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IO says next Hitman will go back to the sandbox
IO Interactive wrote an open letter to Hitman fans this morning, detailing the direction for the Agent 47 game the studio is working on. Doing everything next to apologize for Hitman: Absolution, the studio said the next game will go back to Agent 47 at the "prime of his career" (in gameplay terms that should mean Blood Money), with the support of his handler Diana Burnwood and the shadow organization she works for. "We've adopted an open, non-linear level design approach to the game, ensuring the game will play out across huge, checkpoint-free, sandbox levels," the IO letter notes. "Our aim is to create living, breathing and believable levels which will allow gamers to play around with the AI to create those unique moments every fan of the Hitman franchise loves." Absolution's clever Contracts Mode will return, which allowed players to challenge friends to different level scenarios, but Agent 47's Mary Poppins-like bottomless "magic pockets" featuring an entire arsenal won't. The studio plans to share more "further into 2014."
New contracts find their way into Hitman: Absolution's dossier
Square Enix has added some new featured contracts to Hitman: Absolution today. Somebody wanna wake up Agent 47 and tell him to suit up? These new contracts, which are custom scenarios conjured up by developer IO Interactive, are specific to each platform. On PC, the new contract takes Agent 47 to a haunted house, while the PS3 contract tasks him with taking down a pyromaniac with a penchant for selling ice cream. The Xbox 360 contract, pictured above, highlights a massacre in a donut shop. Hitman: Absolution launched in late 2012 and added some new mechanics to the sandbox murder formula established by earlier entries in the series. In our review, we said the game "has its flaws," but they're negated by the game's "healthy dose of stealth and creative assassinations." IO Interactive is currently working on a new entry in the series for next-generation consoles and PC.
Hitman: Absolution is absolutely $12 at Best Buy
Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of Hitman: Absolution are on sale for a mere $12 at Best Buy right now. While the deal includes free shipping, the game is no longer listed as available for shipping. Instead, those looking to save a few dollars on the game can opt to pick up a copy at select locations that still have it in stock. If the diminishing stock at our local stores is any indication, this deal many not last much longer.
Report: IO Interactive cancels projects, loses half of staff to layoffs
Hitman series developer IO Interactive has cut its staff by almost 50 percent after a recent round of layoffs, the studio announced in a statement released to Develop. Speaking to Develop, a spokesperson for IO Interactive confirmed that the company has canceled many of its current projects in order to focus its efforts on a new Hitman game, which is currently in pre-production. Previously, the Square Enix-owned studio had developed games such as Mini Ninjas and Kane & Lynch. Its most recent release, Hitman: Absolution, launched last year for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC platforms. "We are making significant changes at IO Interactive as we align our business against a changing and challenging market," the statement reads. "Hannes Seifert, formerly Production Director for 3 years at the studio, will take over the position of Studio Head at IO. The studio will focus resolutely on the future vision for the Hitman franchise and is in pre-production on a new triple-A Hitman project. "However we have taken the difficult decision to cancel other studio projects and initiatives at IO and reduce the workforce in this studio, which will impact almost half of the employees currently at IO, as we make internal adjustments to face the challenges of today's market." "For those affected, we are extremely grateful for the hard work which they have contributed, and where it's possible and appropriate to relocate staff to open positions at other studios within the group, we will try to do so. We are also reaching out to other companies for outplacement opportunities. We sincerely wish them well in their future careers."
Hitman: Sniper Challenge, Gyromancer line up on Core Online
PopCap puzzler Gyromancer and Hitman: Sniper Challenge are the latest targets for Square Enix's browser-based Core Online service. Sniper Challenge, if you remember, was a pre-order bonus for Hitman: Absolution. What both games coming to Core Online does alert us to are changes to the service's payment structure. It was originally completely free-to-play, albeit with intermittent ads. However, free play is limited now to 20 minutes each day (still with ads). At 20 minutes a day, it's going to take about a month to complete Tomb Raider: Underworld. You can pay $2.99 per month to get full access to Core Online's library, which at present includes Hitman: Blood Money, Hitman: Sniper Challenge, Gyromancer, Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light, Tomb Raider: Underworld, and Mini Ninjas. Alternatively, each game can be bought individually for $4.99.
Grab Hitman: Absolution PC for $7.49 at Amazon
You can snag a PC download of Hitman: Absolution from Amazon right now for just $7.49. And by "snag," we don't mean with garrote wire. Use your mouse, silly.
Hitman Absolution coming to EU PS Plus May 1, PSN sale begins today
Hitman Absolution is the latest coup for PlayStation Plus in Europe. Agent 47's latest adventure sneaks onto the service on May 1, joining four other as-yet-unrevealed games next month. Considering it only came out in November 2012, Absolution's impending arrival marks another strong entry in PS Plus's European line-up, with Dead or Alive 5, Sleeping Dogs, Mass Effect 3 and Batman: Arkham City all coming to the subscription service in recent months.In the meantime, both Plus subscribers and others can take advantage of a new PSN sale for the region. The 'Declassified' sale starts today and runs until April 24, bringing savings to Crysis, Hitman, Metal Slug, and Tom Clancy games among others. Standout discounts include Hitman Trilogy HD for €11.99/£9.69, and €19.99/£15.99 for the Splinter Cell Complete Pack, which includes SC Trilogy HD, SC: Essentials, and SC: Double Agent. As usual, those prices and all the others in the sale drop a further 10 percent with Plus.You can snoop a full list of discounts on the PlayStation Blog.
New Hitman HD Trilogy screens are a familiar face
These screens for Hitman HD Trilogy, Square Enix's hi-def collection that includes Hitman: Contracts, Hitman 2: Silent Assassin and Hitman: Blood Money, show off each game's improved look. The collection will launch January 29 in North America and February 1 in Europe on PS3 and Xbox 360 for $39.99.
Hitman: HD Trilogy confirmed for Jan. 29, 2013 in North America, Feb. 1 in Europe
Hitman: HD Trilogy is coming to Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on January 29, 2013 in North America, while Europeans and those in other PAL territories welcome it on February 1, publisher Square Enix confirmed this morning. The official announcement comes hot on the heels of a leak of the compilation's Amazon listing and achievements.The collection includes high-def versions of Hitman 2: Silent Assassin, Hitman: Contracts and Hitman: Blood Money. Square Enix states the contracted cost of the compilation is $39.99. Amazon, meanwhile, also suggests the availability of a Premium Edition, which according to the listing is at the same price. It includes an exclusive art book with 22 previously unseen depictions of memorable moments from the three games.
Hitman Trilogy HD achievements and Amazon listing suggest imminent release
Achievements and Amazon.com listings appeared for Hitman Trilogy HD this week, the US retailer detailing release dates of January 29, 2013 for both Xbox 360 and PS3. Amazon also lists a price of $39.99, along with some snazzy box art, although publisher Square Enix has yet to officially announce the collection.According to the listing, Trilogy HD includes high-def versions of Hitman 2: Silent Assassin, Hitman: Contracts and Hitman: Blood Money. The compilation first popped up in the summer, when it was listed by European retailers as a PS3 game called Hitman HD Collection. The achievements list courtesy of Xbox360Achievements, along with the trophy list uncovered by Exophase back in October, suggest that for whatever reason HD Collection may be the compilation's European name.When approached, a Square Enix representative said the company cannot comment on rumor or speculation.
Halo 4 and Hitman: Absolution on sale on Amazon today
Halo 4 is on sale for $39.99 on Amazon today, and comes with $10 in Amazon Instant Video credit. What was that you said? You have more money to spend? Well you're in luck, because a PC download of Hitman: Absolution is on sale for $29.99 on Amazon as well, with Xbox 360 and PS3 versions at $39.99.Halo 4's Crimson Map Pack arrives December 10. For those without a calendar, that's tomorrow, which makes today's sale rather convenient. %Gallery-172273%
Hitman: Absolution crash-fixing console patch targeted for next week
Square Enix aims to patch Hitman: Absolution on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 sometime next week. The update is intended to fix crashing issues with the console versions, reported in notable numbers on official forums. They arose soon after the game's November 20 release, but a fix hasn't yet been provided. If the crash occurs while the game's autosaving, save files can become corrupted and result in hours of lost progress.Square Enix community and social media head Phil Elliott apologized for the ongoing issue on the game's official forums, noting "the lack of information [made available] is less than optimal." Elliott said the patch has to be internally tested before being approved by Microsoft and Sony, and as such Square Enix can't confirm an exact release date.Meanwhile, PC players can sneak, dress up, and mulch in the knowledge that their version received its first patch last week. Among other fixes, the patch addresses problems with transferring unlocks over from Hitman: Sniper Challenge.
Hitman: Absolution's Deus Ex DLC in action
Hitman: Absolution's Deus Ex: Human Revolution DLC garb, which launched a couple weeks back with the game, has a newly released trailer featuring the futuristic fashion Agent 47 can wear on his latest contract.
Hitman Absolution easter egg delivers ice cream at high speeds
This video shows off an easter egg in Hitman: Absolution, in which the ice cream truck Agent 47 drives at the beginning of the game comes back with a vengeance.Courtesy of GameFront, the embedded video explains the steps it takes to find the easter egg, which occurs in the game's "End of the Road" mission. Obviously, that means the video also contains some plot spoilers, so viewer discretion is advised.
Hitman: Absolution DLC has Agent 47 inspired by Deus Ex: Human Revolution
Agent 47 is a fashionista (one doesn't accidentally wear $10,000 custom suits), so it should come as no surprise that he's also fashion forward and into Adam Jensen of Deus Ex: Human Revolution's garb. Today, Hitman: Absolution's launch day, both Adam Jensen's armor and pistol are available as downloadable content in Mr. 47's latest outing on Xbox 360, Steam and, likely, later today on PS3, following the PSN update.The Deus Ex: Human Revolution DLC suit provides "better protection from firearms with advanced armor," while Jensen's pistol can be equipped with a silencer for Agent 47. There are also a series of pre-order bonus costumes available for a buck apiece, or bundled for $6. Agent 47 isn't the only Square Enix protagonist getting in on the dress-up and raiding closets, Sleeping Dogs' Wei Shen also got in on that action.
Metareview: Hitman: Absolution
Agent 47 is back on the job in Hitman: Absolution, which we said in our review "abandoned some of the ideals of the original games in the series, but it delivers with its own formula." Let's see if others thought this was a hit, man. IGN (90/100): "Like Dishonored before it, it's actually a true pleasure to play a game that lets you tackle it from multiple angles. After several years of increasingly totalitarian games where you're very much following a pre-determined path, it's nice to have a game that doesn't just encourage improvisation; it requires it." Polygon (85/100): "Hitman: Absolution is a faster, more streamlined game than its predecessors, but that only makes it different, not bad. The dark humor has been toned down, but still peeks through. The same anti-hero menace and professional purpose remains. And more importantly, the core purpose and gameplay that's always driven the Hitman series is still there. It's not as cerebral as Hitman: Blood Money." Eurogamer (70/100): "Reloading some of its best levels, turning off the hints and watching and waiting, it's much easier to remember what it is that makes Agent 47 so special. Hitman is a series to treasure for those moments, even if Absolution isn't its finest hour. Hopefully it won't be another six years before IO Interactive gets another shot at showing us why." Edge (70/100): "Contracts redeems Absolution, but it doesn't absolve it. The game has taken a unique formula and diluted it, allowing the fashionable trappings of other stealth titles to intrude upon a series that has always confidently eschewed convention." Videogamer (50/100): "Occasionally you'll witness flashes of brilliance, glimpses that suggest IO could yet salvage something from this wreckage for its next Hitman game. And then you finish a stage with a tedious quick-time event, snapping the neck of a morbidly obese Danny Trejo-alike in a wrestling match watched by hundreds - astonishingly earning yourself a Silent Assassin rating in the process - and you shake your head sadly and wonder how it all went so badly wrong."
Hitman Absolution review: Murder by Numbers
Somewhere within the A.I.-powered mind of a target is a kindling of what tomorrow brings; a spark filled with aspirations that will soon come to fruition. Goals to achieve, a life to live. That is, until a bald, bar-coded assassin ends those thoughts by slipping a thin fiber wire around his neck. Or pushing him off a building. Or poisoning his morning latte. Stabbing him. Shooting him. Ending him.Hitman's infamous good/bad guy Agent 47 blends into the background, planning how he will extinguish that spark as a target unknowingly lives the last moments of its life. It's these moments, deciding precisely how to eliminate a target, that imbue Hitman: Absolution with its own special brand of sadistic magic.%Gallery-167638%
Hitman: Absolution launch trailer won't be silenced
Agent 47 comes a-knockin' next week and, well, for starters ... don't open that door. He's not there for a chat. Along with the above launch trailer, feel free to check out our hour-long stream of the game for a better sense of Hitman: Absolution from a safe distance.
Hitman: Absolution 'Contracts' mode won't require online pass in North America
When Hitman: Absolution launches on November 20 in North America, players will be free to access the game's asynchronous online 'Contracts' mode without the need of an online pass. In regions outside of North America, however, the 'Contracts' mode will require a code included in retail boxes of the game.Where things get a little confusing is that the online pass for "Contracts" will be available for free in all regions outside of North America, with the pass available for download from each platform's respective digital marketplace at no charge – even if you're in a region that requires the included code."We'd actually planned to have this mode accessible via a code in the game's box, but we really want to make it available to anybody that plays the game – so we want to take a new approach," the official Hitman Tumblr blog notes.If you're in North America, the mode is just there. "If you're elsewhere, you can redeem the code inside the box, or you can simply select the 'Buy Contracts Pass' option. From there, head to the store where 'Contracts' will be free to access."When Ubisoft launched Driver: San Francisco it too altered the plan for its Online Pass, making it available as a free download after printing issues gave users invalid codes. Square Enix, on the other hand, has decided to forgo the pass to ensure all users can access the mode.
Conan cleans up Hitman: Absolution
Conan O'Brien is barely even interested in games, but Hitman: Absolution seems to tick his boxes. Maybe it's the mulching, or having a barcode on the back of his bald head, or just the emphasis on eco-friendly body-storage.
