Of course not, but people complain about stuff like that and hark back to Blood Money as if it was perfect. I prefer Blood Money but Absolution is still decent. Plus although that Absolution thing does look silly, it is supposed to be a silent take down and it feels more like game-y AI rather than straight up shit AI.
I'm actually rather glad you can abuse the AI in Absolution to such a degree. It just wouldn't be a proper Hitman game otherwise.
And yes, people in this forum do tend to gush over Blood Money, I am guilty of that myself at times. However, I wouldn't say it's necessarily because they consider the game to be perfect so much as that they feel its good parts more than make up for any negative aspects. I'm enjoying Absolution, but so far nothing captivated me in the same way "A New Life" or "A Dance with the Devil" did.
Last edited by fiddlesticks; 23-11-2012 at 06:35 PM.
Silent Assassin was best Hitman game,people overrated Blood Money.
... I take the lives of a few to protect the lives of many. I commit acts of war to preserve the greater peace. I take no joy in killing, but make no mistake; I'll do what needs to be done. Because it's my job. It's my duty. My name is Sam Fisher, and I am a Splinter Cell.
That video i posted in the page 5 has a mechanic similar to Human Revolution cinematic takedowns. Not a good thing in my book.
Whatever. Such a niggling criticism. Must feel good to join in on the beatdown this game is getting from all the folks with rose-colored glasses, though.Originally Posted by dnf
The game's better than Blood Money in many ways. The escape from the Chicago PD is consistently riveting, particularly the train platform segment -- which is as gorgeous and well-directed as it is tense. I'd take a sequence like that over Blood Money's atrocious "Amendment XXV" or "Death on the Mississippi" levels any day (which were 20% of Blood Money's total content, by the way).
The problem with Blood Money is that, once you figure out the hidden (and usually HIGHLY arbitrary and unrealistic) 'trick' the designers planted, even the well-designed levels become uninteresting. Take "Curtains Down" for example. The big trick is that you can swap the actors' fake gun for a real one. You can also set a mine to destroy a chandelier and kill the other target when he comes looking and stands directly below said conveniently placed chandelier.
Bam, done. That's the ballgame for that level. Level of trial and error to get to that point: Maybe 3-5 tries. Desire to replay the level after getting to that point: 0%.
Next? FBI van in "A New Life" + sedative + FBI uniform = level becomes trivially easy. The only catch is that getting the elusive "silent assassin" rating requires sedating the pool boy instead of blowing up the grill. Because, obviously, any strategic gamer would immediately recognize that if you play pool boy, the wife will take you to the bedroom, then use the shower, thus leaving the secret necklace unguarded...wait, what? So dumb. That's not clever level design, it's arbitrary foolishness. Or, to use the word everyone seems to be using to dump on Absolution, it's "scripted."
No seriously, let me harp on this point: Getting Silent Assassin in "A New Life" requires the following inferences and deductions: FBI agents in a secret van will take delivery of donuts from a complete stranger; and by the way these are special donuts, which can be poisoned via syringe; and all slutty women have the hots for pool boys and will leave their secret necklace on the nightstand after an implied bout of game sex. (????)
Why would I want to replay those levels, which by the way comprise another 20% of the whole game's content? They're not sandboxes, like everyone here is claiming. There's only one or two right ways of doing things. And they're dumb.
Absolution's Contracts mode keeps even the linear levels fresh. And its high degree of polish makes the experience consistently slick. If Absolution has a major fault, it's that its levels are too small, with too few characters -- making Contracts mode less interesting than it should be.
Last edited by georgetownhoya; 24-11-2012 at 03:19 AM. Reason: Added more facts and indisputable observations.
I agree that Absolution is being underrated by RPS, but the joy of Blood Money wasn't about getting the Silent Assassin rating, it was trying all the random crazy stuff that didn't get you best rating, but still completed the objectives. For me, anyway.
I agree that "Death on the Mississippi" and "Amendment XXV" are the two worst levels in Blood Money (and I'd include "Flatline" as well), but I'd say their biggest flaws are exactly the same ones Absolution suffers from. Linear design with only a few options, small areas that are interconnected rather than one big sandbox and useless disguises.
If you're going for Silent Assassin, there are only a few ways to go through a given mission (unless you're willing to abuse the AI), but you're never required to do that. You can also complete the opera level by sniping both targets. Or by dressing up as actor and going out on the stage yourself. Or by pushing the opera singer down the stairs. Or strangling him in his room. Or just going on a crazy rampage.
None of these options will give you a Silent Assassin rating, but playing Blood Money isn't about the score, it's about doing what you want to. The joy in replaying the game is discovering new alternatives that you never thought of before or accomplishing goals that you thought couldn't possibly work. It's one of the best games to try challenge runs on.
And I'm not really seeing how Absolution's replay value is so much higher. The levels are as static as they were before. There is no random element involved, so once you found a good strategy you'll always be able to pull it off. Except now there's even less possibilities to complete any given mission which also means less playthroughs until you've seen everything. Contracts mode can switch the experience around a bit, but ultimately you're still operating within the same parameters. Once we get an actual level editor we might see people take advantage of Absolution's gameplay improvements (and there are quite a few improvements, don't get me wrong) but until then we're stuck with the levels that are in the vanilla game.
You're right that cinematic takedowns and any other nonsensical nit-picks like that aren't a problem in Absolution. Its problems lie in the design approach. It tries too much to be a stealth game, or more specifically a stealth game in the tradition of the Thief series. You operate within a hostile area, you rely on distracting your enemies, taking them out silently or sneaking past to advance further. Blood Money was never like that, there aren't any prolonged stealth sections where you have to crouch and use cover. It was about exploration and puzzles (and trial-and-error admittedly). At the end of every mission your target is supposed to be dead. How that is accomplished is up to you. Absolution doesn't just tell you what to do, it often also tells you how to do it.
"Rosewood" is a good example of that. Everyone in the level is inherently hostile to you, so you get no opportunity to calmly survey the area before planning your approach. Since there is only one type of enemy, disguises are completely useless. Furthermore, the level requires you to collect four fuses that are strewn all over the level which means you're required to visit almost all available rooms. Ultimately, what this means is that there's little variance in how you can approach the level, every stealthy playthrough will look mostly the same.
Absolution isn't a bad game, the production values are fantastic, the gameplay is smooth and it does have some memorable set pieces. But it's a pale shadow of Blood Money, or perhaps more importantly, of the potential inherent in Blood Money's design. Yes, Blood Money was often clunky, obtuse and at times frustrating, but that's because it tried. It tried to give the player a unique experience and quite often it succeeded. Absolution doesn't try. It's content to sit among all other stealth games, never risking and never innovating. It looks a bit nicer and it plays a bit better than most examples of the genre do, but the key elements that made the Hitman series so special in the first place are gone.
1. I think BM was more accessible to players then any other Hitman game in the series.
2. BM was extremely forgiving in nearly every aspect (You can stand in the lighting room in the Opera and continually shoot at your target without people going to red level alert status *sigh*)
3. Absolution is horribly unforgiving on later difficulties.
4. Absolution requires you to have patience.
5. I feel Absolution is an extremely good stealth game not necessarily the best Hitman game. But im playing it for what it is and not for what it isn't.
6. A lot of people need to l2p. No seriously. Iv yet to use my guns in Absolution yet I still see people saying it's a must in Rosewood especially in the basement. Eh no it's not people, your brain is being tricked into thinking linearly just because you see Wade acknowledge your presence there you can do that entire segment without being spotted.
I don't know why is everyone comparing it to BM,compare it to Silent Assasin jeez.
... I take the lives of a few to protect the lives of many. I commit acts of war to preserve the greater peace. I take no joy in killing, but make no mistake; I'll do what needs to be done. Because it's my job. It's my duty. My name is Sam Fisher, and I am a Splinter Cell.
Because SA has really horrible linear levels too, and crazy AI. It wwas good, but BM was a nice refinement.
Alright, I will. Absolution is better than Silent Assassin.
<p>
Good job criticizing Blood Money and glossing over facts like this:I love the hitman of war gif(or is it god of hitman) XD. Also, this is all the good you can say about Absolution(?):
Gorgeous, well directed yeah...you sound like a fanboy, but feel free to prove me wrong...The game's better than Blood Money in many ways. The escape from the Chicago PD is consistently riveting, particularly the train platform segment -- which is as gorgeous and well-directed as it is tense.This is not a comparison...</p>
Last edited by dnf; 24-11-2012 at 02:02 PM. Reason: dismissing BS disguised as facts
I feel bad for those who defend new Hitman and Conviction,poor bastards.
... I take the lives of a few to protect the lives of many. I commit acts of war to preserve the greater peace. I take no joy in killing, but make no mistake; I'll do what needs to be done. Because it's my job. It's my duty. My name is Sam Fisher, and I am a Splinter Cell.
Hate he said.. I only hate the fact you people support this kind of dumbed down games they try to serve to us,and because of that they'll still butchering the franchise. Its annoying because i have all Hitman games and first three SC games,and now this..
... I take the lives of a few to protect the lives of many. I commit acts of war to preserve the greater peace. I take no joy in killing, but make no mistake; I'll do what needs to be done. Because it's my job. It's my duty. My name is Sam Fisher, and I am a Splinter Cell.
Cry some more. First world problems and all that. Move on.
As I've said before Blood Money is better than Absolution, however km
not blinded to the good points of Absolution of which there are a number.
Guys, fighting over which game is better serves no one. They're just games, made for entertaining us. You don't have to play them if you don't like it. There's also no need to hate people for liking certain games, Daft. Not everyone likes the same things as you, you like your games like they used to and other like them just the way they come because we enjoy playing them.
Realize people have other opinions and like things you don't and accept that, please.
Steam | Origin: xRavelle | Skype: TheRavelle | PSN: Voltburn | Watch me struggle through my backlog
All games should be like hold w and press one button and complete whole mission.
More ppls buy these type of games. more developers make it. games like this and conviction are made for those who start gaming this gen and are not good at stealth games.
Except Absolution is actually quite a good stealth game.
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