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[Dyni Crippler]

Tell your friend that he can't judge this game by playing the tuturial only. Oh, and regenerating health is only in pussy mode.

At least give Hard/Expert or Purist a try.

Demos are theorically made to convince you in buying the game. Of course you could make the same debate for Blood Money, but the BM's demo/tutorial didn't really show such gameplay faults, just a linear level.

Was the person he took down a unique NPC? Either he was, and some unique NPCs you cannot wear their disguise, or it's like Blood Money's tutorial level where they limit the amount of disguises you can wear (down to one) to ease newbies into the system.

He was a common guard.
Pretty sure it's the tutorial's fault though.

 

[goodfella]

I don't put arbitrary restrictions on myself because if I have to do that to have fun then the designer's failed to make an interesting game. That is part of the problems with games like Dishonored that we talked about in the stealth thread.

What I did do was find out various ways to silently kill the guy. If that involved getting into a clown suit then so be it but I didn't say "I HAVE to do this and this and only those things or I "fail" the mission". Those 2 statements to me is all the difference between great level design and no level design in games.

That's how I played Blood Money the first time. However, once I started to replay levels, it was fun to try different methods. Contracts mode just increases replayability, it does not negatively impact the base game.

 

[Delusibeta]

Isn't it odd how those pirate impressions are fawning over the game, but if they really liked it, it'd make sense to buy it so IO would make more?

It's not out yet so no-one can buy it yet.

 

[DukeBobby]

It's not out yet so no-one can buy it yet.

Couldn't they just wait 9 days?

 

[Foffy]

The higher difficulties have more NPCs and these NPCs will take alternative routes.

Call me a sadist..but I think I'm going to start Absolution on Professional. The fact there are more NPCs is precisely why I want to do it; it'll force me to learn the game at a much more punishing rate, and that is wonderful.

 

[SonicVolcano]

Call me a sadist..but I think I'm going to start Absolution on Professional. The fact there are more NPCs is precisely why I want to do it; it'll force me to learn the game at a much more punishing rate, and that is wonderful.

I'll join you. My plan was to start on either Hard or Expert. Purist on my second run.

 

[Foffy]

I'll join you. My plan was to start on either Hard or Expert. Purist on my second run.

Purist is too much for me. The only game I can handle with no HUD for ammo counts is ArmA with the ACE mod. I need to know my bullet count!

 

[RevDM]

Purist is too much for me. The only game I can handle with no HUD for ammo counts is ArmA with the ACE mod. I need to know my bullet count!

Fiber Wire doesn't need to be reloaded.

 

[Sn4ke_911]

easter egg

 

[Foffy]

Fiber Wire doesn't need to be reloaded.

This is true, but I'm not one of those players that restarts the level if I get spotted. I try to make it through with stealth, but if that fails...

Of course, if the enemies are packing shotguns, I won't last long. The AI is absolutely deadly with shotguns in the games on Hard/Professional. On Normal you can be a sponge for those types of weapons, which I never understood..

 

[RevDM]

This is true, but I'm not one of those players that restarts the level if I get spotted. I try to make it through with stealth, but if that fails...

Of course, if the enemies are packing shotguns, I won't last long. The AI is absolutely deadly with shotguns in the games on Hard/Professional. On Normal you can be a sponge for those types of weapons, which I never understood..

That's the point. If you are spotted, you already lost.

 

[Delusibeta]

Couldn't they just wait 9 days?

Then what's the point in leaking it, then? Especially with a game that's been as divisive as the previews of this one gas been, some people will pirate it before they consider paying full price for it. When they pirate in this case is irrelevant.

 

[Eideka]

easter egg

Hhaha nice but where does this shot come from ?

Leaked version ?

 

[RevDM]

Walkthrough of prologue available on youtube. Search "hitman absolution" and set filters to "uploaded today." Looks like the disguise you cannot take is a guard, but not a police officer.

Looks like you restart from the beginning if you die.
In close quarters combat, one or two hits kills you instantly, however you can be shot multiple times and recover.

Again, this is the training level anyway.

Edit: voice acting is eerily similar to Bateson

 

[DukeBobby]

Then what's the point in leaking it, then? Especially with a game that's been as divisive as the previews of this one gas been, some people will pirate it before they consider paying full price for it. When they pirate in this case is irrelevant.

True, but a lot of these people will not purchase the game after pirating it, even if they really like the game. A lot of gamers do not care about 'supporting the developers."

On the plus side, at least it allows those who are a little uncertain about the game to get a look at how the finished version looks and plays.

Edit: voice acting is eerily similar to Bateson

It is Bateson.

 

[Foffy]

Walkthrough of prologue available on youtube. Search "hitman absolution" and set filters to "uploaded today." Looks like the disguise you cannot take is a guard, but not a police officer.

Looks like you restart from the beginning if you die.
In close quarters combat, one or two hits kills you instantly, however you can be shot multiple times and recover.

Again, this is the training level anyway.

Edit: voice acting is eerily similar to Bateson

Perhaps the punches knock out 47, which counts as a kill? If you wish to argue "realism" in a series about a genetically engineered human being...

 

[Eideka]

I wonder what version leaked first, I assume that it's the PC build.

 

[DukeBobby]

I wonder what version leaked first, I assume that it's the PC build.

I think it's the 360 version.

 

[derFeef]

I wonder what version leaked first, I assume that it's the PC build.

Console versions always leak first. Always.

 

[RevDM]

T




It is Bateson.

WHHHHHHHHHHHHHHAT?

 

[Sn4ke_911]

WHHHHHHHHHHHHHHAT?

http://www.king-mag.com/online/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/liljon.jpg[IMG][/QUOTE]

Yep, you heard right. The man himself is back.

[img]http://distilleryimage1.instagram.com/0bdc83c41f5911e2a77722000a1fbc49_7.jpg

 

[Eideka]

I think it's the 360 version.

Yeah right after I wrote the post I went to the Hitman forums and here I saw that the 360 version has leaked.

Strange, perhaps Steam is really efficient at preventing piracy.

Console versions always leak first. Always.

I wonder why, after all the PC version is the most pirated in the long run (open platform...) then how come the console versions leak first ?

 

[Foffy]

Yeah right after I wrote the post I went to the Hitman forums and here I saw that the 360 version has leaked.

Strange, perhaps Steam is really efficient at preventing piracy.


I wonder why, after all the PC version is the most pirated in the long run (open platform...) then how come the console versions leak first ?

360's been pretty bad with leaks, I've heard. I believe Black Ops II, Halo 4, and now this all leaked before their release dates.

 

[iNvid02]

Yeah right after I wrote the post I went to the Hitman forums and here I saw that the 360 version has leaked.

Strange, perhaps Steam is really efficient at preventing piracy.

steamworks helps stop piracy before the game launches, pre-loads and retail copies are encrypted and only unlocked after release so pirates cant do anything until then

 

[LeadenStride]

I don't put arbitrary restrictions on myself because if I have to do that to have fun then the designer's failed to make an interesting game. That is part of the problems with games like Dishonored that we talked about in the stealth thread.

What I did do was find out various ways to silently kill the guy. If that involved getting into a clown suit then so be it but I didn't say "I HAVE to do this and this and only those things or I "fail" the mission". Those 2 statements to me is all the difference between great level design and no level design in games.

I admit that my example was quite an extreme one. Of course it has not to be that restrictive. But as I understand your post, getting the silent assassin rating (the highest challenge the developers had designed) in a couple of different ways was enough for you? Nothing wrong with that, but it amazes me that BM did satisfy you, as it was not challenging at all in that regard and I had the impression that you like your games a little bit harder.

Oh and Foffy, I sent you a message.

 

[RevDM]

Full walk through done Hard available of prologue.

I remain erect.

edit: on hard, not pro

 

[Foffy]

Full walk through done professionally available of prologue.

I remain erect.

Oh man, I wanna see! I want to see if my body is ready. D:

 

[NotTheGuyYouKill]

Full walk through done professionally available of prologue.

I remain erect.

What? Where?

 

[Mr Cola]

has anyone who bought from green man gaming been able to activate the key on steam? says mines invalid

 

[renjility]

prologue looked good!

 

[MormaPope]

Full walk through done professionally available of prologue.

I remain erect.

By erect do you mean what you saw was hot or the fact that there is video of Absolution make you erect?

 

[Mr Cola]

I think you activate it on the hitman site in order to get a steam code for sniper challenge. gmg usually send the main game codes a few days before big releases.

how do i get to activating the main game?

 

[Derrick01]

I admit that my example was quite an extreme one. Of course it has not to be that restrictive. But as I understand your post, getting the silent assassin rating (the highest challenge the developers had designed) in a couple of different ways was enough for you? Nothing wrong with that, but it amazes me that BM did satisfy you, as it was not challenging at all in that regard and I had the impression that you like your games a little bit harder.

Oh and Foffy, I sent you a message.

Lack of difficulty is something that has plagued the stealth genre as a whole forever with the problem being on varying degrees (like Dishonored being one of the easiest games ever). The problem comes from simply being too good at being unseen when video game AI has not advanced enough to match the player skill. Most challenge in most genres of video games comes from confrontation so when you have a genre that specializes in avoiding confrontation you naturally have an easier time.

I'm hoping that the Last of Us' AI is as smart as Naughty Dog is bragging about because the industry as a whole needs to get over the hump with figuring advanced AI out. I'm also interested in seeing how the "stealth" is in that game with supposedly more unpredictable enemies. If it works as planned it could be the breakthrough the stealth genre needs.

 

[LeadenStride]

Lack of difficulty is something that has plagued the stealth genre as a whole forever with the problem being on varying degrees (like Dishonored being one of the easiest games ever). The problem comes from simply being too good at being unseen when video game AI has not advanced enough to match the player skill. Most challenge in most genres of video games comes from confrontation so when you have a genre that specializes in avoiding confrontation you naturally have an easier time.

I'm hoping that the Last of Us' AI is as smart as Naughty Dog is bragging about because the industry as a whole needs to get over the hump with figuring advanced AI out. I'm also interested in seeing how the "stealth" is in that game with supposedly more unpredictable enemies. If it works as planned it could be the breakthrough the stealth genre needs.

Well that's a different point. I was trying to say that Blood Money could have been a lot more challenging if you just used the blueprints IO had given the player and expanded on the challenges in a way that isn't rewarded in the game any further (playing suit only being the most common and simple for example). Especially since BM was much easier than Silent Assassin and Contracts. If you didn't do this, than I don't understand why you're so dissapointed by Absolution being dumbed down, because BM was certainly dumbed down as well, when played in the way IO had designed the game.

 

[DukeBobby]

3rd mission is also linear which is not a good sign.

Sure, the way forward is linear (

Spoiler

making your way to Dexter's room

) but the actual mission is huge, with lots of different ways to approach it. For example,

Spoiler

you can enter the hotel through the front door, side entrance or sewers

.

Anyway, let's try and keep this thread spoiler free from now on. I'm guessing that somebody will create a spoiler thread sometime next week.

 

[njr]

Well that's a different point. I was trying to say that Blood Money could have been a lot more challenging if you just used the blueprints IO had given the player and expanded on the challenges in a way that isn't rewarded in the game any further (playing suit only being the most common and simple for example). Especially since BM was much easier than Silent Assassin and Contracts. If you didn't do this, than I don't understand why you're so dissapointed by Absolution being dumbed down, because BM was certainly dumbed down as well, when played in the way IO had designed the game.

I'd argue that BM wasn't dumbed down to the scale as Absolution. Granted there were times in Silent Assassin where you looked at a guard the wrong way or dressed wrong you were found out right then and there (Remember trying to get into the mansion in Anathema as a guard?).

BM was progressive to the series because there were more ways to kill, hide, and cause a scene. In the case of Absolution, yes the former is being expanded upon, however I think it's the introduction of checkpoints, instinct, linearity that seem to be ingrained to the game, something that difficulty can mildly fix.

 

[Derrick01]

I'd argue that BM wasn't dumbed down to the scale as Absolution. Granted there were times in Silent Assassin where you looked at a guard the wrong way or dressed wrong you were found out right then and there (Remember trying to get into the mansion in Anathema as a guard?).

BM was progressive to the series because there were more ways to kill, hide, and cause a scene. In the case of Absolution, yes the former is being expanded upon, however I think it's the introduction of checkpoints, instinct, linearity that seem to be ingrained to the game, something that difficulty can mildly fix.

Yeah mild streamlining can benefit a franchise, I don't think anyone would argue against that. Fallout New Vegas is my favorite Fallout but it's not quite as deep or impressive in detail as F2. But too often it goes too far.

An easy way to find out if it did is look at the changes and ask how does it make the core game better? Does Instinct mode and heavier use of checkpoints improve Hitman or just make it easier for casuals? Does linearity benefit the Hitman formula at all? Well, no because the best of Hitman has been proven to be in the sandbox design. Does a much stronger focus on story improve Hitman at all? Doesn't appear to since it's one of the reasons why a lot of those other things exist.

 

[LeadenStride]

I'd argue that BM wasn't dumbed down to the scale as Absolution. Granted there were times in Silent Assassin where you looked at a guard the wrong way or dressed wrong you were found out right then and there (Remember trying to get into the mansion in Anathema as a guard?).

BM was progressive to the series because there were more ways to kill, hide, and cause a scene. In the case of Absolution, yes the former is being expanded upon, however I think it's the introduction of checkpoints, instinct, linearity that seem to be ingrained to the game, something that difficulty can mildly fix.

That might very well be correct. But I'd call it dumbed down, when it was clearly indicated how to kill most of the targets in a silent way or to make it look like an accident. There were so many conveniently placed traps and hiding points for bodys etc. that it didn't demand as much thinking as previously. Of course this doesn't mean that Blood Money didn't improve on a lot of other things. It's just that it was way less challenging.

 

[MormaPope]

Sure, the way forward is linear (

Spoiler

making your way to Dexter's room

) but the actual mission is huge, with lots of different ways to approach it. For example,

Spoiler

you can enter the hotel through the front door, side entrance or sewers

.

Anyway, let's try and keep this thread spoiler free from now on. I'm guessing that somebody will create a spoiler thread sometime next week.

This confusion is starting to piss me off. What you're describing isn't linear in the sense of a CoD campaign yet people are saying specific missions are cramped and linear. If people make assertions they should start backing them up.

 

[LeadenStride]

This confusion is starting to piss me off. What you're describing isn't linear in the sense of a CoD campaign yet people are saying specific missions are cramped and linear. If people make assertions they should start backing them up.

I think we're at a point where everyone has a more or less different definition of linearity.

 

[derFeef]

This confusion is starting to piss me off. What you're describing isn't linear in the sense of a CoD campaign yet people are saying specific missions are cramped and linear. If people make assertions they should start backing them up.

I take everything with a grain of salt before I have played it myself. The tagged post above sounds good to me, but of course people will call even that linear because... it has an entrance or whatever.

 

[RevDM]

Guys, absolution is going to be linear as fuck. From the moment you first start the game, you have to beat missions in order to get to the next one. I/O is alienating their fans. You should be able to play the game backwards, including an alternate reality where you play as the Intel and read 47 the dossier. Furthermore, Kinect should be used to read what cloths you are wearing. Requiring you to change outfits in real-time.

 

[Hindle]

Sure, the way forward is linear (

Spoiler

making your way to Dexter's room

) but the actual mission is huge, with lots of different ways to approach it. For example,

Spoiler

you can enter the hotel through the front door, side entrance or sewers

.

Anyway, let's try and keep this thread spoiler free from now on. I'm guessing that somebody will create a spoiler thread sometime next week.

It seems you're not actually assassinating anyone in this mission. Again that's not Hitman.

 

[LabouredSubterfuge]

Guys, absolution is going to be linear as fuck. From the moment you first start the game, you have to beat missions in order to get to the next one. I/O is alienating their fans. You should be able to play the game backwards, including an alternate reality where you play as the Intel and read 47 the dossier. Furthermore, Kinect should be used to read what cloths you are wearing. Requiring you to change outfits in real-time.

Ugh, fucking hate the casualisation of video games these days. I remember when I had to starve myself for a month and bath in radioactive waste before I could play Fallout on PC. These days you can play Fallout 3 without being hospitalised. This industry is finished.

 

[The Wizard]

I'm still cautiously optimistic about this one, I've tempered my expectations a bit but it still looks enjoyable in the footage I've seen.

 

[Eideka]

Ugh, fucking hate the casualisation of video games these days. I remember when I had to starve myself for a month and bath in radioactive waste before I could play Fallout on PC. These days you can play Fallout 3 without being hospitalised. This industry is finished.

I'm in tears.

 

[LeadenStride]

It seems you're not actually assassinating anyone in this mission. Again that's not Hitman.

Haven't played C47, Silent Assassin and Contracts?

 

[derFeef]

It seems you're not actually assassinating anyone in this mission. Again that's not Hitman.

That's pretty wrong.

 

[Derrick01]

I'm still cautiously optimistic about this one, I've tempered my expectations a bit but it still looks enjoyable in the footage I've seen.

Expectations is the key here. Accept that it won't be as good as Blood Money or even very similar to it and I'm sure some enjoyment could be had from it even if it is embarrassing to the franchise like PC Gamer said. I mean even Conviction was decent for what it was, a flawed action game.

As far as I'm concerned RPS' review is what I'm waiting for. It will determine whether I buy this on a big steam sale or not at all.

 

[LeadenStride]

Expectations is the key here. Accept that it won't be as good as Blood Money or even very similar to it and I'm sure some enjoyment could be had from it even if it is embarrassing to the franchise like PC Gamer said. I mean even Conviction was decent for what it was, a flawed action game.

As far as I'm concerned RPS' review is what I'm waiting for. It will determine whether I buy this on a big steam sale or not at all.

I have to agree with you on this one. In fact I'm expecting something that is worse than any of the other games in the series, but I think that there's a lot more to get out of Absolution than IO has intended. The Sniper Challenge proved that already. Before playing it, I was extremely pessimistic about Absolution as well and hated almost every fact that was revealed until then.