, so to speak, last wish, bequeaths his killer to look after Victoria, an extraordinary girl who needs to be protected from the Agency. Here Forty-Seven again ceases to be tormented by vague doubts and flies towards a new goal.

The boss is not very happy about Forty-Seven's escape from the ranks of the Agency. Which, mind you, looks invigorating even after the recent defeat.

THIS IS INTERESTING: The “cherche la femme” principle is especially loved by modern developers. So, fire-man number 47 is chasing the kidnapped Victoria. The protagonist of Deus Ex: Human Revolution is looking for scientist Megan Reed from Sarif Industries. The killer Corvo is on the trail of a kidnapped princess during Dishonored. Sam Fisher in Splinter Cell: Conviction suffered over his stolen daughter. However, the founder of the tradition is still alive - just as he saved his beloved, he still saves to this day.

I am sure that Victoria is able to walk on her own. But someone clearly decided to increase the degree of love and tenderness by placing the girl in the Hitman’s arms.

If we look away from our hero's stony emotions, the script here is not bad. Traitors betray, former bosses are eager to punish the fugitive, bad guys want profit. Spectacular scenes and other attributes of that controversial phenomenon that young people call “kinets”. Well, an EXTRAORDINARY (that’s right, in capitals) young lady with innocent eyes, because of whom they probably didn’t start a war. It no longer smells like the rough hands of the Vikings from Eidos, but the soft paws of the Japanese from Square Enix, who prefer to crank up the drama and atmosphere. Don't replace history with a set of briefings.

Finally! The most famous killer in gaming industry returned. 47 hasn't been seen in five long years, but the fifth Hitman installment was definitely worth the wait. Studio IO Interactive has made the best part of the series this time, and here's why.

Hitman: Absolution

Developer: IO Interactive Genre: 3rd person stealth action Official website: hitman.com Release date: November 20, 2012 Similar games: Hitman, Hitman: Blood Money

How many years have we known games about a gloomy “genetically gifted” killer who, with every new part just perfecting his deadly skills? I remember even the very first Hitman surprised by the idea of ​​contract killings in various parts of the globe. At that time, the game offered fairly spacious levels with the ability nonlinear passage. The second part did not repeat the success of the original, but it significantly expanded the arsenal and, most importantly, added to the plot.

Then the Tobias Ripper ceased to be just a perfect murder weapon. The third part became the most controversial in the series, offering half of the recycled missions from the original and an overly inhospitable atmosphere. But Blood Money unexpectedly shot in such a way that everyone again wanted to get into the skin of an extremely inventive and cold-blooded mercenary. Then, in 2007, it seemed that more nonlinearity could no longer be desired, everything was so good.

It's serious

But what do you think? IO Interactive I didn’t sit idly by all this time. absorbed all the best from the first and fourth parts, and at the same time evolved. The fact is that this time we were pleased with a real “plot” Hitman. In previous games in the series there was no plot as such, so shouldn’t a set of various tasks with short video inserts be considered a full-fledged story? Now everything is much more serious.

Firstly, main character from the very first minutes of the game he becomes more “human”; he shows emotions, despite the still gloomy and sometimes simply ferocious expression on his face. Moreover, on his new bloody path he comes across “partners”! This in itself is unprecedented. But don't rush to get upset. 47 has not lost any of his charisma and coolness; he simply brings the killer’s story to life. new level. The production, script and, of course, action outweigh any doubts about innovation.

Innovations

And there are many of them. The locations have become smaller, but at the same time they are full of small events and potential targets. Scattered throughout every scene large number all kinds of assistant objects that can be used against almost any living person. This has already happened in Blood Money, but everything worked there at the experimental level. I rarely wanted to use knives from the kitchen, but how wonderfully “accidents” were implemented. So, surprise! In the new one there are fewer such “accidents”.

The game has added more action and stealth. In some places Absolution reminds Splinter Cell: Conviction, and at first glance it might seem that the series has lost its hardcore feel. But! This would be your biggest misconception! The most important feature of the new Hitman- this is just the notorious hardcore. The developers designed the game in such a way that without 47’s new abilities, completing the campaign at a difficulty level higher than easy is almost impossible. At least if you don't want to cause a massacre.

Hardcore?

There may be a little less opportunity for sudden deaths, but stealth and shooting have been taken to a whole new level. Controls, interface, graphics, sound - all this is done so that it is convenient for players to eliminate given targets. There are clues everywhere. And the funny thing is that without them Absolution could turn into real torture for the uninitiated. Of course, fans who have completed all previous games as the “Silent Assassin” are ready for anything. But if we talk about everyone else, then there’s a new one "Hitman" provides very flexible gameplay.

Each task has a large number of achievements that are not required, and you can simply fight your way through the enemies to the “exit” from the level. But they are made in such a way that you just want to go through and explore each level in every possible way. And given that they are quite compact, this will not be difficult. All sorts of situations are constantly unfolding before the eyes of 47, and the atmosphere of an action-adventure thriller is felt everywhere.

Movie or game?

The main character constantly drives his powerful car, carrying an impressive arsenal and people in the trunk. They are hunting him. The game has a huge number of interesting and sometimes simply comical characters. There are obvious references to some famous films. And all this IO Interactive They did it by hand - in all seriousness. You won't find a single crappy episode here. The story is very integral and rich, and each new task throws up new surprises.

In addition, the intelligence of opponents has been improved. This time the guards simply do not allow passage; disguise practically does not help. This, by the way, is a controversial point - there is practically no point left in dressing up, they reveal it very quickly here. And it’s easier, and sometimes even more effective, to simply eliminate the “observers.” The only moment IO Interactive still remains unresolved. IN Hitman no only correct passage. Although maybe that's a good thing.

Killer rating

New technologies and the main character’s impressive abilities make it possible to deal with anyone. And here the question arises: why would such a tough killer hide? This, of course, is very important for the most brutal difficulty level, but for those players who just like to enjoy the passage, it’s easier to kill beautifully, almost forgetting about stealth. But in this case, you get too few rating points, and a lot is based on it.

The rating of each player is taken into account in the statistics. The game is designed in such a way that gaining points, not forgetting about interesting achievements, is almost the most interesting activity in. This was already clear in Sniper Challenge, where finding interesting “secrets” in a level turned out to be even more fun than blowing off the guards’ heads. After all, Hitman is not a mass murderer.

General impression

There may be a slight contradiction in all this, but the new one is both hardcore and accessible to a mass audience. If you just want to kill beautifully and enjoy the story of the slightly aged 47, turn on the game on a simple level and have fun. The plot, the hero, all the other characters, graphics, tasks, murder weapons - all this is gorgeous! And if you are interested in feeling the spirit of the first parts, use the most brutal difficulty level, and then more than once Absolution will give even experienced “killers” a light. The six year wait was worth it. And for me it is also the best 3rd person action game this year. Welcome back, 47th!

Advantages The most charismatic killer Variability of passage Excellent script Rating system Thoughtful stealth Really different difficulty levels Graphics, music, sound Disadvantages There are fewer “random murders”

To official announcement May 10, 2011 game Absolution was known as Hitman 5.

Back on October 31, 2010, fake art of the future game appeared on the Internet.
The first official screenshot was released on March 21, 2011.

Hollywood actors were involved in creating the video for the game.

Hitman: Sniper Challenge, released this summer, is a spin-off of the series.

Information about the plot was deliberately distorted before the game's release, in particular regarding the key role of Diana, Agent 47's main "acquaintance" from previous games.

Absolution- the first game in the series running on a completely new version of the Glacier 2 engine from the developer studio.

Fiber optic thread, a fitted jacket, a stylish red tie and magnificent thick curls of hair that the hero can only dream of in a nightmare. Which player is not familiar with the figure of Forty-Seven, who for many years has been the last thing that high-ranking scoundrels of various stripes see. The Danish masters from IO Interactive, and under publishing control Square Enix they decided to tell the world a new chapter in the life of a stylish assassin. Our review is devoted to the presentation of this chapter.

Citizen S.O. Rockseventh.

Since then, the plot component has noticeably gained weight and decreased in color - the events develop into a gloomy story, which is taken quite seriously. The characters, all capricious individuals with well-developed characters, form a narrative full of scandals, intrigues and investigations.

The plot component has noticeably gained weight and decreased in color. The story begins in Chicago, with a mission to eliminate Diana Burnwood, the agency's Forty-Seventh coordinator. Devoted to his work, the assassin tries to abstract himself from his own feelings; this is not the first time tea has dealt with Diana. But the skill is Blood Money you can’t drink it: first having done it, and then thinking, the agent listens to the dying wishes of an old acquaintance. From that moment on, Forty-Seven contracted Leon's syndrome, since this request was the role of a nanny for a young lady named Victoria.

And the girl really needs a nanny. Its market value is so high that it inevitably leads to the opening of the hunting season for Victoria. The protagonist turns into a renegade, speaking not only against underworld and law enforcement, but also against their own agency.

Seasoned killer.

There are many different ways to eliminate any target. This performance is not linear and requires some imagination from the player. There are many different ways to eliminate any goal, and in addition to standard solutions, you can sometimes come across very creative ones. Distract the target's attention and wring his neck in privacy? Put on a uniform that the target will follow and wring its neck in privacy? Add sleeping pills to pizza in order to overtake a sleeping target and wring their neck in privacy? There are a lot of options, because in addition to wringing necks, the hero has at his disposal many environmental objects that, by luck, can be the cause of an unfortunate accident with the victim.

Forty-Seven is helped by his killer instinct, which accounts for the lion's share of the gameplay, in finding these objects and getting away with it. Heightened senses highlight people on the map even through walls, show the trajectory of their movement, and allow you to mimic one of your own while wearing one or another costume. As a bonus, there is a blind shooting mode, in which you can use your existing reserve of instinct to write out headshots to unsuspecting individuals. The scale of an important skill is filled for the diligent behavior of the agent: a silent murder, successful use of environmental objects, or a body hidden away from harm. After all, the one who always and everywhere maintains cleanliness deserves the highest award.

Blood money.

The stealth spirit of Deus Ex with the frame of “that same” Forty-Seventh will delight any lover of good games. Not just one story campaign Agent Forty-Seven is alive in 2012. The competitive element in Hitman: Absolution implemented thanks to the contract mode, where each player is free to create his own mission using the game engine. It looks like this: as you pass this or that level, your actions are tracked by a smart system that summarizes your style at the end of the task. In what clothes was the target eliminated, with what weapon or object, and under what conditions: was the alarm raised, were unnecessary murders committed, were traces of the agent’s adventures found. The rest of the players are invited to repeat your feat, for the implementation of which they are credited with funds to their virtual account. For each mark, part of these funds is withdrawn, and for each match a bonus is awarded.

Monitors quality of work rating system, on the basis of which the personal TOP of assassins and the championship by country are formed. It is worth noting that with many options for action, the execution of a particular contract is sometimes very interesting, and even funny: kill a seller with a brick in the middle of a crowded street without raising an alarm? How is this even possible? It's worth a try, because the Italians do it well.

A classic wrapped in a Glacier 2 gift box will delight both the eyes and the soul. Even console-oriented scripts and the “arrow problem”, in which the victim is only slightly alarmed when a heavy brick flies into his face, cannot reduce the impression of the game. The spirit of stealth with the frame of “that same” Forty-Seventh will delight not only fans of the franchise, but also any lover of good games. In the end, no one is stopping him from organizing bloodbaths where other players would prefer clean hands and the title of perfect killer.

Publication date: 12/09/2012

Game rating: None

Game genres, like us, change over time. Therefore, it was impossible to naively believe that six years after the release Hitman: Blood Money, IO Interactive They will serve us the same dish, made according to the old “grandfather’s” recipe. After all, no matter how delicious it was in the past, modern technology and new chefs have long invented new tricks and tricks to please the clientele. Stealth in its pure form has long ceased to exist - now it is offered to players only as a seasoning for shooters and RPGs, and not vice versa. IN Hitman, as you remember (or if you belong to the camp of gamers for less than five years, you have probably heard) the bet was placed precisely on quiet passage. Agent 47 is an emotionless, cold-blooded executioner who operates from the shadows, leaving no trace. Hitman Absolution tried to preserve and develop this legend, but it could not do without the necessary innovations that are designed to make the game competitive in the market.

Last will

In previous games in the series, the plot was nothing more than just a series of missions to eliminate targets on which Forty-Seven was sent by his Agency. We listened to the briefing, selected weapons, went to the desired point on the planet, completed the task and returned to the shelter. Only in Hitman: Blood Money the developers began to make more or less clear plot inclusions. IN Hitman Absolution The narrative is almost the main aspect of the game. Diana Burnwood, the coordinator and the only person on the planet whom 47 could call his friend, betrays the Agency and goes over to the side of Jack Lilland, the main antagonist Hitman: Blood Money. After she declassified all the organization's data and jeopardized the very fact of its continued existence, the Agency decides to eliminate her and sends on a mission the one who knew Diana best - 47. This is our first task in Hitman Absolution . We go to Copenhagen, where Lilland has arranged for her to take refuge in a luxurious mansion, kill the girl, and then find a letter addressed to the bald killer in which she begs to take care of Victoria, a young Hitman girl who is being hunted by the Agency and Blake Dexter (a rich and influential businessman , owner of a weapons factory). 47 kidnaps the girl and becomes the main target of both Dexter and the Agency. Why do they need Victoria so much - find out for yourself. Our bald hero “reduces” his famous tattoo with a razor and tries to slip between the hammer and the anvil, which are about to flatten him and deprive him of the opportunity to fulfill Diana’s last will.

Silent Assassin

During the entire process of passing, a certain dissonance with what is happening on the screen looms in the background: it seems that the opponents have become much wiser, but the game has not become any more difficult. Previously, in order to complete a mission, you had to either follow the “correct” algorithm of actions, or simply kill everyone on the level. Now a third, intermediate method has appeared, which is suitable for almost all episodes Hitman Absolution - change clothes in a secluded place, waylay the victim, eliminate him, hide him and leave the location. This method is good for those players who are not familiar with proprietary stealth and do not suspect that in fact, everything can be done much more sophisticated. For each victim of the 47th, the developers thought of elegant methods of reprisal, as it was before: a poorly secured chandelier will fall on someone, someone will end up in an elevator shaft, and someone, sorry, will relieve themselves on exposed live wires. As we wrote in preview, now the number of points gained during a mission can be seen at all times in the upper left corner of the screen. They reward us, of course, for quietly carrying out murders, ingenuity and covering our tracks, and they take away points even if we simply catch the eye of security or other NPCs without being declassified. Based on the results of the level, the player is awarded the title: veteran, shadow, etc.

Hide and seek

IN Hitman Absolution Agent 47 has mastered something like a “third eye” - the Instinct ability, which is only available at a low difficulty level. This analogue of Eagle Vision is activated from Assassin's Creed key Ctrl. and allows the bald hitman to identify the location of all enemies nearby and “highlight” useful items that may come in handy. For example, an ashtray - with its help you can effectively crush someone's skull. Instinct also shows the direction of movement of the NPC in the form of a flaming stripe on the ground. But don't rush to shout that it simplifies gameplay and does Hitman Absolution casual. No way. Remember how the area map was implemented in Hitman: Blood Money - the location of enemies and their movements were also displayed there. And last but not least, the advantage of Instinct is the ability to distract suspicion from oneself for a short time. Just in Hitman Absolution even if you disguised yourself as, say, a cook, and entered the kitchen, your “employees” will declassify you in the blink of an eye if you hang around in front of them for a long time. But, having called up Instinct, Hitman folds the visor of his cap down, covers his face with his hand for a second, or pretends that he is transmitting something on the radio, in case you are dressed as a policeman. This confuses others and they calmly go about their business. But “masking” won’t work for long, since the ability bar quickly depletes. You can replenish Instinct by killing or successfully completing tasks. If the law enforcement officer or anyone else still realizes that in front of him is a masked bald clown, there is no need to rush to start the mission again. It is enough to quickly run away to a secluded place and pretend that you are surrendering (false surrender is activated by the key X). The guard will come up to you to arrest and handcuff you, and 47 will knock the weapon away from him, cover his mouth with his hand and cover himself like a human shield. You can simply stun the poor fellow and shove him into the nearest closet or chest. By the way, there are an incredibly large number of these placed throughout the levels, and they fit into drawers, freezers, chests, wardrobes and other places where you can hide a corpse - two bodies at a time. The option of a ghoul plus a 47th hiding from enemies is being considered. It is impossible to drag the dead back out. Another new product is an analogue of the “mark & ​​execute” system from Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction. We mark several targets and Agent 47 shoots them in a spectacular slo-mo with a demonstration of all the juicy details. The number of targets that can be eliminated at one time also depends on the number of Instinct points available.

Run for your life

But there is also something that, obviously, the developers sacrificed for the sake of casual players. For example, now 47 can carry 4-5 types with you different weapons“in the bosom”, as in some Grand Theft Auto. Forget also about a stylish case with sniper rifle. By the way, shootouts in Hitman Absolution implemented just as crookedly as in previous games in the series. It's inconvenient to aim, and cover actually doesn't protect you from bullets as well as you'd like. But this is good - there is less temptation to grab a heavier gun and shoot every living thing on the level. In addition, this is not so easy to do, because there are usually a lot of enemies and even if you deal with more than half of them, reinforcements will definitely arrive and crush you. The health bar regenerates very slowly, and the first aid kits with medicine, which seem to have been removed from the walls of the first two locations Max Payne’ov and moved here, are not found very often.

Voice of truth

The developers didn’t exactly lie about one thing - new version The Glacier engine looks amazing. The picture is realistic, the textures are high resolution, and the effects look believable. Is it with graininess? IO Interactive slightly overdone, which makes what’s happening on the screen look a little unnatural. Finally, the character animation in the series has begun to reach the level of its competitors! And the videos look natural, facial expressions are well implemented and perfectly synchronized with the voice acting. Speaking about the voices of the characters, I would like to once again complain about the selection of actors from our localizers. I definitely want to change the voice acting to the original one after a couple of missions, because if 47 was chosen an actor with a voice to match his, then the rest of the game’s heroes were much less fortunate. Sometimes it seems as if the translators have not seen the video sequence at all. But all this does not apply to the developers, so it will not affect the evaluation of the game in any way. But what can confidently be added to the list of sins of Danish developers is the physical model. In the game you can raise various items, like, say, a brick, and throw them in any direction to distract enemies. If you have the opportunity, be sure to watch the flight process of something more closely: it feels as if some things have had their weight reduced by at least half. As for the soundtrack, don’t expect the brilliant Jasper Kyd as a composer - all the music is for Hitman Absolution written by Peter Kyd (also worked on Kane & Lynch: Dead Men), Peter Peter ( Neverwinter Nights), Povl Christian and Tomas Barczy ( Mini Ninjas). They all come from Denmark. The duration of the game is approximately 15-20 hours.

Contracts

In addition to the single player campaign Hitman Absolution There is a very interesting “Contracts” mode. It is notable for the fact that anyone can develop tasks for themselves or other players. That is, it’s as if you are writing a script for what is happening: choosing a target and describing the conditions for its elimination, indicating the type of weapon, and so on. A kind of level designer, if you like. A pleasant addition to the plot, which extends the life of the project by five to six hours.

***

Well, the return of one of the most famous game series to the market was quite successful. Agent 47, as best he could, adapted to the realities of the modern gaming industry, although he lost his former elitism and style. Instead, we got a modern engine, a full-fledged (albeit not outstanding) plot and such a long-awaited opportunity to hold the famous silver ballers in our hands, albeit virtual ones. But what will happen to the series next? This is where I want to go into more detail. Less than a week after release Hitman Absolution game publisher, studio Square Enix, stated that now franchise projects will be released annually, and the company will work on them Square EnixMontreal. "Fathers" of the series - IOInteractive- will keep an eye on the development for some time Hitman 6, but will eventually retire. And this is just it bad news. Moreover, Square Enix they openly say that the series is unlikely to be preserved in its original form. There are even a couple of working arts for the sixth part of “Hitman” and they look like something very “Japanese”. If so, then why continue to pull the cat by the tail? It would be more logical to do Hitman Absolution final game series. In the meantime, one can only guess about the further fate of the bald killer.