Hitman 2 was one of the announcements that came with the onslaught of pre- E3 announcements making fans of the series excited for some more Agent 47 action. Sadly, all the fans that have been patiently waiting for a new Hitman will have to wait a little longer before the full release. However, if you pre-ordered the title, players are given a preview level for the game’s new mode, “Sniper Assassin”. Here are our thoughts…
When I first heard about the Sniper Assassin mode, I was worried that it would just be a console port of the Hitman Sniper game for mobile devices; I can assure you, it isn’t. Firstly, it is a lot more polished than the mobile game. Graphically, the Sniper Assassin looks exactly like the episodic console release in heart and soul. Another difference from the Hitman Sniper mobile game is that it is, like all other console releases in the series, played in the third-person perspective. However, like in the mobile game, you are restricted to one sniper’s perch, but it surprisingly doesn’t really feel restricting, although it would be a nice extra to be able to choose different spots to set up your mission. The one mission that is given to you in the Sniper Assassin mission can give any completionist at least over an hour of gameplay as there are many different ways to take out targets and many different challenges to complete in the level, similar to the latest Hitman reboot. The controls are unchanged from the standard Hitman formula, meaning that the game feels super familiar for fans of the series. Another familiar feature of this new mission is that you can plan out your mission from the weapon used for the challenges you aim to complete.
Some new additions for Sniper Assassin include different ammo types and the opportunity to play with a friend via co-op. The three different ammo types are: body piercing, wall piercing and shockwave ammunition. These different ammo types can be used to pull off different kills in ways that wouldn’t be possible with plain old bullets. It definitely gives the player a chance to engage in unique assassinations. Perhaps the most exciting feature of this demo is the co-op mode. In my opinion, stealth games are one of the best types of games for co-op experiences, not only does it make the games a lot more manageable, but it is also a genre where you actually have to directly cooperate with the other player to plan and execute. With the co-op mode in the Sniper Assassin mission, we are hoping for a co-op mode in the main campaign too.
This is a great bonus for people wanting to pre-order Hitman 2, and if you are on the fence about it, this will definitely sweeten the deal. It will give you a look at a few of the core mechanics of the Hitman games, and it certainly complements the game that it is promoting.
Hitman 2 is being released on 13th November 2018 on Xbox One, PC and PS4.