Before the Hitman series was busy shocking the world’s media with its portrayal of gun-toting, leather-clad nuns, it was a more subtle, stealthy action title. This collection of past entries celebrates this legacy by pulling together Hitman 2: Silent Assassin, Hitman: Contracts and Hitman: Blood Money – as well as Hitman: Sniper Challenge as a bonus. However, given the age of these games, can Agent 47 still hit the mark in his new HD disguise? Let’s take a look.
The good
Considering more than a decade’s passed since the release of the first of these titles, the games contained in Hitman HD Trilogy have stood the test of time better than you might expect. Although Hitman: Absolution dialed up the action and turned the franchise into something more akin to a FPS, the older titles are more sedate and low-key. Dashing into a mission with all guns blazing will usually make things very hard for you; instead, you need to calmly assess the situation, look for potential hazards and – if at all possible – execute your target without anyone else in the vicinity even knowing you’re there.
This thrilling mechanic is what makes Hitman so unique; it attains a level of tension that is almost matched by Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed series, but here it feels more robust, more real. Targets can be approached in lots of different ways, and finding the most gory or amusing execution strategy means replaying completed levels over and over – something which adds to the game’s already impressive longevity.
The move to HD has done wonders for Agent 47’s appearance, but you can tell that these titles aren’t modern games made to modern production budgets. This is perfectly understandable – but although it rarely dazzles you with its visuals, Hitman Trilogy HD is still an attractive package.
The bad
Ironically, the very reason that Hitman Trilogy HD is so compelling is the very same reason that many people will struggle to enjoy it; the lack of action is sure to put off those raised on the likes of Gears of War and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. Hitman’s entertainment comes from killing as few people as possible, something that won’t sit well with trigger-happy types.
It’s also impossible to escape the fact that these games could do with a bit of work. Hitman 2’s disguise system is often frustrating; you can dress yourself in the perfect cover but actually staying concealed is easier said than done; enemies seem to have a sixth sense and will open fire even when you’re not doing anything remotely suspicious. This is fixed to some degree in the other games on the disc, but it’s annoying all the same – especially when you take into account the tense nature of the gameplay.
Also, completists may be annoyed to learn that the original Hitman game – which was PC-only – isn’t included on the disc.
The bottom line
The Hitman series may not be as grand as some of the other HD collections we’ve seen lately, but Agent 47’s past is certainly worth rediscovering – if only because no other series has come close to matching the unique stealth-based assassination gameplay. It has a few rough edges and will sometimes frustrate just as readily as it entertains, but this is nevertheless a solid compendium of past classics, and makes you wish that the more recent Hitman: Absolution had tried to stay a little closer to its roots.
