Whoever gives this game less than a 7 or 8 has clearly no skills in stealth gaming. I've seen a lot of users complain about not being able to play this game stealthy and getting spotted every time. Well, guess what? You simply don't know how to play it and don't understand it's mechanics. Of course it's not a flawless game. There are minor bugs/glitches here and there and the AI doesn't always act smart, but all in all this is a great game with a pretty good storyline and beautiful graphics. You may have more of the sandbox feel in Blood Money, but that doesn't take away from the fun Hitman: Absolution brings to the table. If you like some challenging stealth game-play or action packed shootouts, this game is for you!… Expand

Hitman Absolution is great in the beginning... but the later missions don't capture the feel and excitement of Hitman at all! However this is still a good fun game and the multiplayer is definitely something new, interesting and cool!

I think the best thing that Absolution did, and was stray a little off the path from the other games in the vastly popular franchise that is Hitman, and it certainly needed to be.
After a vastly unpopular film adaption, and a six year hiatus, something needed to give, and a standalone current generation game was the answer, a creative, innovative and wildly entertaining adventure that puts what can be described as an underdog series of games, on track to compete with the best.
Agent 47 continues his tumulus journey as the silent assassin working for the agency, but when he is sent on a mission he doesn't fully understand, he starts to question the company he works for, but most of all he starts to question his life.
When he learns of the existence of the mysterious Victoria, a girl who seems to have been chemically engineered and with a trail leading back to the agency, 47 travels the world searching for answers and letting nobody stand in his way, setting up a thrilling and often frustrating adventure.
The game offers vastly different and thoughtful scenarios to approach each and every mission, sure, take out your silverballers and shoot the place up until your heart is content, but why not garrotte a guard, hide him in a bin and steal his uniform? Or why not sabotage a piano lid to fall onto a guards head, and even subtly contaminate the drugs of a target and stand in the background and watch him meet his maker? The opportunities available are truly endless, which makes replaying missions all the more fun, and creative.
The story moves at a steady pace and plays out as if this could be a sort of reckoning for the rest of the games, as 47, for much of the game, ditches the iconic black suit and full-buttoned shirt with red tie for a more gritty and off the grid outlaw persona, all reflections of how the game plays out.
The game is truly beautiful to look at, whether your inside beachfront villas or getting soaked in the dank streets of a city, there is always something new to see and different ways to utilise your surroundings.
The game almost plays to flawless but with a few minor hiccups. Sometimes the movement of 47 feels too retro and cardboard, and at times the mission setup is never quite clear. There is also the ongoing problem of these current generation games trying to be cinematic, thats fine right up until pivotal moments are taken away from the player and left to a cutscene, we do the hard work, but don't worry, the game has no problem robbing you of that prize at the end of the finish line, more power to the players!
But with this onboard, and quite an interesting Contracts mode within the multiplayer aspect of the game, Hitman; Absolution could well indeed divide the large fan base it holds down to its vastly different direction of gameplay, with no real open-world aspects, but for me this was definitely a good choice as the surroundings truly can be used by any means necessary.
With a solid story and very gritty and varied approach compared to recent entries, Absolution is hopefully the start of bigger and better things to come for out most deadly assassin, and it was brilliant to see such an excellent return to form for the series.… Expand

I'm still playing Hitman Blood Money 7yrs on, every level is such a joy to replay through again and again. Unfortunately the same can't be said about Hitman Absolution. It's not like a Hitman game and the levels are very linear story driven trash that aren't even worth a second play through. AVOID this game, rent it or buy it second hand, don't waste your money. Hitman Blood Money is a masterpiece, Absolution is a total disaster that has killed a once great franchise.… Expand

A poor addition to the Hitman franchise. Hitman was a series that didn't need changing, it was as if IO Interactive have never heard of the old saying "If it's not broke don't fix it" Everything that made Hitman so great and unique has been removed and replaced with material copied from other gaming franchises. As a result Hitman Absolution is very similar to Splintercell Conviction rather than a Hitman game. The big open sandbox levels have been replaced with heavily scripted linear levels so it can tell a story. Previous Hitmans were all about gameplay, Absolution is more about a story. The story was like it was written by Steve Stiffler from the American Pie films, very childish sick gross out trying to be edgy but fails. In my opinion games should always be about gameplay, if i want a story i'll watch a DVD or go to the cinema. The less i say about the broken AI the better.… Expand

Simply the worst Hitman in the series, it's not even really a Hitman game. All the fun of Hitman, the big open sandbox levels that encourage exploration are gone, weapon select at the start of each level is gone, the cool music from Jesper Kyd is gone. Hitman games were always game play over story, Absolution is story over game play (it's not even a good story). Most of it encourages sneaking about without being seen trying to make it from one door to the next, it's just no fun and nothing like a Hitman game.… Expand

This game got stupiest AI i ever seen in modern games. Even trash COD got more intelligent targets to kill Story bored. Plz don't buy this trash.

I made an account just to let people know to avoid this, or atleast only rent it. This is basically just Kane & Lynch 3 with lousy stealth system.
This game doesn't succeed in anything, not as a shooter nor as a stealth game, and it certainly does not succeed as a mix of both. Broken, below average & very forgettable game.
You dont have missions, you just go through rather linear and boring story which you can complete in one evening.
People have to be pretty braindead to give this better reviews than they did for Kane & Lynch.
Horrible all around.… Expand

I stand by my 8, previously. Not what i thought but once i adjusted to it, it was pretty good. Great variation of killing people. My only gripe is the story felt like it was taking a backseat to the gameplay, and I usually play games for the story so this disappointed me a bit. Other than that, a great game. Excellent graphics and no drop of frame-rate, even with 100's of people on the screen. (When I occasionally got bored of sneaking to kill, I played it like a shooter,and I had tons more fun)… Expand

Well were do i start.., Hitman, a series with an epic pedigree, games that just seemed to have got better with every incarnation, until now. This evolution of the series should 've been it finest hour but unfortunately didn't turn out to be the case. Lets break it down: Graphics:- For the series, the best so far by miles, very affective lighting, solid character models really quite good physics and generally a pleasant place to spend time.

Sound:-
From the streets of Chinatown to the bodies riddled clubs/bars, even the (and i use the word lightly) "open" spaces echo and hum quite nicely with ambient noises. The Plot:-
Is to say the least, very thin on the ground, i mean it feels like they decided to try a reboot rather than a new incarnation of what was a well established and quite popular franchise.

The game play:-
"Cough"..., I'm not saying it's all bad, as a matter of fact some of the sequences/locations do give you that old hitman feeling, a little exploration, a little observation then "whack/pop/bang/boom" or what ever your preferred (noise) means of assassination is but generally, most of the, take your time and plan the perfect "silent assassin" kill, leave the level undetected and even read about it in the paper. Seems to have been left in the mortuary at the end of "Blood Money". It sadly seems to have gone like most games of recent years, as in appeal to a wider audience "ala" Resident Evil, Dead Space Mass Effect, to name a few aiming, for a slice of the Call of Duty pie. The game's multiplayer component isn't bad, i get the impression this was developed for the previous vision in the older games, large open areas to play and explore, decide who your victim(s) is/are going to be, figure out the best or just most satisfying way to eradicate them. However this is a bit of a missed opportunity souly due to the limited playing area in each of the small sections of checkpoint based level design.

Like most recent update a missed opportunity to hammer home a the fact that this is a series that should be here for many iterationsto come.… Expand

O único jogo Stealth que você mata alguém e pode não ser notado, a interação com o cenário ótima, não presenciei um único bug, e o modo Contratos bem divertido.

I am a Hitman purist. I have played all the previous titles many times over. They are fantastic games, flawed for sure, but for the patient, thoughtful, creative, VIOLENT gamer, there is no better series out there. Hitman: Absolution manages to fix a big handful of those flaws, such as the addition of melee combat, a brilliant scoring system, and a user generated contract mode that will seem pointless for casual players and thrilling for purists such as myself. Unfortunately, IO Games got more wrong than right this time around. In fact, they seem to have lost touch with what made Hitman so great in the first place. What was that fine quality we loved in the previous titles? Well crafted, non linear levels that offered lots of routes to eliminating your target(s); a feeling of total supreme power over the environment, which could come crashing down with one false move; freedom to choose your equipment and approach before ever setting foot in the world; and a story that is subtle yet immersive, interesting but totally unnecessary and easy to skip over if you choose. This is where IO has failed. While there are a spare handful of levels that live up to the series' legacy, much of the game is just hiding for the sake of hiding, with no targets to eliminate and levels that feel more like a long hallway than a sandbox. A long, detailed approach to your target is one thing, but once you've been playing for a couple hours and realized you've just been hiding from the police, the game begins to feel like a chore. The feeling of power is gone. The joy of exploring your environment is replaced by the desire to finish the bad levels to see if IO included any good ones. There are some 20 levels in the game, with perhaps 1/3 of them being enjoyable, 1/3 forgettable, and 1/3 tedious. Gone is the option to choose your own equipment, and the alternate "Contracts" mode allows you to choose from a very spare list of guns, and then only ONE. IO's biggest, saddest, most head shaking/face-palming move in Absolution is the story. Instead of focusing on making really excellent levels and gameplay, IO seems to have focused on making Absolution play like a movie, in the vein of Max Payne 3 (which didn't suit that title, either) or Grand Theft Auto 4 (which only worked in that title because the gameplay has never been a strong suit for the series). Complete with opening credits, B-list voice actors, long and frequent cut scenes, unlikeable and unconvincing characters, and a ridiculous and pointless plot, Hitman strives for Hollywood greatness at the expense of its gaming roots, and fails again. So many great details are missing, such as the safehouse/garden shed, which is now just a menu. Or the sniper case. Or the map. Or doors that can be closed. Keyholes. In many cases, just having a target! I'm glad IO just released the HD Hitman Collection, as I have been yearning for it on PS3 for years. It should keep me entertained long after I get bored with Absolution, probably in another week or two, and before the probably very LONG wait for Hitman 6. I hope IO learns from their mistakes on this title and goes back to what made the series great in the first place.… Expand

What a great game! Wow! I wanted to play a Hitman game since the first one. It was above my expectations. The story was very weak, but I'm a huge gamer, and the level design was one of the best I saw in my life.

I really liked SOME of the missions. However I was a bit disappointed with how absurdly many guards there were in like ALL locations ALL the time. I would have appreciated some calm missions where more focus was put on actually planning the hit instead of trying to avoid guards. Most locations are gorgeous, and I guess the replay value is OK. I'll give it a 7 for now.

WHAT A GAME! The graphics are outstanding, with a solid 30fps in all the situations, the game history is amazing, the best game that you can buy in the begin of 2013.

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. In the aftermath of Hitman: Blood Money, Diana Burnwood, Agent 47's handler with the International Contract Agency, suddenly goes rogue, carrying out a catastrophic sabotage that includes publicly exposing the Agency. The Agency reforms under agent Benjamin Travis; Travis contracts a kill order on Diana, assigning 47 to make the hit and bring Victoria, a teenage girl in her care, to the Agency. Shooting and wounding Diana in her home, 47 hesitates before killing her, and she asks 47 to take a letter she wrote and keep Victoria from the Agency. So Agent 47 is to assassinate any target that could harm Victoria and at the same time stay undervocer from the agency. Along the way, you get introduced to the most ridicoulous personalities and that with slapdash performances. |6.5/10| Beautiful environments and lightning effects really impressess at times, the cutscenes are also well executed with terrific camera work. The downside though is that most of the voice cast is terrible, the only acceptable one i Agent 47. |8/10| Where the other Hitman games have always shined is the gameplay mechanics, Absolution is no exception. Solid controls with an environment that lets you take on any mission your own way is really something different from what we have come to expect out of Absolution, though it might be the greatest thing about it. The stealth mechanic is one of the best out there since the first Hitman game, too bad the enemies can be unbelievably stupid at times. |10/10| A long campaign with enough variety and different ways to complete missions will have you hooked for a long time, and with a new mode called "Contracts" where players can create their own contracts with different goals is really engaging. |9/10| ________________________ PRESENTATION: 6.5 DESIGN: 8 GAMEPLAY: 10 LASTING APPEAL: 9 ________________________ The Good: + Decent presentation + Good visuals + Fantastic gameplay + Great stealth mechanic + Lots of variety ________________________ The Bad: - Ridicoulous personalities - Flat story - Terrible voice cast - Stupid AI ________________________ |8.3/10| Great… Expand

This game is a stealth game (for you people that think it is a shooter), a great stealth game at that! The cover system is very similar to that of Deus Ex: Human Revolution, and the guns are just for show really. This was my very first hitman and altough i would like to see more open levels and more accidental kills it is still a great enjoyable polished game everyone should play. So go buy it damn it!… Expand

Hitman: Absolution is a great game with excellent stealth elements and gameplay. This is the first time i have played a game in the Hitman franchise and I wasn't disappointed. The story hooks you in as you try to escape from the Agency and rescue Victoria. IO Interactive have tried to make the game easier for newbies and other players to pick up the controller and play with added features such as instinct and point shooting. However if you find these additions making the game to easy then you can turn them off to play like the originals. Although this game has been executed well, the disguise system is flawed. I know they were trying to go for more realism but its like every single guard or enemy knows every single of their comrades. But overall it's one of the best games of 2012.… Expand

all i can say is that the wait was worthed and worthed to full price. why? 30+ hours of single player and you can have 60,100 hours because theres a insane ammount of ways to do your objective you can play each level in hundred different ways and so you can replay and replay and have new experience. the downside is the disguise system isnt what i was used to be, but lets be honest here, on previous titles it almost made you like in god mode, now it works but you've limits, its meant now for last resort and sudden situations where you stumble into an enemy. you can't choose loadouts on SP but you can on contracts mode, wich is the same of SP but you've more freedom. lenghty, fun and sandbox....... you'll find yourself playing it for years!!… Expand

ill be honest i did enjoy the game a bit. . until i remembered how awesome BM was.. imagine GTA series, that game was enjoyed by almost everyone due its freedom. You can basically do anything you want! wooh! what happens if GTA became this 3rd person shooter with some driving mechanics with very pretty but linear levels. i know fans will rage as this has be done a few hundreds of times now in this gen.
Hitman has turned into a stealth game.. a fricking stealth game with some assassinations. not an assassin simulator with stealth mechanics (which i fricking love)
In this game you'll be mostly going around beautiful environments (tho smaller than whats seen in BM contracts and SA) and dodging a bunch of walking obstacles all while trying to cosplay. (they specifically told us in E3 that you can "hide in plain sight".. this is a lie. if you played this game you know dang well you cant do that here while attempting to play the game properly.. you know with disguises?)
attempting to sneak by these walking obstacles while wearing the same outfit as them will result in bullet-to-face-gitis for 47 or punch-to-the-face-o-roids fo the poor guard/policeman/grunt/whatever who has this keen sense of.. 6th sense that can instantly tell you're not really one of "them" even with a mask/helmet, but a pissed off assassin attempting to.. uh. sneak past so.. uh. he can do stuff.. while i know 47 is on the run so this game doesnt really have the "contracts" we usually play around in for the agency but WTF the game is called hitman.. not sneakman.. they could have at least gave us 70% of the 9hrs (i replayed levels that i enjoyed the most.. the ones where you kill people) the game gives us as assassinations.. instead we sneak around the levels and dodge people with the terrible disguise system.
Contracts was quite enjoyable for the first 2 hours.. then it got boring.
overall.. 6/10
idk i just like some parts and the game can be fun tho its not bloodmoney.. sigh. what could have been in the right hands.… Expand

It was nice to see a old friend return, i'm a big fan of the Hitman series, so after playing blood money I thought, "You know what, lets go and get a old friend." So I switched off my Playstation 2, and bought the game at 50 bucks. Jumping into the game, I instantly recognized the graphics, the game looks good. The crowds are detailed, the lighting is great and when you hit someone with a glass, you see the glass explode into the head, and the tiny cuts and the big wounds and blood spattered across their face. Many people complain about how 47 now has feelings, and the story is more personal than others. Well they haven't played Hitman 2: Silent Assassin, as that game revolved around saving a priest you care about. So gameplay, gameplay is how you want. Stealthy, rambo (Though if you do rambo, then please stop, its a stealth game -_-) Stealth is more rewarding when you send down a target, making it look like a accident and walking away in your awesome new threads. The game is also broken down. Levels are broke up into sections, and instinct mode is here. Instinct is like wall hack, it can be turned off in the options like I did. I'm giving this a 8/10, for fun gameplay and reminding us we dont need full machine gun awesome robot murder destruction, for a fun game.… Expand

I really am someone who loves the Hitman series. I found every previous Hitman game either great or brilliant.. Of course, this game is different than previous Hitman games. If this game wasn't called Hitman, it may have been perfect. But is was called Hitman, and as a result it was a minor disappointment, but overall if was still a phenomenal game. There is tons of replayability in that you will constantly be trying to either better your score, attempt to get a silent assassin rating or simply complete challenges. You may even just enjoy the atmosphere of a level. This game wasn't spot on with all of it's features, with the Instinct feature occasionally crippling the exploration, one of the key elements of the Hitman experience, but if you learn to adapt to how this game works, you will find one of the best games on the PS3.… Expand

This is one of the worst stories in gaming history. It would have been better if Hitman was a kid and he had to get the 6 stones of fate because every 300 years the dragon Whogivsafuk returns. And as other reviews mentioned the detect system is insane, do cops know what every cop on the force looks like, I THINK NOT!

That being said I still enjoyed this game immensly. I actually got my 60 bucks worth out of it. Sure it isn't as open as Blood Money, but then again Blood Money was insanely difficult and the controls have been much improved. I do miss the headlines about the mass murderer or the ghost. The multiplayer aspect of this game is what makes this game gold. I cannot think of another multiplayer game that has held my interest as much as this that wasn't either an fps or on the SNES. They just need to implement an algorithm so instead of just playing the newest or most liked hits you could play the most popular, which would be likes divided by the length of time posted.… Expand

This product is a piece of crap, if you don't believe me just click on

http://forums.eidosgames.com/showthread.php?t=130498

IT'S UNPLAYABLE!!...I'll never buy again something from Eidos or Square Enix.

Very much depressed about this, I was expecting much more that I received for my duggets. I have played all of the hitman series. Let's say that games really have come a long way, and I understand that the old ways are still very valid. What I will not say though, is that this game is very good. It is sub par in many areas that it really should be, but all in all still fun. Visually it is stunning at times, really lack luster in others. Grievances that have been stated about AI and killing when hidden with all enemies knowing are right on. Why in the year 2012, do we still deal with silly crap game design. Thank you to the people who poured themselves into the game, please read what people say here, and make changes for the better for future 47 enjoyment.… Expand

This game is a blast. I've never had so much fun bashing people's skull in with a brink. You can pretty much pick up and use anything as a weapon. You can throw objects in an area to distract an enemy, or you can throw a knife and kill an enemy. You can also kill you main target in clever ways, like sabotaging a remedy to help cure hair lose with fire paste. Contract mode is a nice little addition in which you can create or play other peoples contract. I've barely touched contract mode, so I can't really give an opinion on it. My only minor complaint is the disguise system. Even though you can have a mask on, people will still detect you, which can be annoying, but that complaint is very minor. All in all this is a very fun game, and I highly recommend it.… Expand

hitman is an absolutely great game. yes it is very repetitive but truly great. it has a great plot great missions and a brilliant peformance from agent 47. all your targets are horrbile nasty buggers who deserve their cummupence and the levels are so vast with so much to do and the game is one of the hardest ive played on ps3 in a generation where games are becoming very easy. while the ending isnt great it sets up the for a sequel which has already been announced which i am looking forward too. while the campaign is of a decent length contracts will keep you playing. it is a great mode and the amount of contracts avaliable is never ending and while some of very easy some are very hard and contracts is gonna be crammed in 6mounths time. creati your own contracts is also very fun and competing with others for the best score is great load of fun. overall absolution is a great game with bothe brilliant singleplayer and multiplayer modes which ewill keep you going for a long time.the amount of possibilities in both modes add to time spent. some will not enjoy this and will go in all guns blazing and that is not the hitman way. this wont appeal to fps fanatics and it is not essential but it is a great game which i reccomend.… Expand

THE GAME IS GOOD IN ALL ASPECTS ESPECIALLY THE KILLING THE AI AND ALSO THE GRAPHICS ARE EXCELLENT THE ONLY CON OF THE GAME IS THE STORY CUZ THE STORY IS SHORT OR IS NOT THAT INTERESTING NOT THE BEST HITMAN GAME EVER BUT IF YOU LOVE STEALTH YOU'LL LOVE IT THIS GAME IS A 9.5 FOR ME SINCE THERE IS NO 9.5 IN METACRITIC I GIVE IT A 10!!! -----akashpunkfanno1

I never played any of the other Hitman games, so I have no base to compare to. That being said, I really had high expectations with Absolution. I thought it would have a kind of "Assassins Creed feel" to it, but this is not the case. Killing, of course, is the main objective of the game's chapters though they don't play as smoothly as I expected. I mean, they made a very rich universe, filled with opportunities that have the sole purpose of driving us to creative skills. But (at least for me) this never happens. I don't know, maybe I am not playing it well, but nothing works as planed for me. I am always caught and all the missions usually end in an "Uncharted-esque" way. And I am not rushing. I take my time, studying the environment, the targets, their behaviour etc etc; I try to blend, to disguise etc etc but it just never works. I am not saying I want an easy game, I just wanted the scenarios to be a more coherent stage of events, that's all. This game is gorgeous, plays beautifully and we do get a LOT of options and ideas of "how to kill", I just never get an actual chance to do that. Also, it just makes no sense to be PUNISHED for killing in a game in which you are supposed to kill...… Expand

Could have been great, isn't. The game on the joke is pretty good but the little frustrations at the beginning become major by the end. Disguises, pointless, They see you anyway. Stealth, pointless, more fun to shoot them. Missions, not very engaging, you really don't have to think too hard. The worst part is it's too easy. I got the platinum trophy in no time. Once you've done a few contracts tbh they become a little bit on the same side. I loved Blood Money and couldn't wait for this. But this is everything that game isn't. Not a lot of replay value as a lot of the missions are linear to say the least. Blood Money levels had days of replay because of the ridiculous amount of ways you could kill people. All in all, could have been brilliant. Just misses by putting in a main mission so linear it's like playing Final Fantasy 13 all over again.… Expand

I've played every Hitman game since Hitman 2 and i love the series. Absolution trys to do some new things but takes away two key features that i think fans of the series just must have in the game. One is no more choosing your wepon load outs from your safe house. That was always a cool feature of just looking through your vast selection of wepons and deciding what you wanted to take on your next mission. Two would be the mission maps are much smaller. Prevous Hitman games had you just dropped off in a level which was pretty big and said this is your taget hear is some info now go find him and kill him on how you see fit .Now Absolution takes more of a story based play through which the story is not bad and the game over all is still kind of fun but part of that old Hitman feel was kinda lost. Graphically Absolution looks great and is also voice acted very well too. I did enjoy the game and it is worth playing but i think most fans will find the older Hitman games like Blood Money far more fun. Infact i find myself can't waiting to Play the Hitman HD collection just so i can play Blood Money again over wanting to play Absolution.… Expand

Hitman: Absolution isn't a game changer. It won't inspire game mechanics for years to come. It won't be copied in the way that the likes of Call of Duty and Grand Theft Auto have come to be. It isn't a revolutionary game - but as an evolution of the franchise and Agent 47's story, it

So you are undecised about buying the game?
Did you played the previous games? NO? Buy this one then. You'll love the experience and it's definitely one of those products that will leave you thinking that your money was well spent as so much challenge and content (including the Sniper Challenge mini-game) can be found in it.

But if you loved Blood Money and expect some of the same? GO TAKE A HIKE YOU MORON. Have you read Bloodmoney 2 anywhere? Haven't you seen the extensive videos released many months before the release date? You want more Bloodmoney GO INSTALL IT AND PLAY IT AND STOP WHINING.

Now... the more correct puntuaction would be 8,5. Here's my negative points concerning this game.

1. The decision of the developers of dividing a level into sections is not of my pleasing. But it would be OK if they managed to let the actions to be carry onto from one section to another, affecting the behavior of the NPCs in each section.

2. Many times i felt that the I.A. should be more dynamic. Big AAA games must always push the boundaries of gaming mechanics, and that wasn't met.

3. Little details like the Mary Poppins effect (try to hide a big ass gun in your coat and pass through a disco bouncer... i think there's a petition in EIDOS forums to bring back the Sniper Case), and little stuff concerning the realism of the experience.

AH... and forget the complaints about the user-activated checkpoint system... A TRUE HITMAN PLAYS IN PURIST MODE were none of that %&?# is available.

Surely one of the best of 2012 and my personal GOTY.… Expand

I personally loved this game. And mind you that this is coming from a hitman fan since Contracts. The AI for me was pretty realistic, there were maybe 1 or 2 moments where I was really wondering how the computer detected me but overall I liked the levels a lot. Your play style greatly influences the amount of points you recieve. And of course the silent assassin gets you the most. Overall, fantastic game.… Expand

While it's not like the traditional Hitman experience, it does enough to stand out and be above average. They've made the game more cinematic, sadly this has affected how main targets are taken out, although while I was cool with it, I know that many purist Hitman fans will hate this fact. Still, this game IS really entertaining, the story won't bore you, the gameplay and different opportunities will offer plenty and it's all made better with great sound. Also, it should be said that this is still a stealth game, try to shoot your way through the entire game and you're gonna have a bad time. I suppose there's not much else to say, while it isn't the true Hitman experience, you won't get anything closer elsewhere at the moment. To conclude, beautiful visuals, fun gameplay, entertaining story mixed with sometimes frustrating segments and weird design this game gets an 8/10 from me.… Expand

The detection system sucks, you re enemies have ultimate mutant megavision. I strangled a guy in the toilet, no one around, but everyone in the vicinity instantly knew exactly where I was the second he died. It's as if you don't complete things the way the game intends it brands you with a YOU ARE DOING IT WRONG and makes it impossibly hard to finish.

The previous Hitman games kinda gave you a sense of "You are the hitman, take him out as you please"… Expand

About a quarter of the way through and so far each mission gets better and more amazing this is my first Hitman game but the best part is it really sells the whole "taking some one out" and even better the whole "I have to get out of here and the entire city's police are out looking for me." If you're looking for a really cool game this holiday, can't recommend Hitman enough!!!

This game is awesome , at the start people said it was gonna be to easy , well they were wrong this game is still hard as the old ones! No bugs , it has an interesting storyline , AWESOME gameplay and camron12 says we spend 80% of the time not killing (Thats not true) and hitman game is about patience 8If you wana be stealthy) or you can just pick the 2 pistols and just start killing everyone

Overall it's really great but I felt as if they used some of the easiest gimmicks of the genre and didn't really use them as much as they could. Also, I guess I expected more action and better plot.

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The game was fun it a unique way.... I wont compare it to the other games in the series because its not a remake and the game play has to synch up with the story, which was dark and gritty. Personally i hate the cliche "save the girl theme" Ive seen too many times but i felt compelled to finish the story and make it right... overall good job Dev's you mixed things up and delivered a solid entry in a legendary franchise… Expand

This game absolutely sucks. Everything that was good about hitman has been removed. A waste of money. COD kiddies will love this game, serious gamers will hate it.

Hitman is a very good game, however in this game you dont play for the violence but for the very satisfaction of a job well done. I would give it a solid 9 out of ten. I am on the 12th level and I am enjoying the game play. Its challenging and it forces you to try different things to complete the mission. How you complete it is entirely up to the gamer. It does take a while to ease into the game, thats probably why people felt it necessary to give it a negative score. In Hitman you will be rewarded with patience with a higher ranking score. To sum it up, Hitman is a certainly and engrossing game but may not be for everyone. You just couldn… Expand

This is the overlooked game of the year.

In a rebuttal to the negative critics I would say that the Hitman developers has not sold out to be a 'low rent MGS game' or a game that tries to be other action games or the ridiculous false claim that you spend 80% of the the time not assassinating people but watch them get killed in cutscenes - all these claims are not true after playing my first round of Hitman: Absolution.

I have played all three of the previous games: Hitman 2: Silent Assassin, Hitman: Contracts, and Hitman: Blood Money so I am a huge fan of the Hitman series and would know if IO has deviated from its formula. And I have to say that IO interactive somehow unified all the gameplay ,environment, and story elements from these three games and put it into Hitman: Absolution. The game has everything Hitman fans liked. This game played like a dream(on every level) and a big break from all these so called GOTY shooters. Another element of the game I liked is how they integrated a score system comparing your score to the average US score and World score. Very rarely would I want to play an action game again(even if it is GOTY) but this gives players incentive to be even more cautious and stealthy more so than Hitman: Blood Money.

This is the definitive Hitman game. My only complaint is that Jesper Kyd was not the music composer this time.… Expand

This game is fantastic. 98/100. Some people complain about rubbish AI but I've had no problems with, no glitches at all actually. There are multiple, big open levels with various ways to play, carefully planned accidents or gory improvised kills, it all works beautifully under he gorgeous Glacier engine. Hitman graphics have always been top of the line and Absolution is no different. The soundtrack is of course, superb again. And the five difficulty levels really do vary, very easy to spot the differences, No-one can complain the game is too easy or too hard, just really stupid if they do, because the range of difficulty is great for newcomers, casual gamer's and hardcore fans alike. Purist is absolutely mental.

The only negative points; instinct is quite cool but nothing on the old map which i do kinda miss and the checkpoint system is basically useless, however you don't even get player activated checkpoints on the higher difficulty levels, so that really is irrelevant for most of the difficulty levels. Replay-ability is excellent with almost 300 collectibles/challenges to do, play styles, disguise collection, play style, 47 upgrades, and of course trying to get Silent Assassin on every level. Not to mention Contracts mode, 50,000 contracts and counting, this game really never does end!

Far Cry 3 is immersive, Mass Effect went out with a bang, and Dishonored was a unique experience but Hitman really is game of the year. It's darkly funny, over the top, beautiful, packed with detail and variety and can be replayed countless times. Best game ever.… Expand

This is NOT a Hitman game. The levels are small an not really sand box ,the AI is bad, the story is bad, 95% of it is just BAD!!! You spend most of your time making your way from door to door avoiding people down narrow path ways to trigger the story.

I liked Hitman Blood Money so much i bought it twice, once on Playstation 2, then again on Xbox 360, still play it today. I bought Hitman Absolution on day of release and traded it in already it was that bad. All they needed to do was take Hitman Blood Money and improve the AI. Instead they took all the fun of Hitman out. Last game i ever buy from IO

This truly is an amazing game that deserves a GOTY award, Though it may not be exactly like game prior it's position in the series, it's not necessarily a bad thing. For instance Graphics, Story, and Ease of control are major enhancements that I couldn't go back to with blood money.

Though I do miss weapon attachments. (I do understand why their gone)

Pros: 1) its a stealth game, they are rare nowadays 2) the campaign have cool parts such as the terminus hotel and the attack of the saints 3) the contacts mode might give some hours of gameplay too.
Cons: 1) the disguise system is terrible, cops shouldn't even suspect whether you are a cop or not when you are dressed as one 2) the contracts mode could have been 1000 times better if you were able to choose a loadout before going to assassinate your target and if there were more maps than the linear ones of campaing 3) the NPCs aways do the exact same thing when you replay a level, their AI should have been unpredictable 4) the story sucks and have no creativity, I skipped 90% of the cutscenes after the first ones, tell me if I missed something 5) this game was mostly designed for an average gamer, not for the smart audience. This is my opinion, Hitman Absolution is absolutely not worth buying.… Expand

Hitman: Absolution is not by any means a bad game, but you have to compare it to earlier games in the series, and when compared to Blood Money, it's just a game that doesn't cut it. Gone are the smart ways to conceal or smuggle weapons into areas with guards or metal detectors, gone is the freedom of exploration one would have with different disguises (but even then there where restricted areas), gone are the customization and load out options before each mission, gone are the biggest sandbox levels with tons of exploration and accident options, gone is the map function (hello instinct), gone is the Hitman we knew and now we have a new Splinter Cellish game.… Expand

You may like this game if you were a fan of the previous titles, but it won't be for any of the same reasons. You are able to roam around freely in the typical Hitman sense on about 15% of the levels, the rest of them will have you constantly ducking and diving in corrugated linearity. However, even in the less linear levels, you will be lucky to find a disguise that will let you wonder and explore this seemingly beautiful world without the guards suddenly becoming suspicious and almost instantaneously opening fire on you with absolutely no regard for the safety of the general public. They also seem to recognize you when you have a helmet and sunglasses on your head with your back turned, so unless the guards have a canny ability to tell each and every colleague by the ridged grooves of their ass crack I… Expand

So disappointed in this game. Markets itself as a stealth game with so many ways to deal with your enemies, but it is extremely linear and lends itself more to shooting to have fun with it. The disguise component doesn't work. When you take a disguise, you never are hidden. Also, any enemy you deal with, there always is a dumpster nearby to dispose of them; nothing creative here. I am half way through this game and patience and stealth are punitive, and tedious. So now I am just blasting my way through, trying to finish this to turn in and get a good price for an exchange for Far Cry 3. Major problem is the way they marketed this game. If they wanted a stealth game, give the player the chance to be disguised. But my best advice is to realize this is just another linear shooting game for most players. There's pretty much one way to get through each level and there's nothing innovative here. The game looks nice and the best part about it is shooting people, which it doesn't want you to do. Wish I wouldn't have paid full price for this. Love third-person games and had high hopes for this, but wasn't worth the full price. Just another linear experience.… Expand

Yes, it truely is Hitman:Conviction but so what? I love the Hitman series AND the Splinter Cell series. What seems to upset a lot of critics, is for me a marriage made in heaven. Though I understand the wrath of all the Hitman purists out there who miss the austere multiple-choice design of the first 4 Hitman games I also totally see the developers point of view. Come on guys, they can't simply repeat themselves. They have to try something different. Apart from personal taste, the production values are incredible. The game looks fantastic, the story is great - pushed forward through GTA style cutscenes - and it plays like butter. Just 1 point short of perfection due to some annoying bugs (like ie visible grid on medium depth of field) and DX crashes.… Expand

If you are a CoD fan then you should give this game a try - because it is designed for you. The game will hold your hands through from the beginning to the end and it is designed for a literally dumb audience. With the press of a button you can use wallhack and see where all the gaurds are about to go, and you instantly have hints within the corridoor shooter levels where literally everything is scripted. If you expect a true Hitman title then you will most likely be dissapointed, though. Absolution shines in graphics, improved stealth system, animations, lightning sound, and a few other features. But it falls short in many other areas and it literally throws much of what makes a hitman game a hitman game - out of the window - while it embrace and directly copy and paste features and even partly formulas from batman AA, splinter cell conviction, and even Red Dead Redemption with its 'draw gun' minigame and other games. The storyline is uninteresting, uninspired, contains a lot of childish and rather idiotic characters telling a lot of cliché lines. (exmple: Dexter Blake, the great villian, had a masterplan to sell genetically superior kid assasins for 10m bucks each.) The levels in the game is often very small and streamlined and you often have to sneak in pre-defined, corridoor-like paths. Weapon, dumpsters, gaurds, cover - all of it is place at convinient places. More focus on stealth and kills, and almost no focus on strategy and creativity. The type of gameplay has more in common with Splinter Cell Conviction than Hitman. Disguise system is broken. Gaurds can see through walls at times. Your cover gets blown all the time because everyone - and I mean everyone - for some reason raises suspicion against you. You can't choose what type of equipment and weapons you want to use. You can't pick locks anymore. You can't look through keyholes. You can't open or close doors. You can't save the game manually. Sniper rifles and other weapons are magically drawn out from thin air. Weapons and dumpsters are placed at very obvious places. Gameplay is extremely linear and offers almost no challange. In terms of innovation this game does not impress me. They've copied and pasted features from other games, such as xrayvision (Batman Arkham Asylum), draw-grun function (RDR) and many aspects from Splinter Cell. They abandone the unique hitman formula and made it to another generic game. This game shines in the visuals, but lacks in many other ways, and its pathetic to see how much it lacks in innovation compared to previous titles.… Expand

Absolution is too much of a step away from the normal Hitman approach to appease a self titled fanatic of the series like myself. Silly ideas that in reality wouldn't work, averting your face to avoid attention for example, and stripped back and more restricted environments kicks number of options the player can choose from down to slim pickings. Excellent plot, numerous faults but all round there is enough to appease new fans and give the veterans a bit of a workout.… Expand

Well, this fell flat on it's heavy butt. Hitman is supposed to be about assassination, stealth and it should require a bit of brains to play it. I found it much more tempting, and easier to just gun everyone down. It's a beautiful game, but the story is beyond awful. It lacks direction and completely lacks any re-play value. I owned my copy for 12 hrs. That says a lot.

I think this game is very designed. This my first Hitman and it only this year game, which could surprised me! And I thinks that this game will game of the year!!!!

After reading threw allot of the negative reviews I decided to join the site to add my 5 cents. Hitman has gone through some changes that mostly work out just fine. I can understand some of the negative feedback from fans of this series having played all other entries in the series. There are a few I can definitely relate to. But I do think that change even if it is good sometimes brings grief to fans of such a great series. Instinct: In this instalment there is the instinct mode added that new players can use as a crutch. At allows you to see enemies locations and there routs it also allows you to hide your face so you can bypass enemies of a curtain faction. I see how this can be a big problem if you were forced to use it. However this is not the case. You can turn it of in the options menu and this makes the game allot more interesting to advanced players. Disguises: This is one of the flaws of the game as far as I am concerned. But again it can be avoided by turning of the instinct in the options menu. It made sense to me that lets see you use a cleaners disguise that the clean-up crew would be able to recognize you as no being a member of staff. For all getting past all other factions the disguise works just fine. To Kill or not to Kill: You can choose your own play style so if you wish to rack up as many kills as possible there is nothing from stopping you. You can blast your way through you can strangle your way through and you can sneak by unnoticed. I have played about 16 hours on hard without touching a single soul aside from my targets. The game is not a series of quick time events as some reviews might lead you to believe. There are multiple ways of taking down your target. You do get rewarded or punished by playing a certain way. The silent assassin is what you are pushed to play if you are going for scores. I would think fore hitman fans it would not be about the scores but more about playing the style you like. There is always the option of replaying to rack up those high scores. In closing it is a very good game at its core. Fore diehard fans of the series there could be some disappointment when it comes to a story driven plot. The reports of crashes and bugs may be accurate but I have yet to have one. I hope my opinion and those of other gamers will help you in making a well-informed purchase. I for one advise you to give this game a go.… Expand

Truly feast to eyes and treat to mind, totally mesmerizing and breathtaking experience, there are only few games which stays in you mind for months and this is one among them, hatts off to its creator...it was indeed pleasure, playing such a marvelous GAME....it has got a "WOW" effect....

Hitman: Absolution is a stealthy cold hard killing action game, filling the boots of agent 47 once again, with a great story. The graphics are good, and stealth is well executed also, with some interesting gameplay mechanics. What really impressive here, is the oustanding varieth of options given for dymanic kills, and extra challenges to bring you back after. It was well worth the wait, and look forward to seeing what path hitman takes next. Like many games, their are some little bugs, im sure will get fixed, but they did not spoil, or impact the game.… Expand

I have to say that this game is awesome. The immersion into the Hitman universe is for me always great, and "Absolution" has held true to the Hitman spirit.

Less sandbox and more linear play is for me an upside, as I enjoyed the game a little more, though I think it reduces the fun in replaying levels.

I'm about halfway through this title and it has been a really fun game. I was surprised at the amount of negative reviews for this game and they all fell into two categories: The first group loved previous Hitman games and Absolution to them has different gameplay and is a "corruption" of the franchise; the second group are gamers with some obvious agenda since they've mostly never reviewed any other games and reviewed EACH PLATFORM of Hitman 2:Absolution with a 0. That's desperation… Expand

Absolutely superb. No I'm not someone who has been sat around waiting for the next hitman game, no I'm not prone to giving out TENS , check my reviews. However H:A is, in what it tries to do, flawless. It is simultaneously beautiful, engaging, enthralling, immersive, disturbing, funny, cheeky and bloody. It thrives on allowing the player freedom and creativity. In this world of ultra-hype and ultra-letdown ( hello cod, ac, etc) this is a refreshing and welcome reminder of what a great game can be. This may slip under the paid-for reviews but don't let it slip under yours- patience or carnage- you decide. I'm serious this might be £35 you actually don't regret.… Expand

Do believe the bad reviews. It's not awful, just really aggravating. You'll spend a HUGE amount of the game hiding from cops (rather than actually killing people, --looong backstory). Which wouldn't be all that bad, except the stealth is a super quirky and always boils down to a ton of trial and error (rather than thinking your way out). The actual kill-x-guy-missions are a blast, but there isn't a lot of them. :(… Expand

Fantastic game that allows to finish/kill your target in many different ways, in this sense it is similar to deus ex human revolution. It has a very cool point systems that awards for completing a task a certain way and there many awesome challenges you can complete during your missions. This game is not linear because it allows you to be creative with your kills. The trolls that left bad reviews are the ones that have not played the game… Expand

Waiting for 6 years ... 6 years of painfully having to just honestly hope for the new Htiman to come out and is it worth it ?
YES ! All the negative critics you will be reading is from , -buthurt- Hitman fans that never understood the concept of Hitman games obviously. It's about choice , tactics and taking your time in order to create an impressive chain of things that happen before you in the sandbox , all of that has been kept in Hitman Absolution , it's just been adapted to a more modern setting , with missions being cut up in different pieces which in one hand allows today's aging consoles to not experience a single hickup doing play , AND keeps the player on his feet giving him different environments constantly ! Graphics , gameplay , a 15x better story than the previous games in the series and spot on incredible amounts of replayability makes this game give it a 9.5/10 , truly something every games that doesn't have their head stuck too deep up COD's a** should try and play the hell out of , cause I sure am!… Expand

I have long been a huge fan of the Hitman games ever since I played Hitman 2 on the XBOX, so you could imagine my disbelief at having to wait for another hitman title so long after the last instalment, Blood Money (which was released back in mid-2006). I also had initial fears that the promised updates and nuances to the gameplay of Absolution would dilute the core gameplay - so I'm more than happy to report that Absolution not only is a superb game, its a cracking return to form for Agent 47!! Graphics and sound are beautifully handled (even if the cut-scenes can be a mite grainy), the plot is given huge emotional gravitas (the weight of which is carried by some well-known voice actors, all of whom do a sterling job), and the gameplay is the solid Hitman gameplay, laced with unusual moments that are handled smoothly, and rather than introduce anything new to the gameplay that hasn't been seen before, they are well-thought-out flashes of realistic brilliance, that only serve to up the tension and make you feel that your actions do matter. Absolution is a slight change to the formula, but its a welcome one, and even if you're not a fan of the Hitman games, I do urge you to try this title out at least. The equivalent of a gripping pageturner.… Expand

I've been an Hitman fan forever an I agree with what a lot of you are saying ur it's still a fun game but shouldn't be named HITMAN, but they missed the mark by far on being a great Hitman game...One thing that bothers me is why even change disguises they notice you just as quick if your a dressed to blend in or if your still in your suit unless your a cook but the list could go on an some have already made those points...You should be able to choose your weapons as a real Hitman as well, I miss that safe house. The game is entertaining if we're named somthing else but I am very disappointed in it, I looked foward to it for a long time, make a patch or an upgrade or a new Hitman to fix this please !!! Jus look at Blood Money an learn, do what you gotta do an fix this ...Did Square Enix even have any Hitman fans workin on this because it's like you didn't have a clue of the old Hitman games or how they were made an what made the games great, all the details that made them the best game ever you've takin out of Absolution???… Expand

Don't believe the blatantly poor reviews some of the users are leaving, how you can give this game a 4 out of 10 or lower when 97% of the professional reviews are extremely positive, that right there should cause you to immediately disregard those bad reviews.
Hitman Absolution is a great gaming experience. The team at IO have taken the formula from previous installments and then perfected it. As always, the options are plentiful for 47, now there is even more choice, and more opportunities to employ them. Now you can do things like climb out windows and through vents for shortcuts, or just use the fantastic cover system and disguises to slip right past your enemies.
Graphics have a unique feel and are very pretty, especially lighting, shadow, and textures are very well done. The environments that show off the graphics are just as lovingly crafted, authentic, and fun to run around in and interact with. Writing and voice acting are another strong point for this game, its satisfying just to wait behind cover and listen to an interesting(and often hilarious) conversation.
All in all, between the fun and tight game mechanics, great story and characters, and so much variety in both gameplay and environment settings, thus is one that you will enjoy all the way through and then some. Great job IO and Square Enix!… Expand

**Spoiler free review**

This is the first time I have ever reviewed a game, which should give a good idea of how great I think this game is.

For those who don't know, Agent 47 is the main character, a cold blooded assassin who (historically) has little morality and will kill whoever is in his way of a paycheck. He has a history of killing a diverse group of characters, including drug dealers, a priest, businessmen, and even a Vice President once. But this time, for the most part, Agent 47 doesn't kill for money. He does most of his killing, so far in my play through, to protect a young woman. This is very unusual for Agent 47, but people change just as much as the times do. This threw me off at first, and to be honest, the story could be much better. Without giving any details, you will soon realize the storyline goes off on wild ends and does not make much sense at times. For example, Agent 47 is on the run for a large portion of the game, so why would he care about protecting a young stranger while his own life is in danger? A woman whom he barely even knows??? Some would say Hitman Absolution is trying to show Agent 47's "good side" but UMMM, this man is a hitman lol. I love the Hitman series and have played every single game of it, but the storyline here might be the worst of the series. With that being said, the action and gameplay more than make up for the weak story. You can be a holy roller and kill ONLY your targets, or go H.A.M. and kill whomever you want. This game can be a sadist's bloody fantasy, as the violence and gore in this game is over the top. In a good way.

The sound is also perfect, and while the music could better, the sound effects are heart stopping. The sounds of bullets hitting flesh are maybe the best I've ever heard in a video game, and the amount of dead bodies you can pile up will either impress you or make you want to throw up. YES, the game is THAT realistic. There is a level which things can get so bloody you're not sure if you're playing a game or watching a bloodbath unfold before your very eyes. Voice acting also isn't too bad, with conversations being pretty funny at times.

In short, this game is not as good as Blood Money, but it is easily the 2nd best game of the franchise. The only reason I have Blood Money as better than Absolution is because it is more PURE Hitman, solo missions in which you have a target and take him or her out. I don't like how so much of the story has Hitman running around and simply dodging cops, isn't that what cut scenes are for? Anyway, this game is still a classic due to its intense realism and twisted world, which is very engaging. A solid 9.4 out of 10 stars. BUY IT you will not regret it.… Expand

This hitman sucks, blood and money was and is my favorite game ever, but this!? wtf is this **** so **** small place, not fun and all almost no freeroam and game makes everything for you.. you can see everything with ur instincs and cant explore the place at all.... this game even has no weapon upgrades, u cant choose a weapon... AND IT EVEN DOSENT HAVE CONTRACTS... this game sux so bad. Only why it is good, it has funny mission with hippies and awsome graphics.… Expand

Hitman Absolution is a big disappointment, they had so many years to make this game and improve it, so that it would surpass it's predecessors. Hitman Absolution is to me, the worst Hitman game ever made. The storyline is bad, the game is way to short and the gameplay is awful. In the Hitman games you are an assassin taking care of contracts, in Absolution are are a runaway from the law playing a babysitter for a girl named Victoria. I thought they would have gone beyond their predecessors after so many years but they haven't. The game also forces you to blow your cover from time to time and engage enemies and it is unsatisfying eliminating enemies in this game. When you shoot them the bullets does not leave any bullet holes only some red marks on their bodies. Also, when you shoot them they fall to the ground like marionette dolls that has recently gotten their strings cut off. The game doesn't even offer you the luxury to close a door.… Expand

warning....this game is almost perfect....do not trust in everthing you read and see....
until now the best graphic engine of the year,almost»no bugs,no gliches,...and very adictive gameplay....
thans square nix and i.o....

Hitman: Absolution is a slow, methodical stealth game that out does it's predecessors. Killing his long time handler and fan-favorite of the series, Diana Burnwood, Agent 47's journey becomes personal, as it leads him on the trail of a girl named Victoria. Hitman : Absolution has most interesting plot in the series since Hitman 2: Silent Assassin, and is worth revisiting.

Starting off in Diana's large mansion, then to moving your way through the busied streets of Chinatown, the game features numerous locations all different from the last. Multiple paths can be taken in each level, leaving tons of variety in each level to be played an excessive amount. Also, the locales are all breathtaking thanks to IO's new Glacier 2 engine. If you're a avid Hitman fan, Absolution will not leave you disappointed. This game was completely worth the six year hiatus after Blood Money. Pick this one up.… Expand

wow just wow.
universally loved and critically acclaimed Blood money evolved into awesome sandbox set pieces in which for you to use your skills, tools, stealth, disguises, environment and adapting to make your kill/s and/or accidents.
Absolution on the other hand has multiple sub-levels where you go from A to B..holding your hand 'you must take this lift'. 'you must get caught here and experience this scripted cutscene'. Most of the sub-levels are linear and when you finally get to kill someone the level is some simple 4 room area, with minimal creativity and overly obvious ways to kill- so it's not even rewarding.

Sometimes between loading screens my clothes and weapons got reset? what is that all about?

To cover up this small sub-level mostly linear piece of rubbish they made a ridiculous instinct system which you need to make you disguise work. Which could work. But it runs out in seconds and won't replenish unless you do something the game wants. So you walk past one guard but come across another 10 minutes later and then you apparently don't have enough power to tilt your head away. Furthermore, your disguise can be broken from 20 meters away from the back of your head, in poor lighting and/or in a crowd in about 3 seconds. You can't get immersed in this because it just doesn't make sense. This is done to make this small game longer.

The story is atrocious. silly kayne and lynch over the top idiot characters that jump up and down and shout 'yeehahh!'& talk about their genitals because that passes as clever dark humour nowadays.

The irony of a hitman being accused of a murder he did not commit was lost on most people.

The graphics, the detail, the lighting, the 'lots of people' mechanics of the glacier engine look amazing. But they had to make the levels smaller to accommodate and it shows.

The AI is great and reacts to you. It could be the best AI I have experienced but the tweaking of the instinct system ruined it.

I did like the many random tools you can use as weapons, hammers, screw drivers, vases etc

Why is there a constant radar on the screen. I am not going to bash FPS players. I dabble in them too. We can adapt to no radar, especially when you have an optional see everyone through walls system. You can't even turn the radar off. I had to put a piece of paper on the bottom left of my TV to cover it to try to help with my immersion. Quick time events?! Now I do not like Assassins Creed (though I can appreciate why it is appealing to others) but my brother does. I was making fun of a few QTE features in the latest instalment just weeks ago...then this happens.
You play a genetically engineered assassin, you can survive being shot..but a policeman can beat you up? MGS has a simple grab button, sneak or infront. I don't like win buttons but it makes sense..if a super soldier can grab them before they call out then that should be it. Not punch, block reversal, kick, judo move.

You can somehow hide a sniper rifle, assault rifle or spas inside your suit??!?!!?

I don't care about points. How much stuff do we need on the screen, an annoying live points counter I can't even turn off.

This game is an insult to blood money
IO interactive are not the developer they used to be, Hitman is now a template for them to pursue their kayne and lynch fantasies
I will give it a 5 as if it was not a hitman game, one might be able to appreciate the graphics and the clever AI that respond to everything ''omg I found a pool of blood!''… Expand

As a long time Hitman fan i was skeptical when i heard of some changes. But i must say getting the chance to play it for myself has put those to rest, great assassination missions padded out with fantastic levels in between which further the story. Loved every minute

Don't be fooled by shiny graphics of Hitman: Abomination (or Assassin's Conviction: Saboteur & Lynch - Retardation), there is nothing good besides graphics. Gameplay is totally broken & dumbed down, its not even hitman anymore, everything we loved it for was removed, only some barely working rudiments was left. It is yet another Conviction, but worse, everything you hated in Conviction, Saboteur, Assassin's Creed and Kane & Lynch in terms of Stealth and gunplay is here, concentrated in extreme doses that may kill you. Also lensflare madness, started by Kane & Lynch 2 and continued by Syndicate is here, head of 47 shines like supernova explosion to blind you from truth - THIS GAME IS UTTER TRASH. It not just abandoned old Hitman gameplay, its simply broken everywhere and doesnt work, and its so primitive and generic. Let me list you few of many game design flaws: 1) Saves doesnt work, once you restart checkpoints every NPC & object will be respawned, your stats would be reset to state of beginning of level, so you better to restart level completely and dont die or exit until you finish it. 2) Disguise doesnt work, its connected to stupid INSTINCT MANA that could be gained by killing and hiding bodies, or not gained at all on professional modes. Without using instinct, which magically removes suspicion, your cover will be blown in 5-10 second from 30 meters. So you are forced to use instinct in any mode, but cant on pro modes, and without instinct there you would not be even able to blend into area. It only barely working on easiest mode. 3) Pro modes and especially PURIST - broken and rushed addition, game was not designed with these modes in mind, these modes not balanced at all, they simply locking features for retards, without even thinking that game designed that way so it cant be played without INSTINCT, and without thinking to compensate somehow lack of these features. It cant be played on PRO mode if you want to use disguise, blown covers makes game really frustrating, and pushing you to reastart, which will lead you to flaw 1 - broken saves. On pro mode you will have only option to use covers Conviction style. 4) 80% of game is linear stealth cover shooter, only about 20% of levels reminds old Hitman games sandbox, but they all made using generic objects and repetitive pattern, lacking about 80% features you had in previous game, so its simply boring, primitive and most likely you will screw up trying to go Silent Assassin way. 5) AI is deaf and blind, totally dumb, glitching a lot. They dont see and dont hear anything except for you in disguise or killing. 6) You cant select inventory for levels and only limited to very few objects you can find on level. Most of unlocks and tools useless and can be only used in contracts mode. 7) Due of nature of stupid prerendered cut-scenes, where 47 appears only in his suit or any pre-defined suit, once cut-scene over you will loose your disguise and default suit will magically appear on you, same happens with guns, you enter the room dressed one way, but after cut scene you dressed another way. Really stupid, even cheapest games from 90th era never had such a flaw, Hitman 1 was better than this. 8) Scoring makes no sense, its not what it used to be in previous game. You are encouraged to do not stealthy things and some stealthy things not awarded at all, other non stealthy things not punished. 9) Level design is very bad, it may look good it terms of art, but its really bad in terms of gameplay logic. Every possible guard have always dumpster nearby to hide their bodies, how handy... for retards, very few, like 3-5 objects that allows you kill somehow are available per level, generic dumpsters, fuseboxes, pits, balconies, there is no unique content that we saw in Blood Money or previous Hitman games, every gameplay object is just a copy-pasted repetitive trash. 10) Whole instinct gameplay is retarded and must be removed from game, but instead it was not even removed from purist mode. 11) UI is huge, ugly and was designed by captain obvious, why in the world you need to have giant icon of equipped weapon or disguise if you can just look at hitman's and see his weapon and suit? 12) You cant peek through keyholes (surely, u now have magic wallhack cheat to replace that) 13) You cant even close doors, they only closed automatically 14) Worst thing - most of your assassination targets are killed in FREAKING CUTSCENES, or not, actually most of time you will see cutscene where BEST KILLER IN THE WORLD, FAILING TO KILL HIS TARGET 15) Story may look like good one, but in fact its typical set of hollywood cliches and yet another plagiarism, this time they ripped off LEON THE KILLER movie. 16) Realism was lost completely, no briefcase, weapons spawns of Hitman ass, ammo picked up by legs. There are more issues, i cant compact them in 5000 chars limit. This game is near 5 of 10, but since it called Hitman, and since its not Himan at all, only 0 of 10.… Expand

I give this game a 7

Cons
1.The game disguise system is good,but flawed - Too sensitive,makes disguise ALMOST useless,disguise clothes works perfect in some area,and works in a very non realistic and weirdway in some mission (example: i killed the judge,wore his clothes,go back out,nobody recognize me in the court)
2.Linear stages,sandbox mission are not really big either,some "mission" are really small,it feels like a hallway,and some mission requires you to run from point a to point b
3.Some bugs and glitches - this does not factored in my rating of this game
4.No weapon loadout for story mode - fail
5.You are able to bring 1 weapon for contracts mode only -this is the only mode with weapon loadout
6.NPC dialogue interaction is scripted and not dynamic,it activates when you enter an area or spot,which easily predict those npc movement,making the game not realistic and challenging enough
7.the AWFUL checkpoint system - it freakin resets the npc position everytime you restart!!!!!!!!
Pros
1.great graphics, plants looks really nice especially
2.cutscenes are good,you actually feels for 47,and also makes the game lifely 3.contract mode is an awesome mode 4.dialogues are interesting and makes the game lively
5.better ai than blood money imo,altlthough not by much but its still better than nth
6.mission variety is quite noticible, and overall game is quite lengthy… Expand

Simply Outstanding, a great game for the patient gamer... if you like COD id steer clear of this one. Great graphics and an excellent story. I love the experimentation and freedom this game gives you. Simply a great game and well worth the money. BUY IT

I waited a little while before writing a review so I had a complete and clear understanding of the game
(Pre-ordered Hitman absolution and was playing it only minutes after its official Australian release)..
This is not a complete game as of yet, it's a little buggy and a few concepts need to be patched, and I have no doubt that they will be..
Other then that this is a fantastic game and a must buy for any stealth or action game loving player (Or compulsive perfectionists like myself)..
It's everything you'd expect from a hitman game, No set path on how to play it, visually stunning, and brutally difficult on the highest setting..
The game play it's self is close to that of bloodmoney, although its been a little to simplified for my liking (I know they are just trying to reach a larger audience, causal's and what not), but it still has that gritty dark hitman feel..

The leaderboard system is what I have my biggest problem with, the competitive nature is all well and good, but On a global and national scale it just has no place, with youtube videos on how to do perfect purist runs with in one month of the release all top 1000 will have the exact same score and all the effort anyone puts in to legitimately get on the leaderboards will be for nothing, with all the cheaters and lazy gamers taking up every spot..

Luckily the contracts system will compensate for this, having close to an unlimited ways to set up contracts and to carry them out people will be forced to act uniquely..

Over all this game is close to exactly what all the diehard hitman fans wanted, it's an amazing game no doubt, but there is room for improvement, and with later patches this game hopefully will become the game we all wanted..… Expand

Hitman: Absolution isn't perfect but it's one of the best games to release this, it's kinda sad that most "gamers" prefer to play generic, bland and crappy military first person shooter instead of really good games like this, this game deserves a 8.5 but i gave it a perfect score to counter all those 0's coming from trolls that haven't even played the game.

Look, i'm not going to lie, okay? this game isn't perfect but it's one of the best games this gen imo and i'm not exaggerating, it's sad that most prefer to play generic first person shooter instead of actual good games like this, this game deserves a 9 but i gave it a perfect score to counter all those 0's coming from trolls that haven't even played the game.

I find it pathetic that some folks still can't take off thier nostalgia goggles for seconds to review this game fairly instead of hating on it and giving it a low score because certain moment in the story that i won't spoil here annoyed them, it's sad to see games like this, Darksider 2 and Assassin's Creed III get bashed while generic military first person shooters get praised by the same people, this game isn't perfect but it's one of the best games to release this gen imo, great story, great graphics and gameplay, absolutely no bugs/glitches, just perfect.… Expand

A hitman game where you spend 80% of the time not assassinating people, and 15% of the time watching the people you're supposed to assassinate get killed in cutscenes. Nice linear piece of crap. The creativity aspect of other hitman games is mostly gone. Contracts mode is the only redeeming factor. It's interesting that the best part of the game is the part with no story and just killing.

It is beautiful to look at...but that is where it's beauty ends. A travesty of a game that is just a mash up of every other quick time event,stealth game out there. Might as well have called it Splinter 47: Assassins Conviction.

IO have seemingly thrown away everything that made the Hitman franchise so wonderfully unique. Terrible

Damn, 47's is back with a load of style :D Graphics are nice, gameplay is nice and it has enough replay-value in comparison to all the other bestselling-crap like CoD etc. out there; you're free to play it your way (voilent/sneaky/professional). I am not missing anything (but a map ;). They even added a surprisingly useful online-mode to compete in and create contracts! Get your hands on it, this is how sequels are done the right way!… Expand

This game is an awful liner point to point piece of crap. All the things I liked about previous Hitman games have been removed. There is no longer a map that shows details about levels allowing you to plan and execute badass hits. No, you get **** quick time events and cut-scenes. Disguises are totally useless and instincts is stupid baby **** I really hate this game and I'm upset that I lost 60 bucks. Blood Money was amazing! This is very restrictive and it's too story driven, I don't even care about all that crap! I just want to strangle people not press X to win!!!!!… Expand

Hitman is one of my favorite stealth franchises of all time and it's back. Hitman Absolution is the fifth game in the series and the first true next gen Hitman title. The story in HA starts off right where blood money left off and that's great for fans of the series. The story is intriguing and has many twists and turns to keep you interested. The graphics are truly something to behold and I like a lot of the bloom effects. The game has a very distinct art style and more games should create their own style. The gameplay is classic Hitman, you can tackle the objective in many different ways. I suggest if your decent at stealth games that you play the game on hard and work your way up from there. The normal mode is just too easy and the AI seems dumb then. The AI is very good on hard mode and I don't even want to know how hard the game would be on purist. The stiffness of movement from previous Hitman games is gone and the game plays very well. The gunplay has also been improved in case you get in a ruff spot here and there. Overall Hitman Absolution is a great game and was definitely worth the six year wait.… Expand

Welcome back agent 47 this game is absolutely beautiful and brilliant yea sure people will find crap to nitpick about but this is an action/stealth gamers dream come true this is a must play for fans of the the series and the genre all together stop what you are doing right now and go by this game.

Just an all around good, violent action game. The story is decent although it's not the strong suit of the game, and as someone below me has stated, there are (almost) no bugs. Not GOTY, not at all, but absolutely riveting.

I'll keep this simple: Graphics are amazing, ridiculously good (which makes sense because of the also ridiculously big 20gb file size). Gameplay is still great, a lot more linear and a bit easier than previous Hitman games, but still amazingly fun (and long). I reccomend this game highly :)

Das Comeback des Jahres

2012 gab es so manch ein Spiel, einige Remakes oder weitere Fortsetzungen von bekannten Titeln, die es jedes Jahr gibt, doch wenig neues. Hitman Absolution ist eine Fortsetzungen einer tollen Reihe, die wirklich neues sowie bekanntes, altes zu bieten hat. Man konnte fast nur positives hier lesen, was einfach daran liegt das Hitman Absolution ein komplettes gutes Spiel ist, wo einfach das Gesamtpaket stimmt. Der hohe Wiederspielwert oder die tolle Atmosphäre sowie die tolle Technik, die einen fast vermuten lässt man spielt ein Next-Gen Titel, sorgen dafür das Hitman Absolution eins, wenn nicht sogar das Top Spiel des Jahres 2012 ist.

Dieses Spiel ist nicht nur für Fans der Reihe ein Pflichtkauf… Expand

Good god this is so badass! They really nailed it again! From story to gameplay it is just perfekt! Really worth the money and the score 10/10!
If you havent played the 4 other hitman games then do it! The story from this is after all the other games