Yeah, Hitman 3 is really good. I loved how the levels are more connected with the story this time around, bringing a more intimate feeling. They are also extremely different in how your approach your objetives and each location is very unique. This really felt like a dramatic conclusion in the series.

Level design is still great and what you would expect from IOI, it continues too push the boundaries of what can be done with systems and AI. They did a fantastic job with this trilogy and the 007 project couldn't be in better hands.

If this had another "real" level or two, and better additional content than what is currently being provided, similar to H1 or H2, this would be the best in the series.

Sadly, we are left with a lack of levels, a lack of good post launch content, and a couple of the levels we do have are overly reliant on gimmicks (even if the first time through is fun).

That isn't to say the game is bad, just underwhelming relative to the first two entries of the trilogy. I look forward to their James Bond game, because it is pretty clear they were giving it more attention than they were to Hitman 3.

This Hitman trilogy is one of my favorite games. The storytelling through environment and npc dialogue, the tightly interconnected and reliable AI mechanics, the humor and creativity it gives you... It's all without peer.

Specifically for H3, there are no bad maps here. All the mechanics have been perfectly tweaked over the course of this trilogy's development. The only thing that's underutilized is the camera item, which is largely ignorable.

I could gush about this game forever, but I'll leave it at this: I can't think of any way to improve this game (sole exception being the always-online aspect, which doesn't bother me). If you are even slightly interested in these games, go for it, I'm certain you'll have fun, there's something here for everyone.

Finally Platinum'd this. Offers perhaps the best level (in terms of design and gameplay) in the trilogy with Berlin, but the rest is more of the same - which, if you're a fan of the series, is hardly a complaint. Pretty great gameplay and I think it has overall the most consistently enjoyable run of levels (Hitman suffers in the middle, as does 2), but IO-I have really dropped the ball with all the stupid online features, the recycled elusive targets and, though I haven't bought them so can't say for sure, the "Seasons of Sin" (lol) are pretty underwhelming. Oh well. Fun game!

It's difficult to know how to rate Hitman 3. Each game in this recent trilogy has not so much been a game unto themselves, but rather contributes to the larger picture of the trilogy due to the way each game's levels can be transferred forward. When I play Hitman and Hitman 2 levels in Hitman 3, I am playing Hitman 3, so should they not factor into its evaluation? Beyond this, Hitman 3's campaign works with the others to strengthen the whole; despite inconsistent presentation across the trilogy which sees the most lavish cutscenes frontloaded, the story feels very cohesive and compelling now that it's finally complete. Individually disappointing plot-driven missions play a LOT better as part larger game; I actually quite liked ending on what is essentially an Absolution mission as I felt it gave the ending a sense of momentum and reframed the mechanics to suit a different narrative purpose, whereas I might have enjoyed it less if I were to evaluate Hitman 3 purely based on the new levels it brings to the table.

Regarding the actual content, I'm honestly not sure what there is to say that hasn't already been said. The fantastic reviews and analysis videos from Super Bunnyhop and Writing on Games get easy recommendations from me, so I guess just go and watch those! All I'll say is, there's been nothing like this before, not on this scale. The social stealth that only Hitman has ever really been at the forefront of is taken to such ludicrous heights here, with a newfound level of polish that is a far cry from the Euro-jank label that the series used to be stuck with. I too share Super Bunnyhop's concerns over the always-online element of this trilogy, and I hope once IO decide to move on from supporting it, they do a massive update to make sure progression can be achieved and saved locally. I hate the thought of a future where this masterpiece is unavailable.

In an attempt to say something unique, I'll point out the fun mirrored progression we see between the classic and modern iterations of Hitman. Codename 47 was a mediocre game which set the mechanical framework for the series. Silent Assassin made significant mechanical improvements, rethought which types of level-design to prioritise, and then boom, a good game, followed by two more good games in Contracts and Blood Money which ran with Silent Assassin's general framework. Absolution then comes along and completely retools the mechanical framework of Hitman for the modern era, but botches up basically everything else. Hitman (2016) then does for Absolution what Silent Assassin did for Codename 47, taking a slightly adjusted version of Absolution's mechanical framework and putting it in a whole new level-design context. And just like that, we get a good game, once again followed by two more games building on it before we put the modern era to rest. Not exactly a substantial observation, but I don't know, I find a nerdy satisfaction in how similarly both iterations progressed.

where hitman 3 stands out most from the other games in the world of assassination trilogy is with its varied approach to level design. hitman 3 isn't afraid to throw twists and curveballs into the hitman formula. this doesn't always result in a well designed level (e.g. the train mission) but it is this approach that has allowed ioi to create some of the best levels in the trilogy, with my favourite being berlin.

another great addition with this third game is the ability to play the levels from the previous two games in the engine of hitman 3. this feels like the way the games were meant to be played, as the confusing and often annoying conspiracy theory narratives just aren't cohesive when contained within their own games, and only really start to feel like an actual driving narrative when played together in order. i won't pretend that the plot is some masterwork of storytelling, but experiencing it in this format makes it a lot more compelling

playing all the levels from the three games back to back on master difficulty was an experience that reminded me why stealth games are fun - because they're not just gameplay power fantasies but informational ones, strategic ones. and this feeling is heightened on master difficulty, as the removal of save scumming forces you to live with poor decisions you might've made, or forces you to desperately contain witnesses after being spotted. it adds actual stakes to the stealth, something that just isn't there when undoing your mistakes is one key away. master difficulty also removes the hints for the mission stories, which can make some of them a little unintuitive to follow, but you feel all the more clever when you follow the clues and work it out for yourself without the help of any kind of explicit tutorial.

however like the other games in the trilogy, the problems are the exact same. for one, there is very little core gameplay variety across the three games (but that doesn't matter so much since the variety is generally defined by the individual levels).

And there is also the nagging issue of the (completely unnecessary) always online requirement. many have rightly pointed out that there is no reason why player progression can't be tied to a local save file, and these people are entirely correct - it's fairly obvious that the online integration with these games is a shareholder's attempt to cash in on the idea of selling gamer's user data. the market for trading in user data is one which has dominated the modern web for quite some time, and it's inclusion in a singleplayer game is not only unnecessary and disrespectful towards player privacy, but harmful to the longevity of the trilogy. at some point, those servers are going to have to shut down, locking the ability to play the levels with any more than 47's basic toolset, and ruining one of the most interesting aspects of hitman, the repetition of replaying levels with more information and improving your skill and knowledge of them every time.

but that time has yet to come, and for now, the experience of playing through these three games - back to back - is an unmissable treat for anyone who considers themselves a fan of stealth games. the three can be picked up on sale for around 44 quid, which - for one of the best stealth video game experiences - isn't a bad deal