New Hitman looks like Blood Money 2, but Absolution shouldnt be forgotten

'I just wanted it to be like Blood Money. Why isn't it like Blood Money?'

Why indeed. Hitman Absolution's perceived failure - brought about, in part, by being distinct from its predecessor - caused much wailing and gnashing of teeth in 2011 and 2012, when it became clear that IO would not be making Blood Money 2. Absolution, instead of featuring a series of isolated, mid-large sandboxes within which players could decide just how and when they eliminated their targets, had a series of interlinked smaller maps, with a central story running through it and an emphasis on stealth action rather than free-form assassination.

This did not go over very well.

Looking back on it now, it's clear to see what Absolution's flaws were: its story, so obviously important to IO, never really worked. Some sections of the game were almost impossible to complete stealthily - or were at least inordinately difficult to do so - and felt more like a new version of Splinter Cell than they did Hitman. Guards seemed to have a superhuman ability to perceive player position and intention, so much so that it often felt like the game was cheating. (There are only so many times you can be spotted while wearing a disguise that covers your entire body before frustration sets in.)

But there was much to take from Absolution. It was one of the most interesting games of the year: contrary to popular belief, it did in fact contain a slew of levels that recalled - if didn't hit - the heights of Blood Money's A New Life, Curtains Down, and You Better Watch Out. The King of Chinatown, Terminus, Welcome to Hope, Birdie's Gift, Fight Night and Skurky's Law: all could have slotted into the previous games and largely not seemed out of place. (The scarecrow disguise in Attack of the Saints is also one of the all-time greats). Absolution also had production values to die for, and some interesting additions - Instinct chief among them - that enabled you to actually play like a genetically-engineered assassin.

Because, let's face it, Blood Money - while undoubtedly the best Hitman game - was weak in a number of areas that Absolution was strong. The shooting itself being a major one. Previous Hitman games didn't really encourage armed combat, not least because it would destroy your post-level score and, in the case of Blood Money, actually cost you cash. But shooting was a chore mechanically as well: imprecise in third-person, and with a first-person mode so poor as to now appear laughable. Absolution fared far better in this regard: Instinct could be used to mark and execute multiple goons, and in general third-person shooting was refined, offering greater control thanks to an over the shoulder camera that recalls (of course) Resident Evil 4.

It also introduced a series of new objectives in each level, above and beyond 'kill the target' or 'rescue the hostage'. Not all of these mini-challenges (kill X amount of guards in under a certain time, etc) were compatible with a Silent Assassin ranking, but that didn't matter. They gave a concrete form to one of Hitman's most enjoyable facets - messing around. One of the main elements that makes Hitman appeal is that it encourages players to kill creatively, but also with a wry sense of ironic humour. (It sounds morbid, and is, when taken at face value. But there's an almost playfully evil streak to the series that informs its whole appeal. You're a bad man in a bad world, and bad things happen to people here. Case in point: the unlucky security guard in Absolution, ecstatic at getting the news that he hasn't got cancer, is then immediately pulled out of a window to his death.)

For most fans of the series, New Hitman looks very much like Blood Money 2. Footage from the alpha leaked this past weekend, and despite having a massive disclaimer splashed across the middle of the screen, looked quite good: open-ended and intricate. But it would be foolish to write off the previous Hitman as total folly, no matter how much it got wrong mechanically or in its attempts to tell its overwrought, overly-sentimental story. Because otherwise you may find yourself asking 'why isn't it more like Absolution?'