HITMAN, the new episodic Hitman - GOTY Edition

[Zombra]

Wtf is wrong with releasing a complete game with a decent level editor and maybe some proper expansion packs later down the line. I couldn't care less about all this early access and episodic BS.

This isn't Early Access any more than Walking Dead Episode 1 was Early Access. They're just going to release the first 10 levels or whatever, and then add more levels later. If you can't deal, wait until they say no more levels are coming and buy it then; that's what I usually do. I'm the same way with TV shows - I don't like watching just one episode - I wait until the whole series is out. But I don't get mad at the TV station for showing episodes before the season's over. Nor do I get mad at an author for releasing a book before the series is over. Weird that you're getting mad at a dev house for releasing the first few levels of the game instead of just making everyone wait another year.

 

[Metro]

That Telltale doesn't call their games 'Early Access' is more of a dejure choice rather than the defacto reality. It's clear the entire game isn't finished at the time they release Episode 1 of whatever 'not game' they're currently bilking people with at the moment. This is painfully obvious given they rarely keep to their announced schedules -- especially bad with Tales from the Borderlands that pushed them from an episode a month to an episode every two months and even then I think it took nearly three months for them to put out Episode 3.

As long as a developer is up front with it, I don't have a problem since people can make their own informed choice. That said, let's call a spade a spade. They're selling/releasing the game in an unfinished state.

 

[Suicidal Meat Slapper]

Wtf is wrong with releasing a complete game with a decent level editor and maybe some proper expansion packs later down the line. I couldn't care less about all this early access and episodic BS.

It's pretty obvious that developers would much rather release games in segments these days to maximize their profits, regardless of what the players think.

Past that, if they can somehow pull off another Silent Assassin/Blood Money, I'll be genuinely surprised.

 

[pippin]

Well, one of the most common complaints devs make is not being able to make their stuff in time. This could give them a chance to fix that. I just want more assassination stages instead of "reach the exit" crap.

 

[Zombra]

That Telltale doesn't call their games 'Early Access' is more of a dejure choice rather than the defacto reality. It's clear the entire game isn't finished at the time they release Episode 1 of whatever 'not game' they're currently bilking people with at the moment. This is painfully obvious given they rarely keep to their announced schedules -- especially bad with Tales from the Borderlands that pushed them from an episode a month to an episode every two months and even then I think it took nearly three months for them to put out Episode 3.

As long as a developer is up front with it, I don't have a problem since people can make their own informed choice. That said, let's call a spade a spade. They're selling/releasing the game in an unfinished state.

So when you read the first book in a series, or watch an episode of a TV show, you're consuming an "unfinished" product?

 

[Immortal]

Encouraging Kotaku article: The New Hitman’s Creative Director Is Saying All The Right Things

Some highlights that I particularly liked:

• Elverdam walked 47 toward the party and pointed out that as long as he stayed in the main areas, he could walk around freely. “We don’t have to pressure you up front,” he said. Elverdam said that the levels will all be a bit different, but gave me the sense that this sort of setup, where you’re okay to walk around, explore, and plan things out up front, would be how most missions were arranged.
• Players will be able to save at any point in the mission.
  
• Elverdam says Hitman’s level design philosophy will closely mirror Blood Money. Each level will be a large sandbox populated by hundreds of AI-controlled characters. For each level, 47 will have a target to kill, and that’ll pretty much be it.
  
• The story itself will be told in between assassination missions, rather than during them. There won’t really be any linear “story missions” like there were in Absolution, where story events and cutscenes played out over the course of the level. Elverdam described the game as “about a hitman and his target,” and said that “we won’t force the player’s hand by saying ‘this needs to happen, that needs to happen.’”
  
• Players will be able to choose their loadout for every mission.
• 47 will no longer be able to hide his face to magically slip by guards, and Elverdam said that Absolution’s Detective Mode-like instinct system, while still present, has been simplified. He made it sound like equipment and loadout will play a larger role in determining a player’s tactical options, and said that 47 wouldn’t have any “superhuman powers.”

This sounds really good.. Like I said before - this is very big of them. Basically they fucked up - know why they fucked up and are going back to what works. Just sucks that it took them several years and a failed game to figure it out.

Developers always wanna get fancy, Ruin great titles like Thief & Hitman - then realize hmm maybe this shit followed a formula for a reason, then revert to whatever it was supposed to be the first time.

 

[adddeed]

Basically they fucked up.

No they didnt. Absolution was superb.

 

[Siel]

Basically they fucked up.

No they didnt. Absolution was superb.

Thanks, using that as my signature.

 

[pippin]

Absolution was bland. It is certainly better than Thi4f, in a sense that at least some professional effort was put into the game. I mean, the graphics look good, the engine works fine, etc. Thi4f looks like a high school project, roughly edited, quickly put together. etc. The story crap and the instinct mode killed the vibe of what was supposed to be a Hitman game. Ironically, Absolution is still a better Hitman movie than what Hollywood was able to put out.

 

[Immortal]

Absolution was bland. It is certainly better than Thi4f, in a sense that at least some professional effort was put into the game. I mean, the graphics look good, the engine works fine, etc. Thi4f looks like a high school project, roughly edited, quickly put together. etc. The story crap and the instinct mode killed the vibe of what was supposed to be a Hitman game. Ironically, Absolution is still a better Hitman movie than what Hollywood was able to put out.

Your not wrong but I think I actually enjoyed Thief more..
Is it complete shit in comparison to Deadly Shadows? Oh hell yes.

But at least your sneaking around and stealing stuff which was the core fantasy of the game.. it's like skyrim with just stealth. Oh wait nvm that sounds fucking horrible.

Hitman on the other hand lost what it was.. So many missions were like "Mah Storylinez" that they forgot that you should be actually killing people or choosing your route through a mission. It was really bad.

Basically they fucked up.

No they didnt. Absolution was superb.

Coming from the guy who worships Risen 2 as the epitome of video games - either very shit troll or very shit human being.

 

[pippin]

But at least your sneaking around and stealing stuff which was the core fantasy of the game.. it's like skyrim with just stealth. Oh wait nvm that sounds fucking horrible.

Hitman on the other hand lost what it was.. So many missions were like "Mah Storylinez" that they forgot that you should be actually killing people or choosing your route through a mission. It was really bad.

I think the point of both Hitman and Thief wasn't just using stealth to prove your skills, but also to feel this weird satisfaction when you outsmart your enemies. The average uses of stealth in rpgs mostly limit to stealing to sell stuff again or crit multipliers.
In that sense, Thief and especially Hitman play more like 3d p&c games rather than action games.

 

[Adon]

I enjoyed Absolution's story in that grindhouse sort of way. Like I knew it was trash on some level, but it was my kind of trash. I'm sure that's the style they were going for given the music and initial attempt to change 47's VA from David Bateson.

I also don't mind the occasional non assassination missions as long as they are like they were like in Silent Assassin and build up to a hit. Granted, Hidden Valley was terrible, but I thought At The Gates was mostly good.

 

[Zombra]

I enjoyed Absolution's story in that grindhouse sort of way. Like I knew it was trash on some level, but it was my kind of trash. I'm sure that's the style they were going for.

Interesting angle. They didn't bill it as a departure, and obviously fans who didn't want a departure had good reason to be pissed - but to look at it as an "alternate take" on the character and his world makes it a easier to swallow all the story stupidity in Absolution. One can appreciate both the Lorenzo Semple Jr. Batman and the Frank Miller Batman without having to pretend they're the same.

 

[pippin]

I enjoyed Absolution's story in that grindhouse sort of way. Like I knew it was trash on some level, but it was my kind of trash. I'm sure that's the style they were going for.

Interesting angle. They didn't bill it as a departure, and obviously fans who didn't want a departure had good reason to be pissed - but to look at it as an "alternate take" on the character and his world makes it a easier to swallow all the story stupidity in Absolution. One can appreciate both the Lorenzo Semple Jr. Batman and the Frank Miller Batman without having to pretend they're the same.

Well, trying to make us care for the characters on the fifth installment wasn't the best move. I mean, the story is basically kill your mom and protect your sister. Characters like Birdie were supposed to bring some tension to the story, but he ends up sticking like a sore thumb

Spoiler

and also providing a false hook for a possible sequel, which we probably won't be getting, as Hitman 6 will be a different thing

.

If you don't have the background of the previous games, you'll probably enjoy Absolution because it's not a poor game on itself, but it's nowhere near Contracts or Blood Money (the ones I'm more familiar with).

 

[thesoup]

The ride never ends.

 

[Volrath]

Basically they fucked up.

No they didnt. Absolution was superb.

 

[Metro]

That Telltale doesn't call their games 'Early Access' is more of a dejure choice rather than the defacto reality. It's clear the entire game isn't finished at the time they release Episode 1 of whatever 'not game' they're currently bilking people with at the moment. This is painfully obvious given they rarely keep to their announced schedules -- especially bad with Tales from the Borderlands that pushed them from an episode a month to an episode every two months and even then I think it took nearly three months for them to put out Episode 3.

As long as a developer is up front with it, I don't have a problem since people can make their own informed choice. That said, let's call a spade a spade. They're selling/releasing the game in an unfinished state.

So when you read the first book in a series, or watch an episode of a TV show, you're consuming an "unfinished" product?

Horrible analogy. Since when did video games become television shows? Never mind... since Telltale. Actually it's still a shit analogy since the full season of a television series is completed before it begins airing on television. The only reason it's meted out weekly is because that's how they generate revenue: selling advertising time. Compare that with series on Netflix where it's released all at once.

The reason Telltale 'games' (and the new Hitman) aren't delivered all at once is... because they aren't finished.

 

[Zombra]

Horrible analogy. Since when did video games become television shows? Never mind... since Telltale. Actually it's still a shit analogy since the full season of a television series is completed before it begins airing on television. The only reason it's meted out weekly is because that's how they generate revenue: selling advertising time. Compare that with series on Netflix where it's released all at once.

Uh huh, except for shows with episodes that are released during production. And books? I suppose they're written all at once and then released every few years?

The engine is done, the game mechanics are done, the balancing is done, the systems are done. All that's left is building levels, aka content. That's night and day from Early Access, which is about rebalancing, adding new systems, and bug squashing. Name one Early Access game that only added new content between EA release and final release.

The reason Telltale 'games' (and the new Hitman) aren't delivered all at once is... because they aren't finished.

Of course all the content isn't finished. That's the point. Can you really not see the difference between content-complete and systems-complete?

 

[Nuclear Explosion]

Some pre-alpha gameplay footage has leaked. http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1078612

 

[Volrath]

Looks shit. Minimap, instinct, trespassing indicators(!). Back to Blood Money I guess.

 

[Outlander]

Holy fucking shit, was the AI in Absolution that dumb?

 

[Ivan]

WTF? IT LOOKS GREAT

 

[Zombra]

Holy fucking shit, was the AI in Absolution that dumb?

Never gets old
Man Hitting 101

 

[Trodat]

Even Hitman has cover mechanics. oh boys

 

[Outlander]

Never gets old
Man Hitting 101

Jesus fuck.