Hitman 2 Review

"Beautiful Playground"

Campaign

Hitman 2 is a follow-up to the episodic season that released prior with this being a direct continuation of those events. If you purchase particular versions or have certain ownership you can even download the Legacy pack that allows the entire first game to be played within this one.

It's a nice addition and one that certainly adds value. That aside, we'll be focusing on what this package provides for this particular release. Being similar to the episodic releases you get a selection of large scale sandbox levels. I like to think of these areas like a playground, one that's filled with toys to try out. You're given an objective on each, to assassinate people.

You can do this however you'd like, you could use stealth or work through an in-game story opportunity. The choice is yours' and there's so much freedom here. The game features full cinematics between levels and a story that dives deeper into just who Agent 47 is. This works well as it feels like a natural progression from the last season. This narrative was well done and developed throughout the missions.

Outside of just playing, there's so much to do. The game offers almost unlimited replay options through extra set missions or Contracts. With the contracts you can make them, or you can play what others have made. This has you killing whatever of the hundreds of NPCs on the level, really creates creative situations and you can even set certain rules for how it can be executed.

Multiplayer

This release tries something new with multiplayer modes, these come in the form of two player cooperative and or slightly competitive options. The first option is a Sniper mode, here you're taking out targets. This can be done in a solo challenge or with another person, there are leaderboards as well. The second is the Ghost Mode where you work to eliminate targets to gain points and beat your opponent. Both options have briefings and are rather easy to understand.

Gameplay

The visuals are impressive, as are the Hitman Xbox One X enhanced options. You can lock the frame rate, choose 4k resolution or even picked a high 60fps at 1080p. These are great options for those on the console, I did notice some dips at 4k in some of the more crazier levels. Nothing too bad to be honest, it plays mostly smoothly throughout with a minor bug or two. Again, not anything that wrecked my experience. The visuals are impressive, the worlds are expansive and gorgeous. They're also packed with NPCs whether that'd be casual bystanders or targets actively out there to perhaps eliminate you.

You can dress up as many different individuals, use stealth or just blast your way in. There are a ton of weapons to unleash and you can unlock more upon repeat attempts at levels. As you gain Mastery more options become available, it's fantastic. I loved the variety of levels, authentic language accents spoken within them and the details. There are so many objects, whether they're available to use or just present as scenery. The scale is fantastic, there are multiple levels within buildings and so many secret passages to take.

The Conclusion

Hitman 2 delivers a gorgeous sandbox to play in as you eliminate your targets using a plethora of methods, from which you get to choose. There's just complete freedom here with so many ways to go about taking people out. You can play it with stealth, run in there and blast away or just proceed however you'd like. It looks fantastic on Xbox One X bringing great visual enhancement options. The levels are expansive, visually impressive and just lively.

They feel like real and authentic locations, this is a great aspect. It's really just a treat to see how well developed these worlds are and it's backed by a decent narrative as well. Agent 47 is back and with the Legacy addition this is one massive game. It should be noted the Legacy pack is not included score wise, just something that's really nice to have in this. It's a fantastic game, a lot of fun to play and it presents a good challenge as you try to solve how to remove people from existence.

Read our Strange Brigade Review
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Hitman 2 Review on Xbox One X
Review Code Provided by MSL Group

Rating Overall: 8.8