Hitman: Absolution PlayStation 3
User Score
7.3 out of 10

Mixed or average reviews- based on 301 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 225 out of 301
  2. Mixed: 24 out of 301
  3. Negative: 52 out of 301

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  1. camron12
    Nov 21, 2012
    3
    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.
  2. VolkerGTAV
    Nov 20, 2012
    10
    PERFECT GAME. The best Hitman ever. Nice story, no bugs, nothing wrong with this game. HITMAN 4 EVER! I think it is the best game of the year, but we have to wait to far cry 3. But until now, hitman is the best.
  3. Patman1234
    Dec 8, 2012
    10
    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
  4. Lime_4444
    Nov 20, 2012
    10
    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
  5. frugal_frogger
    Nov 20, 2012
    10
    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.
  6. ObsidianEagle
    Nov 20, 2012
    9
    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 :)
  7. logan35
    Nov 21, 2012
    9
    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.… Collapse
  8. bigbassbastard
    Nov 21, 2012
    2
    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
  9. v00d00m4n
    Nov 22, 2012
    0
    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
  10. Cyper
    Nov 27, 2012
    3
    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
  11. boothmonster
    Nov 20, 2012
    10
    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.
  12. AenimaD
    Nov 21, 2012
    9
    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
  13. MrRPG
    Nov 21, 2012
    8
    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 an    d 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
  14. DominusVasilev
    Nov 25, 2012
    10
    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
  15. Ps3blaze22
    Nov 21, 2012
    10
    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.
  16. Mohammad22
    Nov 21, 2012
    10
    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.
  17. AwesomeGamer
    Nov 21, 2012
    10
    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
  18. Chris_DK
    Nov 24, 2012
    3
    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
  19. Bumble-Reviews
    Nov 23, 2012
    10
    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 i    n 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
  20. lpsyco
    Nov 23, 2012
    8
    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....
  21. jvidner
    Nov 26, 2012
    2
    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.
  22. tenswired
    Nov 24, 2012
    9
    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 perfecte    d 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
  23. Archonius
    Nov 22, 2012
    9
    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
  24. GlennLimos
    Nov 30, 2012
    3
    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
  25. ps3info
    Nov 20, 2012
    10
    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
  26. mrzeus191
    Nov 30, 2012
    3
    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
  27. Eptesicus
    Nov 21, 2012
    3
    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
  28. McNasty713
    Nov 24, 2012
    4
    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
  29. Xgashh
    Nov 24, 2012
    3
    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
  30. alees12345
    Nov 22, 2012
    9
    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
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Critic Reviews

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Metascore
83 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 30 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 25 out of 30
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 30
  3. Negative: 1 out of 30
  1. Worth Playing
    Jan 24, 2013
    85
    Hitman: Absolution proves to be another notable entry in the series. It may house a ho-hum plot, and you'll hate just about every character you come across, but the open nature of the approach is good enough that you'll overlook those blemishes.
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  2. D+PAD Magazine
    Dec 16, 2012
    70
    When playing to its strengths, Hitman: Absolution is a genuinely great game. Overall, though, it feels slightly disappointing, simply because it doesn't spend enough time playing to those strengths.
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  3. Eurogamer Spain
    Dec 6, 2012
    70
    It's easy to recommend Hitman Absolution, a game that provides chills and emotion although lacks the charisma and polish that you expect from this kind of production.
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See all critic reviews »