Face-Off: Hitman

[Administrator]

Nearly four years have passed since the release of Hitman: Absolution, but if you ask enthusiasts of the series, a full ten have lapsed since the last traditional Hitman experience: 2006's Blood Money. This year's reboot is a something of return to that style - a more level-headed assassination simulator that puts a focus on navigating bustling, open-ended areas, where spectacle is mainly found in its supreme AI count. It's IO Interactive's first PlayStation 4 and Xbox One title too, while PC release takes precedent for its early support for DirectX 12. But how do they each stack up
While the gameplay may be classic Hitman, the packaging of the game is anything but standard. This latest series instalment is divided into bite-sized chunks to be doled out over the course of a year. As such, the current state of the game we're examining here includes one main area - a Parisian palace - but this alone offers a plethora of gameplay options to explore, and visuals to admire.
Hitman may share little with the design of the previous game, but it does build on the same technical foundation. Both titles were created using IO's in-house Glacier 2 engine, a custom built deferred renderer designed to accommodate scenes with complex lighting and large crowds. Compared to Absolution, environments and the size of the crowd are expanded greatly while modern techniques, such as the use of a physically-based materials system, help the game match our expectations of current-gen consoles. However, despite the increase in fidelity, Hitman is more visually subdued than its predecessor. The exaggerated colour of Absolution gives way to a more realistic palette overall - though it's an aesthetic that thrives on a fine attention to detail across each stage.
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