Hitman 2: Silent Assassin

Everything we wanted in the first part of the series was pumped into this part, where the name speaks for itself. In this game you can really be a silent killer, and it is from this part that we can officially consider the birth of the great series of games. Here you literally feel like a killer who needs to calculate his every step, and competently approach the matter, planning all possible ways to eliminate the target. Not to say that in terms of gameplay, much has changed, and the plot itself is only demonstrated at the beginning and at the very end, but I repeat, this game is truly unique in its genre of stealth action, conveying in the right key the entire deep essence of Hitman.

Now here is a sequel that is bigger and better on virtually every level. The story is more developed and there are much more cut-scenes. All are well done. There are more levels with greatly varied terrain and all sorts of obstacles. Each location that you travel to is a mini campaign of sorts with several missions that follow each other back to back. One of the locations, Japan, has you landing in a valley, sneaking past well protected check points and sniper towers to a castle's gates. Then making your way past the gate in the next mission and finally, in the third, taking out the head of an international crime syndicate in his castle. This high alpine fortress comes complete with patrolling guards, basements, and a courtyard with a helicopter. I couldn't help but notice a parallel to one of my favorite movies of all time, "Where Eagles Dare." Better yet, just like in that classic action movie, there is nothing preventing you from starting a castle wide shootout in one of the many corridors! Though, be careful, if your target escapes, you failed.

Another interesting addition that "Silent Assassin" has is your performance evaluation for the assignment that you have just completed. Unlike the first where you received a paycheck, which was only deducted from if you killed cops and civilians, here you are evaluated on stealth and aggression. This is a much funner system since in the first game many players inevitably saw the bug that when you have accumulated money by the game's later levels, you could essentially kill without remorse. Some levels didn't even have civilians or cops so you could turn them into your own killing ground, like Schwarzenegger did at the end of "Commando." Technically there is nothing stopping you here from doing that, but if you want the prized Silent Assassin rating and the bonus weapons that come with it, you'll have to be discreet. Ironically, when awarded the Silent Assassin bonus weapons that come in the shape of assault rifles and generally better guns, you can't really use them to get the rating on later levels. And there is no option to replay levels that you have completed, thus your new weapons end up being strictly for show. Though, they do come in handy on one particular level... I'll leave that for you to figure out.

Yet another change from the original is the option to switch from third person view to first person (invaluable in aiming) and the ability to save mid-level. There are three difficulty settings, on the hardest of which you have no mid-level saves, unless you're awarded them for tasks completed), and on the easiest you have plenty so beginners of the series might find this a more pleasant experience that the first game. And experts will be pleased with the fact that "Silent Assassin" is much longer with at least twice as many missions than the first and cool little features, such as being able to use a golf club as a weapon and the ability to peak through keyholes. Though it's a shame the mini-gun from the first game is strangely absent from this one. But no matter, the bigger weapons selection makes up for it.

If "Hitman" was engrossing with its premise and gameplay, then "Hitman 2: Silent Assassin" is dangerously addictive. Better in almost everyway. --- 9/10

Rated MATURE for violence

HITMAN 2: Silent Assassin is the HITMAN game that put the series on the bigger map. It's a challenging and suspenseful stealth game that feels unique, requires skill, but has some unfair obstacles.

The art direction and atmosphere is beautiful and vibrant. It's a surprisingly artsy game with diverse cultural aesthetics complimenting the slightly cartoony art style of the game. The soundtrack is phenomenal, unforgettable and ambitious.

The story is surprisingly touching. Codename 47 before it was fairly light and simplistic on its story. That game had some rough writing, which resulted in a story that was okay. Silent Assassin, however, contains a much more focused, fleshed out and unique story. Easily the most heartfelt story that a stealth game could have. The writing, dialogue and overall storytelling is great. The voice acting is still quite rough, though. It's a tragic story with a lot of questions and story moments left for the player to interpret in their own way.

The gameplay and level design still feels ahead of its time, but feels much rougher after playing the recent World of Assasination trilogy. The AI is very inconsistent and some game mechanics feel unpolished. Once you come into grips with the way the game plays and feels, it's a rewarding and compelling experience.

With "Hitman: Contracts" soon to be released, I decided to go back and replay this title to refresh my skills and walked away fairly satisfied with the gameplay and graphics. The thing "Hitman" does so well is make you feel like the ultimate badass contract killer. Yet, it's not the kind of game that you should go in with guns blazing (although you can do that), but with strategic planning and a quiet, slow pace.

It seems strange then, that so many noisy firearms are up for grabs, only in the final level are you encouraged to blow away bad guys "Max Payne"-style. Yet, by then, the thoughtless shootout is welcomed, since throughout the entire game you have to mix brainpower with firepower.

That, in itself, is not for everyone, but it's the goal of the game. Besides, walking into a highly inhabited area, killing the "mark" and then strolling away as if nothing ever happened is much more satisfying then just to kill everything in sight. It makes you feel much more "professional", after all you are playing the role of a hitman.

The game, however, does have some flaws that keep it from being great, something I'm hoping "Contracts" will improve on. For instance, you can't tell how much noise you are making as you quietly approach your adversaries, they just all of a sudden get the drop on you. Another one being the way the anesthetic works. It takes far too long to dispense, making you a vulnearable target. The victim also does eventually wake up from it, even a full dose, making it pretty useless. I hope "Contracts" lets you use a tranquilzer gun.

The A.I. is a little too unforgiving, making this unplayable for more casual gamers. One last thing, the nightvision goggles seriously impairs your vision by making you see through a "cone". "Splinter Cell" did this much cooler and easier, given it was essential to that game. Well, there you have it, my review of the game. It is very good, but takes patience, lots of it, to fully grasp the game and appreciate its pleasures. *** 1/2 stars out of 4.

This game has seriously deprived me of much needed sleep this past week since playing it for the first time.

What can I say? There's so much depth and different variables in each mission alone, there are more than enough missions to satisfy the most hungry tactical-shooter fan.

When you've successfully completed a mission for the first time, you'll want to go back and try different methods, approaches to get a higher score (=more stealth and less violence), the ultimate score being that of Silent Assassin where basically nobody sees you and you only kill your designated target with one bullet or stab (or strangle).

Another old game that I've been a fan of is Ghost Recon, a tactical shooter with many simulation elements. The thing is, to survive in "Hitman 2" you can use the approach of methodically killing every baddie in sight. This can also be fun to relieve stress and frustration of repeatedly failing a mission.

For a 2002 game, the graphics are still beautiful and a pleasure to behold, in combination with the excellent atmospheric music (with strong Star Wars influences in some places) these elements make a fantastic game for the lovers of tactical shooters.

Regular FPS 'run and gun' players steer well away. This game needs brains and not just in the blown-out variant.

10 out of 10 with a subtraction of 1 for stupid ethnic stereotyping in *some* missions. So in all 9 out of 10 but still I can't stop playing it!