Hitman: Absolution Review

 

INTERFACE - 3.5 out of 5

VISUAL - 4.5 out of 5

CONTENT - 2 out of 5

AUDIO - 4.5 out of 5

CONTROL - 2.5 out of 5

 

 

Many titles during the console wars have been able to survive the test of time. The Hitman franchise, regrettably among them. This new iteration of a tried and tested series developed by IO Interactive and published by Square Enix, attempts to "Refresh" the pile of memorable games before it, but sadly to say falls short of expectations.

 

In this "Re-Imagining" of Hitman, Agent 47 is sent under the command of the "Reformed" Agencies new leader, Agent Benjamin Travis, to assassinate 47's former "handler" Diana Burnwood, whom deemed it necessary to publicly expose "The Agency" to rob them of their anonymity. After barely completing your mission and inherently abandoning The Agency, you find she leaves a young girl named Victoria in your capable hands. Victoria is special and an important asset to the agency and anyone else who might know her secret.

 

After leaving Victoria in a "Secure" location, you set off to find out who wants this girl and why in a series of perplexing environments and impossible situations. (Yeah, that's about it.......seriously?!!)

 

INTERFACE



 

The menu system in this game is all too familiar as one would expect. A title page with your main options as in most games. (Besides the sexy shower scene depicted behind the text) The inner game interface is one more often than not has been seen before. Weapons and ammunition are shown using the D pad and there are multiple slots within for your stored armoury. In an easy, although somewhat derivative manner, weapons are accessible on the go, giving 47 a lot of choices.

 

VISUAL

 

Hitman Absolution is a game to be remembered by its graphical textures and impeccable environments. 47 himself looks fantastic. Although seeming limited in facial expression, (47 and everyone else) the mood and emotion of the characters still shine through. Enemy combatants are well rendered, but have a lack of variety one would hope for. It seems as though developers were expecting you to focus more on 47 visually than on whom he was killing. Aside from this, the environment textures and civilians brought a sense of a world that was "lived in", so to say. Weapons and kill sequences gave a great variety for me, making my experience occasionally worthwhile.

 

CONTENT

 

Hitman Absolution seems with this title that they want to take a new "stab" at this franchise by introducing some new gadgets, but also falling back to what they "assume" their core fanbase would like. In doing so, IO totally alienates anyone who has never played a Hitman game before. Lets go over the pro's and con's.

PRO: The weapon system in this game is remarkable. Almost anything can and will be used as a tool or weapon/projectile. From drug syringes and baseball bats to axes and fire extinguishers, can be your ticket to a satisfying termination. Also, the disguise system is an exceptional part of Hitman. Being able to wear the clothing of a man you've killed to bypass others like him is a welcome mechanic and can create many fun challenges. Hiding or disposing of corpses is also a fan favourite. It can be very rewarding and allows for more options for tackling an objective.

CON: The cons are ashamedly the same as the pros sorry to say. The weapon system, a lot like many other titles, suffers from over exposure. Too many options leads to either confusion to a casual gamer or favouritism in a seasoned vet. You find yourself using the same weapons over and over to take out enemies, because unlike other big name titles, Hitman decided to use a board to board campaign. At the end of every "Chapter", you are scored on what weapons you were able to use, costumes you wore and level of kill you were able to achieve. To some this is the spice of life.......to the other 95% of gamers......hell in a hand basket.

I was taken out of the game completely after every acheved goal in order for them to tell me how bad or good I was doing. Most games leave that part until the end and/or have a selection in the menu screen allowing me to track my challenges and point level. Then I encountered the "Disguise" mechanic. On the surface this idea seems like it would make for a phenomenal advantage for our unstoppable assassin, but what lies underneath is a total fail. Sure you can change clothes and blend in with your enemies.....for about 3 seconds. Somehow everyone on the police force for a metropolis knows what every other police man looks like. Even using the "Instinct Mode", which is supposed to hide your identity as you cover your face and slink past, doesn't fool these guys. Its frustrating to a large degree in my opinion. Not only did these things ruin the game for me, but the staggering incline in difficulty was unsustainable.

I didn't feel powerful like an ultimate assassin or super human, until I changed the difficulty from normal to easy. I feel as though IO Interactive was waining on familiarity for former Hitman players and were not trying to make advancements to the degree most "Re-Imaginings" are taking these days. ie; TombRaider (check previous review) The game also has an "Assassination" mode, where you take on individual and/or multiple targets in competition for the leaderboards. Although an interesting addition, I for one did not want to play anymore after finishing the main story.

Okay...enough with my rant.

AUDIO

 

Hitman in the audio department, aside from its lack in game play ingenuity, hits the right note. From the main score down to the situational ambiance, they are on key. The proper emotions are depicted at the proper time as you would hope. The weapon report are astonishing against the flat and at most times boring VO's (Voice Over). All weapons sound and look as invasive as they should. If only the actors weren't so slow and robotic during main scenes. There seems to be an attempt to bring out emotion and variety in the characters, but they fall short. I've had a hard time connecting to our protagonist Agent 47, as one should seeing as how he shouldn't emote, but from the "get go" he emoted way too much. (Spoiler Alert) After he didn't finish off Diana at the beginning of the game for some untold emotional reason, I just fell off caring. Probably another reason why I just went to easy mode and started blowing f*%kers away. The enemies are by far the worst. Great scripting with shitty actors = shitty story. All I wanted to do by the end of this heap was just get it over with so I could find out how the story ended.....not unlike skipping to the last chapter of a crappy book cause you've already invested time in reading it.

 

CONTROL

 

Controlling 47 was about as fun as a root canal. Being a cover based shooter, I would have expected more. The cover system did have its advantages, but was also flawed in many ways. For instance; coming to the edge of cover, instead of stopping with the option to turn the corner, 47 automatically turns the corner opening him up for bullets. Having to inch forward trying not to turn and be seen was distracting, especially in a game where strategy is the key. Hitman acts as many 3rd person shooters do, with an over the shoulder reticule, able to switch from left flank to right with an analogue click. This is familiar, so in most ways the combat was easy to adjust to. Trying to sneak up on an enemy and "Garrote" him with your wire left me almost sitting on his left shoe panicking that he would see me...scrambling to get behind him.....AND THEN HE DIDN'T EVEN SEE ME!!!!

Up your life game IO Interactive.......all your bass are belong to us!!!



 





OVERALL RATING - 2.5 OUT OF 5 

 

Feel free to leave comments or suggestions below:

 

 





 





Tomb Raider (2013) Review

INTERFACE - 3 out of 5

VISUAL - 4.5 out of 5

CONTENT 4 out of 5

AUDIO - 3.5 out of 5

CONTROL - 4 out of 5

In the vast expanse that is the gaming world, few if any main protagonists stay in the forefront of the human mind,let alone one of the female persuasion. One of the exceptions of this paradox would be Lara Croft. Two decades of half mediocre and half progressive titles with this buxom temptress, have left most gamers wanting more. Until now...

Published by Square Enix and developed by Crystal Dynamics, comes Tomb Raider (2013). A solid and incomprehensible leap in a franchise more bountiful and rich than most can appreciate. Beginning in the 90's on the PS1, Tomb Raider was a marvel in technology bringing gamers into a 3D world they had not seen before. Looking back it was a monumental achievement for its developers and for consumers the like. Square Enix though has taken an evolutionary step as to "Reboot" this title and breathe a whole new life into a seemingly dying empire.

We start with Lara. A twenty something, exceedingly gorgeous wannabe adventurer setting off aboard a sea faring vessel known as the Endurance. Along with a crew of science and muscle, Lara sets off to help a desperate (and bankrupt) archaeologist find the lost kingdom of Yamatai, to uncover the resting place of its former ruler the Shaman Queen Himiko aka The Sun Queen. After dubious debate with her crew, Lara convinces them that they are to head toward a treacherous domain not unlike the Bermuda triangle, aptly named "Dragons Triangle". After hitting a life threatening storm we find ourselves shipwrecked on an unknown island.

With no supplies or ammunition to spare, we set upon this questionable landscape in search of our goal. But all is not as it seems. This mysterious land is inhabited by a group of lost souls, a cult that call themselves the Solarii. A group that plans to release the demon Sun Queen in hopes of lifting a curse on the island allowing them to escape. But the only way to do this is to sacrifice the rightful heir to the Queens throne. Sam. Lara's best friend and counterpart is kidnapped by the Solarii and it is up to you to save her and the rest of your friends or the world is lost.

INTERFACE

The menu's and inner game interface are not unlike any you have seen before. This is not a surprise seeing as many if not all games fall back on what people know. Unlike my previous review of Dead Space 3, Tomb Raider uses a basic menu system and somewhat intuitive system for inventory. Gadgets and weapons are easily accessible so as not to leave Lara vulnerable in tight situations. Being able to switch weapons on the fly is not a new concept, but it seems as though Crystal Dynamics made it easy and necessary to do so.

VISUAL

Tomb Raider in a few words is visually stunning. Right from the lighting effects and character animations down to the terrain and environmental textures. The opening cut scene alone gives foreshadow to the gritty, bloody and often times downright smutty violence found within the single player experience. This pugilistic endeavour is matched only by the use of a dynamic camera (along the likes of the Uncharted series PS3), making your adventure seem alot more like a movie than a game. The only thing that holds this title back at a visual stand point is the lack of colour. At most points and areas throughout this world, the colour pallet suffers into a depressing and often bland use of earthy tones tied with the dark of night. It seems as though they were going for a darker tone to set the mood, but it would have been nice to get some greener vistas to break up the emotion.

CONTENT

The level of content in this game however, left almost nothing to want. The RPG style upgrade system (known to most next-gen titles now) makes for and enjoyable progressionary jump that previous Croft titles were missing. It seems most big budget titles emerging nowadays, are taking a more complete approach to their projects. Including weapons upgradability and character upgradability was a smart choice on behalf of the developers. From silencers and increased ammo capacity with weapons to environmental awareness (treasures, hidden rooms and animal detection) to hand to hand combat upgrades and combos, all making Lara seem more "BADASS" as the game moves forward. The aspect that grabbed my attention were the main weapons of course. Leading the pack was the Bow. The way they integrated the bow in Tomb Raider was ingenious. In most games the large array of weapon choices leaves you tied down to your favourites, leaving all the others almost useless. Every weapon in this game has its desired usefulness and you find yourself going back and forth between them depending on your situation.I cannot forget to add that the Survivor Instinct button helps indelibly in almost every environment you find yourself in. Being able to locate your current objective and/or hidden treasures in the area is a remarkable addition. The AI was also an immense achievement as I never felt as though they were scripted and tied to a point of reference as I know they were. I wont spoil too much, as discovering these things for yourself will bring a satisfactory reward.

AUDIO

The score in this game was not all I had expected it to be. It doesn't fail by any means but also doesn't leave me in awe. The situational ambiance and main track are fluid and convey the proper emotion, but I didn't find myself humming the tune after Id turned off the game. ( As I did with Uncharted) On the other hand, the weapon and environmental sounds made this game come to life. I felt that all the weapons sounded powerful, although didn't seems as powerful visually. That said, effects were as one would expect. To talk of VO however, (Voice Overs) I felt they were lacking. In intense action sequences the actors seemed to have the proper motivation, but in regular dialogue is where the talent seemed to drop off. Lines were delivered in almost robotic fashion at times leaving me feeling nothing for the supporting characters. Lara's character representation was almost without a doubt flawless with leaving you a little underwhelmed at times.

 

CONTROL

Controlling Lara was a treat. The Dynamic camera gave a feeling of humanity at most points and didn't really take away from the experience more than it added to it. Forcing you at pinnacle cave raiding moments  to adhere to their camera choice gave a feeling of entrapment and unsureness's one would expect from being in her place. I never felt trapped by the camera, especially in combat sequences and always felt empowered to impose my will on opponents. From the traversing obstacles and opponents to puzzles, Tomb Raider has a little bit for everyone and I implore you to give this title a chance. ( Please do not support multiplayer for games that don't need it.....thank you)

OVERALL RATING - 4 OUT OF 5

Feel free to leave comment or suggestions below
Also check out this already released demo of the game:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBt7m3aYZw0