The long-awaited Freelancer mode for Hitman 3 goes live later this month, tasking the world’s blandest professional killer with taking down nefarious organisations one target at a time. To prepare for Freelancer’s launch on January 26th, devs IO Interactive have shared a new trailer that’s essentially just the mission briefing your Agent 47 will see when he begins his bloodthirsty roguelike quest. You can watch the mission briefing below, if you’re feeling suitably assassinatey.
]]>Hitman 3 will be renamed Hitman World Of Assassination, and Hitman 1 and 2 will be delisted from sale. These changes are Io Interactive's solution to the currently messy process of buying Hitman games or working out what you already own. From January 26th, when these changes take effect, there will be just two Hitman packages for sale. This might mean that you're getting some existing content for free, and it will mean that future DLC purchases should cost less.
]]>Good ol’ Ian Hitman is still assassinating away in Hitman 3’s second year of extra stuff to do, and he’s getting ready to huff, puff, and blow some targets away on November 10th. IO Interactive shared their roadmap for what’s ahead this month in Hitman 3, with a new escalation contract that takes its inspiration from one of my kids’ favourite stories, the Three Little Pigs. You can catch up on what’s in store for Ian this month by watching the video below.
]]>Agent 47 is still going freelance, but not this year. IO Interactive have pushed Hitman 3’s planned free Freelancer mode back again, this time to January 26th. The delay was announced along with the reveal of a closed technical test for Freelancer starting early next month. And here I was, thinking that Ian Hitman never missed a target.
]]>The Hitman games are often good and usually fun, it’s fair to say, particularly the recent World Of Assassination trilogy. Ian Hitman’s turn in the two films released about his adventures has been rougher to recommend, though. That’s why it’s simultaneously disappointing and awesome to learn that Guardians Of The Galaxy, The Suicide Squad and – shudder – Slither director James Gunn narrowly missed his target when he pitched a Hitman movie.
]]>It's a big day for splendid sandbox stealth stabber Hitman 3, now entering its second year of content and support. The developers, Io Interactive are going hard out the gate by adding the new Elusive Target Arcade mode and bringing VR support to PC. It's also ending Epic exclusivity today, hitting not only Steam but Game Pass too, with the full trilogy coming to Microsoft's subscription service. Busy busy.
]]>The Oxford English dictionary describes a bug as: "a sort of computer oops". It is the result of errant coding, mismatched texture, wonky physics or (sometimes) a briefcase. Developers must fight bugs day and night to safeguard the digital realms we call our playgrounds. Sometimes they lose that battle and a bug comes stomping ravenously into our game, ready to upset us. But sometimes that bug is not an annoyance or a game-breaker, but instead the funniest thing to ever happen. Here are 9 of the best bugs in PC gaming.
]]>At last! A ranking of all 21 Hitman levels from the World of Assassination trilogy. Did you ask for it? No. Did the editors ask for it? Also, no. But what’s more Hitman than waiting for a loud distraction - the recent redesign of RPS - and using the confusion to slip you something unexpected. Of course, I hope this list doesn’t prove to be an emetic. That’s what Graham likes to call a website ‘no no’.
]]>Assassination experts Io Interactive booted their latest murder man game out the door and are now proudly announcing that Hitman 3, despite some server issues in its first few days, has already recouped its development costs. Folks seem to have having a grand old time in Ian Hitman's latest adventure, which hopefully only spells good news for that James Bond game the studio is set to work on next.
]]>Launch day log in issues aren't a thing I'd expect to hear about surrounding a single player stealth romp but hey, it's 2021. There are no rules. Hitman 3 is out today and it seems that the website meant to import your prior hitmaning progress into the newest murder fest is having a bit of a struggle. That wouldn't be so bad, except waiting to make that import is effectively keeping players from starting in on Hitman 3. Io Interactive say they're on the case.
]]>Ian Hitman's current trilogy of sandbox stealth-o-murder games wraps up today with Hitman 3, which launched just a few minutes ago. As he fights a vast conspiracy, he'll do murders in new levels everywhere from England to Dubai, and get into a few of his trademark daft situations. One mission is just a murder mystery potentially starring Ian, an actual murderer, as the detective. Unfortunately, the promised ability for owners of the previous two games to connect and play them inside 3 is delayed.
]]>Last week, IO Interactive said players would need to own Hitman 2 on the Epic Games Store if they wanted to import its levels to Hitman 3. That was pretty rubbish - for owners of the game on Steam, it meant you either couldn't have those levels, or you'd need to buy it again. Thankfully, IO are looking for a solution, and guarantee players won't need to rebuy the game after all.
"We are continuing to work with our partners to allow PC players who own Hitman 1 or Hitman 2 to import locations from those games at no additional cost," they said on Sunday.
]]>Hitman 3 will no longer offer the ability to import levels from Hitman 2 when it launches later this month, unless players re-purchase Hitman 2 on the Epic Games Store first. Near the bottom of a long and complicated pre-launch guide, developers IO Interactive said the change in plans was "due to various circumstances out of our control." Hitman 1 and 2 were both released on Steam, while Hitman 3 is launching as an Epic Games Store exclusive.
]]>Obviously, it's wonderful when you plan out airtight approaches and execute them without breaking a sweat, but that isn't true joy. Hitman happiness is found in plan B, when you have to react to the mistakes you've made and the situations you've put Agent 47 in.
Sure, being spotted by someone and discovering that your only defence is a squeaky toy you've stuffed into your seemingly very large pockets isn't ideal, but the story of how you pulled back that nailed-on failure of a mission is going to be worth it in the end.
]]>Hitman: Codename 47 was released 20 years ago today. In all that time, IO Interactive have crafted an entertaining seven-game series (not including spin-offs), with the eighth aiming for the heart in January 2021. The subject matter might be grim, but from the very first game, IO Interactive were always happy to fold information and easter eggs into their immersive sim (don't @ me) to a ridiculous degree. The games all have murderdeathkills, but they also have hauntings, mythical creatures, and real-world actors as targets.
I've had a blast digging up some forgotten facts and 47's more bizarre moments (this does mean this list contains some spoilers, so beware). There are so many that this could have been 200 facts for 20 years, but I stuck with 20. It seemed right. Enjoy!
]]>The 1v1 PvP murder competition, Ghost Mode will not return in Hitman 3. Developers Io Interactive say they're focusing on other parts of the game instead. Not only will Ghost Mode be absent from the next game, Io will shut down the Ghost Mode servers in Hitman 2 at the end of this month. Sniper Assassin's co-op mode is also getting shut down. Goodbye, ghosts. Walk towards the light.
]]>Polish that chrome-dome, 47. It's time for your final mission. Announced during Sony's big ol' PlayStation 5 reveal stream, Hitman 3 is gearing up for one last trilogy-ending job next January on Sony's next-gen tellybox as well as PC and Xbox. True to form, our first look at Hitman 3 was an elusive one. A dark forest, sharp suits, high-society, and portrait of the high-collared hairless killer himself.
]]>If you plumb the depths of human ingenuity you will resurface with a wet box of penicillin and 100 million bits of different-coloured plastic. We people are very good at making useful things, and then killing ourselves with them. But videogames, my friends. Videogames hold the solution to our self-destructive ways. That tech utopia your pal Start-up Stan is always talking about is in reach, we just need to find a way to make these 12 practical devices from videogames appear in real life.
]]>When the historians of the future cast their cyber-eyes over the deluge of stupidity we encrusted upon the primitive internet, they will see that our fables, our moral storytelling, was mostly conducted with flashing colours and double-jumps. Yes, videogames have adopted the moralistic finger-wagging of fairytales and Victorian novels, for better or for worse. They have taught us a lot about ourselves and our place in the world. Here are 13 of the "best" moral lessons from PC games. Yes, you may take notes.
]]>Let us wish a blessed Good Friday to all the Catholics in the house. Now, get out. Your fish-sharing magician cannot compete with these 9 videogame characters who see death as nothing but a passing nuisance. These 9 heroes of reanimated flesh. These 9 unkillable beings of limitless power and mystery. Where is your precious Holy Spirit now, loser? Look at these 9 luminous freaks who have monstered sinew and reality to their will. Read my list feature, disgusting mortal, and repent.
]]>It’s Friday the 13th, the day of Saint Badluck, patron saint of ladders and casinos. And it is a fabulous holiday. Out there, parades are getting ready to be rained on, and children are looking forward to tonight’s shenanigans, when they will dress up as mirrors and knock on doors, declaring: “sweets or I’ll smash myself”. I love Friday the 13th. So many cherished memories. So many splinters of reflective glass.
So, Happy Bad Luck Day. Here’s a list of the 9 unluckiest characters in videogames. Spoilers for pretty much every game mentioned. So, watch out.
]]>It's been an eventful decade for PC games, and it would be hard for you to summarise everything that's happened in the medium across the past ten years. Hard for you, but a day's work for us. Below you'll find our picks for the 50 greatest games released on PC across the past decade.
]]>Has it been a year already, Hitman 2? With 12 months of murder in the bag, IO Interactive have eyes on the next step in Hitman 47's next adventure. Whatever form Hitman 3 takes, though, there's still a good deal of death left to dish out. November will be Hitman 2's biggest month yet, with no less than 2 new special events landing each week - starting with a new challenge pack and two legacy escalations landing today.
]]>HDR on PC hasn't improved much in 2019. Despite there being more HDR gaming monitors than ever before, the very best gaming monitors for HDR continue to be quite expensive compared to non-HDR monitors, and the situation around Windows 10 support for it is still a bit of a mess. However, provided you're willing to fight through all that, then the next step on your path to high dynamic range glory is to get an HDR compatible graphics card.
Below, you'll find a complete list of all the Nvidia and AMD graphics cards that have built-in support for HDR, as well as everything you need to know about getting one that also supports Nvidia and AMD's own HDR standards, G-Sync Ultimate and FreeSync 2. I've also put together a list of all the PC games that support HDR as well, so you know exactly which PC games you can start playing in high dynamic range.
]]>Lurking in the shadows, learning your life and routine, striking from the shadows with swift and often ironic murders (or cursed luggage), then vanishing as someone new, Ian Hitman is basically a horror movie slasher in Italian tailoring. It's fitting that Hitman 2 is going hard on Halloween this year. The tutorial level in New Zealand today gets a spooky makeover with all the skeletons, pumpkins, and scarecrows of a Halloween episode of an American sitcom, ready for Ian to come along and do a special murder. This spookening will also be available in the 'Starter Pack' demo, which is nice.
]]>Agent 47's no stranger to the mile-high club. Jetting off from Paris to Mumbai, New Zealand to Italy, I don't want to think about how large our chrome-dome killer's carbon footprint must be. Snuffing out billionaires is absolutely one way to offset your emissions, but surely there are greener ways to murder your way across the planet. Did you even know there was a climate strike going on while you booked tickets to the Maldives, Agent? For shame.
But we didn't just come to Hitman 2's new Haven Island DLC to up our kill count, did we? There's mischief to be done - you there, tour guide, what's the best thing to throw my luggage at around these parts?
]]>Those of you chained to the churning wheel of the internet might have seen this facial recognition algorithm thingo doing the rounds. It's called ImageNet Roulette, and it's basically a website where you feed in a photo of your human face and see what the cybergods of our terrible future make of you. But it's probably not safe to show the neurohive your real face. So we showed it 13 pictures of videogame characters instead, to see if the machine lords of the net realm can tell who they are and what they are all about. The short answer: not really, but sometimes. The neural net, it turns out, is a dangerous idiot.
]]>Thanks to a peppering of weird bugs over the years, Hitman has seen a few iterations of the killer briefcase come and go. Hitman 2's briefcase bug, often heralded in the form of long GIFs, turns your standard hitman briefcase into a homing missile that spins like a throwing star and bends gently around corners as it follows its prey.
Now, developer IO Interactive have brought back the bug as an unlockable weapon, leading to what is - I think - my favourite ever version of Killer Briefcase weaponry: Absurdly slow and tediously steady. Take a look after the jump.
]]>The most terrifying monsters are those you can't escape. Time, for one, will make dirt of us all. In the right hands, luggage can be just as deadly. With a lumbering momentum and clockwork rotation, the briefcase will find us all. Turning corners? Useless. Hiding behind a wall? A joke. Even burying it in the "resolved bugs" folder didn't keep it down for long - the homing briefcase is coming back, and there's no getting away this time.
]]>A wise Australian once said: "Sniping's a good job, mate." When playing a lethal game of dress-up gets stale, sometimes a good assassin just wants to put a bullet in someone's skull. When your job is murder, it must feel like the easy shift: Sit back, relax, point, click. Job's done, get that invoice sent and wait for the blood money to roll in.
Agent 47's latest paid point-and-click adventure DLC for Hitman 2 takes the bald murderer close to negative 47 degrees Celsius. Gosh, I hope he packed a scarf.
]]>He's murdered in Miami. Punched lights out in Paris. Slashed throats in Sapienza. It's hard to imagine what chrome-dome killer Agent 47 does on holiday, what with all the globe-trotting he does as part of his nine-to-five. Does he have a nice wee sit in front of the telly, sipping a cuppa, watching Columbo? I like to think so.
His handlers might be planning another season of work for the killer, but 47 could do with a little relief. With word of a secret new game at IO Interactive, Hitman might soon find a partner to share the load of holding up the studio.
]]>I've been playing the new Hitman 2 level for about ten minutes when I decide that Ian Hitman needs some change. Not change in the Smashmouth sense where the bloke earnestly asks him for some money and he responds by uselessly philosophising at him in F# major for a bit, but actual hard currency. Maybe an artisan market has popped up in the high street and they're cash only, but he wants to buy himself some baklava. Maybe he needs a quid to play Time Crisis. Maybe I'm of a mind to test the sequence of events and player-agnostic world. There's no way to ever know for sure. But whatever the reason is, Ian Hitman is still queuing in the bank.
11:00 am: The queues are pretty short. Things are looking good.
]]>When Ian Hitman isn't hitting men, he's apparently knitting his own cold-weather ensemble. At least, that's what he says in the trailer for the New York bank mission DLC coming to Hitman 2 tomorrow. I see no reason not to believe him, as he's very candid for a man of mystery and murder. The first full, regular mission coming to the stab-puzzle sandbox since launch, The Bank looks like a gloriously dense machine full of bustling NPCs playing out their deliciously fragile routines. While you're there, you might as well off the bank's director and raid the vault, I suppose. Below, a trailer.
]]>Ian Hitman will be get a summer job robbing a bank, in autumn stop by a prison for a spot of sniping, then put his feet up with a visit to a holiday resort, developers IO Interactive revealed today. They've laid out their rough plans for the next few seasons of Hitman 2, see, both those paid expansions and the freebies coming for everyone. A holiday resort sounds such a rich opportunity for manhitting, a classic murder mystery location where everyone can pretend to be someone else but only the elite have the guts to choke out a stranger then squeeze into their Speedo.
]]>Ian Hitman is at it again, this time doing a scenic bit of sunset sniping in Singapore. While not a full map, today's Hitman 2 Hantu Port Sniper Assassin mission (part of the Expansion Pass) feels like a nice warmup for the new maps to come, presenting a fresh challenge. Unlike the previous Himmelstein sniper mission, your targets won't immediately scurry for safety when threatened, but instead are liable to try to execute the hostages you're meant to be liberating. Perhaps an easy way to lure your targets out, but an interesting new failure state. Below, the mission briefing.
]]>The good news is that you won't have to travel far to find The Politician, the latest elusive target in Hitman 2, as she's holed up in the compact little tutorial (and demo) map of Hawke's Bay. Those shooting for a Silent Assassin rank will have to do a little sleuthing to figure out which is the real target, however, as she's there with a body double, and killing both wouldn't be classy. This new one-off challenge mission (being an elusive target, you've only got one shot) is just the start of a busy month of updates for Ian Hitman in Io's excellent murder sim. Take a peek at the briefing and upcoming goodies below.
]]>A wee free demo for Hitman 2 is out now, inviting all would-be slapheads to sneak around the game's first campaign mission and try murder. This 'Starter Pack' demo contains Hawke's Bay, a beach house level serving as the game's prologue and tutorial, with all its challenges and unlocks and such.
Today also brings an update which, most importantly, reduces the amazing psychic ability of guards to instantly know where a gunshot was fired from. The update spruces up the levels carried over the previous game with tweaked lighting too.
]]>I worry about Geralt. The Witcher series may be over for now, but this hasn't stopped Geralt from taking odd jobs here and there, slaying beasts in Monster Hunter: World, or stabbing folks in Soul Calibur VI. Is Geralt getting adequate retirement benefits? Have witchers unionized yet? I hope he can get some rest, or at least find more contract work that doesn't involve exterminating monsters all the time. Freelancing is tiring.
Here are seven games that need to be blessed by Geralt’s presence.
]]>While last year's Steam Awards were just a poll on the store, Valve are stepping up their game this year. Starting in a few minutes (at the time of writing) is the Steam Awards 2018 show, broadcasting live on the company's own Steam TV site. While I doubt there'll be anything as surprising as Epic's coup at the Game Awards before the holidays, there's still a chance for unexpected announcements in there, plus I'm curious just how fancy the show will be. Tune in here on Steam TV - the show starts soon. Below, a reminder of the categories and the nominees in the running.
Update: Show's over, and honestly I'm a bit underwhelmed, even starting with low expectations. No surprises, no human faces, no pageantry. Barely any time to breathe, even. The show began immediately with the awards and hammered through them in under twenty minutes. At least each of the winning studios recorded a little award acceptance clip - that was nice. You can see a recording of the show on the Steam Awards page here.
]]>Christmas may be over, but assassination is a dish best served cold, so it's back to Hokkaido we go for a fun seasonal bonus mission for Hitman 2. Today, Io Interactive rolled out a big update for their murder-sandbox, including some new gear for expansion pass holders. The big reason to be excited is the time-limited Snow Festival mission, set in Hitman 1's Hokkaido map. Legacy Pass owners (folks who own the previous Hitman game) get access to it today, and a standalone free trial featuring all of Hokkaido goes live for everyone tomorrow, January 22nd.
]]>IO Interactive, the Danish mob behind Hitman and Kane & Lynch (look, I still swear K&L2 is interesting), today announced they've opened a new studio in Malmö, Sweden. Given that there were ditched by former owners Square Enix and faced an uncertain future only 20 months ago, before going independent, this is a pleasing turnaround. I am glad they're apparently doing well enough to expand, especially as 2018's Hitman 2 is a cracker. Surely now it's time for Kane & Lynch 3, eh? Eh? Anyone? Eh?
]]>The doors have been opened, the games inside have been devoured, and now it's time to recycle the cardboard. Below you'll find all of our favourite games from 2018, gathered together in a single post for easy reading.
]]>It’s well known that games are an awful mistake that should have never been unleashed on an unsuspecting humanity. That said, here’s five that hushed the howling primates that reside in my skull just long enough for me to consider them a worthwhile investment.
Honorable mentions go to Cultist Simulator (For it’s alchemical harmony of theme and mechanics), Vermintide 2 (for being the second best Lord of the Rings game ever made) and Prey: Mooncrash (For being more Prey). Not in order of goodness:
]]>Home Alone's idiot burglars - or at least a pair of very similar bumbling thieves with legally distinct surnames - are on Santa's naughty list, and they're Agent 47's target in Hitman 2's first Christmas update. While largely a repeat of the previous game's Holiday Hoarders mission, set in a remixed Paris map, it's been polished up and remastered to Hitman 2 spec along with a bundle of challenges to permanently unlock a Santa costume. Also included is a bundle of new profession-themed Featured Contracts, and a slew of bugfixes. There's a trailer under the tree below.
]]>There are too many games. November is over, but it was a big month, and our giant collective digi-trough runneth over with shooters, stabbers and clickers. It’s repulsive and very wasteful, quite frankly. Thankfully, the RPS podcast (aka the Electronic Wireless Show) is here to snort up the good ‘uns and stamp all over the bad ‘uns. This week the pod squad are running through as many newly released games as they can, from Hitman 2 to Darksiders III to Just Cause 4 to… well, lots more.
]]>Miami is home to high-octane racing, as well as the setting for the second mission in Hitman 2. This will be your first step into some of the more complex sandboxes. Miami is vast, essentially split into two sections: The loud and crowded racetrack and the quiet and empty marina. You're on the clock as well this time around, as this level introduces some time limits on certain assassination methods, so you’ll get to see how a level develops over time. It is indeed possible to miss certain opportunities though it’s not a big deal if you do; it just gives you fresh ideas for the next run. This guide will go over the two assassination targets, as well as some other points of interest you may want a heads up on.
]]>Little else is quite so frighteningly intimidating, yet wonderfully rewarding, as stepping into a new Hitman game for the first time. While the first level is a fraction of the size of the others, these vast assassination playgrounds allow you to explore, poke around, and get up to all sorts of murderous mischief. It's the kind of game where discovery is half the fun. For the times when it can be overwhelming, or where you just need that extra bit of information to master the level, we suggest you direct your eyes to this robust Hitman 2 guide hub. It offers you a surreptitious nod in the right direction for finding the disguises, how to assassinate every target in Hitman 2 and how to beat Hitman 2’s challenges. Think of this guide hub as your Agent Diana Burnwood in text form, delivering all the intel you need for a successful mission. Good luck, Agent 47.
]]>In the best possible way, the Hitman series is ridiculous. Its protagonist, Agent 47, is the single most conspicuous person in any crowd. He’s big and bald and white with a bar code prominently tattooed to the back of his head, and not once does this fact deter him from his preferred method of infiltration: wearing a disguise.
These aren’t disguises in the elaborate, Mission: Impossible, we’ll give you an entire fake head sense. No, 47 simply throws on the clothes of whatever guard or unfortunate bystander he’s subdued. And this actually works. In the franchise’s fiction, he’s considered one of the most dangerous people in the entire world, the best of the best. This imposing figure who scarcely bothers to alter his body language, let alone his voice, is a master of disguise. Like its 2016 predecessor, Hitman 2 is quite aware that this concept is absolute nonsense.
]]>Agent 47 gets given all sorts to assassinate on his murderous travels. Important figures in the public eye, elusive targets that hide from the world and now, three key members of the world’s largest drug smuggling operation. The Delgado cartel is one serious outfit, so bringing them down will require the deaths of their leader, Rico Delgado, their lead businesswoman, Andrea Martinez, and the cook, Jorge Franco. To off the trio without anyone knowing you were there, though, you best take a look at this Santa Fortuna Silent Assassin walkthrough.
]]>“For England, James?” “No, for XP.” 2000 XP, to be precise. That’s how much Sean Bean’s life is worth in the first of Hitman 2’s Elusive Targets. These are timed contracts that give you one shot at killing a special guest character - in this case, everyone’s favourite Yorkshire thespian (okay, it’s a toss up between Bean and fellow GoldenEye alumni Judi Dench).
Bean, of course, is famous for dying horribly in every film and show he’s in (who could forget when Black Beauty kicked his face clean off?) and so it’s a great opportunity to join the ever-growing club of Bean’s executioners. The ‘one and done’ approach makes it nerve wracking to document these runs in video form, but here’s how I got on…
]]>Nu-Hitman's time-limited Elusive Targets are nothing new, but this latest is worth a spot of ballyhoo because a) it's the first one for the simply sublime Hitman 2 2 b) it's only bloody Boromir himself.
Sean Bean's famed for meeting a great many sticky Hollywood ends, which the Elusive Target nicknamed 'The Undying' makes a huge theatrical wink towards. We already knew the other Mr Bean's head was due to appear on Agent 47's chopping block (too soon?), but today's the day. Go forth and stick something sharp into Sharpe.
]]>For the grand finale of Agent 47’s latest global assassination stint, the hairless hitman for hire takes his well-pressed suit to a secret patch of land in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. There, members of the world’s richest elite are holding an event in an elaborate ruined castle. They're gathering to discuss how they’re planning to influence society in their favour while also surviving the inevitable downfall of civilisation they’re undoubtedly contributing to as well. Eliminating two of their key leaders could probably do the planet some good, so I’m here to help you with the Isle of Sgàil Silent Assasin walkthrough.
]]>The busy streets of Mumbai are the perfect place for an assassin like Agent 47 to slip through unnoticed and eliminate his targets unseen. There’s three of them in this stage too – sleazy gangster Dawood Rangan, self-appointed Queen of the Slums Vanya Shah and mysterious gang lead The Maelstrom – so he’ll seriously have his work cut out for him.
]]>The quiet suburbs of Whittleton Creek don’t seem like the sort of place an assassin would be required to visit. When an elderly member of a world-manipulating organisation for the elite and his over-zealous security detail live there, though, it’s just another classic job for Agent 47. This change of scenery means different tactics are required to pull off the perfect hit on Janus and Nolan Cassidy, while gathering the intel required to complete your mission. Exactly how, you ask? You best read on for our Whittleton Creek Silent Assassin walkthrough to find out.
]]>Strolling into a heavily crowded racing event and assassinating two targets without being seen sounds like an impossible task – but it’s just another day in the death-dealing office for Agent 47. Pulling off the perfect hit, though, requires some serious planning. This guide will go over each step that you should take in order to get the Silent Assassin rank on the Miami mission.
]]>Hello! This week John is doing a super secret special mission (playing a video game) so I, one of the other Alices, have taken over the Steam Charts. I am afraid that I do not put as much time as John into constructing elegant jokes that are several layers deep, though, which means you might even be able to tell which games are charting. I understand if this is a huge disappointment.
There are, however, some interesting shake-ups this week, if you've been following the Steam charts for a while. There are a couple of games that had their DLC charting last week without the main game, whilst the reverse is true this week. What does it all mean? I do not know. Consumer data is a mystery to me. Stop pre-ordering things.
]]>Serving as the prologue and tutorial to Hitman 2, Hawke's Bay is a small and condensed level with minimal roadblocks. Your single target is relatively open to assassination attempt, with lots of room for error so you can get to grips with the role of a master assassin. In fact, the game is kind enough to let you explore the whole place without any distractions at the start so you can map it out in your mind before the mission begins proper.
]]>Hawke’s Bay, the short tutorial mission that opens Hitman 2, is one of the game’s least complicated stages. As such it shouldn’t cause too much stress if you’re looking to get a Silent Assassin rating. Nevertheless, I’ve put together this quick Silent Assassin walkthrough for Hawke’s Bay if you’re looking for an optimal path to infiltrate the home of Alma Reynard and eliminate her.
]]>The Isle of Sgàil is the sixth and final mission in Hitman 2, sending Agent 47 to a remote island in the North Atlantic where a gathering of the global elite is being hosted by The Ark Society. This is the stage where IO Interactive goes full Illuminati confirmed; followers in ridiculous attire performing cultist rituals to bring about a new age of existence, and secret meetings between the world’s biggest players to decide the fate of all of us. It is frankly ludicrous, but it also makes for one heightened finale. You may start as a lowly guest at the event, but our Hitman 2 Isle of Sgàil guide will help you rise to the top.
]]>Ian Hitman is back once again with the kill behaviour in Hitman 2, which just launched. The sandbox stealth-o-murder simulator visits new lands, does new murders in new ways, and generally does that Hitman stuff well. Adam Cook said in our Hitman 2 review that "although IO's latest take on their murder-sim doesn't veer too far from the previous game's reinvention, it spends time re-enforcing what made it so good to begin with," which sounds like a grand old time to me.
]]>Santa Fortuna is the third mission in Hitman 2 and sees the globetrotting Agent 47 travel to Columbia to eliminate three important members of one of the world’s largest drug cartels. Again, the challenge slowly ramps up once more compared to the previously locations as you’re given more targets to track and some significantly more dangerous locations to infiltrate. Our Hitman 2 Santa Fortuna guide will make things a little easier for you, by describing how to assassinate all three targets, as well as point out useful items and locations of interest.
]]>Mumbai is the fourth mission in Hitman and mixes up the formula by asking you to identify a target before you can assassinate them. The streets of Mumbai are full of hustle and bustle, so trying to find your quarry while also devising a way to eliminate them in such a crowded place makes for a very unique challenge. Read on for where to find The Maelstrom, how to find disguises and more in our Hitman 2 Mumbai guide.
]]>Whittleton Creek is the fifth mission in Hitman 2 and reintroduces Agent 47 to the suburban setting that worked so well in the brilliant "A New Life" mission from Hitman: Blood Money. Those of you familiar with that stage will find a lot of similarities here, especially the heavy security presence guarding a valuable target living nearby. As a new resident, Agent 47 is looking for a way to ingratiate himself as a worthwhile member of the community while eliminating two key targets. Our Hitman 2 Whittleton Creek guide will help with just that goal.
]]>QUICKLY! FOR CRYING OUT LOUD, QUICKLY! I've written the charts and there are some jokes and you have to read it!
One of the jokes is quite good!
]]>Mumbai is the third mission in Hitman and mixes up the formula by asking you to identify a target before you can assassinate them. The streets of Mumbai are full of hustle and bustle, so trying to find your quarry while also devising a way to eliminate them in such a crowded place makes for a very unique challenge. Read on for where to find The Maelstrom, how to find disguises and more in our Hitman 2 Mumbai guide.
]]>As you sneak through an underground tunnel that you’ve just discovered, taking out cameras and hiding dead bodies that should just be unconscious (but you’re bad at this), it’s easy to forget how clever Hitman 2 is. Discovery begets invention, paving the way for the kill, and although IO’s latest take on their murder-sim doesn’t veer too far from the previous game's reinvention, it spends time re-enforcing what made it so good to begin with. The new locations to explore, and little tweaks to the overall experience, allow for even more murder customisation than before.
What truly makes Hitman 2, mind you, is the sheer amount of ways to take out your target. While this new game ratchets up the number of assassination targets to the point that most missions have two or three people to take out, it’s also ridiculous how different each playthrough of a level can be. You might spend an hour on your first visit to Miami, and to then be greeted by a list of alternate ways in which you could have killed the target is tantalising. The game is egging you on to be better, to do more.
]]>Sean Bean, perhaps the entertainment industry's most prestigious dier, is to lend the warm Yorkshire tones of his death gurgle to Hitman 2 too. Beanie baby is to play the murder simulator's first 'Elusive Targets', those hits who appear for a few days in limited-time murder event before vanishing into the ether. His fella is an assassin famed for faking his own death many times, so we might face a challenge as Ian Hitman tries to be the first person to really properly kill Sean Bean. Here, come watch Mr. Bean monologue in a new live-action vid.
]]>The prospect of Hitman 2 has seemed to be 'more of the same good stuff, in new places' but with the game's launch now only one month and a day away, developers IO Interactive today announced that--surprise!--it'll introduce a 1v1 competitive multiplayer mode. Ghost Mode, as it's named, isn't about two hitmen trying to whack each other. Instead, they'll compete to off the same random targets fastest in different instances of the same level, existing in each other's world only as a faded 'ghost'. Ah you'll understand if you watch this new trailer below.
]]>It almost feels wrong to put a precision killing machine like Agent 47 into the hands of a total newcomer, but sometimes needs must. As the video team's resident Hitman fan was off assassinating some brain cells on a stag do, I was left to attend a hands-on with the newest stage in Hitman 2. It's called Santa Fortuna, and whisks you off to sunny Colombia. Hitman has always been a game that interests me - I like sandboxes, I like stealth and I always join the Dark Brotherhood in Skyrim, so I guess I like assassinating people too (in games). I’ve edited many videos on Hitman, so I really thought some of those skills would have transferred by osmosis. Boy was I wrong.
]]>The Humble Monthly continues to impress - today's $12 subscription bundle deal is massive souls-inspired Metroidvania Hollow Knight, murder-sim Hitman and zombie survival sandbox 7 Days To Die. While the third of those doesn't quite fit, the first two are among the best in their genres, though Hitman is arguably a genre unto itself.
That's not even mentioning the other handful of games to be unveiled at the end of the month. Plus, the upcoming Hitman 2 (due November 13th) will integrate with the original game, letting you take on old missions with new gear. Below, some trailers for the current trio of games, and some thoughts on each.
]]>As we stare into the weary, craggy face of the final quarter of 2018, there is still a glimmer of hope. The games are not yet done. They will never be done. And the impending release of them, some close, some a little further away, stirs something within us. The delicate, easily crushed butterfly of excitement. We may catch it yet, to keep in our collection of emotions - the sharp pin of time pushed through and through it into the cork of eventual disappointement.
]]>A new trailer for Hitman 2 shows Ian Hitman off on his hols in sweltering Colombia, creeping through the rainforest to murder fellas out S.T.A.L.K.E.R. in the gas masks and ponchos and all. What exactly these tropical cosplayers have done to deserve murder is a mystery we cannot begin to guess at, but the video shows that goodness me the forest really is lush and not just a wee base with trees in the skybox. I look forward to creeping through there, maybe even grabbing a swim. Have a look below.
]]>All the missions of Hitman's first season will be updated and playable within Hitman 2, IO Interactive announced today. Which is great. This will give the missions news ways to do murders, as well as a little extra visual fanciness and new modes. Which sounds pretty chuffing great. IO do specify that season one owners will get the revamped counterparts in Hitman 2 for free, so it sounds like newcomers will need to pay for 'em. They call this principle of unified murder "World Of Assassination", which is probably meant to sound grand but does mostly remind me of Truck Simulator's World Of Trucks.
]]>Has it really been six months? 2018 is passing in a blur of frozen architects, drug-pushing prophets and accordion duets. Hell, six months ago the RPS Video Department was but a glint in Graham’s eye. You may also recall a gathering of the most exciting games of 2018, a rundown of the year as it looked back in January. With E3 done there’s a clearer picture of what the rest of 2018 looks like. Many games have slipped to February 2019 - the stampeding bandits of Red Dead Redemption 2 have them running for the hills - but we’ve rustled up 15 of the remaining games that fellow video person Noa and I are looking forward to.
]]>Bienvenidos a Miami in a new trailer for Hitman 2 which crept out of E3 earlier this week, following its cinematic-heavy announcement. It shows Ian Hitman goin' to Miami--the city where the heat is on--to off people during a supercar race day, which will offer some exciting opportunities for creative murder in the stealth sandbox. This is a "gameplay" trailer in the "lots of clips of in-game things with no UI and often from angles you'll never see while playing" sense of the word, but that's E3 for you. Fear not! Actual gameplay footage of the E3 demo is starting to ooze out from the press.
]]>Much like Agent 47, Hitman 2's approach wasn't nearly as stealthy as it hoped to be, but the end results aren't to be sniffed at. Eagle-eyed internet people spotted its logo a few days back, but today Io Interactive officially announced the sequel to 2016's episodic murder-sandbox. Unlike the previous game, this one will be released all in one go (with plans for later expansions) and is available for pre-order, with the deal sweetened by immediate access to the Sniper Assassin co-op mode.
]]>You better not shout, you better not cry, you better not expect the Elder Scrolls VI to be announced in front of an LA audience I’m tellin’ you why. E3 2018 is coming to town!
Yes, and with it, so come the takes. The RPS podcast, the Electronic Wireless Show, wants in on this. So here are some of our predictions, hopes and fears for this year’s dreaded multimedia assault on the nervous system.
]]>Welcome to leak week, those pre-E3 days more leaky than a colander of leek soup. This time, it’s Warner Brothers. They've only accidentally left a logo for Hitman 2 sitting around in the innards of their website, the big sillies. It’s gone now but was there long enough to be spotted by Twitter persons RobotBrush and Wario64. Hitman developers IO Interactive had been teasing an announcement on June 7 and it looks like this is it. We already knew the bald murderer was going on another set of homicidal holidays when IO confirmed they were working on a new entry last year. But now we know Warner Bros is officially involved too.
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