Hitman displays that its foundation is fundamentally solid as Hitman 3, despite being the weakest entry in the trilogy, still proves to be a fantastic game.
Everything you expect from the previous games is still there - well-thought-out map design, clockwork NPCs that are fun to exploit and a wide array of options to either get the perfect stealth kill or create absolute chaos. There's one major new item in your inventory: a camera that lets you scan select objects in the game to get a bit of commentary from your handler or to hack doors. I seemed to keep forgetting it was there unless directly prompted to use it, as it felt a bit out of place as a way to interact in the world versus more understandable tools like lockpicks, keycards and crowbars.
Rolling all the previous games into a single launcher is a massive boon. Those old levels are still a lot of fun to dip back into, so not having three separate games installed is super helpful.
However, Hitman 3 doesn't quite get there in capturing the same memorable feelings of the first two games. Two missions lack any of the usual Mission Stories to help guide the player around for their first few runs, making the game feel a little smaller in scope than in previous entries. Hardcore players may prefer to run every level ad-hoc but I've always been a fan of the hijinks that the Mission Stories let you get up to so the lack of them gives me less reason to go back to some of those levels for repeat playthroughs.
Despite these shortcomings, Hitman 3 is still a lot of fun. The maps are detailed and intricately designed and there are plenty of opportunities to take out targets in bizarre and creative ways.
Everything you expect from the previous games is still there - well-thought-out map design, clockwork NPCs that are fun to exploit and a wide array of options to either get the perfect stealth kill or create absolute chaos. There's one major new item in your inventory: a camera that lets you scan select objects in the game to get a bit of commentary from your handler or to hack doors. I seemed to keep forgetting it was there unless directly prompted to use it, as it felt a bit out of place as a way to interact in the world versus more understandable tools like lockpicks, keycards and crowbars.
Rolling all the previous games into a single launcher is a massive boon. Those old levels are still a lot of fun to dip back into, so not having three separate games installed is super helpful.
However, Hitman 3 doesn't quite get there in capturing the same memorable feelings of the first two games. Two missions lack any of the usual Mission Stories to help guide the player around for their first few runs, making the game feel a little smaller in scope than in previous entries. Hardcore players may prefer to run every level ad-hoc but I've always been a fan of the hijinks that the Mission Stories let you get up to so the lack of them gives me less reason to go back to some of those levels for repeat playthroughs.
Despite these shortcomings, Hitman 3 is still a lot of fun. The maps are detailed and intricately designed and there are plenty of opportunities to take out targets in bizarre and creative ways.