Whatever you thought of last year's Hitman Absolution, you definitely thought something. Io's latest game is one of the most divisive in recent memory, not for being bad, but for being different. Absolution broke away from the series roots to deliver a different kind of murder, and this HD collection gives us a chance to remind ourselves what was lost.
In a way, the titles on offer here tell a heartwarming coming-of-age tale in which an awkward, gangly series about killing people matures into an assured, confident series about killing people, as Hitman finds itself over three games.
Contracts, its underrated follow-up, is a more user friendly experience, with an improved interface and more forgiving (though still unpredictable) NPC behaviours. It's all a bit moody, however, stuffed with levels that are invariably dark and stormy, but it does contain gaming's most perfect assassination mission in Traditions Of The Trade, a complex stalk through a decrepit hotel that offers multiple approaches.
Workaround
- Connect your Xbox 360 using a component video cable
- Set the switch on the cable to "TV"
- Switch your Xbox 360 on
- Go to your Xbox display settings and select PAL-60
- On the component cable switch from TV to HD-TV
- Switch off your Xbox 360
- Connect your Xbox 360 using an HDMI cable (if you use one)
And then there's Blood Money, IO's finest moment. This is the game Silent Assassin and Contracts were working towards, a macabre puzzler with rich, densely packed yet open levels and AI that was finally forgiving enough to make the experience work. We barely have room to explain what makes Blood Money so interesting here, but it's a game about studying behaviours and exploiting them, as well as one that lets you turn 47 into a murderous clown.
It's a mixed assortment on the technical front too, with unfixed glitches and graphical errors that we remember falling foul of back in 2002. Blood Money is also a straight reprint of the 2006 code, which means it still suffers from an irritating refresh rate display problem on certain TVs - you'll find a workaround to the right.
11 comments so far...
Clanger67 on 1 Feb '13 said:
Well not a too bad score.Will def. be getting it as i have never had Blood Money.Shame about the graphic glitches etc. given it is a HD update but the gameplay will nail it for me.
fracturedrich on 1 Feb '13 said:
Yes clanger i have clocked all of them apart from blood money,with omerta hitting rubbish reviews ime def going to get it aswell.
Bezza89 on 1 Feb '13 said:
I've not noticed any as of yet, it's quite a nice do, better than I thought but not the best it could have been. Why you didn't just link the blood money review and talk more about the other two I don't know - but I hope this review convinces people that these games are well worth a punt (though very difficult, I silent assassin'ed the Asylum Aftermath level straight away, mainly due to muscle memory lol but then the Meat King level just had super sharp AI who spot things very quick.
It's a shame they didn't put SA and Contracts on the blood money engine, but you must give them a go if you played Absolution or just like stealth games. They are sandbox dreams!
Clanger67 on 1 Feb '13 said:
Yeah i have all the others for the pc,for some reason Blood Money passed me by,lack of money or other releases around at the time.Shame about Omerta i was quite looking forward too that as well.
Alaric14 on 2 Feb '13 said:
The very first game, Hitman: Codename 47, isn't in this package. Why not? It was by far the most influential. Fellow Xbox users, allow me to direct you to the magical world of Steam where recently they were doing a deal for the first three Hitman games - all presented in beautifully crisp graphics - for about four quid. Yeah. Four little pound coins. By contrast this HD collection is around twenty pounds stirling.
Now you know! And knowing is half the battle.
Bezza89 on 2 Feb '13 said:
Contracts is basically Codename 47 but backwards.
fracturedrich on 2 Feb '13 said:
We have consoles because we love consoles,i personally own both and the only game i play on the other is sc2.I have endless games on my xbox and i could have got nearly all of them cheaper on steam.I would gladly pay a little bit extra to keep my local game shop open,and i hate the idea of download only.For me steam is far from magical and i cant wait to play blood money on my xbox as i missed it the first time round.
Alaric14 on 2 Feb '13 said:
Fair play to you; the games console isn't going to disappear any time soon and I wasn't trying to use the Hitman HD Collection as a platform to denounce its existence. There are plenty of games I'd rather play on consoles. In this specific instance, though, I think it's a better deal to see and play the original trilogy for less on PC if you're able.
And don't be so quick to pass up download only - the On Demand section on Xbox Live has preserved games that have all but disappeared in hard copy (the excellent JRPG Tales of Vesperia being one of them). Regardless, I hope you enjoy Blood Money.
Alaric14 on 2 Feb '13 said:
"Basically" is the problem I have with it. It doesn't equate to the actual experience of the original, but if people want the rough diamond it's their choice to make. I'd rather play Codename 47.
fracturedrich on 2 Feb '13 said:
, I think it's a better deal to see and play the original trilogy for less on PC if you're able.
And don't be so quick to pass up download only - the On Demand section on Xbox Live has preserved games that have all but disappeared in hard copy (the excellent JRPG Tales of Vesperia being one of them). Regardless, I hope you enjoy Blood Money.
Yeah thanks,it is a better deal if you are able.I have been considering TOV for some time and played the demo a couple of weeks ago,cant find a copy anywhere,now i no why.Downloads have there upsides and i would consider codes from my local gameshop.
fracturedrich on 2 Feb '13 said:
Oh yes,i do not like downloadable games ,currently playing skulls of the shogun,walking dead,bastion,minecraft,fez and mark of the ninja.so damn to thinking first.