Hitman may just be one of the longest standing franchises on console, but in the past year, Hitman as we know it took a big step forward on the current generation of consoles. Sure, the idea is the same, step into the shoes of the world’s deadliest assassin – no, not you Ezio – and hunt down whichever target is handed to you via the assigned contact. But past titles from the series have always sent you into an area that is rather restrictive, especially for someone who is supposed to be toppling some popular business mogul or mastermind. Gamers love to see their favourite titles made playable once more however, and Hitman: Absolution was indeed a big hit with the gaming community, but with a new title available to the masses, is Absolution worth returning to now that it has arrived on Xbox One via backwards compatibility?
Hitman: Absolution is the fifth instalment in the stealthy Hitman series, and starts off with Agent 47 detailing his relationship with Diana Burnwood, whom he had trusted until the deceitful betrayal of the ICA (International Contract Agency), sabotaging their funding, and their database, before vanishing with a valuable asset to the Agency. After the reformation of the ICA, Agent 47 is sent to kill Diana for her betrayal and bring back the valuable asset she took with her. It’s up to you to gather your best stealth skills and kill the traitor of the ICA.
The gameplay in Hitman: Absolution is often cited as the best of the last generation with some fantastic set pieces and spectacular killing opportunities available throughout, however despite its heavier focus on being more accessible to players, the gameplay isn’t entirely open, at least not when compared to the current iteration of Hitman. Nevertheless, at no point does it feel out of place. The weapons were fantastic, stealth was at its best and overall Hitman: Absolution was a great game for its time. But with the power provided by current generation consoles seeing such a leap over the previous generation, recent years have really helped to open our eyes to what we really want as gamers. Anyone who has delved into the latest Hitman experience will surely agree that in the sense of hitting a deadly assassination, bigger is always better when it comes to the environment in which you make your move…and Hitman 2016 really is way ahead of anything previously seen in the series.
Sure for those who have yet to experience 2016’s Hitman, or indeed any of the previous entries in the series, Hitman: Absolution would indeed be a fantastic place to start. But with the quality seen in the latest title, it’s hard to recommend playing anything else, and so those looking to take on the latest contracts would be better off sticking to IO Interactive’s latest offering for the ultimate experience.
Can anyone tell me if by downloading the games on xbox one I will get all the original dlc from the 360 version as well?
Hi Wesley. If you owned any DLC on the Xbox 360 that will be available in the ready to install list, however the only content available will be what you have purchased previously. You can buy any extra DLC for backwards compatible titles on the Microsoft Store though.
I havent played Hitman since Blood Money was released, I’m looking forward to this.
Great read Carlos, I’m quite sure this was a Games with Gold (?) a while ago and I have it in my backlog (I know I have at least one Hitman game and I’m sure its this one).
Thanks for reading 🙂 I believe it was yeah, back in March or April of 2014, great game but having spent a fair bit of time with the latest Hitman, I have to say, the huge leap in quality is really noticeable, however, Absolution is still a great game for anyone who plays it, and I know how you mean with that backlog 😉