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Hitman Trilogy HD |OT|
- Thread starter Ape Gone Insane
- Start date
CloakedPuppet
Member
Just started playing Silent Assassin. Seems like a really solid HD release so far - feels good to go back and play these again. Even though I'm not a hater of Absolution, and feel it's a good entry (aside from the almost useless disguise system), it's nice to have the definitive versions of the older games. Shows how ahead of their time IO Interactive was.
I'd love to see them consider releasing Freedom Fighters HD as a downloadable some day.
I'd love to see them consider releasing Freedom Fighters HD as a downloadable some day.
Yeah that would be super awesome I loved that game<3
BibiMaghoo
Member
Blood money came out on 360 already and those are the exact same trophies. Given they're all separate it might just pull from the same list, meaning it doesn't have them if you already had BM.
Interfectum
Member
Sounds like it is literally the exact same game. I think it shares achievements even.
VE3TRO
Formerly Gizmowned
Got my copy before the weekend and completed everything. A very good HD release and they all felt good in gameplay with the X360 controller. Only shame was Blood Money is the same game from 2006. I don't mind it but I had hoped they adjusted the HUD because its massive but sadly not.
Alcoholikaust
Member
besides my preorder my local gamestop (yea the devil) is not getting any more. guess this may really be limited
BibiMaghoo
Member
BibiMaghoo
Member
Not a lot. The first game is a bit janky, and Contracts takes missions from it anyway.
Don't skip Absolution though. It's a great game. My favorite of last year.
Servbot #42
Unconfirmed Member
I ordered the collection from amazon and i should have it in my hands in the next 2 to three weeks (i'm from Chile), i'm super excited to replay the hitman games specially blood money.
Guerrillas in the Mist
Member
Just realised I never replied.
In many ways, yes. The whole game is actually a flashback while 47 lies wounded in a hotel room. But it shoots back to after the end of first game, the first mission being the aftermath of that. The game then goes in reverse, going through the events of the first game, with less of a story focus and with some new or heavily redesigned missions.
I'll probably play Absolution if I like the HD collection, which I'll probably pick up eventually since it sounds like Hitman 1 isn't really required.
Great, thanks for the information! I was debating if I should revisit C47 or not and it sounds like I do not need to. Excited to see Contracts' redesigns on those levels.
The HD collection Hitman's are basically small sandbox environments where brute force is the hardest method to complete the game. The puzzle elements revolve around what do you disguise yourself as to move around freely and how to time your assassination perfectly.
Absolution is more of a straight up stealth game where disguises allow you to sneak around with a bit more leverage. I adore the old Hitman's but I love Absolution as well. Not many stealth games get released anymore and Absolution is a pretty faithful stealth game.
Guerrillas in the Mist
Member
Hitman 1 is only really worth playing from the point of view of seeing how the series evolved. I enjoyed Absolution despite it's massive flaws, there's a great Hitman game lurking in there despite the missteps.
Played a little bit of Hitman 2 and Blood Money on this disc today, and it looks like IO did the ports themselves. This is actually a really solid HD remaster, considering that all three games are on one disc (PS3), look and run great, and are completely faithful to the originals.
If anyone who prefers playing Hitman on consoles is debating whether or not to pick this up, I suggest you take the plunge and pick up the collection. It's a definitive collection of the Hitman series at its best. Seeing as how Absolution took the series in a different direction and the next game will likely be some kind of reboot, the HD Trilogy seems even more valuable by virtue of its dying breed of game design.
If anyone who prefers playing Hitman on consoles is debating whether or not to pick this up, I suggest you take the plunge and pick up the collection. It's a definitive collection of the Hitman series at its best. Seeing as how Absolution took the series in a different direction and the next game will likely be some kind of reboot, the HD Trilogy seems even more valuable by virtue of its dying breed of game design.
MOSAIC with BARCODES:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCWPL-DKsTg
If you live in San Francisco and don't know what a store is, you can scan the barcodes for locations on where to pick up the game. Regardless its just a cool piece of art!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCWPL-DKsTg
If you live in San Francisco and don't know what a store is, you can scan the barcodes for locations on where to pick up the game. Regardless its just a cool piece of art!
Eww. Just noticed one bad thing about Contracts in this collection. They used old low-res, pre-rendered cutscenes instead of rendering them in real-time in HD. Hitman 2 seems to have avoided this problem altogether, while Blood Money's pre-rendered cutscenes between missions were always over-compressed but still blended well enough with the in-game graphics.
It's a shame, too, since the gameplay in Contracts HD looks fantastic. The lighting is especially nice in this release.
It's a shame, too, since the gameplay in Contracts HD looks fantastic. The lighting is especially nice in this release.
Hitman 2.
Lazlo Woodbine
Member
Start with 2. You're better off that way considering how badly Contracts and Blood Money age SA.
Blood Money ages both Contracts and SA in terms of graphics and controls, but I still like SA the best because of its globetrotting setup and sleek, European vibe. Contracts is too dark and murky for my tastes, and Blood Money has a weird dark humor to it that falls flat most of the time.
That being said, SA has the worst controls.
Lowlander2
Banned
After sleeping on it, I've decided that I will pick this up when it comes out tomorrow. Expect a review from The Gaming Vault by Sunday, perhaps.
From what I can tell, the remastering was done by an internal team at either IO Interactive or Square-Enix. No other company is credited anywhere on the box or in-game.
After having played a little of each game on PS3, I can tell you that the port jobs are great. They look much better than they did in the screenshots and launch trailer, and all three games run at a smooth, high framerate. 720p, though.
Yes, absolutely. Other than the controls feeling a little clunkier in the older games, there is so much more to the gameplay and level design in SA, Contracts, and Blood Money than there is in Absolution. I have a couple of endearing nicknames for the most recent Hitman game:
Shitman: Crapsolution
Hitman: Abortion
Yeah, I really appreciate that they went in a different direction with the packaging for this collection. Collections should have interesting packaging, IMO, because they are commemorative in a way. The artbook that the game comes packaged inside (yes, the disc is in the back cover of the artbook) is really cool. It has pictures from artists based on various levels from throughout the entire series with a write-up from each artist on every page.
Dick Justice
Banned
So do the games look about on par with the PC versions, or have they made improvements?
They technically look to be on par with the PC versions, although games always looked washed out on PC compared to the better contrast and color saturation of my TV.
So I'd prefer to play this collection on big TV over the PC versions any day of the week.
Long story short: They look fantastic in HD, although the art style doesn't hold up as well as Ico/SotC Collection, MGS Collection, GoW Collection... etc.
Has anyone tried to see if the old cheat codes for SA and Contracts work in these versions? According to a few people on the GF message boards, they aren't working anymore.
I can't try right now because I'm at work, but I have a feeling that maybe it has something to do with the default controls being changed from how they were originally on the PS2. (i.e. R2 shoots now and R1 reloads by default).
It would be a real shame for them not to work. I used to have so much fun with Nail Gun mode and Slow Mo.
I can't try right now because I'm at work, but I have a feeling that maybe it has something to do with the default controls being changed from how they were originally on the PS2. (i.e. R2 shoots now and R1 reloads by default).
It would be a real shame for them not to work. I used to have so much fun with Nail Gun mode and Slow Mo.
Jrpgfanatic
Member
Has anyone seen standard edition copies of this in stores? I really dislike the art book/case combination and I heard they were making some standard copies but I've only seen "limited edition" copies in North American unboxing videos so far.
bodyofanamerican
Member
I just picked this up (every copy in the store was the art book version) and am starting with Silent Assassin. I have to agree, this looks fucking incredible. I can't wait to see how much nicer Contracts and Blood Money look. So excited to dive back into these games and glad I can chuck the PS2 copies I've been hanging on to.
Jrpgfanatic
Member
Damn, that sucks. Might have to import a copy from the UK.
This first print run in the US is only the artbook-case one. Who knows if it will receive another run of standard packages.
bodyofanamerican
Member
I tried doing Anathema from memory....lol
Claytron
Neo Member
I picked mine up at Futureshop in Canada. All of their copies were standard.
My copy was sent out 2 days ago. Come on, postman. Be faster. I need to play those naow.
Jrpgfanatic
Member
Cheers, thanks. Checking Futureshop's website it looks like each console has a standard and premium edition listing so I'll order the non premium and see what shows up.
Now that I am able to revisit these three games all at the same time for the first time since their respective releases, I think I'll have to concede that Blood Money is the best game in the series. For a long time, I've always considered Hitman 2 to be the best due to my fond memories of the game's exotic locales and sleeker, brighter vibe. In terms of atmosphere, I still think that I prefer Hitman 2 over the much darker Contracts and Blood Money, but playing this collection has made it easy to see that Blood Money stands above the rest in terms of gameplay and level selection.
While Hitman 2 has some of my favorite locations, in terms of setting, Blood Money has the best-designed levels. The AI is more realistic and forgiving, and little gameplay tweaks like being able to hide a pistol behind your back while walking really add a lot of flexibility to the gameplay. More flexibility = more approaches to each level. Hitman 2's walk and sneak speeds seem painfully slow when compared to the fluidity of Blood Money.
Playing Blood Money in HD is also a real treat for me, since I only ever played it originally on the PS2. Suffice to say it looks much better and performs better than the incarnation that I played through years ago.
PS - Hitman 2 does still have the best sound effects, though. Guns in Contracts and Blood Money sound so muffled by comparison. Contracts takes the prize for best soundtrack.
While Hitman 2 has some of my favorite locations, in terms of setting, Blood Money has the best-designed levels. The AI is more realistic and forgiving, and little gameplay tweaks like being able to hide a pistol behind your back while walking really add a lot of flexibility to the gameplay. More flexibility = more approaches to each level. Hitman 2's walk and sneak speeds seem painfully slow when compared to the fluidity of Blood Money.
Playing Blood Money in HD is also a real treat for me, since I only ever played it originally on the PS2. Suffice to say it looks much better and performs better than the incarnation that I played through years ago.
PS - Hitman 2 does still have the best sound effects, though. Guns in Contracts and Blood Money sound so muffled by comparison. Contracts takes the prize for best soundtrack.
bodyofanamerican
Member
God, I forgot about Contracts' soundtrack. Simply amazing. Probably Kyd's best work.
The eerie/foreboding nature of the music, particularly in Traditions of the Trade is perfect.
The eerie/foreboding nature of the music, particularly in Traditions of the Trade is perfect.
Lowlander2
Banned
After playing around three levels in each, here are my really early impressions:
Silent Assassin has aged pretty well in regards to level design and accounting for stealth, but a lot of your targets are "supposed" to be taken out pretty directly or rather brutally, which takes a little satisfaction out of "hiding in plain sight". Also, 47's face looks incredibly weird in this.
Contracts is fucked up in subject matter. No other real impressions on it yet.
Blood Money is actually a game I've beaten a couple of times, so maybe I'm biased, but I still feel it's probably the best one because you're encouraged to use "accidental" kills like poisoning and prop manipulation, which feel the most ironic, humourous and satisfying.
Silent Assassin has aged pretty well in regards to level design and accounting for stealth, but a lot of your targets are "supposed" to be taken out pretty directly or rather brutally, which takes a little satisfaction out of "hiding in plain sight". Also, 47's face looks incredibly weird in this.
Contracts is fucked up in subject matter. No other real impressions on it yet.
Blood Money is actually a game I've beaten a couple of times, so maybe I'm biased, but I still feel it's probably the best one because you're encouraged to use "accidental" kills like poisoning and prop manipulation, which feel the most ironic, humourous and satisfying.
Noisepurge
Member
Friday.