Hitman Trilogy
The Hitman Trilogy has just been released and features Hitman 2: Silent Assassin, Hitman: Contracts, and Hitman: Blood Money. Chronologically speaking the series actually came out in 2000 for the PC with the title, Hitman: Codename 47. Two years later Silent Assassin was released with Contracts and Blood Money following in the next four. While the original Codename 47 game has never been available on the PlayStation 2, Contracts is arguably a remake of said title. However you look at the series you do have to admit that no matter which installment you are playing, you're having a good time.
The Hitman series draws inspiration from many fine assassin tales and really emulates what it would be like to be an assassin in the world's seedy underbelly. A rich atmosphere has always been the centerpiece that drew me to this franchise and I'm sure many gamers can say the same thing. If you can't buy into the mood that a game sets you're not going to buy the story. In that regard the Hitman Trilogy showcases some of the best; albeit campy, atmosphere you'll find in a game of this type. The gameplay, however, is arguably the most important thing.
Gameplay
From a PlayStation 2 owner's perspective the Hitman series started with Hitman 2: Silent Assassin. Still, if you made the jump from PC to console you'd notice many things had changed with the sequel. For starters the game played out like more of a shooter and featured a first person mode and meter to gauge your enemy's suspicion.
Like many great stealth games, Hitman 2 forces you to use your head and almost every situation forces you to think before you act. Running into a room full of people without checking things out first or approaching the situation more carefully often winds up getting you killed in the process. Using the suspicion meter appropriately, changing your costume, and improvising in very situation are all musts if you want to survive.
Unfortunately trial and error is a must as well and that's really where Silent Assassins begins hitting snags. Trying to figure out how to get from point a to point b without getting seen or knowing just who you have to kill can be a daunting task at times. It's not uncommon to try a stage multiple times, dying at each attempt, and eventually getting the right run. If you're familiar with the Hitman franchise then you'll realize that this is also a good thing in many ways.
There are so many methods that can be employed to kill people and varying paths to take. In most every case you can try and retry a mission only to find something different to do with each attempt. This adds to the replay ability of the game but it also leads to some of the aforementioned frustrating moments. Enemy AI was also another area where Silent Assassin hit a few snags. Sometimes the AI was just too adept at detecting my movements and in many instances I was caught without doing a thing wrong. Still, these flaws do not bring this game down and quite honestly the good parts of the experience are carried over into Contracts.
Well, I suppose I should say that Hitman: Contracts embodies the good and the bad. For the most part developer IO changed absolutely nothing of the formula between Hitman 2 and this title. It goes without saying that if you loved the first game in this trilogy you'll love the second because they are essentially the same with some different weapons and stages. This isn't necessarily a bad thing but it does lead to some tediousness as time goes on.
This is supposed to be a franchise and game franchises by design typically improve from one installment to the next. Tweaking a few things here and there doesn't stimulate the audience as much as the original experience will. Sure there's plenty of things to do, missions to replay, and enemy AI to grapple with but when it comes right down to it this game is a little too similar to Silent Assassin.
Hitman: Blood Money once again offers the same basic formula. The stealth, the multiple paths, the challenge, and weaponry all make a triumphant, if not somewhat familiar, return. In the third Hitman game some things are tweaked a little bit. Controlling 47 becomes a little more user friendly and enemy AI doesn't seem as oppressive (you can actually do things without being spotted).
Overall the Hitman franchise has always been finely crafted in terms of gameplay. The stealth mechanic works very well and worming your way through a stage to find your target is very invigorating. I'm not entirely sure that this trilogy is very timely but many new PlayStation 3 owners may find it amusing to go back into the PS2's library and pull these titles out. Despite their flaws these three titles are a lot of fun and really left me wanting a new Hitman game. Hopefully some of the minor issues will be addressed because, after all, the series hasn't seen much improvement since 2002.
Graphics
Like the gameplay the graphics in Hitman were quite good. Silent Assassin and Contacts looked roughly the same with fine texturing detail and animation. The environments helped craft a murky atmosphere and all around the game looked like a PS2 title should have for the time period. Blood Money was decidedly a cut above the rest with an improved graphics engine, better effects, and retooled animations all around. It's safe to say that as you play this trilogy you'll see minor improvements but the real changes don't come into effect until you're on the last game.
Sound
Equally impressive in the presentation category is the audio for this entire trilogy which helps complete the package. The soundtrack is great with moody tunes that fit the atmosphere and attitude well. The voice acting may be a little over the top at times but it is otherwise spot on in quality and the sound effects are equally immersive with authentic sounds. In more ways than one the sound draws you into the game and helps complete the experience. This particular category featured roughly the same quality throughout the series and was a real treat for the ears. Bloody gurgles and all.
Conclusion
I have to give Eidos credit with the idea of repackaging the Hitman franchise into a trilogy. This is the perfect time to do so (with the PS3's library being somewhat stagnant) and it's a fine look at the keynote assassin series. Throughout it all the gameplay, graphics, and sound remains of respectable quality. Sure there are a few snags along the way but Hitman has always been a premier example of a stealth genre installment done right. This affordable set is worth picking up if you haven't played any of the series before. However, if you have played through one or two of the games there's very little reason to bother.
Oh and in case you're wondering there is a bonus disc included with this collection that offers videos and screenshots for the upcoming Kane & Lynch.