Hitman 2 arrives Nov. 13, but that doesn't mean IO Interactive wants fans to wait to find out whether or not the sequel to 2016's smash-hit reboot will live up to the hype. There have been several press demos this year but the latest, which showcases a contract set in Colombia, may be the most convincing yet that Hitman 2 will deliver on the series' inimitable formula. Granted, it was a truncated demo (only about an hour) but as someone who has played a fair bit of the franchise, especially the 2016 reboot, I liked what I saw.
My highest praise has to be reserved for the AI. Guards and bystanders are not stupid in this game, but without being omniscient either. The balance is there. You can't just blow a guard's head off on the other side of a hedge and expect the person he talked to five seconds ago to not notice. The same with outfits and disguises. Just because you're wearing a gardner's outfit doesn't mean you have free reign on a cartel compound. The situational awareness of the AI felt finely tuned, and corralled me into playing a bit more carefully after multiple maids freaked out when they saw me somewhere I shouldn't have been.
The environment itself is as richly detailed and beautifully rendered as you would expect from a series defined by it's environmental storytelling. It's easy to lose yourself eavesdropping on conversations, always on the lookout for an angle or approach to a target. Small distractions, like turning on a faucet to get someone to leave a room, seem to be everywhere. So are the opportunities to poison drinks to loosen the support screws of heavy objects.
The mission itself was complex, far more time-consuming than the hour I was given for the demo. I had three targets and, as anyone familiar with Hitman knows, tracking a killing a single target can involve hours of legwork and research (or a chaotic bullet to the head and a mad dash for freedom). I managed to kill one target discreetly, guided by the wonderful story system IO Interactive uses to help you track the different paths to success. Replay value for Hitman 2 looks to be incredibly high, and that's not even considering the frequent content updates and leaderboards. Sean Bean is already confirmed as the first Elusive Target, for example.
Hitman 2 is shaping up to be the sequel fans were hoping for. Unlike 2016's release, this year's installment will not be episodic. A full game is coming out on Nov. 13 with tentative plans for smaller updates in the works. But from what we've seen so far, and what I've experienced firsthand, Hitman 2 maintains the solid foundation that makes the series unique. Environmental storytelling, dynamic decision trees and deep replayability wrapped up in some of the best stealth mechanics seen anywhere.
Uncommon Knowledge
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About the writer
Mo Mozuch has been covering video games, culture and tech since 2012. Formerly the editor of iDigitalTimes and, later, Player.One, ... Read more
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