Metascore

Generally favorable reviews - based on 51 Critics What's this?

User Score

Mixed or average reviews- based on 298 Ratings

  • Summary: Don the suit of the ultimate assassin, you have the ability to hide in plain sight, cause death with your bare hands and fashion a weapon from almost anything. You are Agent 47, the world's deadliest assassin.
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 38 out of 51
  2. Negative: 2 out of 51
  1. Nov 20, 2012
    100
    A study in pure, unadulterated excellence.
  2. Dec 5, 2012
    86
    In closing go and pick this game up. With the flood of FPS's we have seen and the huge amount of titles launched before Christmas, Agent 47's return should not be overlooked. There are two games I would recommend this year and Hitman: Absolution is one of them. A really enjoyable game that offers hours and hours of replayability whether through leaderboards and challenges in the campaign, or through the very awesome and cleverly conceived Contracts mode.
  3. Nov 30, 2012
    70
    Overall, Hitman isn't a bad game, in fact it it is hard to find fault. The main issue is that it is a Hitman game and the main new mechanics and the structure of the story mode take away that feeling you had when playing an earlier Hitman game. If you are new to the series then you will love what is on offer, but fans will be left with a bit of a bitter taste in their mouth.
  4. Nov 21, 2012
    40
    Hitman Absolution is a fascinating case of an error of judgment costing a game its heart. For Absolution, that mistake was placing a focus on a story that didn't need to be told and nobody wanted to hear.

See all 51 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 61 out of 105
  2. Negative: 29 out of 105
  1. To those that give this game a bad review, I just wanna say... you don't know what good games are! This game is just amazing! Great graphics, great music, and a great storyline. Just an amazing game. Expand
  2. Hitman Absolution is the captivating experience that I've been waiting a long time for, a cross between gritty authentic stealth and wonderfully crafted action. I can understand some Hitman fans moaning about the latest installment as I'm not looking forward to the new DMC for the same reasons, however unlike DMC I only played the very first Hitman so to me innovation is welcome. There are flaws, the save system and shoddy AI being the worst of them. But on higher difficulties the AI get better, while the sensory perception and the Splinter Cell enemy marking system work great which helps makes this game appeal to a wider audience. If the haters try it, 80% I reckon on Hard mode would love it! Lastly some industry reviewers need to get a reality check, one in particular rated this 6.9 while rating Res6 8.8 and Black Ops 2 9.4? The gaming media need an urgent clean up, as it's poor that some media pick on IO while kissing the butts of bigger companies! Shame on you. Expand
  3. 6
    Firstly i would like to point out that i started playing Hitman games with silent assassin on the PS2, later I had contracts and finally blood money on the PC, i love the game series. So i had to get the latest version for my Xbox.

    Well it pains me to say it but this is just not the game it was, 6 years later and this game is NOT as good as the previous ones. Its a watered down version in the same way the all the Tom Clancy games got watered down. Gone are the strong elements of tactics and planning, gone is the reward for exploration and experimentation, in their place there is the illusion of these things. This game attempts to add tense action sequences but it does so with scripted, triggered action points, by funnelling you down one route or situation instead of allowing the previous sandbox anything goes game-play to shine through. The beauty of a Hitman game was that two players could take completley different routes to the objectives, the action and tension they encountered was completley a consequence of their play style and timing. In this game the experience is contrived, forced and scripted to the point that everyone will get the same experience bar a few areas where the leash is loosened enough for you to get a brief taste of what made the game great. To often are you forced into situations that are not becoming of a game series that once carried silent assassin as a game title, well there's nothing silent about being forced into being chased by a helicopter and countless police men through numerous early stages. By attempting to turn the tables on agent 47 and make him vulnerable in this new narrative we are robbed of what made the series great; selecting your gear, scouting the location out and making your way to your target.

    Gone is the load-out, your weapons are pre-selected for you, so no more sniper briefcase but dont worry because someone will have left a high-powered sniper rifle in the room overlooking your target and the window is open, the weapon will also be according to its description in the menus agent 47's choice sniper rifle, how convenient...and lame. Also on the subject of lame is the new disguise system; now you might thing the best way to blend in with some police men is perhaps to grab one of their uniforms, act normal, keep a relative distance so they dont see you up close etc. Well actually if you put a police uniform on every time you are in eye sight of a police man at any distance you arouse suspicion and attract unwanted attention, the same goes for any disguise, dress up as a bodyguard and all the bodyguards immediately seem to be onto you, however if you just dress as someone else they let you pass unnoticed...so the point in dressing up is what exactly? Case to point: I put on a police uniform to access and area guarded by police men, nothing but suspicion is aroused, i come back dressed as a drug dealer and i'm fine to walk through unnoticed. These scenarios happen throughout the game yet you can negate it somewhat by using an intuition bar that when used de-pleats but allows you to....wait for it.....cover your face as you walk past in a rather awkward and obvious attempt to hide your identity. Yeah, that's right, and if the bar or your 'intuition' de-pleats? yeah you can no longer put your hand over your face.

    Also hiding works as stupidly, climb through a window next to a guard in a restricted area and he will turn, question you, become suspicious, but if you quickly read a near by pamphlet hey everything is fine, no problems! Stop reading the pamphlet though and the guy will draw on you and shoot in seconds.

    The A.I then as you may have guessed is lame, predictable boring patrol patterns, nothing dynamic, higher difficulties mealy mean they notice you faster and shoot more accurately for the most part.

    Agent 47 used to feel like a real pro, you had the element of surprise and could use it how you wanted, with the load out you wanted, on the path you chose. Now you get the weapons you given along with anything you can scavenge, you get limited paths and worse of all levels are no longer large sandboxes but separately loaded sections where if you return to a previous area anyone you killed or subdued is back alive.

    Despite all this there are still some nice elements to the game, there are some small sections where the game plays like its predecessors and its here where it creates its own dynamic drama and tension just like the old games did. Its a sad modern trend in gaming that sees strategic, stealth games getting watered down into stealth/action games. Hitman as a game has always had the tools for action, the moments where we messed up would bring the fight, or where you had to quickly dispatch two approaching guards, we dont need scripted action in a sandbox, just give us the tools and freedom and we'll make our own, just like the old days. Please IO keep the formula to what it was, its not Hitman any more. 7 from a series fan.
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  4. 0
    I pre-ordered Abomination as soon as i was able. I have never regretted buying a game, until now..
    They raped all the good aspects of Blood M
    oney until a mediocre piece of was left.

    If you like interactive-story-telling this might be the game for you (Buy Telltale's The walking Dead instead). If you like sandbox games and making your own fun, leave this game at the store and RUN! DON'T LOOK BACK.

    The only satisfaction you will get from this game, is if you kill yourself with it.
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See all 105 User Reviews