Gaming Target - Xbox: Hitman 2: Silent Assassin

Written by Ryan Smotherman on August 13, 2002

First Impressions: You be dead!

Chances are if you aren't an avid PC gamer then you probably have never heard of, or much less even played, the original Hitman title, Hitman: Codeman 47. Developed by IO Interactive and released in late 2000, Codeman 47 put gamers in the shoes of a УhitmanФ (go figure) -- a hired gun that must take out, meaning to kill, his assigned targets by any means necessary. While the game did offer unique gameplay mechanics, they were poorly implemented, leaving for a game that was overall lacking. However, if anything, the original set the groundwork for IO's very promising sequel, Hitman 2: Silent Assassin, coming to the Xbox early in October.

After a well-deserved break, everyone's favorite super human, Agent 47, is back and ready to Уget someФ. At one point our protagonist fathomed hanging up his sniper rifle for good, but thankfully for us, certain events have brought him back into action. The premise here is fairly simple Ц players will assume the role of Agent 47, via a 3rd person perspective, and will be required to rub out/assassin certain people (don't worry, there's usually a very good reason for you to kill, if you care). More interesting than actually killing your target is just finding it. IO designed a very remarkable gameplay system that gives you a variety of ways to complete your task. There isn't just one simple solution. Instead, there's many different ways to go about it. If you're in the mood to kill everything, you can go in blasting away, ala Max Payne. If you're in a stealth mood, you can sneak around in the shadows undetected, ala Solid Snake. And then there's always the option to kill someone, take his clothing, and walk around unnoticed, ala Ethan Hunt. But the gameplay is really much deeper than that. For example, one mission in the game requires you to pass through a metal detector in order to reach your target. HmmЕ metal guns and a metal detector don't go hand in hand. So to prevent a shoot out, an interesting option presents itself Ц set off the fire alarm. When the firefighters get there, steal a fire suit, metal axe and all, and proceed to walk through the metal detector. Sure, it'll go off, but you're a firefighter, right? Then the rest of the story is a no-brainer Ц find the person and kill themЕ with the axe. It's just interesting gameplay aspects like this that should make Silent Assassin a very entertaining experience.

Don't worry, I didn't forget to talk about the all-important artillery, and trust me, there's a lot of it. Upon the start of each mission you are briefed on your target and surroundings, then you are able to go through your gun cabinet and pick out 5 weapons for the job. There are your standard shotguns, machine guns, and pistols, some silenced and some not, and your must haves like the sniper rifle, explosives, poison darts, and fiber-wire (used for strangling, and it's a must just cause it's so damn cool). So yeah, expect a nice assortment of goodies to exterminate the opposition with.

Visually the game is looking good, as expected from just about every Xbox title. Everything is sharp, and well detailed. Including the environments, which take place in a variety of locales that your adventures will take you through (including Sicily, St. Petersburg, Japan, Malaysia, and India), as well as characters and effects. While the game won't match up well to games that are made from the ground up on the system, the graphics won't disappoint.

The game's soundtrack is also worth mentioning, as it is performed by the Budapest Symphony Orchestra and conducted by Jesper Kyd. I found this tidbit to be very interesting and it should make for a great musical experience. We just keep bridging that gap between movies and games, don't we?