Developer: IO Interactive
Publisher: Warner Bros. Entertainment Interactive
Release: November 13, 2018
On: Windows
From: Steam
For: 44.99, $59.99, 59.99
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.