Years ago I played HITMAN, and liked it, but never got in to the series in a big way. Played Blood Money, which was excellent, and Absolution, which was a little less so, but not a bad game.

A couple of days ago I was browsing Steam for my next game and saw HITMAN 2 (2018) was on sale, 30 bucks for the whole works, DLC and all. Then I saw they offer a legacy pack for HITMAN (2016) for another 20, which adds all the stuff from HITMAN (2016) to HITMAN 2. So you can play both games under the newer version, and evidently the earlier content has been reworked in some way (improved?). If you own the 2016 game it's free.

So that's $50 for all the content from two games, which isn't a bad deal. And it's really good. Third person games aren't my bag really, but I play them if they're good. Witcher 3 and Splinter Cell to name two. This is solid stealth action, with a hell of a lot of ways to complete the missions, and replayability is quite high. Looks great, plays well and I'm having a good time with it.

Anyone else play? The Steam sale ends in 4 hours, so if you're interested grab it soon.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/863550/HITMAN_2/

Requires online connection for most gameplay. There is a second 'standard' package for $18 that I think just removes the season pass and some exclusive items, and if they are done making DLC perhaps this is the way to go. I bought the more expensive one just in case. But no idea if it will pay off, and I get some gear out of it anyway.

Last year GOG had a huge HITMAN sale. I picked up HITMAN 2, HITMAN:Blood Money and HITMAN 3:CONTRACTS for next to nothing.

I loaded up Hitman 2 and just couldn't get into it. Generally, I am bad at and don't enjoy "STEALTH" type games... THIEF, Deus Ex etc..

GRANTED I did not give HITMAN 2 much time... Did the tutorials, then after a hiatus tried the first mission. Didn't help matters that I forgot all the controls

Still installed.... maybe I will get back to it.

Lately I find my attention span and desire to climb learning curves has decreased (along with my gaming time). Bought the Hornet for DCS, and got really into the training missions for awhile, but when I had gaming time, it was easier to slip into the comfortable slippers of Elite Dangerous where i basically didn't have to think much . Maybe someday......

The phenomenon you describe has been mentioned by several others here on SimHQ and in my opinion I think it's a function of both older age ( 45+) and simple burn out from PC gaming for so many years.


In the specific case of the DCS modules, some require a huge amount of time and dedication if you want to be a competent pilot and to really get anything out of it. I bought the MiG-23 module about 3 years ago and I've put maybe 5 hours into the training missions so far? I keep saying I'll go back to it but I always find myself playing other stuff instead.

I can no longer play overly violent games. Knife kills are out,never did them in BF4 when I played it last. FPS games are no longer an attraction.

I recently bought BS2 and the AV-8B for DCS (maybe 2 months ago),still to fire them up. Also bought a few planes for IL-2 BoX but I play those weekly,just with mouse and keyboard. Just MP sessions,ground attack exclusively.

I quite like stealth type games. Generally, if any game I have can be played stealthily, that's what I generally do. So Skyrim becomes a stealth game. Arma 3 becomes a stealth game etc. I recently bought Sniper Elite 4, stealth of course. Even a flight sim, if there's a possibility of me hugging the ground and using terrain to mask myself, I'm doing that.

Those games would be near the top of my favorite games list, so yeah, I reckon if you don't enjoy it you won't put much time in to it. But if you do, there's a really good game here, in my view.

I've dropped 20+ hours in to it so far, completing all the training and four or five of the main missions. It looks great and the levels are large, detailed and dense. I think everyone knows what HITMAN is, what the core gameplay is all about. Assassinate targets using any and all means available. What I had really failed to appreciate is not only how many ways you can knock off these targets, but that replaying the missions essentially a requirement, not just something you do to try a different approach and play with the boundaries and ruleset of the game.

Each time you complete a mission you have been scored based on a huge number of variables. How many cameras you destroyed or that recorded you. Areas discovered, kill method, witnesses, disguises, mission time and many more. These points contribute towards your map mastery level. These mastery levels are what unlocks new things, which can be new weapons, distractions, poisons, explosives, outfits and so on, or new drop locations or start positions. For example in the Paris mission you can unlock the ability to start in the kitchen disguised as a waiter, or near the stage as part of the stage crew, instead of outside the main gate, just to name two. These new options are fun to play with, in essence shortcuts that save time and present new strategies to complete the missions.

Unlocking all of these options is fun, and as your inventory and start options grow it allows you to use your imagination to invent more and more complex or crazy plans. Mastery levels go to 20, which can take replaying the level 10 or more times. You might think you won't want to play it over that many times, and that's what I thought too, but now I see the beauty of it. As you learn the levels, and the patrol patterns, vantage points, back alleys and hiding spots your proficiency increases. You might bumble through it the first time, but the tenth time you will feel like a professional. Cold, calculating, no mistakes. In,out. Ghosted.

And that is so satisfying. Getting the Silent Assassin rating for the mission is a nice reward.

As you explore the level you uncover mission stories, or opportunities. You might overhear a couple of the waitstaff discussing what your target likes to drink. If you opt in, the game will then lead you to the recipe, and some rat poison, and a bartender's uniform. The drink makes him sick (or you could just use lethal poison if you find it or bring it along) and he doubles over all the way to the bathroom to vomit. With his guard waiting outside the door you slip in and give him the good news. Silenced .45 to the noggin? Fiber wire around the neck? Lethal syringe? Drown him in the toilet? Hide the body and blend back in to the crowd.

So the freedom is there to invent your own solutions, or to allow the game to lead you along to what are cool and fun eliminations. The first time I played the Paris mission it took over an hour. The tenth time it took four minutes. By the 12th time I had hit mastery level 20 and got all unlocks for the level, granting me new items like a remote explosive device, that are now part of the inventory options for any level I play later. The last part of training, called the Final Test, has three story missions. Completing all three unlocks a lockpick, which is a vital tool to have. But if you just play the Final Test once or twice you won't have it available. So being a completionist is rewarded in HITMAN more than most games I've played.

One of the cool things about this game for me is that what you can carry to start a mission is very limited. Maybe a pistol, a fiber wire and some coins that you toss to cause distractions. This is not a game where you roll the mousewheel and rummage through your assault rifle, then your SMG, then your sniper rifle and pistol. Just a few items allowed, which emphasizes planning, and opportunity cost is always a compelling part of gameplay for me. It's oddly appealing to be 30 minutes in to a mission and regret you brought coins instead of a breaching charge.

As mentioned in the OP I bought the legacy pack which adds all the HITMAN (2016) levels to HITMAN 2. My original plan was to play through the first game, then the second. But instead I decided to play them parallel, switching over after each one. The gear unlocks carry over so I feel like it gives me more options than if I just stuck with one game until the end.

There are also a couple of interesting multiplayer modes, and also limited-time assassination missions that change at set intervals.

It's a cool game, but as Recluse alludes to, you need to find the genre appealing. If you're in to games like Deus Ex, Thief, Splinter Cell and the like you'll probably find HITMAN appealing.

When it comes to "stealth" games for me I think the pinnacle of that genre is Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory. SC: Blacklist was good too but not on the same level.

I'm one of the odd ones that likes Blacklist better. I know that's sacrilege but what can I do?

I checked the Steam Store page. My error. What I got on GOG was HITMAN 2 - SILENT ASSASSIN which is an OLDER game in the Franchise. Still, gameplay style is just not me...

That's a 2002 game. A good one by Steam reviews, very positive overall. Never played that one myself.

Recycling the HITMAN 2 name leads to unnecessary confusion I reckon.

2002? The graphics must look badly outdated by now!


It depends on the game though because I recently played through Knights of the Old Republic which has very outdated graphics of course but the story is so good that I didn't mind it too much.

For some games, modders have made them timeless and exceed even more modern counterparts:



Morrowind came out in 2002, also.

Yeah, Graphics are not great, but I've played games with worth graphics....

Morrowind was great. I don't think I had played anything like it. I can still recall vividly everything about that first little town you come across. And those new graphics make it look pretty good. I can't see playing it again, but it's interesting to see again. Thanks for the vid Blastman.

Many long-time Hitman players rate Blood Money as the best in the series. It was a really good game, and if we judge games on their 'time', or in the existing paradigm at the time of release, then yeah I suppose that's a good shout. For me though I think Hitman 2 2018 is better in most every way. Novelty is a big factor I think. Nostaglia too. But novelty is a strong allure. When something is new, and different, it gains that as a quality. Subsequent releases following the same formula can be objectively better, but the new car smell wears off a bit, and one's opinion of it will be affected in some way.

Like if I think back now I would say Half-Life was better than Half-Life 2. It's hard to argue it's a better game really, but Half-Life has the benefit of being so unique, so out of left field at the time it came out. Think about that intro, Black Mesa Inbound, riding the tram to work as the loudspeaker droned on about safety and staff decathalons, and outside you observed the facility, as each room moved past, with robot workers, and toxic waste. We had never seen anything like this. Duke Nuke'em or Quake, it was not. What an impression it made. So much so that I can still remember it now, 22 years later.

A game like Hitman 2 faces the same thing. Blood Money (2006) was excellent, still is, but I cannot say it is objectively better than Hitman 2, even if it made more of an impression for it's time. Of course it was not the first Hitman game, it was the fourth, but it was way better than what came before, so it became the standard for the series, and wasn't matched again until Hitman (2016) and Hitman 2. Not sure why I am talking about this as no one asked, but perhaps it's because Blood Money was so much more successful, and seems to hold a higher pedestal in many player's minds. Hitman 2 was not a commercial success early on, though I think it picked up over the past year, probably due to aggressive sales and bundling (it got me).

The 2002 game mentioned by Recluse was the second installment and a good game by most accounts. It was six years after Blood Money before Absolution (2012), and I bought it and played it, and thought it was a good game, but it had nowhere near the same impact as Blood Money for me. But now, having played these last two titles (morphed together under the Hitman 2 banner), I feel like these are the standard now. What was I talking about?

Oh yeah, Hitman 2 (I'm stopping the all caps HITMAN, even if that's how it is). Of course this game looks far better, as expected. Beyond that though the levels are amazing, the tools are vastly more varied, and the introduction of things like mission stories and opportunities give the game a scope far beyond what Blood Money achieved.

On a more immediate and less nostalgiaphological note, I completed another mission last night, the Marrakesh mission called A Gilded Cage. Silent Assassin first go with no reloads! Of course the mission stories help make that easier to do. But still, when it all comes off first time it is why I like this gaming thing so much

Hitman 3 is out, and is Epic exclusive, which sucks really. Like the previous game, Hitman 3 will allow combining of the previous games' level, retaining progress, unlocks and mastery levels, which is great. But not if you owned those games on Steam. I was really looking forward to this one, but looks like I'll be waiting 12 months more. This Eurogamer article explains how the combining of the games works.

Combine Hitman 3 with Hitman 2

I have nothing against Epic per se. I bought three Epic exclusives over the past couple of years -- Borderlands 3, RDR 2 and Metro Exodus. It's fine, but what I didn't like was after not using Epic for a while, when I went to play it was updatepalooza. The launcher needs to update, and Epic needs to update, and the games need to update and by the time it was done I didn't want to play anymore lol. So I bought copies of those games on Steam too. Love Steam.

So see you in 2022 Hitman 3.

I don't see how Epic is unique here. If you stay offline for a long time any of the online services like Origin, Steam and Ubi Connect will most likely have a ton of updates waiting for you.

True, but I use Steam just about everyday. Having so few games on Epic meant I could go months without using it.

But the issue here is more that I have the earlier two games on Steam, and they would not work with Hitman 3 on Epic.

If my computer is running, Steam is running.

Steam, Epic and Ubi Connect run every day simply because I have games on all three that I play often. Origin I'll log into once every couple of weeks to check for updates.

Hitman 3 dropped on Steam a couple days ago to no fanfare at all. Comments are divided, but not in the usual way. The game itself gets stellar marks, but it's everything surrounding the release that is getting slammed. pricing, DLC structure, confusing versions, such as which one to buy if you've already got the previous games.

It's as if the devs nailed it and the publisher blew it.

Obviously from my comments above in this thread I rate the latest Hitman titles very highly, and this one completes the latest trilogy, and can be integrated along with the previous two. I'm definitely going to pick this up now that the Epic year is behind us, but I'm tempted to wait for a sale. I probably won't, but I'm tempted.

I think, if you own Hitman 2016 and Hitman 2, you want to just buy the standard or deluxe versions. I'll need to sort this.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1659040/HITMAN_3/

Sharing a few reviews of Hitman 3. These were mostly written a year ago when the game was released. After waiting it out for a year, I'm catching up on my reading to fortify my decision, which could be to buy it now or wait.

Who am I kidding?

PC Gamer

IGN

Gamespot

Eurogamer

These are glowing reviews across the board. I think we need to separate the publisher/price/release stuff from the game itself. If you're able to do that I really can't recommend this trilogy enough, if you like the Hitman mojo, or enjoy stealth games, or simply want a game that is slick, polished and excellently designed. Of course I have yet to play 3, but I can see it's just more of what was so good about the 2016 Hitman reboot and Hitman 2. Some graphical improvements, some gameplay twists and a few new gadgets.

The draw is simply more of I/Os incredible level-building. Just having new maps to discover, new targets to snuff out in new ways, after having run through the previous ones repeatedly to gain map mastery.

As mentioned, all three games install under the same banner, all the missions playable from the same game. Any improvements from the later games retroactively apply to the earlier ones, and you can go back and play those early missions using any of the new tools and gadgets introduced later. It's a neat setup. It's easy for me to spend your money, but I can only recommend buying the whole works if you don't own them already. There is a lot of great gaming in this one. I don't like third-person games, but there are a few I make exceptions for because they are so good. Hitman is one.

When I buy it I'll post first impressions if anyone might be interested.

My fortified decision was to buy it, so I did. The last two games I like so much, this was an easy decision. The reviews simply confirmed the fact Hitman 3 is more of the same. Since I own the 2016 and 2018 titles, I bought the Standard version of Hitman 3.

One of the things I like most about this "World of Assassination Trilogy" is how all three games are combined as one. I had read that I could carry over progress from the earlier games. So all the item unlocks, map mastery, XP levels and so on would transfer to the new game. The process though is not so simple, and you need a IO account to do it. It look longer than I expected, I had much trouble restoring my password for example, but eventually I got it done. So now every level in the series is there in the UI, all my weapons, items and other lethal, and less-than, are available in the prep. A new player to Hitman (3) would need to wait to unlock these, but returning players can have their previous progress pay off with expanded capability from the off.

With everything installed and carried over, I hopped in to the game. I ran through the prologue training scenario twice to re-acclimate to the controls and mechanics, then tackled the first mission in Hitman 3, Dubai. There's a story arc in the game/series, but it's rather convoluted, and I pay cursory attention to try and understand my presumed motives. But generally it's forgettable, and hard to follow, for me.

The first mission opens in rather spectacular fashion. A parachute insertion to the world's tallest building. Inside are two targets to take out, there's a massive soiree of the world's elite going on, and 47 must work out a way to kill the highly secure and well guarded marks. Standard Hitman stuff. Story Missions return. these are solutions the game suggests, which you pick up by eavesdropping on conversations. You might hear the target likes a certain drink, and if you opt in, the game leads you to the drink recipe and some poison. Or maybe you hear the target is expecting a guard shift, and then you can find the replacement guard, and assume his identity to get close to your target. Or you can just wing it.

The game looks fantastic, even better than before. The location levels are dense, excellently designed and gorgeous. It runs smoothly, and in limited time, seemingly stable. This studio knows what they have in this IP, and how to pull it off. It's slick, polished and stuffed with content. Aside from the campaign there are additional modes like revolving timed events and a sniper assassination mode among others.

One of the things about Hitman that took me by surprise a couple years ago when I was playing is how central replays are to the experience. Replaying levels in most games isn't uncommon. After all, you might want to try a different plan, or simply do a better job of it. But in this game, the map mastery mechanic makes replaying nearly essential. The idea is that by replaying it over and over, you gain proficiency and new unlocks. These unlocks are weapons and items, like a remote explosive or a lethal rubber duck. Along with this you unlock new starting points, and stash locations. These open up new possibilities and tactical plans, so that even though you're replaying the level, the parameters have all changed. I like it, as the experience and options you gain make you better and better at it. A new level might take an hour and a half the first time, but later you might complete the mission in ten minutes. It's a neat gimmick that encourages retries and makes the already extensive content feel even deeper.

I've done everything through the China map. I play on Professional. In the earlier games I tended to stick on a map for a few runs before moving on, but this time I've only done Dubai more than once. I wanted to get a feel for each map and see which was my favorite to then focus on it and max out mastery. I think it may end up being one I haven't done, the next one, Argentina. In Hitman (2016) it was Paris. In Hitman 2 (2018) it was Whittleton Creek. But I really like many of the levels. Most are awesome, but one or two I wasn't so keen on.

In Hitman 3, IOI continues to show they are really good at level and world building. Dartmoor is a bit of an outlier, the sort of level that I think players will love the first time through, especially if following the initial story mission. But it might be the weakest one in the trilogy for replays. Berlin was such a cool twist, really enjoyed that one. I cased the entire joint, identifying every target, before beginning my deadly dance starting with the sniper and methodically taking them out one by one, using a different kill method for each one. I don't want to spoil it for others, but there were a couple neat touches in this one that makes it stand out.

Since installing Hitman 3 I also revisited a couple earlier levels. I finished Hokkaido yesterday. I guess I had failed to do so previously, the only level from the first two titles I hadn't finished. I did Bangkok again, that's another good one. Maldives and Sapienza. Played a few sniper assassinations, a couple escalations. Lots of content in this trilogy.

Since I see your having fun, I though I would hijack this thread!

Seriously, just In case you were not aware of what´s Incoming this spring...

I think a thread has to be actually going somewhere to be hijacked, and well....

That looks great Red, thanks for the heads up. I was not aware of this, but any additional twists, modes and content is welcome. Hopefully it is fun to play the freelancer mode.

And yes, I'm having a good time with it. That's a given really, considering how much I like this type of game play, and how good Hitman is at it. I've completed every level save the final full level and the short epilogue. I've been mixing in the new levels and replaying older levels. There's not much to knock Hitman 3 on, but one weaker spot is there are only three mission stories for each of the new levels. The earlier titles have minimum five and up to nineteen, I think, per level. Mission stories are not crucial, but they are often fun and interesting. They are valuable contributors to map mastery, which I'm finding is slower to advance than before.

I like games like this that are in many ways just big sandboxes. You have an objective(s), a map and a starting state (location, disguise if any, weapons and items) and then it's entirely up to you on how to complete that objective. There are so many possibilities, and I try to play in such a way that I use a different plan, route and kill method each time. I really like kills that happen when I am far away. For these you have to observe. I might notice he stops at the bar for some sushi, so add some lethal poison and gone. Later he kicks off the mortal coil while I'm somewhere else or heading through the exit. Or maybe he likes to lean against a railing while talking on his phone. Find a wrench, loosen the railing when heads are turned, and slip away. Ten minutes later he falls to his death. That sort of thing never gets old.

Each level is a,puzzle to be solved. But here, there are endless solutions. Good stuff.

Not all publishers get it right. And I commented above about the messy release. Well, credit to IO Interactive, they are at least admitting it and even offering a trinket or two to make up for it. How nice. If I am reading this right, as a trilogy owner, I get Seven Deadly Sins for free. Nice.

There are big reductions on the earlier Hitman games in the Steam sale right now.

Good spot Troop! Yeah, the Hitman 1 and 2 bundle is US$25. That's half what I paid for the same a few years ago. These can then be combined with Hitman 3, if desired, and benefit from the graphics and gameplay improvements.

Or, a frugal player might get that bundle, play it, then pick up 3 when it inevitably goes in sale in a couple months and combine them then.

Of course if someone buys it all before Feb 19th, they get the free upgrades mentioned two posts back.

So right now, on Steam, you can get the trilogy for $85. That might be steep for some, but there is plenty of content to justify the price point.

For those on the fence, the Steam page lets you play the first level from Hitman 2, Hawke's Bay, for free. That's a great way to test the waters and see if you dig the Hitman vibe. Hawke's Bay is a great little mission, set at a remote beach house at night. It's a prefect primer scenario that isn't complicated, but has plenty of scope for assassination.

Well, I took the plunge and got Hitman 2 Gold Edition... that's everything from the 2 series... 150gb, phew!
That will keep me going for ages... shed loads of stuff to do!
Busy at the moment creeping around Hawkes Bay, found all the intel and bits and bob's... now going for the hit on the target!

Hey cool man. I hope you like to discuss this stuff. If not no worries, but I'd like to discuss the finer points if you have any questions or comments about the missions and gameplay. Hawke's Bay is a good level. One tip, if I may, is to suggest that you complete the Final Test in the ICA Facility if you haven't done so as this unlocks a lockpick, if I recall correctly.

Good luck on your hit and exfil. How do you like it so far?

Turns out I don't have the trilogy, I guess. I got the Deluxe upgrade, as promised, which I don't care about. But not SDS. I bought Hitman 2 a few years ago, and what was called the Legacy pack, which added the Hitman 1 content. So I guess they don't see me as owning Hitman 1?

I'm having a good time with the new one, and some of the old content too. Last night I played Dubai several times. One of the only things I can knock H3 on is the lack of mission stories. The other titles had minimum five per level, and I think Sapienza has nineteen? But no level in H3 has more than three. These aren't crucial, but I do enjoy them, and maybe just as importantly they are contributors to map mastery. And as a result I'm finding it harder in Hitman 3 to advance it. Only XP contributes to mastery, not mission score, so you need to hit mission stories and challenges to raise mastery. With so few mission stories on offer, and since you can only claim each one once, mastery levels above 10 are harder to come by for me. Maybe they'll add some down the line?

So I ran Dubai about four times, trying to hit new challenges, and to experiment around the level. One of the ones I did was Impactful Art. After exfil I wondered how fast that could have gone were I to cut out all of the wasted motion. Just do exactly what I just did, but max efficiency, hit my marks, no wasted effort or time. So I did and got out in 12:22, silent assassin on professional.

But since I basically repeated everything I got squat for XP, and barely nudged the mastery bar at all. So this means you have to pick through each challenge, do a fiber wire, a drowning and so on down the line. I get it yeah, but there was more latitude here in the other two games since you could gain much more mastery through mission stories. Three just isn't enough, even if the ones that are in are good ones in the main.

Wait, check that. I think you need to do all the mission stories at the ICA facility to get the lockpick. That just coincided with me finishing the Final Test and I drew an inaccurate conclusion

Check that check that, as you can also get it from mastery level 2 in Miami

Here's a list of the unlocks. I'll leave it as a link in case someone doesn't want it spoiled

https://attackofthefanboy.com/guides/hitman-2-how-to-unlock-all-weapons-and-equipment/

By the way, it cost me £18.64 for the Gold Edition, which is pretty good, considering if it wasn't in the sale it would have cost £74.99!!! Blimey...
Not had chance to get really into it yet as I had to go back to work, but I'll have a real good session at it tomorrow... but enjoying learning the ropes.
Only one peeve at the moment and that's the controls setup... I'm going to have to change things as I don't find them intuitive the way the game default setup has them.

I misunderstood what the Gold Edition was, assuming it was Hitman 1 + 2 combined. Instead, it's a complete Hitman 2, right?, with no levels from the first game. That's fine, H2 is great on its own, and if you end up liking it I would think you can still blend the first and third games in. Sale runs through February 3 I think.

This should be what you want if you decide to add Hitman 1 (2016) content for another tenner

https://store.steampowered.com/app/960831/HITMAN__GOTY_Legacy_Pack/

Miami, Whittleton Creek and Mumbai are all among my favorite levels in the trilogy. Miami takes the top spot in many best-levels lists.A classic level with so many possibilities, all around an auto race happening during the mission. I can't remember now if I played Miami or Paris first, probably Paris. But Miami has it all as a Hitman level. Florida Man!

Last night I decided to give Miami another go, having just said good stuff about it in this thread. Mastery carries over to Hitman 3, but even with all the time I've sunk in to the trilogy, I've only maxed mastery on a few maps. Miami was not done yet so I gave it another look, to try and come up with some cool and fast solutions. In the world of Hitman, there's a certain playstyle considered the most difficult or challenging, called Silent Assassin Suit Only (SASO). To get Silent Assassin you must kill your targets without being seen and without the body being found. Suit Only means you can not change disguise. Disguises are one of the most central and powerful mechanics in the game, and to complete these missions while ignoring them ramps the difficulty in a big way.

However some maps are naturally more conducive to such an approach. Some, I find it nearly impossible, if not actually so. In Miami though I came up with a good one. This stuff requires map knowledge, so you have to play it a few times before these types of opportunities become evident. I've talked in this thread of how central replaying maps is to the experience, and this is one way that it pays off. This plan worked out so well that my score was number 40 globally among many thousands. So I decided to fire up Hitman 2, and try it again. And this is the result


Ghosted in five minutes. Silent Assassin, Sniper Assassin and Suit Only on Master difficulty. Few things compare to the calm, cool exit after a fast and flawless mission like this. So satisfying.

Well done mate... cracking stuff!
Me, I've got the Legacy pack now. I've completed the ICA Training Facility and done the Final Test so I'm ready to move onto the first mission on Hitman 1.
My aim will be to complete Hitman 1 and 2 (god, there is a ton of content in there) and hopefully Hitman 3 will be in a sale later on down the line and I'll continue with that in the future.
I'm loving what I've seen and done so far... the story line has hooked me, the games look great and with all the content I'l be at it for quite some time
I like the diverse way I can kill the targets.
I've killed them with explosives, silenced pistol, wire noose, pushed off the balcony, but failed with poison, (the wrong bloke drank it, lol)...
I do enjoy exploring. Looking for anything you can pick up that can aid in the kill, or subdue some hapless bod wandering about and you want to use his uniform or clothes.
Distraction techniques, picking up heavy objects or hammers or a heavy wrench and throwing them at someones head (but not fatally) is quite satisfying as well... I'll get stuck into it again at some stage tonight!

Thanks, yeah, sometimes the plan works haha.

Good move to get the legacy pack. That's the same route I took and yes, there is a lot of content, especially if you end up liking the non-campaign stuff, like escalations and contracts. Your plan to play through those games first is just what I would have recommended, and I'm sure H3 will be on sale inside of two months on Steam.

Your other comments are spot on, with all the options. Setting up accidents is one of my favorite ways. Or working out ways to get multiple targets to meet and taking them out together. It's such a multi-faceted sandbox. And as you play and gain mastery, you gain more tools, weapons, starting and stash locations to open up new avenues and options to try it again. Did you get the lockpick as a reward from the ICA training? It's a neat set up, and I think fans of games like Thief, Deus Ex, Dishonored and Splinter Cell would like this trilogy.

I said so earlier in the thread, but I like how limited your inventory is, the opportunity cost of choosing this over that to bring along with you. Of course the maps are littered with stuff, so you can expand what you're carrying as you move through it. But planning is compelling. I like agonizing over these decisions, and the regret I feel when I'm 15 minutes in and realize I made a mistake bringing coins instead of a proximity mine or whatever. Then, there are levels like Berlin and Hokkaido, where you start with nothing at all and must improvise and use all your skills.

I usually take a SIlverballer or Shortballer pistol, lockpick and key card hacker on a first run. Mobility is often the limiting factor early in levels, and this loadout lets you move more freely without requiring you to find keys and keycards. The pistol disables cameras. And you can usually find tossable distractions so even though I used to never start without my trusty coins, lately I've been just counting on finding some. A couple times this has left me stuck though. This sort of thing, making these loadout choices and seeing how it plays out, is all part of what appeals to me about this game. I also used to carry a garrote, but you can always choke out/snap neck. So now I only tend to carry these when I want Piano Man for the challenge XP. Or for that mission I talked about above in Miami, it was a briefcase and smuggled sniper rifle. So many options

I'd be interested in hearing how you get on, and talking about any of the missions as you move through them. I changed the thread title to encompass the lot of them.

Yes, love the amount of options available... one mistake I made on Hawkes bay though was to go loud and take out guards that sussed I was there.
The target legged it to a 4x4 well away from the house and was well guarded. I decided to infiltrate through the sand dunes, avoiding the guards unless one was not going to move but was alone from time to time.
I'd subdue him and drag him into the sand grass and eventually get close enough to do the kill.
I threw a frag grenade, killed the target and bodyguards and avoided the inevitable mad security search and quietly avoided them to get to the extraction point.
I felt happy until I checked my stats and found all of my XP was wiped out because I'd taken on and killed the security... !!!

There's more than one way to get the job done

But I can't say I've tossed a grenade lol. I try to ghost everything, and kill only the targets. Many pacifications, but kill just the mission targets. Unseen and silent, although the found bodies depends on the kill method. If you drop a chandelier on 'em they're likely to be found haha.If there's a level where going loud could work, Hawke's Bay is it I reckon.

I thought non-target kills only affected mission score, not XP? Maybe that's what you mean. I can only recall one non-target kill for me, a personal body guard walking with a target in Berlin. I used a remote C4 explosive and timed it wrong and took out the bodyguard too. This sometimes happens with explosives, and I might just reload and find a way to remove the collateral victim and then try it again so only the target gets the good news.

One of the best ways to strip a target of a bodyguard who accompanies him on his loop is to drop a weapon along their path (and makes sure only they see it). When they come across it the guard will pick it up and then attempt to take it to sort an evidence box. You can either take him out right here when you break their routine, or just let him go, although this means he'll return once he drops off the weapon. If you take out any guards you'll surely have a few weapons to use for this. I had to do this once in the SASO Miami mission above, but dropped my Silverballer (sniff sniff, sorry to see it go) since it was done fast and no guards taken out.

But of course you don't lose it permanently. Except perhaps.....

In Freelancer. Check out the video Red posted. In this mode, which I know little about, it appears items are finite. So if you drop your Silverballer to distract a hapless guard, you could lose it for good. I'm looking forward to it. I hope it delivers. This could be a reason to bite the bullet and get H3 before a sale. But I'd wait to see what the reaction to it is.

I completed the final full mission from H3, Mendoza. Agent 47 must infiltrate a retirement party at an Argentinian vineyard and snuff out two targets. There are many ways to kill a target in this game of course, but one of the most fun is to trick a NPC in to doing it for you. There aren't too many ways this can be done in the series, but there's one in Mendoza.

A little clarification over what I mean by "unseen" in Hitman

Unseen is not meant in the normal way, because you're seen by hundreds. Unseen here means out of 'uniform' and caught by a NPC or camera. Certain outfits are allowed in specific areas, and others are not. If you're seen wearing one that's not, you're busted. But you can waltz right past a security guard if you're wearing the same uniform, exchanging pleasantries as you pass. Lookin' good man!

For those who haven't played you'd think, well, just get a uniform and it's a breeze. It does make it much easier to move around that space. But there are Enforcers sprinkled throughout the level, NPCs who aren't fooled by your disguise. Let's say they know everyone in the security detail and it's not you. You must still avoid, evade or eliminate these NPCs regardless of what you're wearing. Higher difficulties add more enforcers, and maybe cameras too. Enforcers are identified by a dot over them. I tend to play on Professional, because I enjoy the mission stories, they help with raising map mastery, and there is no story mission help on Master. But once I'm done with those, I switch to Master. Having played through the level that many times, it's a good time to bump it up and put it all to a stiffer test. Master allows a single save point so it's a different vibe, more tense, especially the deeper you get, knowing it's all hanging out there.

So with Mendoza done I've now completed every level in the trilogy, aside from the short, linear epilogue. But all of the proper main set levels are done, at least once. Hitman 3 is a proper and fitting end to the trilogy. Some fantastic levels, a few new additions to the series (keypads, camera, micro taser) and good mission stories. My only knock is how few stories there are, but in all other respects H3 hits the right notes, aside from the epilogue, which I have yet to play, but which I already know I think is a poor way to end the trilogy. Matter of fact I'm not even going to include it when I consider the body of levels in the series. Think of it more like a farewell vignette, not a Hitman level.

We got socked in by a blizzard this weekend here on the east coast, so what's a guy to do? Play Hitman of course. So yeah, I played a lot, and focused on Dubai now that I've completed every level. Berlin gets the praise in H3, but actually I think Dubai is my favorite level. Opulence, arrogance and hubris stacked vertically. It has many of the things that I liked about the Paris level. It also has some very cool kills and escapes. For example you can find or bring an exploding golf ball. One target is moving about the penthouse dictating his memoir and has demanded quiet. If you then raise a ruckus, by turning on radios, vacuum cleaners and the like it makes him so mad he finally needs to relax, and goes to hit golf balls off the top of the tallest building in the world. But if you slip in a ball that goes boom....

Or another one is to sabotage emergency escape parachutes then trigger the evacuation alarm and the targets jump to their deaths. These are just a couple of many ways to complete the mission.

I mentioned it before that H3 has just three mission stories per level. I'd like to see more, but what it has done is force me to be a more well-rounded assassin if I want to max out map mastery. I've now done so in Dubai.This forces you to do a much broader set of kill types, to chase the challenges (like cause a target to slip on a banana of all things!) and to attempt the classics (Silent Assassin, Suit Only, Sniper Assassin). Throw in an escalation or two for good measure. I did all of that to finally reach mastery level 20. Things like kill both targets with a single sniper bullet. It takes some runs to learn the map and have these sorts of opportunities become evident, and also how to actually accomplish them. That XP is needed to hit max mastery, and it forces you to seek out these challenges. So while I would like to see more mission stories in each level, there's no doubt that having so few is causing me to be a more-well rounded assassin.

Troop, I decided to try Hawke's Bay again since there's an achievement in H2 for completing it on Master difficulty (but not in H3). Because I have max mastery there (only need level 5) I started in the office and all went well until they came home. I had forgotten the guards teleport on to the roof, and well, it all went to hell! Haha, I need a better plan.

Having played through the trilogy, I thought I'd take a shot at ranking the levels based on what I think makes a good Hitman playground. This is entirely subjective. Well, not entirely, I like to think I can be objective and measured in my assessments as well. But it really comes down to what I think makes it good or bad, and this will be different for each player. Excluding the epilogue, Carpathian Mountains, there are twenty levels in the trilogy. This list is based on the campaign missions, I am not considering escalations, contracts, bonus missions and other side content.

20. Colorado (H1) -- I don't think any levels in the World of Assassination trilogy are bad. But some are better than others. Colorado is in the bottom spot because it doesn't feel like Hitman to me. It's a farm where everywhere is hostile, and has multiple targets. It's still a good level in the absolute sense, but there are no safe spaces, no blend opportunities and disguise progressions to go through. Just a farm full of bad guys. Uninspiring.

19. ICA Facility (H1) -- It's simply a tutorial mission, a mock up of plywood and actors, all to train 47 in the subtle arts of the kill. Nothing wrong with it, it does what it says on the tin. But it is basic, small and temporary. Good to hone some skills, but otherwise not a proper Hitman level, and not intended to be.

18. Santa Fortuna (H2) -- Again, I don't think any of these levels are bad, but this one was a bit too sprawling for me. Hippo kills are legendary however.

17. Marrakesh (H1) -- About the same as Santa Fortuna. These two levels are set up so there are distinct, and what I feel may be disjointed, areas to tackle in turn. I didn't enjoy the infiltration on this one as much as other levels, and the whole school section left me a little cold.

16. Hawke's Bay (H2) -- A tutorial level, but it sits this high due to the setting and ambience. It was also my first real mission in the trilogy so maybe gets some points for that. I like how it is split between the free phase where no one is around, and the arrival of the guards and targets while you're in the house.

15. Isle of Sgàil (H2) -- It's a neat concept, and a striking setting, but this level felt a bit restricted and not as fun to play as others. Probably the level I've played the fewest times, and maybe some more runs would change my view.

14. Bangkok (H1) -- A prototypical hotel mission. It's a bit of a dichotomy, with the grounds even split in to two towers -- the public spaces on one side, and private on the other. One target is almost too exposed and easy to kill, the other is hemmed in by hostile areas, many guards, cameras and other impedimenta. And who knew 47 could beat the skins like Ginger Baker?

13. Dartmoor (H3) -- One of the smallest and tightest levels in the trilogy, and features an Agatha Christie type whodunnit that is one of the neatest turns I've seen in this series. Think the movie Knives Out in a Hitman game. Nothing wrong with this level per se, but it's this far down my list because beyond the whodunnit there's just not much meat on these bones.

12. Chongqing (H3) -- This level gets a lot of love and while I enjoyed it, it felt a little too convoluted. I could see the contrast they were going for -- the rain soaked neon-lit streets above and the cold, austere high-tech facility below. But with this level 47 is moving in to the black ops genre, and I want him back in Hitman.

11, Mumbai (H2) -- It's a fine level and has much of what I like about Hitman. Some very cool hit opportunities and mission stories. It's dense and a neat setting. I could do without the whole Maelstrom thing though.

10. New York (H2) -- Hitman's take on a bank heist. It works. But it's one I don't find myself keen on replaying. Not sure why. I should re-visit it.

9. Mendoza (H3) -- This level was beautiful, loved the setting. I also really liked the ability to trick a NPC in to taking out a target. I've only run through it a couple times. It gets a lot of praise but I only thought it was OK. Nothing extraordinary. Maybe because for the first time I didn't trust Diana. This probably should have been the trilogy's final level. Put your signature suit back on and dance with Diana as the screen fades to black.

8. Berlin (H3) -- Berlin is maybe the most innovative level in the series. Some rate it as the best level. I really liked the twist and had fun identifying and then eliminating the many targets, all in a pulsating German rave scene. But something about it keeps it from reaching the top of this list. Still, a great Hitman level that throws you out of your comfort zone and puts your full range of skills to the test.

7. Whittleton Creek (H2) -- A bucolic Vermont suburb is such a divergent setting for a lethal assassin like 47. And I loved it. I feel so badass knowing the power I have to decide fates among the backyard barbecues and door to door salesmen. This was the second map I maxed out mastery. A great level and a throwback to the classic Blood Money mission "A new Life".

6. Haven Island (H2) -- I love this map, the setting and how much concealing foliage there is! The weather change is a neat touch. Three targets, numerous kill opportunities, and even one USB-stick that leads to two kills if you play it right. A perfectly balanced Hitman map. Blowing up the jetski is one of the most fun eliminations in the series, watching the target fly off in to the jungle or out to sea lol.

5. Sapienza (H1) -- Top-five territory now, the best of what Hitman offers. This could be the best level in the trilogy, and many think it is. I might too, except for that virus you must destroy. This alone drops this level from the very top to fifth place in my list. Anytime the game moves from silent assassin territory in to the covert/black ops sort of stuff I bristle. I'm a cold, calculating killer. Send in another agent for that stuff, thanks very much.

4. Hokkaido (H1) -- This level took a little while to percolate for me. Levels where you start with nothing jarred me at first, but now I see the beauty, how it forces you to improvise and use all of your skills, rather than rely on your standards. Berlin is like this too. Top setting, a high tech Japanese hospital, and some extremely devious kill opportunities. This is high-art Hitman at it's best.

3. Dubai (H3) -- Not one other player will rank this so highly I don't think. But for me it's everything a good Hitman level should be, in many ways it hits the same notes Paris does. It's H3's tutorial level, but has fantastic kill opportunities, plenty of verticality, safe and hostile zones and you can make a target slip on a banana as he tries to leap off the world's tallest building wearing a parachute you sabotaged with a letter opener. Perfect.

2. Miami (H2) -- Fantastic level with so many dissimilar ways to approach it. All set around an auto-race, in which one of your targets is a competitor. You can kill wearing a mascot costume, become Florida Man, or take out both targets by making one fall on the track, crashing the other target's car and killing them both. This stuff never gets old. Pitch perfect level and game design.

1. Paris (H1) -- I don't think many players will rate Paris as top level in the trilogy, but for me this is the perfect Hitman level. it was the first one where I maxed mastery. There may be some nostalgia tinting my view. But it has it all. Great setting, opportunities and level design. Paris, for me, is the ideal Hitman level.

I returned to Hawke's Bay to put right my botched attempt the day before, and this time it went flawlessly to get the achievement for completing it on master difficulty in Hitman 2. I took a chance and lethal-poisoned the sugar, and as luck would have it that's what she wanted in her tea tonight haha. That's a fun, quick level. I took my time and still made it out in 18 minutes. Of course as you gain map mastery, you unlock new starting locations, many of which can cut considerable time off the mission.

I also gave New York another shot, as pondered in the ranking list above. It's a good level, but having revisited it, it remains in tenth place.

When I did the carry-over to import previous progress to Hitman 3, I had many, many achievements yet to get. Hitman 3 has far fewer, like 60 fewer, so I've been playing H2 alongside H3 to get more of them. One of the ones I wanted was Top of the Class, which requires beating the top leaderboard score on a Contract. I got that one after a number of attempts.

Achievement hunting is going great haha. I've gotten 20+ over the past couple of days. Some are quite simple, some are quite difficult, but I like this because it gives me goals and targets to hit. It also directs me to different paths, attempting eliminations that I not only wouldn't have done otherwise, probably, but wouldn't have even thought of. The Keep Your Eyes Peeled achievement in Dubai is a perfect example.

I completed the H3 epilogue (Carpathian Mountains) and my reaction is, what the hell is this sh!t? Did IOI fire the entire dev team with one level to go and replace them with ex-Call of Duty people? I just cannot wrap my head around the decisions that were behind this, to make the final level in the trilogy unlike anything that came before it, a level that feels nothing like Hitman to me. You're on a train, at the back of course. And the target is at the front. You must make your way forward through many cars, filled with guards, while you alternate between moving through the cars, on top of the cars, and hanging off the sides.

Silent assassin? Yeah good luck with that. I'm sure it can be done, but what a chore. Halfway through I finally just said screw it and starting lobbing grenades and killing everyone. I killed more non-target NPCs in this one level than I have in the entire trilogy to date I would say. Tedious, linear, and disappointing. It's impossible for me to fathom why this was chosen as the finale to an otherwise stellar series.

Replayed several levels. Did all missions stories in Dartmoor for Full House. Easy. Once you know how to reliably reach the safe and what the code is, this level is simple. The story missions are good, especially the murder mystery, but after that it falls a little flat for me. Maxed mastery will be a bit of a slog on this map I think.

Spent a lot of time in Sapienza. This is easily one of the best maps in the trilogy, and as I said in the ranking post the virus objective drags it down from potentially top spot for me. But I had forgotten it could be taken care of with a Silverballer and a stalagtite. Or is that stalagmite? Stalag-tite, right? T for top. Anyway, that's pretty easy to do and streamlines the whole thing. But still, I'd like this level more without it. I did a smooth professional SA run (solar system accident/silverballer headshot), and then a very messy Sniper Assassin run that went all to hell and I failed to get it because of non-target deaths and found bodies. Note to self. Don't use the Ruins stash unless you start there.

That messy run did have one of my newest favorite kills, the Eye for an Eye challenge. When this sort of thing emerges from the sandbox, completely unexpectedly, it reinforces what a great game this is. I won't spoil it for others, but I hope anyone attempting a sniper run clues in on the possibility.

And finally I gave one of the bonus missions a go, called The Icon. It's an alternate mission set in Sapienza, and I worked out a way to ghost it in 6 minutes, nabbing the Perfectionist achievement along the way. It was a lot of fun working out this plan, fail, fail and fail some more until each step falls in to place. Stayjng out of vision cones is especially challenging here and it requires perfect timing. Thankfully you can save in this one.

I was looking to mix things up so had a look through my inventory options to work with some new weapons. Somehow the Sieker emetic dart pistol had flown under my radar. Not sure when or how I unlocked it (Haven Island mastery?) but this tool is a game changer. One of the biggest challenges in the game is dealing with stationary NPCs that you need removed. Like a dude hanging out at the bar so he notices when you attempt to poison a whiskey or wine glass. He doesn't move, and is always looking in the wrong direction. This dart gun though makes the target sick so off he goes to vomit, removing him from the scene.

Normally you can't just choke out a roadblock like this, you have the body to deal with and you can't do that in a crowded bar. Until now a lethal poison vial was my most common stash item. But now I'm stashing the Sieker more. A great solution to some of the game's toughest spots. I bet it's great in Contacts too, where the target has no loop so you can get him moving and out of view.

For me, I'm working through Hitman 1... completed ICA Facility, Paris, Sapienza, Marakesh, plus Hawkes Bay from Hitman 2, which got me started with the series.
I'm currently just starting in Bangkok. I don't have a great deal of experience with the game yet so the stuff you are doing is a bit beyond my capabilities
Really enjoying it though...
Marakesh was a nightmare for me... I just couldn't find a way up to the second floor to kill the target, so I had to start again on casual to get the job done, but up till then I had been doing it all on the higher level setting above.
Oh, and thanks for telling me about the legacy packs!

Cool man, which level's your favorite so far?

I can't recall how I might have gotten upstairs in Marrakesh. Are you talking about the school or the consulate? I'll give it another go and if you are interested I'll let you know how, or if!, I solved it. Could there be a way to get that target to leave there? I'll replay it and see what's up.

it takes time to learn all of the tricks and skills in this game. And as you replay the maps you gain new starting and stash locations and unlock new items and weapons, and a previously difficult or time-consuming mission can suddenly become much more simple and fast. That's obvious to you I know, but it at least will be encouragement to give it another go with a different plan.

I gave A Gilded Cage a go. I should have done so in Hitman 2, but I did it in 3, wasn't thinking. I started from the default spot so we were the same. I did stash the Sieker which you won't have yet, but I only used it to kill the consulate target, not to infiltrate. Loadout was Silverballer, Lockpick and Coins on Professional

Kill Method: Straight Flush

Almost as soon as you start, a mission story pops up, about how the man living upstairs from the store used to be headmaster at the school. So I went up there, choked him out and stole his key. Still up in the area where you get this key, around the side are ledges you can scale, and then shimmy around the side of the building and drop down a pipe to bypass the guards at the entrance. Entered the school through a first-floor window. First time I shot the officer with the Sieker, and he went to vomit. I choked out the guard in the room, and then went to drown the officer, but he was throwing up in a garbage can, not a toilet or sink so I shot him in the back of the head. That was too easy, and since I already had the headshot challenge done, I reloaded to do it a different way. Turned on the intercom so that a couple of soldiers grousing about the officer were broadcast through the facility, which eventually led the officer to come berate them. I kicked a broken toilet through a hole in the ceiling from the room above and eliminated him with the accident.

The officer goes upstairs and downstairs and it's easy to get upstairs. The Consulate is not, so I'm sure the Consulate is where you got tripped up Troop. I left the school and through an alley which opened in to the area in front of the consulate where the protesters are. I stuck to the left, past a guard and some barricades toward a couple of civilians talking off to the side. Turned right and scaled the wall, and immediately turned left through a door that led downstairs to a garage area. I was wearing the camo fatigues from the guards at the school. That's what the guards here were wearing, and there's one officer who is an enforcer. He is blocking a key that unlocks an escape, but you don't need it. I turned on the radio nearby to distract one guard, then flipped a coin to distract the officer and grabbed that key, although I did not use it to escape the level.

In the center of this garage space is a stair case that leads upstairs to the consulate. I took these stairs while avoiding the camera and used instinct at the top. I could see a sitting guard, through the wall in what turned out to be the security room, and tried to take him out to get the disguise. Couldn't work out a way to do so in the security room, but outside was a copier that I turned on and hid in the box nearby. When he came out to turn it off I choked him out but got caught by a guard coming down the hallway. I reloaded and this time followed the guard who had caught me. He went in to the kitchen where I choked him out, took his clothes and hid the body. Just in time too, as seconds later a staff member came in.

Now I could walk in to the security room, where I coin distracted the guard, choked him out and disabled the security system.. Prowled around looking for a good opportunity and kill method I had yet to use in Marrakesh. In the end I shot him with the Sieker and as luck would have it the bathroom was ten feet away. Followed him in, drowned him in the toilet, hid the body and walked out. Silent Assassin, and took about 40 minutes. In case you didn't know there is a Silent Assassin HUD indicator that is turned off by default. If you care about this, turn that on to let you know when you break Silent Assassin. It's usually obvious, but sometimes you break it and don't realize it. It will also indicate when only camera footage is breaking SA, so if you can destroy the evidence you can reclaim SA status.

I made up the Straight Flush thing. But killing two targets, both with toilets but in different ways should definitely be called Straight Flush

Straight Flush beat out other top contenders like Skip to My Loos

After that run in Marrakesh I had a look around to decide what to do next. Honestly it's become like Europa Universalis, where what I do is guided by which achievements I have yet to get and sound fun and do-able. Sprinkle that with map mastery advancement and that's how I'm choosing what to play. So I fired up H2 and did that Icon ghost run again in that game, to get a second Perfectionist achievement.

What I really wanted to do though was unlock the Sieker 1 emetic dart pistol in Hitman 2. I wrote about how I used it in the consulate in Marrakesh (in Hitman 3), how valuable a tool it really is. It's a rule-set bender, and it's fun to take it in to a level you've played a number of times before with no similar capability and see the options it opens up. For example Dartmoor, where you assume the undertaker's identity and the target comes to inspect the preparations for her sham funeral (yes, really). She has a bodyguard that follows her everywhere, and he is tricky to take out so that you can get the target kill unobserved. But the Sieker makes it trivial. Stick him with a dart and off he trundles to get sick. Stripped of her guard, the target is easy work. That's just one of many possible uses for this weapon.

Turns out it is unlocked at Haven Island mastery level 10, which I have in H3, but not in H2. So I played it again to hit mastery 10. I failed to do so because I took so much time that most of the mission stories expired! Haha, so yeah, I had to improvise. I absolutely love this map, and the setting. Evidently there a triple kill opportunity on the map, but I've yet to work this out. No spoilers, since if I do work it out I want the satisfaction of figuring it out on my own.

I took nearly two hours to finish it and fell thisclose to level 10, but I need to give it another go, or maybe a contract. There are many ways to approach these maps and missions of course, that's part of the appeal of the series. But for players like me who usually go for Silent Assassin, the Sieker is gold.

Favourite level so far?... the one I'm on now I think in Colorado, Freedom Fighters. I've been thinning out the opposition. I have stunned guards that I've stashed all over the place, lol!
I'm gaining intel as I explore... I've already laid a trap in the lab for one of the targets and I'm working out the routines for the other three to decide how and where to intercept them.

As to Marakesh, yes, it was the consulate... but I managed to disguise myself as one of the interns on my second attempt and found a back staircase up to the second floor and could move around more or less freely to eventually kill the target in his office.
I did Bangkok after that, quite enjoyable that one!

That's interesting, as I placed Colorado last in my list. Horses for courses, eh?

I loaded Colorado up last night, but didn't start a run. I took a look at the level mastery and I see that a number of firearms are unlocked in Colorado. A couple assault rifles, a pistol, a sniper rifle and some demo. I think I'll pay it another visit, maybe get some of these unlocked and see if it is worthy of a higher place in my list. My mastery there is 8, so I probably only ran through it two or three times so far.

I did a few Featured Contracts, to get the New Profile achievement (did so in H2 & H3). Contracts are interesting, if a bit all over the place. Most have multiple targets, and on top of that the author can add 'complications', which are restrictions such as no pacifications, or don't get spotted, or all bodies hidden or use a specific weapon or disguise. So you have to sift through them to find the ones you like. This massively expands the content on each level, even if it is uneven in scope, suitability and quality.

I did Haven Island some more, and got the Sieker unlocked in H2. I believe I've spotted where the triple kill I spoke of would occur, now to decipher how to get all three targets there at the same time.

Definitely a quality game series... so much scope, variation and content...

Yes indeed. I'm mildly surprised more folks around here haven't gotten in to it, or at least, want to talk about it. Off counting their shoes I think

But this game is smack in my wheelhouse. Stealth-focused, sandbox and slick. The depth of the content is icing on the cake.

Last night I focused on Sapienza in Hitman 2. Did a suit-only sniper assassin run from the ruins, which I had finally unlocked as a starting location (mastery 17?). In and out in 11 minutes. Completed the Landslide bonus mission. Did a random contract too. Now I'm just 900 points shy of mastery 20, so whatever I do there next should max this map out, as long as I hit at least one challenge.

I also started the Patient Zero mission chain/bonus campaign, completing the first one in Bangkok. This series plays out with missions on several maps, with Sapienza, Colorado and Hokkaido coming after Bangkok. Let's see how it plays out.

Completed alI campaign missions from 1 and now working my way through 2, aaaand, caved in and got Hitman 3... ported all my Hitman 2 stuff across as per instructions.
Sadly, not everything followed over... I don't have access to Himmelstein, Hantu Port or Siberia for some reason?
Plus, only seven steam awards from Hitman 2 show up but not the rest of the 16 I had unlocked.
Still, it's a great game series and I'm having fun getting through it all.

It's only money



They've moved to Game Modes, check there



That may be because they don't share all of the same ones, and only achievements that are present in H3 would carry over. H3 actually has 63 fewer achievements, despite all of the shared ones. Like the 'complete level X on master' or 'use a starting location and agency pickup' ones aren't in Hitman 3. This is part of why I said I'm playing Hitman 2 alongside Hitman 3.

I had a look on Steam to compare achievements, but it looks like your profile is private. No worries there, but if you're interested I'll add you as a friend, and then my scores will show in your leaderboards and yours on mine.

Yes, you are right... In the other games I thought they were actually proper missions, not just the sniper assassins.
In Hitman 2 they were in the Destinations tab, but in 3 they aren't there.

Big update dropped a couple days ago, 1.7 gigs, but seems to be a graphics update, introducing or improving ray tracing and that sort of stuff. I have a 1660Ti which is Turing architecture but has no ray tracing cores so this stuff doesn't apply to me. If you have a better card it might be worth a look at what has been improved.

And also, the Freelancer mode mentioned earlier and which I am looking forward to, has been delayed until later in the year. This article says that Hitman 3 was a big commercial success, and good for IO. Might be good for us too as that tends to lead to new content.

https://www.polygon.com/23057480/hitman-3-freelancer-mode-delay-road-map

Another update has hit, this one adding a new level, Ambrose Island

https://www.ioi.dk/hitman-3-ambrose-island/

Free for owners of Hitman 3 and included in the latest patch.

Some big changes recently to this game. All three games are now one game, which is sort of how it was before, But H1 and H2 are no longer available as stand alone purchases. It's all combined as Hitman World of Assassination.

What I had been looking forward to is the Freelancer mode, which is a big shift in how the game works. As the name suggests it sets 47 loose on his own. No intel, no handlers, no mission opportunities. It's all rather free form. Weapons and kit can be lost permanently. Missions are created with random elements. The same maps that we've played over and over, but the targets change, the game loop is thrown askew and there are real consequences to failure.

https://ioi.dk/hitman/blogs/freelancer-you-are-in-control#the-last-word

The campaign play consists of a series of syndicate leaders that 47 must eliminate. In order to expose the leader, two setup type missions must be performed to take out his underlings. Once done, the main target comes out of hiding and it's your job to find a way to take him out in what is called the Showdown mission. Failing a mission loses all the gear you are carrying, plus half of your money. Failing a Showdown ends the campaign. There's a new safehouse for 47 and you can build up an arsenal over time, but of course you can lose it too. There are suppliers located on the game maps, covert black market types where you can pick up new gear with any money you've earned. You can also find plenty of stuff in the game world, like relieving a guard of his silenced SMG.

In the campaign selection you can choose from a number of syndicates to target, each with its own playstyle. One might have objectives like kill with poison, while another may be accidents and another silenced weapons. So you can tailor which syndicate you target according to how you want your approach to be framed. But the issue that pops out is that you have nothing at the start. I took the first mission armed only with a non-suppressed Silverballer and a camera. That's it. No coins, no fiber wire. It's up to me to acquire those tools through the gameplay.

As a result, my first syndicate choice was the one showing an objective to take out the target with an unsilenced gun. It's my only option right? Of course you can find other tools on the map, but that seemed like a good fit considering my limited carry options at the start. Each syndicate you choose has several maps the missions take place on, so you can also choose ones you like. In the one I chose to start off my Freelancing career, first up was Whittleton Creek. The target was just a random pedestrian, a woman who just walks up and down the sidewalk, stopping to talk on her phone occasionally. In the main game, she would be inconsequential scene filler, but now she's the target.

How to take her out with a loud pistol? I spent a while casing the joint, trying to work out a way to do it unseen. I couldn't. Just too exposed and my options too few. Her loop gave me no openings. She didn't eat or drink and never wandered off to a secluded area. Just back and forth from one end of the crowded street to the other. Finally I realized I could wait for her at the bus stop. One end of her loop was on the caddy corner. I could crouch by the bus stop. shoot across the street, pivot and hit the bus stop to end the mission. Sloppy, but should work.

As I put this plan in to motion, the mail man finished his route and came to take the bus home. He sat right on the bench behind where I wanted to shoot from. Now, if I drew my weapon, he'd screw it all up. Foiled by the mail man.

So I wandered off to maybe find some other means. I walked in to a garage and inside the house were armed guards, one had what looked like a silenced SMG. I decided I would choke him out, hide the body and take the SMG for my self. Did so, but got caught dragging him off. MIssion over. Pistol lost. Now I've nothing at all

So yeah, it's a neat shift away from the structured hand-holding of the main campaign. This mode looks hard. But it's a really neat approach, and IOI deserve credit for introducing it. It's a mode for good players, who can be creative, and who know the mechanics well. A way to put your skills to the test and most crucially, to test your ability to devise your own solutions to the problems you're given where failure has consequence. It will take more than one failed mission for me to know how I really feel about it all. But Freelancer is both different and more than what I expected. It feels like IOI are treating the veteran players with respect and rewarding those of us who have spent a lot of time in the trilogy, mastering the mechanics. This is the ultimate playground to put it all to the test. Whether the campaign begins to shine or stink as it progresses I cannot yet say. But I am impressed with what they've attempted to do here, and I appreciate the effort that has gone in to it. I really like the concept, but it will take more time to tell if the execution matches the ambition.

The consequences for failure can be brutal. As an optional mode I reckon that's what we sign up for eh? I retried that Whittleton Creek mission and this time got to the bus stop sooner so that I could carry out the plan while the mail man was still on his route. Pretty simple and I scored the cash for hitting one of the objectives. All the player needs to do is kill the mark (at least not on Hardcore), but that doesn't pay very well. Hitting the objectives, robbing safes and that sort of thing are how you rake in the money. These objectives can be all over the place, and some you may not be able to do regardless. At least at the start it's rather like playing a campaign on Hokkaido. You gotta wing it.

The second mission that came up for me was a hit on the android scientist in the Kronstadt building in Miami, I think his name is McInnis. A challenging mark as he never leaves the room and has two guards. This is where you want the Sieker or some way to get him moving and isolated, but I don't have much to choose from. I had gotten a nitroglycerin vial from a Diana crate and tossed it at him and split. Sometimes you can't be surgical or precise and have to bring the big stick. This mode forces the player to improvise and I bet in the end I'll see that as one of its strengths. It's already hard because there's no saving (I don't think) and as you progress from syndicate to syndicate it gets progressively more difficult, though I've yet to get there. But the game tells you this. So to get through a full campaign of four syndicates legit must be really hard. There's so much to lose when you fail.

I said it's a mode for good players and even then some won't like it. So far I like the sandbox vibe and the limited tools, but I'm at the easiest point. If I can figure out the best approach to building my arsenal, and keeping it intact, it could be key to keeping me keen. Constantly losing the stuff you are excited to have gotten back to the safehouse could be demoralizing. If you play well that won't happen, so if there really is no way to to save in the mission you have to nail it. I said it rewards veteran players because with no safety net you need to know the maps, the disguises and where they work, how to unlock exits and all that stuff that only comes from playing the maps many times. Freelancer isn't the thing to start out in Hitman.

Completed my first syndicate. Success is very rewarding playing Freelancer. It's hard, so to succeed feels good. But I've had to cheat a bit and drop Alt-F4 when things go sideways. I would have had to restart the campaign from scratch ten times by now. Insta-fail is a bit too harsh to allow me to test the mode's boundaries and rules. You gotta poke it and see how it reacts. So Alt-F4 is a shady way to keep the fail state at bay. But I don't care too much. If I have to start over too often I'll lose motivation I think. And I'll never build up my arsenal.

Eventually I can see settling into a comfort zone and not doing this. But at least at this early stage, Freelancer is too hard and too punishing to make real progress legitimately.

After completing the first syndicate I could choose another to target. I chose one with Sgail. And there I got the buried silenced pistol, which is a big score for the campaign. It's great for assassinations of course, but the real advantage is camera killing.

One interesting development now that I've completed four missions in Freelancer is how much my approach has changed. Or maybe more accurately, how much more open I am to alternative play styles. In the main campaign it's almost always Silent Assassin approach. I like to ghost the levels whenever possible. Unseen, unheard, undetected. But in Freelancer the only thing that matters to me is mission completion, and how that comes about is wide open. In the Sgail mission, which was an alerted territory, I had three targets, and took two out with bursts from an unsuppressed assault rifle. I don't know if I've fired an assault rifle at any point during the trilogy. Probably not. Not my style. But here? Yes, please.

I had thought only mission failure would alert a territory, but there must be a random chance any territory can alert? It didn't make much difference I don't think. The suspects become enforcers I guess, but that's not a big deal really.

So far I am really enjoying what Freelancer has brought to Hitman. It feels like an examination of my skills and ability to improvise. It makes me feel like all the time I've invested previously is paying off. A mode where mastery of maps and methods is necessary for success. There are no safety nets aside from Alt-F4 of course. It gives the rush of Elusive Targets but with a lot more freedom. The absence of saves leaves it all hanging out there, makes every action and outcome critical and final. I'd change a few things if I could to ease progression. But in a general sense it's a fantastic and welcome mode for veteran players. IOI didn't patronize, but respected the players with Freelancer I think.

It's disappointing that there isn't one person here who plays this game and wants to talk about it. But I seem to specialize in discussing games no one at SimHQ plays or talks about. If only there was a game about politics, movies and dead celebrities! I guess GTA comes closest, but no one talks about that game either

Because it is really good, and Freelancer takes it to a new level.

I talked before about how hard Freelancer is, and how I was using Alt-F4 as a crutch to stave off the fail state and test the game's boundaries while not losing all my stuff. But I seem to be falling in to the rhythm, and have done my last six missions on the bounce with no restarts. I needed to change my approach. Not to discard the Silent Assassin mojo, but to be ready and willing to use alternative play styles. To go with the flow and use all of the game's systems to my advantage. By not rewarding the SA/SO type approach, Freelancer has set me free.

I'm now in the midst of my third syndicate. Each one gets progressively more difficult. More missions, more targets, more enforcers, more things to solve. Randomly, it seems, some maps are designated as 'alerted', which means the targets will now be enforcers, which means they are not fooled by disguises, making getting close a bigger challenge. So you want to do the alerted territories first. Whichever map in the segment you do last becomes the showdown, and you don't want to do showdowns on alerted territories. So do these first.

One of the biggest payoffs for finding my rhythm is the growing arsenal. You start with nothing in the campaign, and must acquire all the cool toys through the game play. Find or buy it during a mission and bring it back to the safe house upon exfil. Now I've managed to get a hold of a silenced pistol, SMG, AR and sniper rifle, all of which are really nice to have. But of course you have to guard against losing them! This alone puts a neat new twist on the formula. Risk vs reward. The silenced pistol is the most important. Not just for assassinations --which it does nicely -- but for camera killing. I don't think it's a coincidence that my six-mission streak started when I acquired that pistol. If indeed anyone here does end up playing Freelancer, I got this pistol in the Sgail map. It's actually buried and you can dig it up with a shovel. Game changer. It's a Hackl, not a Silverballer, but does the job.

I've spent a lot of time in the trilogy, and in the main campaign I have nearly every item in the game to choose from. But I'm a devoted SA player. I always start a mission with the intent to ghost it. A Silverballer, lockpick, Seiker and a few coins can get me through just about any scenario. So I rarely to never used assault rifles, shotguns or non-suppressed weapons, and well, lots of items. I had my usual approach, and did well with it. Freelancer though has really opened up the game for me. It was always there, but since I found SA most rewarding -- and the game rewards you for it -- I rarely changed gears. But in Freelancer I feel encouraged to take any solution. I don't feel compelled to restart if I break Silent Assassin like I did before. Now, the only thing that matters is completing the mission. It's liberating. And a lot of fun.

I downloaded WOA to my Xbox yesterday. I plan to get around to it soon.

Cool man, have you played any part of the trilogy before?

I hope you give it a go and like it. And that it leads to wanting to discuss the game, the tactics, maps, items and modes, but I know this is the kiss of death.

I've played every level a bunch of times so feel free if there's anything you think I might be able to answer or help with.

My first tip is to do the ICA Facility until you've unlocked a lockpick, then dive in to the campaign.

Now that it is all combined as one game (WoA) I'm not sure how the campaigns are arranged. I think you'll still be able to play all three. And then of course there are many additional modes and content, like Contracts, Elusive Targets, Sniper Assassinations, Bonus Missions and of course the Freelancer mode, but I wouldn't recommend starting off in Freelancer.

Do you get all the content from all three games with your purchase?

No, I have never played any of the Hitman series yet. It is described as bringing "the best of 1,2 and 3". There are 9 addons.

The purchasing options had become quite convoluted, which I imagine is one of the reasons they decided to go with the World of Assassination. I'm guessing you've got it all.I suggested playing the ICA facility to unlock a lock pick. To sharpen that advice up, it is the Final Test mission that is needed. I believe a player needs to do several of the mission stories in the Final Test to reach that unlock. The ICA facility is essentially a mock-up for agents to train.

Since I had started to have sustained success in Freelancer I started playing legit and man that was a brutal decision. I had reached the fourth mission of the fourth syndicate. I had just leveled up mastery and was given 10k in cash, to now hold 34k. I drew the short straw, an alerted Hokkaido. Spawn was on the gurney in the operating room. I mean come on. In Freelancer you always start in 47's suit in a random location, which could be deep inside the most hostile part of the map. I fouled it up yeah, but that's a rough start. Failing that one ended my campaign and cost 17k in lost funds. That's a killer. Then I started a new campaign, still smarting from my failure. Did the first two missions no problem and then failed on the Showdown, getting gunned downed in a courtyard in Santa Fortuna Colombia. Half the money gone again and down to 9k. So I lost two campaigns, 25k, all gadgets (Freelancer gear) including my lock pick, no! and both of my silenced pistols. That's what I get for going legit!

I have the Xbox Gamepass version, which sells for $89.99 cdn

You make the game sound very fun.

Yeah, I do find it fun. Stealth gaming is me jam. I'm not a fan of third person, but I make exceptions for the best ones, of which Hitman must be considered, in my view.

Hitman is so well designed, honestly. The game loops are compelling. Essentially it's a big game board (amazing level building) with hundreds of moving pieces. You have to work out a way to remove one (or more) of those pieces, and hopefully do it without any of the others noticing. A typical, but made up, scenario might involve assassinating the lord of the manor. But to get to him you need to remove the secretary. In order to remove the secretary, you need to remove the guard. To remove the guard you need to remove the gardener. You work out these plans and then let the dominos fall, one by one.

Of course not all scenarios are so complex. Sometimes you can just snipe the target from your starting location. The sheer breadth of options and approaches is staggering. From each and every weapon and tool, to assassination method, to how, when and where you make your move. IOI offers both this sort of emergent, autonomous game play as well as structured solutions that the game leads you through. Called at various points through the series either Opportunities, or Story Missions, these pop up when you overhear a conversation, or perhaps find a note or other clues. One example might be you overhear the wait staff discussing how your target favors a certain drink, the Bare Knuckle Boxer. A chance to poison emerges. If you opt in (always optional) the game leads you to a waiter disguise and rat poison. With the disguise you can get away with tampering with the drink glass. Put in the poison and wait for your mark to come have a sip.

The poison makes him ill (it's not lethal) and off he heads to the water closet, doubled over. His ever-present guard waits outside to give him some privacy and you slip in. Headshot? Drowning? Fiber wire garrote? So many options. I absolutely love the freedom in this series to devise my own plans. The mission stories are great however. They lead to some of best moments in the game. Just yesterday I knocked off my mark by dropping a stuffed moose on him while he was giving an interview. I played it again, and this time I knocked out the camera man, and assumed his identity to gain access to the Consulate. I then rigged a camera with an explosive and went upstairs to manage the lights.

The interviewer was asking him how he could justify stealing so much of the peoples' money, and that the crowd outside was howling for blood. He gives a flippant answer, essentially saying he saw an opportunity and it was all within the law. And then he says he would respond to those people "F*ck you". At that instant I triggered the explosion.

No, sir, f*ck you. It was pitch perfect and would have been compelling television viewing

I don't want to oversell it, and after all, plenty of people will not find Hitman suitable I reckon. There's no accounting for taste. But I will add that not only do you have all of this game play doing the campaigns, but there are a number of additional modes and missions to keep you going. You can even make your own, called Contracts, to share and let other players play.

One last point to this post.... replaying levels is fundamental to the game. Mastery is a mechanic that rewards the player for doing the same mission or map over and over, each time trying something different. Mastery unlocks new starting locations, disguises, stashes, weapons and gear. The first full map I played in the trilogy was Paris, as I started with Hitman 2. The first time I played it the mission took me an hour and a half. The tenth time I played it, it took me 6 minutes. Very different solutions. The key to raising mastery is completing challenges which you can see at the top of the screen. Each of these can only pay once, so the game strongly encourages the player to find new solutions and try different things. Poke it, and see how it reacts.

A stuffed moose ? I wonder if anyone has actually died that way

Claus Strandberg has

But other than him? Probably not. Dead moose have low lethality, unless of course they are strung up in the lights connected to a device which releases them while suspended above a mark. That particular strain or subspecies has high kill potential.

So having been gutted by my recent failures I dove back in to Freelancer and in no time had acquired a new silenced pistol and began accruing funds. I was playing on the Marrakesh map and was just nailing the mission. No missteps, clockwork. Just before offing the final mark I tossed a coin to distract a guard since I needed just one more pacification to hit a side objective. But somehow I fouled it up and went to choke him out as he turned around. So instead of choking him I found myself in a fistfight which I conspired to lose and there goes my new silenced pistol which I had fired once. Half the money too. Freelancer punches you right in the gut when you make a mistake.

So I did A Gilded Cage again. I've got lots of kit and saves in the campaign. When you get accustomed to Freelancer, playing the campaign feels rather easier than it used to. In the campaign I have a full arsenal, alternative start locations, stashes and story missions. Freelancer makes me appreciate this bounty!

Unlimited saves too, although I play about half the time on Professional and half on Master. On Master you get just one save point, but that is one more than in Freelancer.

Too bad there isn't any engagement here with this game because I want to have some ideas bounced around about the approach to my current mission.

It's an alerted Sapienza with one target, the hazmat suit scientist in the biolab. I made it in and shot the stalactite hanging above his position, but it misses him when it falls (it hits the virus of course). When it fell all hell broke loose and I got caught. Alt-F4'd this one because I want another crack at it. I have two objectives I'd like to hit

-- Silent Assassin

-- Use just one disguise

It's not vital I hit these side objectives but I would like to if I can (more money). Is anyone playing? Any ideas?

I had found a forum where people play and asked for some ideas on how to approach this one. One player said I could just shoot the target through the lab window. So I gave it another go, armed with this info.

The weapon I carried in to the mission was the Assassin's HWK21 Covert. I tried shooting the target through the glass from three different spots. Across the cave, halfway, and from a crouch right in front of the glass. None of these shots appear to have penetrated the window.

I started the mission armed with that pistol and a remote explosive duck and used it to blow the wall in the breezeway. I had picked up a couple coins along the way to the detonation. When the duck blew it attracted four guards, two from outside and two from within the lab, plus smoking dude ambled over.

I waited until all turned to resume their loops and tossed a coin in to the tunnel to pull the trailing guard back to investigate and choked him out, and took his disguise, leaving him in the tunnel. It's safe from smoking dude who never looks this way.

Entering the cave I headed to the right, took the first ineffective shot at the target, then shot out two cameras and choked out the guard near the sea plane to prep the exfil. Kept going along the right and past the roving guard to behind the lab. Coin distracted one of the guards here, choked him out then hit the other with a thrown crowbar. Hid both bodies in a dumpster.

With no key card to enter the lab I shot the stalactite over the virus which triggers an evacuation. Having cleared the pair of guards I was fine, but doing this stirs up the nest. The target evacuates outside behind the lab. The searching guards found the sea plane guard and so Silent Assassin was blown. I should have choked him out when leaving.

With SA blown I shot the target in the head and left. Got the one-disguise objective but not SA. I'm curious why my through the glass shots didn't work, when clearly others have had success doing this. But that's another mission done. And one of the hardest targets too.

Finished my first Freelancer campaign. Each campaign consists of four syndicates and it works like this

First syndicate is two normal missions and one showdown
Second is three normals and a showdown
Third is four and one
Fourth is five normal missions and one showdown

So that's 18 missions to complete. Each syndicate ramps up the difficulty. More suspects, more targets, more cameras and more enforcers. So by the time you're halfway through the fourth one it is very challenging, and with no saves, the entire campaign is hanging out there over the edge. One killer mistake and it all comes to an end. I've lost a couple campaigns and it's brutal to lose so much. But this is what makes winning feel so rewarding.

Well, that, and the rewards. For winning a campaign I got a legendary sniper rifle and 30,000 in cash. I turned around and spent it all on another legendary sniper rifle. I don't use them much, but they look so cool on the wall in the glass case.

When the player starts a new campaign he is presented with a choice of eight different syndicates. You can click on each one to show which random elements are in each. They have names like Big Pharma, Assassination and the like. Within each one the maps are randomly chosen, and there is a list of possible side objectives grouped by play style. For example Big Pharma revolves around poisons. There will be a number of objectives like lethal poison kill, shoot target with dart gun, inject a guard and that sort of thing. Assassination will have silenced pistol kills, no bodies found, headshots only and so on.

Choose one and it becomes your first syndicate in the campaign, and three side objectives will be pulled from the list. Complete them for cash, or don't as they are entirely optional. The only thing that matters is taking out the main targets, which are randomly chosen from all of the NPCs within the level. It could be anyone, even the NPC right next to you when you spawn in, or could be one in the middle of a crowd in the most hostile part of the map. The player spawn location is randomized too, and so you can find yourself starting in a very difficult spot. And since you always spawn in 47s suit (no disguise) it can be quite a difficult start.

Normal missions consist of anywhere from one to four targets, increasing the deeper you advance through the campaign. Showdowns take place on whichever map you save for last. When choosing the syndicate I always consider both the preferred play style (which side objectives there are) and the maps. I have my favorites and those I like less. And some maps are just harder than others. Like Colorado, which sucks. Certain maps I feel are more suited to showdowns than others, so there's a small element of strategery to the order you play them in.

In addition to the main targets and side objectives there are a few more random elements. Some maps have safes containing cash. You can find the safe combination by using your camera to scan objects in the vicinity, or you can simply blow it open with explosives. Working out a way to both kill your target and blow a safe in a single detonation is fun. In addition to safes, there are couriers on some maps. These are random NPCs who carry a stack of cash, and if you can take them out you can take the money. And every map has one supplier, which is a character selling weapons and tools.

Any item or weapon that has a rarity rating (common, rare, epic, legendary) can be brought back to the safe house after a mission and becomes part of your arsenal, with no duplicates.

Showdowns work a little differently. In these, there will be anywhere from four to nine suspects. By completing the normal missions leading up to the showdown, tells and traits of the syndicate leader are revealed. It might be something like smoker, sweet tooth, brown hair, earrings, hat and eye glasses. The player needs to infiltrate the map and get close enough to these suspects to determine which of them has all of these tells and traits to identify the right one, and then take him/her out. Do so, and the syndicate is won, and back to the safe house for a nice item reward and choose the next syndicate. The game only gives you stuff you don't already have, so over time you can build up your arsenal. After four or five campaigns you'd probably have it all.

So Freelancer has really got its hooks in. It's everything great about Hitman, which is great already, but adds in a number of random elements that freshens it up for players who have run through the main game missions countless times. It's more free form than the main campaigns, and much more challenging too.

Freelancer is so good. Gotta get some people playing it. Anyone that digs stealth games like Splinter Cell, Thief, Dishonored, or even games like Metal Gear and Deus Ex will like Hitman World of Assassination I think. It's slick, polished and fun.

But Freelancer is not without issues. Having completed one campaign as described above I started a new one. Did the first seventeen missions on the freakin' bounce, and was really rolling. That's not easy to do I don't think, and so I was feeling good about it, nailing each one, remaining mission-focused and not getting distracted by shiny side objectives too often, which is where I start to get in to trouble. But then I reached the final showdown. Complete it, and the campaign is won.

For the final showdown I chose Dubai, one of my best levels. I know it inside and out. Disguise progressions, keycard locations, alternate pathways, guard loops. This is the payoff from playing a level so many times over. But when I spawned in I noticed it was broken. All suspects were static, when they should be on loops. When they are stuck in place they cannot perform their tells. And there were supposed to be nine suspects, yet I only had eight. After several attempts it became clear that the target was not spawning in, and with no target I cannot complete it. To abort the campaign and start over would mean pretty severe consequences. To come through seventeen missions only to have this happen was demoralizing.

But I didn't give up so easily, and kept alt-F4'ing and trying again. Sometimes the targets were moving, sometimes four suspects spawned instead of nine. Sometimes some were moving and some were static. I can work around the static suspects, but I cannot make the target appear. Nearing the end of my tether I tried again, and after spawning in I hit instinct and instantly knew it was fixed, at least this time. I had learned all the suspects in this one by rote, and a suspect who had not been there in all previous attempts stood out. And when I saw where he was I knew it was over. Got out as Traceless Assassin and was rewarded with a Shortballer suppressed pistol and another 30k in cash, which I turned in to a SIlverballer pistol two missions later in Bangkok. Very happy to rescue this campaign. I probably reloaded it 15 times before I hit on the winner.

For what it is worth,this is the only time anything like this has happened for me so far. It's all worked very smoothly until this mission. But obviously the devs still have some fine tuning to do on the Feelancer mode. Regardless, Freelancer is worth the time if you're in to tactical stealth games. Freelancer is especially well-suited to players who are in to this genre and who are looking for something that encourages and rewards creativity and mastery of maps and mechanics. I really like it. It's pure Hitman in free form. A test of skills with no safety net and it's a lot of fun.

Not even a 'sounds cool' type of comment. No Hitman players at SimHQ it is clear. Don't know what you're missing! I know there are many here who like other stealth games. I'm surprised there's so little interest. It's really quite a good game.

So I soldier on solo in this thread. Maybe some rando who isn't registered has started playing Freelancer off the back of it. Or just Hitman even.

Anyway, I've now completed four Freelancer campaigns. It took a while for me to adjust to the mode's nuance, and I lost a few campaigns along the way. More will follow I am sure. But I'm immersed in it now and have a good rythym. I've gathered every pistol and every SMG on offer, and quite a bit of the other stuff too. It's cool having all of these options. As you gain Freelancer mastery you gain carry capacity. Each weapon and item has a carry weight rating. So the deeper you go, the more you can take with you on a mission. I've reached mastery 40 and that means a carry capacity of 12.

When I started, the limited capacity meant hard loadout choices needed to be made. the opportunity cost was high. But as the arsenal grew and the capacity increased I've been able to settle on a core loadout. One helpful thing is the 'Baller pistols have a weight of 1, which makes room for more stuffs. So with a carry capacity of 12 I use this loadout most of the time. Carry 'weight' in parentheses

-- Silverballer Pistol (1) The most valuable tool in the box. Carry weight of 1 is excellent. Great range, killing power, silent. Useful for impact distractions, camera killing and of course noggin-knockin'

-- Lockpick (1)

-- Electronic Key Card Hacker (1) Mobility is often the limiting factor early in a level. The lockpick and hacker help to breach the early secure areas and get the mission moving

-- Lethal Poison Pills (1). The pills have carry weight 1 versus the 2 for the lethal poison vial. Poison kills are among my favorites. I really enjoy any elimination that occurs when I am far away. Dropping poison in a wine glass and having the target fall when I'm far away and ten minutes later is so satisfying. Accidents qualify too, but are more situational, especially in Freelancer where the devs haven't made accidents obvious like they do for main campaign targets.

-- Sieker Emetic Dart Pistol (3). High carry weight, which must be a game play consideration as it's just a pistol. But honestly there are few tools more useful. Emetic poison makes the target ill, not dead. Perfect for removing unwanted observers from a scene, for isolating targets and breaking routines. Short range and the dart flies like a shuttlecock. But incredibly useful in a variety of circumstances

-- Coin (1). Tossable distraction.

-- Wrench (2). Useful for accidents, but I carry it as a fast, ranged pacification device. Doink.

-- Fiber Wire. (1) It's so 47.

-- Remote Explosive Rubber Duck (1). Quite versatile. Can blow weak walls, open safes. It squeaks when tossed. NPCs who spot it pick it up. Remotely detonated you can trigger it any time. Recently I was playing New York, which is a bank level. I had a target who was inside a secure area and very hard to get at.. So I identified a NPC who looped both in and out of that secure zone. Got him to pick up the duck and carry it in to the secure zone and waited for him to pass the target. Boom.

So that's a loadout that is great for just about any scenario. That's more than double what you can carry in the main campaign. Very versatile and that allows a lot of latitude when I'm on the ground working out eliminations.

I've played lots of games but I've not played any of the Hitman titles. I think in my case it's simply that I've been very busy with other games so I've just not gotten around to checking the Hitman games out. I like stealth shooters such as the Dishonored and Splinter Cell series so it's not the genre that has put me off to trying Hitman.

Yeah PM, anyone who likes Deus Ex, Splinter Cell, Dishonored, Thief and that sort of stuff would dig Hitman I'm sure. It's essentially a tactical puzzle wrapped in a stealth game.

The main drawback I think at this stage is with so much content all now sold together, the entry price is steep for anyone who does not own any of the earlier content (H1 and H2) The full trilogy is US$70 when not on sale. But it often is. And you can only buy it complete now (World of Assassination)

If anyone is on the fence, and would like to see what it is about, you can download the demo for free on the Steam page. It's one level, Hawke's Bay, which is a tight mission at night at a seaside house. great ambience and a great way to find out if the Hitman vibe is for you.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1659040/HITMAN_3/

I gave it six months but my entreaties failed to garner results haha. Such an underrated game, this.

I've been playing, looking to max out mastery at the various maps. I wish Freelancer contributed, but it doesn't. So far I have maxed mastery on seven locations -- Paris, Mumbai, Marrakesh, Whittleton Creek, Dubai and Miami plus ICA facility and the train, but those don't really count. It takes a lot of runs to reach this, and along the way there are unlocks of tools and weapons, suits, stashes and start locations, so as you advance, your tool box expands. A mission plays much differently if you enter by the front gate versus starting in the kitchen dressed as a waiter. This continually evolves the approach, which is necessary since you can only complete the challenges that raise mastery once. You get credit for your first fiber wire kill on that map to add to mastery, but if you use it again later you won't raise mastery. So in order to do so you must attempt a vast array of eliminations. Poison, sniper rifle, drowning, accident, explosion and so on down the line.

On a different forum I see a surprising number of players who only want to play the level once. But that just isn't how this game is designed. It's to be played over and over, each time with a different plan. It works beautifully, but if you aren't keen on this then it isn't the right game for you. You can get through it like this, but you'll miss 90% of it.

In addition to the great campaign play and the wonderful Freelancer rouge-like mode, there is a ton of other content, including contracts (which you can design yourself or play those made by others), escalations (a series of missions with increasing difficulty and strict requirements and limitations) and elusive targets (timed event) among others. There is even a sniper challenge.

This game can only be bought now as the full World of Assassination package. And that is a boat load of stuff to do. This trilogy is a really good stealth tactical puzzle game that is well worth the money and time invested. If anyone is playing let's talk about it. What are your top levels? Favorite missions? Loadouts? What tips do you have or advice do you need? I've dropped over 300 hours in to the trilogy and have plenty left undone.