What Made Hitman 2 One Hell of a Game?
770Taking out your target in plain sight, or waiting on them to come across you while hiding shrouded in disguise, or something in between. Achieving long-delayed gratification upon eliminating your target unrivaled by virtually all stealth games ever made. Building a tower of expectation piece by piece with every disguise you acquire, hiding spot your find, and key you steal, only to finally knock it all down in a glorious display of dark delight once your target is finally eradicated once and for all.
These are just some of the infinite ways to describe the seemingly perpetual spectrum of choices and outcomes you have at your disposal while playing the Hitman reboot and it’s big brother, 2018’s Hitman 2. This game is, at least in terms of sheer variety and realism, one of the absolute best stealth video games money can buy. And in a world where Metal Gear Solid 5 and Splinter Cell Blacklist exist, it’s saying quite a lot that a game from another franchise can stand among the best.
Hitman is a franchise that spans well over a decade, several console generations, and even into the world of blockbuster films, but no iteration of this beloved IP accomplishes its own goals quite as thoroughly and confidently as Hitman 2. There are plenty of reasons for any one person to prefer any other title in the series, as they certainly all have their strengths, but Hitman 2 does something special for the franchise by absolutely nailing all of the things that are needed to pull off this type of game.