 "A dash of Hitman nostalgia")
Building on the success of Absolution, developers IO Interactive have released Hitman HD Trilogy for those of us who’d like to know the assassin’s history, as also those of us feeling a tinge of nostalgia after playing Absolution. Consisting of Hitman 2: Silent Assassin (2002), Hitman: Contracts (2004) and Hitman: Blood Money (2006), the box set charts the evolution of the franchise over a decade.
I still remember the first time I played a demo version of Hitman: Codename 47 over a decade ago. That was the first time I could be a hired assassin — and it was one tough task to plan a kill and then execute it, very unlike the other games where you can just pile on the bodies. The skill was in the stealth, not the kill. It was a difficult game, but satisfying nonetheless.
The subsequent games carried on the tradition till Absolution made the game more “democratic” — with elements that would appeal to both serious and casual gamers. The Trilogy though, is a classic Hitman game, albeit in high definition (HD) (PS3, Rs 1,499). The games, consisting more than 40 missions, show their age. But, thanks to their difficulty, you’re left with a sense of achievement when you complete a mission.
The graphics are HD, but they’re not something that’ll make your console break into a sweat. Surprisingly, for a decade-old game, the details do hold their own. What you’ll find frustrating, at least for the first two games, are the clunky controls and the weird AI. And Contracts has a menu-based interactive system which will make you squint at the screen.
All these quirks are quickly forgotten once you play Blood Money. This game, arguably, is the best you can play on the console in the classic Hitman style. Absolution has all the bells and whistles and a fabulous story as well — but it’s a current generation game. Of course, it’s no competition. If Absolution was the main course, Trilogy is the dessert, if you will.
One can’t really call this pack the history of Hitman because it doesn’t include the crucial first game. But in terms of gameplay there’s not much to miss as Contracts has updated versions of almost all its levels. The pack also includes a code for Hitman: Sniper Challenge. You can’t ask for more, can you?
A word of caution for present-day gamers. You’ll need loads of patience to complete any of the missions in all the games. One needs careful planning to execute a mission. And, while the final aim is to bump off a person, it’s the stealth that is involved which makes the games interesting, not mindless violence. So, if you’re looking for something to while away five minutes of your time, play Angry Birds.
As someone who’s played all the five Hitman games on the PC, I was looking forward to my first Hitman game on the console. And I wasn’t disappointed. But I would have loved it if Codename 47 was included in the package as well. Sigh! One can’t have everything.