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Watch Hitman: Absolution's first level on 'Purist' difficulty
Agent 47 is aided by several systems in Hitman: Absolution, including a handy radar, health meters, and a limited "Instinct" feature that highlights crucial information in the environment. But in the game's most difficult setting, dubbed "Purist," these elements have been turned off.Want to see what Purists will have to contend with when Hitman: Absolution launches on November 20? Watch Joystiq infiltrate the first level (mind the spoiler-filled cutscenes!) and see how we do without the game's help.
Hitman: Absolution's Agent 47 ICA file trailer
We got it wrong last week when we guessed the next drop in the bucket full of trailers for Hitman: Absolution would be the game's launch trailer for November 20. Square Enix couldn't hold that long; here's Agent 47's ICA file.
JoyStream: Hitman Absolution with IO Interactive's Tore Blystad and Sven Liebold [Watch the recap!]
Update: The stream is now finished; however, you can watch the recap after the break.Hitman: Absolution from developer IO Interactive brings "The Original Assassin" out from the cold and back to The Agency. Today, Joystiq will explore the PC version of Hitman: Absolution with IO Interactive's Tore Blystad and Sven Liebold and see if Agent 47's time away from gamers have left his tradecraft sharp or in need of a tune up.Right now, from 2pm through 3pm Eastern (11-12pm PT), we'll be streaming Hitman: Absolution single-player along with multiple challenges in the game's new "Contracts" mode. Feel free to lob some questions at us and IO Interactive by following Joystiq on Twitch, or you can drop your questions right into the comments section of this very post.You can watch the stream on the Joystiq Twitch page, or in an embed after the break. Follow our Twitch page for future streams and giveaways.Note that the first level of the game, featured during this stream, includes spoilers to Hitman: Absolution.%Gallery-167638%
Hitman: Absolution pre-launch trailer wraps it up in a nice suit
There have been a lot of trailers for Hitman: Absolution. From the sound of this latest one, this is the end of those... well, you know, until the launch trailer for November 20. And then the inevitable post-launch DLC trailer. Then the game of the year trailer sometime next year...
Hitman: Absolution video describes a 'living, breathing world'
This video for Hitman: Absolution describes the game's universe and the stories contained within as a "living, breathing world." The IO Interactive game is set to launch November 20 for PS3, Xbox 360 and PC.
Hitman Absolution fan film shows Agent 47 isn't really a family man
This short but rather nifty Hitman: Absolution fan film, by David Wayman, explores some odd parallels between an assassin's job and his family life. But things are not quite as they seem ...
Hitman Absolution dev diary lets us sample the dynamic audio
Ask any professional assassin and they'll tell you, the most important thing besides not getting caught when killing someone is the sound. Can anyone hear me? Does this ambient music set the right mood? Is the treble turned up too high?
Hitman: Absolution cinematic trailer is pretty much shooting everyone
This cinematic trailer for Hitman: Absolution teases the game's story while flashing guns around. It makes us wonder: Can't they just talk it out? Talkman Hitman: Absolution is set to launch November 20 for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360.
Agent 47 in a chicken suit and other Hitman: Absolution disguises
Good rule for life: If you see a totally bald, 6'3" man with menacing arching eyebrows in your general vicinity, no matter what he's wearing at the time, it's probably a good idea to leave the area if you enjoy the rhythmic sound of a heartbeat in your chest.
Hitman: Absolution trailer focuses on story, actors in goofy mo-cap getups
The Hitman series is known for allowing players to create their own narratives within the sandbox levels, but with Hitman: Absolution, developer IO Interactive has enlisted Hollywood talent like Vivica Fox, Powers Boothe and Shannyn Sossamon to help tell Agent 47's latest story.
Silent branching paths of murder in Hitman: Absolution
I've watched my targets, memorized their movements, and exploited the shortest windows of opportunity to achieve my goal of a silent kill. As Agent 47, the returning killer-for-hire in IO-Interactive's Hitman: Absolution, I've spent more time planning than I have executing.Being methodical in your approach is key as a, let's face it, not-so-inconspicuous murderer. Though a master at his craft, Agent 47 has to contend with one hell of a simple, accurate suspect description: a scowling bald guy with a bar code tattooed to the back of his head and a proclivity for black suits and red ties.Because of that, and despite initial worries that Hitman: Absolution would bring more of an action tilt to the series, Agent 47 works best when striking from the shadows.In our last preview of Hitman: Absolution, contributing editor Mike Schramm detailed six ways he executed a target. This mission, which is the game's second, asks players to kill a single, guarded man in a bustling Chinatown market. Six ways to kill the man is already an impressive number, but the actual limit to your options is daunting: there are twelve.%Gallery-167638%
Hitman: Absolution trailer kills with disco ball, fireworks, and robotic surgery
The latest Hitman: Absolution gameplay trailer is a cavalcade of ingenious/ridiculous murders. As always, Agent 47 will be able to kill in a variety of ways, from cutting the wire of a disco ball so it smashes onto someone's head, to programming surgical robots to violently dissect a victim. Silent, but diverse.
18 minutes of Hitman: Absolution's Contracts mode
Here's the fine print on Hitman: Absolution's contracts mode, delivered in an 18-minute video. Developer IO Interactive considers contracts a very important component of Absolution, giving the mode co-billing with the game's single-player on the title menu.
Hitman Absolution's weaponry includes guns, swords, and plungers
The latest trailer for Hitman: Absolution features an emotionally disconnected narrator taking us through Agent 47's weaponry options. The 'sitting ducks' metaphor at the start is almost poetic, but soon enough we're down and dirty with guns, more guns, guns with silencers, some swords, some explosives, and a lot more guns. While he does like his shooters, in this trailer we see 47 is still a fan of improvising his kills. And you can't get much more poetic than lopping someone's cranium off with George Washington's head - if that is indeed George Washington. And if we do understand poetry correctly. Also, just how does a plunger-based assassination go down?Hitman: Absolution is set to wax lyrical on November 20 on PS3, Xbox 360, and PC. Until then, you can check out how 47 kills using a fish in this preview.
Hitman: Absolution villain Dexter voiced by Dexter's Keith Carradine
Square Enix announced another member of the Hitman: Absolution cast in Keith Carradine, known for his roles in Dexter, Deadwood, and last year's Cowboys and Aliens. Carradine stars in Absolution as unscrupulous weapons manufacturer Blade Dexter, as opposed to his role in Dexter as good guy FBI agent Frank Lundy.The news follows the rather more scrutinized return of David Bateson, who was officially confirmed as Agent 47 last month. However complicated or simple their castings were, Hitman: Absolution's actors and actresses come to TV screens near you on November 20.
Hitman Absolution to see David Bateson reprise role as 47
David Bateson will reprise the role of Agent 47 in Hitman Absolution, after it was revealed last year that IO Interactive dropped the long-serving voice actor. Square Enix confirmed the news yesterday, shortly after the above video of Bateson announcing his return found its way online. The video was on a USB key given to a fan by IO Interactive community manager Nick Price.Bateson's return was a struggle, with IO Interactive initially asking him to audition for a role he'd served since 2000 and Codename 47. Then, around this time last year, the developer confirmed Bateson's absence from Absolution. This sparked a number of online petitions pleading for him to be reinstated as 47, including one that received over 3,500 signatures.IO Interactive's brand director Jon Brooke revealed the developer brought back Bateson after a change of heart, saying that on reflection the developer was "just playing hard to get." That's certainly one way of putting it.Bateson will finally return as the dapper, bald assassin on November 20, when Absolution releases worldwide for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC.
Hitman: Absolution 'Contracts' can't cross platforms, but community can work around it
Due to "political" issues, Hitman: Absolution's "contracts" won't be transferable across platforms for developer IO Interactive to feature, but there is a way for the community to do it. The recently revealed contracts mode is a major part of Absolution's package – receiving co-billing on the title screen with the campaign – but we wanted to know if IO could help promote prominent challenges accomplished by the community on one platform for another."We'll have to deal with something within the political rules that allow us to do that," Torben Ellert, game designer on Hitman: Absolution told us. "We're interested in featuring community contracts so that we avoid that whole wasp's nest."The way to do that will be for the community to decode the file numbers of contracts after the game's launch. Contract IDs begin with a two-digit number, determining their platform (currently 03- PC, 05- Xbox, 07- PS3), with the following set of digits expressing rules of the scenario."[Contracts] was built in a way for people to asynchronously share things," said Ellert. "The trick is you have to do it yourself. You have to be able to pull it off yourself."Update: To stress, codes can't simply be swapped across platforms. Players on separate platforms will need to complete the aspects of a contract to make it live on that platform. The contract ID simply gives the blueprints for a scenario's rules.%Gallery-162335%
Hitman Absolution 'nun fight' given context after negative reaction
After receiving a vocal negative regarding the trailer that featured Agent 47 systematically murdering an assassin squad posing as nuns decked out in latex and PVC, developer IO Interactive has decided to make some changes to Hitman Absolution."We learned from the trailer that we really needed to give these characters some context and some backstory," Hitman Absolution director Tore Blystad told Eurogamer during Gamescom. "We're working within the game – within that level – to build these characters up before you meet them. That way you know what you're getting and you aren't put off by them."Known as "The Saints" within the game, Blystad says the female team of killers fits within a franchise that has often been "colourful and cartoony." The description is apt, considering Agent 47's previous experience dressing up as a clown and visiting bondage bars. Blystad also promised that the all-out-war approach taken by Agent 47 in the trailer is only one way – and it's not the smartest – to complete the level it's based on.Blystad said that IO Interactive didn't see the backlash to the trailer coming. "We've been trying to find out, y'know, how could we not see this happening? If we knew it would get such a negative reaction we would have done it in a different way," he pondered.What seems to be changing is just the details about the fake-nun characters. Blystad doesn't seem to be claiming that levels will be altered. Since the controversial trailer, IO Interactive released a new video detailing some of the backstory surrounding the characters. But will knowing Assassin Nun #4's likes and dislikes really alter people's reaction to their use in the game?
Hitman: Absolution 'Contracts' mode spelled out in video
Here's the clip from Gamescom detailing Hitman: Absolution's recently revealed asynchronous multiplayer mode, "Contracts." Playable at the German mega show, Contracts allows players to make their own scenario of Agent 47 marks and challenge their friends to do better.
Hitman: Absolution features asynchronous multiplayer 'Contracts' mode
Hitman: Absolution will feature an asynchronous multiplayer mode known as "Contracts," IO Interactive revealed at a Gamescom event. Players make their own scenarios, targeting any three characters on a given level with any weapons, and challenging other players to complete the contract in less time (and for more money).For example, in the oft-seen library scene where Agent 47 is trying to get away from a group of cops, it is now possible to make an original kill scenario. Players take out a target, choosing a specific weapon. Then they can do that to two other characters, then escape the scenario – and upload that to the contracts server.Developer IO Interactive says there will be weekly contracts. Earned money can be used to start scenarios with weapons and disguises. For example, if you know a specific costume helps you blend in a certain level, you'll be able to start the level wearing it to reduce time. The mode will be playable at Gamescom and IO will release a video detailing the new mode tomorrow.%Gallery-162335%
