Old habits die hard

Introduction

The world's most infamous assassin, 47, is back! Here you play as the genetically-engineered killer code-named "47", in a sequel to the original ambitious but somewhat flawed game "Hitman: Codename 47".

If you've never played the original (like me), no matter. The intro cutscene tells you all you need to know: after violently and expertly establishing himself as the premier assassin in the shadowy world of contract hits, 47 decides to retire to the peace and tranquility of a Sicilian monastery, where he tends to the vegetable garden under the supervision of Father Vittorio. 47 wrestles with his conscience because of the dastardly deeds he has committed in the past, but before he has a chance to atone for his sins, Vittorio is kidnapped by a local mafia boss and 47 is once again thrown into the whirlwind world of international murder and intrigue.

Graphics and visuals

OK, first up, I have to say that the graphics in this game are gorgeous. The lighting effects are spectacular, and very atmospheric. This is especially true if you play in 3rd person perspective mode, which gives you a wider field of vision in which to absorb all the eye candy. The level designers really put a lot of effort into making each and every map, down to the smallest details.

Sunlight streams in through dusty windows, pigeons and doves fly around in the garden, and 47 casts a very convincing shadow as he walks around. For the night-time missions, you can even shoot out most of the lights to make things a little more interesting.

The game engine features very nice rag-doll physics, which means when you nail that enemy sniper he'll flop down from the balcony in a realistic way. Enemies also get thrown back by the impact from the more powerful weapons, which can be highly satisfying. The maps are often littered with a variety of breakable objects, which get pulverised in spectacular fashion during an intense gunfight.

Sound

All the sounds and atmospheric effects are top-notch. The weapons sound realistic and satisfying, and the voices and environmental sounds are clear and distinct. It's very immersive, which is the way every game should be. The background music is moody and foreboding, an excellent companion to the grim tasks that 47 embarks upon.

Controls

The default view in this game is 3rd-person, with an option to switch to 1st-person for those who prefer that kind of thing. However, weapons animations seem a little odd and stilted in this mode, so it's evident that 3rd-person perspective is where the main action is at.

Controls are smooth and intuitive. It'll take you no time to learn the standard FPS controls, and fortunately for us the game time is frozen while we make our item or weapon selections from 47's inventory.

Gameplay

Alright, this is what it's all about. Let's get one thing straight, this game is purely for single-player. The beauty of Hitman 2 is that the missions are often very open-ended, which means it's up to you how you choose to complete the objectives (which usually involve eradicating a target or targets). You can go in guns blazing, or you can stealthily creep into his house and poison him. You can sneak up on him and strangle him, or you can snipe him from afar. It's all up to you.

Of course, there are always multiple guards and security personnel present, which makes the missions much more challenging. You can disguise yourself as a guard when you find a spare uniform, or steal one from an enemy that you've knocked out. The enemy will usually be fooled by your disguise, but don't let them stare at your face too long, or their suspicions will be aroused and they'll start shooting! (indicated by the meter on-screen which conveniently shows their level of suspicion)

Hitman 2 is a classic "thinking man's shooter". Sure you can just kill everyone and everything, but where's the challenge in that? Study the guards' patrol routes, and sneak past them instead. Surprise your target alone in his room, and take him out with your silenced pistol.

The game gives you different ratings after every mission depending on how well you perform, and the highest score is attained by achieving the "Silent Assassin" rating, which means you achieved all the objectives without being seen or alerting the guards, and you killed no-one else except the intended target(s). Challenging indeed!

Every mission has its own little unique personality and quirks, which is what makes this game so fascinating. For example, in the first mission where you have to take out a mafia boss, you can stash your weapons in a milk crate which the delivery boy will take inside the mansion without being stopped and searched. You can then use "aneasthetic" to knock out the postman and steal his uniform, which you will use to waltz right up to the front gate and past the suspicious but forgiving guards' scrutiny. It's little tense moments like these that make Hitman 2 what it is.

Storyline

Initially, the game has you contacting your old agency and resuming your life as a professional assassin while you pursue Vittorio's kidnappers. The plot is a little disjointed in parts, and confusing to follow. But hey, who cares? The missions are generally interesting and varied, and take place in a variety of different settings, each with their own scrumptiously modelled environments -- whether that be snow, desert, island, or urban.

Small arms

The many varied and accurately-modelled weapons in Hitman 2 are undoubtedly one of its highlights. There are several dozen specimens you can accumulate over the course of the game, including pistols, shotguns, submachineguns, assault rifles and sniper rifles. Exotic weapons such as crossbows and golf clubs are also thrown into the mix. You can also pick up a fallen enemy's weapon if you like, which adds to the freedom of gameplay.

Furthermore, completing a mission with the "Silent Assassin" rating earns you special weapons which you may not be able to acquire any other way.

Weapon recoil and muzzle climb is pretty realistically modelled, and it's satisfying to see the difference between a regular suppressed 9mm Beretta and a powerful .357 Desert Eagle pistol. The game uses the "Counter-strike" reload method where a half-empty magazine does not get ditched but is recycled into the ammo pool -- not realistic by any means, but rather more playable and fun.

Weapons enthusiasts will not be disappointed.

Weaknesses

The game only allows you a certain number of saves per mission (say, 7) depending on what difficulty you play on. While this may increase the tension, it can also be quite frustrating for some missions where one wrong move can mean failure.

Also, there is a bug on one mission where a truck convoy regularly runs over its own guards, thus triggering an alert. Which doesn't make things any easier for our friend 47 who is trying to stay stealthy!

In summary

This game is highly polished, and a joy to play. There is only a finite number of missions (around 22, from what I can remember) but because of the open-ended mission structure and gameplay, there is a tonne of re-playability there. I can say with certainty that this game is definitely one of the best of 2002.

Now, should I bring the crossbow or the AK...