Macho Madness
Member
Nope. That's a weird thing that happens when you search for it. Still available here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AA4FDSA/?tag=neogaf0e-20
-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
Hitman Trilogy HD |OT|
- Thread starter Ape Gone Insane
- Start date
Nope. That's a weird thing that happens when you search for it. Still available here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AA4FDSA/?tag=neogaf0e-20
huh wonder why it wasnt coming up for me before..
Edit; And i just loaded up hitman 2 for a bit. Have to say im pretty impressed overall with the job here. Menus are slick, cutscenes are rendered in real time and HD-uprezed, at least for Hitman 2. Framerate seems smooth adn clean. Graphics are still ps2 era but its nice to see it get some decent port treatment. Definitely the best version of the game. And i really appreciate the cutscenes being real-time.
Thanks for the heads up! just did this and as always, didn't have any trouble with Amazon CS. Thanks again!
Silent Assassin -> Contracts -> Blood Money.
Thanks, will start later tonight.
cj_iwakura
Member
Had to drive to Boca's Best Buy, but: get.
Hitman 2 is the 'first' of the three, right?
Hitman 2 is the 'first' of the three, right?
Carnby
Member
Best Buy dot com changed the 360 version's status to "in store only." Maybe they sold out, and Amazon doesn't see any reason to price match it.
Freedom = $1.05
Banned
So, I'm not sure if they just did a bunch if work or what, but while the models themselves seem untouched the textures in this game hold up amazing well. I'm surprised how well these games hold up visually, especially Silent Assassin.
Yeah, they all still look pretty nice. The Japan missions look pretty rough in SA, though, and it doesn't help that those are the worst stages in the game. IO Interactive has never been great with animations or character modeling, but what I always felt was their strong-suit was crafting intricate sandbox levels with memorable atmosphere. In that regard, these three games look great in HD.
That being said, the art-style of all three Hitman games in the collection doesn't lend itself as well to the HD update as some other PS2-era franchises. Ico/SotC, God of War, MGS, Jak & Daxter, Ratchet & Clank... etc. all benefited more from their HD updates.
As usual with these HD collections, however, there is always something changed or removed that keeps these versions from being the definitive ones. In this case, it's the removal of cheats from Silent Assassin and Contracts. What a damn shame.
Macho Madness
Member
I'd hardly say the omission of cheats disqualifies a graphical and achievement/trophy update.
It doesn't disqualify those things, but it keeps these from being the definitive versions. Those cheats are a lot of fun to mess around with, and their omission makes this a lesser release than what it could have been otherwise.
I'm fine being tasked with going through these games again and collecting all of my old weapons, but the removal of the level skip cheat means that I am being forced to replay through the god-awful Japan missions. Playing those levels is a living hell.
Lowlander2
Banned
This was a pain in the ass to publish, but here it is: The Gaming Vault's review of the Hitman HD Trilogy.
tsurugi no mai
Member
Thank you. I got refunded as well.
As far as I can tell, neither version is better than the other, and the remastering job was mostly very well done. I'd put this remaster on the level of the DMC collection, rather than placing it among the elite with ICO/SotC, MGS, and GOW: Origins. The games look crystal clear and run very smoothly with no added glitches that I've heard about. The only knock against it is that the between-mission cutscenes are simply upscaled pre-rendered cinematics in Contracts and Blood Money.
Also, they removed all of the cool cheat codes from SA and Contracts, which pissed me off.
Thank you for the impressions! Sounds like something I will most likely get, then.
Just curious, which version do you have? PS3 or 360?
I have the PS3 version.
Nemesis_
Member
Japan was so fucking awful. That shitty level before you approach the castle where you had to find the "secret entrance".
Yup. Hidden Valley. Widely considered to be the worst level in the entire series.
bodyofanamerican
Member
I managed to Silent Assassin that level, but fucking gave up with At the Gates and started sniping guys with the cross bow. Also couldn't figure out how to escape after the assassination in Shogun Showdown. SO. FRUSTRATING.
It's best to just brute force your way through the Japan levels and then pretend that they never existed afterward. After you've gotten through them, you'll never have any reason to revisit them like you would with Anathema, Kirov Park, Basement Killing... etc.
Well, maybe the only reason to revisit them would be to add the crossbow and custom silenced rifle to your shed.
bodyofanamerican
Member
Where's the silenced rifle? I grabbed the crossbow and the custom .22 with integrated silencer from the basement of the castle.
LeadenStride
Member
So, have they fixed certain glitches, like the ninja being run over by the truck in hidden valley, the assassin freezing in the middle of the market place in temple city ambush or the guards knowing your exact position after throwing the gasoline tank down the chimney in beldingford manor?
With regard to the silenced rifle, it's what the snipers in both Hidden Valley and At the Gates are wielding. If I recall correctly, you can snipe them with the crossbow and grab their gun if it happens to fall out of the window.
I'm pretty sure nothing was changed, as these are pretty straightforward ports. Any glitches that were present in the originals are still present here.
Oh my god, it's soooo good. Just started Hitman 2. First Silent Assassin rating in the bag on professional difficulty
I just love it.
That feeling will go away for a while when you hit the Japan missions, but then it will return once more when you hit Malaysia. The Japan series of missions really brings down the experience of replaying Hitman 2. They were painfully bad back then and even moreso by today's standards.
It's not that bad - I still remember every mission, even the awful Japan ones - those got me nightmares back on PS2 - "sniper has aquired target". Will just rush through them, I doubt I will have the patience again to get SA on those.
Anyhow have now aced 5 missions in total on professional. And Hitman 2 in HD does look quite nice. I mean it looked really shitty on PS2, but in HD it's acceptable. And the good thing is - once I get through Hitman 2 it will only get better and better.
btw. I tried to
kill the general using fiberwire
combat knife
Lowlander2
Banned
Yeah, Hidden Valley isn't especially bad compared to many other games, but it's a pretty ridiculous level all the same.
I walk two steps and somehow the sniper spots me. So I just gun it the entrance of the tunnel and just shoot the---ninjas? Really? Well, alright. I kill them and nab a disguise. I go a bit further and then another ninja yells "STOP!" and the game informs me that he wants to see my ID. A ninja...wants to see my ninja ID.
I shoot him and start a big firefight in the tunnel, and then from a door to my left, ten or so ninjas with katanas just pour out. It looks ridiculous. Their AI is stupid so they just keep flailing their swords and I shoot them all. I pick up a sword for laughs and get the "Samurai Gaijin" achievement. Huh. Then a truck lightly nudges me from behind and 47 dies a gruesome death.
So yeah. Ridiculous level.
I walk two steps and somehow the sniper spots me. So I just gun it the entrance of the tunnel and just shoot the---ninjas? Really? Well, alright. I kill them and nab a disguise. I go a bit further and then another ninja yells "STOP!" and the game informs me that he wants to see my ID. A ninja...wants to see my ninja ID.
I shoot him and start a big firefight in the tunnel, and then from a door to my left, ten or so ninjas with katanas just pour out. It looks ridiculous. Their AI is stupid so they just keep flailing their swords and I shoot them all. I pick up a sword for laughs and get the "Samurai Gaijin" achievement. Huh. Then a truck lightly nudges me from behind and 47 dies a gruesome death.
So yeah. Ridiculous level.
Ha, got through Hidden Valley, At the gates and shogun showdown.
Hidden Valley was piece of cake, because I knew that thing inside out
At the gates screwed me a few times via "sniper aquired target" - instant dead, but not that bad.
Shogun Showdown oh god, really awful at the end, enemies got stuck, shoot at me for no reason
But then I tried to get the W2000 sniper rifle from invitation to a party. OMG. I'm playing on professional and somehow it's not possible (anymore?) to drop it from the balcony. And the guards don't seem to like people running around with a sniper rifle. Additionally taking sniper rifle and not holstering it and then getting the suitcase will somehow magically make the sniper rifle disappear. I think I tried for around 2 hours, but then I finally made it. What a nightmare. The Japan levels were piece of cake against that one.
At least I'm now 100% used to the controls again.
Hidden Valley was piece of cake, because I knew that thing inside out
At the gates screwed me a few times via "sniper aquired target" - instant dead, but not that bad.
Shogun Showdown oh god, really awful at the end, enemies got stuck, shoot at me for no reason
But then I tried to get the W2000 sniper rifle from invitation to a party. OMG. I'm playing on professional and somehow it's not possible (anymore?) to drop it from the balcony. And the guards don't seem to like people running around with a sniper rifle. Additionally taking sniper rifle and not holstering it and then getting the suitcase will somehow magically make the sniper rifle disappear. I think I tried for around 2 hours, but then I finally made it. What a nightmare. The Japan levels were piece of cake against that one.
At least I'm now 100% used to the controls again.
Back when I played these games on the PS2, I actually preferred Hitman 2's clean, bright aesthetics over the darker, grimier look of Contracts. Playing them in HD now, I've learned to appreciate the subtle improvements made to the engine in Contracts. The lighting received a rather substantial update, depth of field is used rather nicely, and textures are a lot more detailed than they were in the previous game.
I'm actually enjoying Contracts more this time around and Hitman 2 less than I used to. The fact that I can actually run around in Contracts without instantly pissing off every guard within eye-shot makes it a lot more fun to play. Just completed Beldingford Manner and am now about halfway through the Rotterdam biker bar mission. Good stuff.
I'm actually enjoying Contracts more this time around and Hitman 2 less than I used to. The fact that I can actually run around in Contracts without instantly pissing off every guard within eye-shot makes it a lot more fun to play. Just completed Beldingford Manner and am now about halfway through the Rotterdam biker bar mission. Good stuff.
Freewheelin'
Member
So is this worth £20 off the PSN store? Have Hitman 2 on PS2, but never really played it 
30 or 60 fps?
It looks to me like all three games are running at some framerate above 30fps. They might very well be running at 60fps, but it's hard for me to say without some sort of frame-counting analysis. They run very smoothly though, with no hiccups that I've seen. It wouldn't surprise me if they were running at 60fps most of the time.
BibiMaghoo
Member
I've been playing the trilogy...
An unpopular opinion I know, but Absolution is by far the best game in the series.
It is polished to an unbelievable standard when looking at the older games, especially considering Blood Money was on 360 (even as an early gen game)
It has tried to actually give the player a narrative, something that Blood Money played with.
Absolution is the evolution of the series. Not a step back, but forwards.
An unpopular opinion I know, but Absolution is by far the best game in the series.
It is polished to an unbelievable standard when looking at the older games, especially considering Blood Money was on 360 (even as an early gen game)
It has tried to actually give the player a narrative, something that Blood Money played with.
Absolution is the evolution of the series. Not a step back, but forwards.
That's only a positive if the narrative is any good/entertaining. And it wasn't.
Hm... I'm trying to calm myself before responding to this post. Was Absolution your first Hitman game? While I agree with you about Absolution being the most "polished" Hitman game from a controls/presentation standpoint, pretty much everything about it shits on what makes (made) the series unique and enjoyable.
Absolution focuses more on story, like you said, and it's largely to the detriment of the game. The story forces the player into these mostly linear, Splinter Cell-esque scenarios that don't even remotely resemble traditional Hitman gameplay, and worst of all the story isn't very good at all. The plotting and writing is laughable most of the way, and the grindhouse aesthetics just fall completely flat. Polishing Hitman's storytelling is a noble pursuit, but the Kane & Lynch team just completely botched it on their first (and most likely only) attempt.
I understand how the three games in this trilogy might seem dated and a little frustrating to play at times if you're coming from Absolution. That being said, I hope you're able to open your mind a little and appreciate the sandbox level design and disguise system that these games feature. Those were the hallmarks of the series until Absolution came along and just ruined everything.
Agreed 100%. I have a lot of nostalgia for Contracts (especially the atmosphere), but Absolution is the best game they've made.
All of the mechanics actually feel polished and complete, the AI reacts as you would expect, and everything handles very well. I've been playing it a second time recently and I love it even more. I honestly don't understand where all the negative press stems from.
Those are few and far between. There are plenty of wide open missions with plenty of options available. I enjoy the variety.
For the record, I've been playing Hitman since the very first PC game.
bodyofanamerican
Member
Full disclosure, haven't played Absolution. I can understand why some people would want a consistent narrative, but for the Hitman games, I personally enjoy however many self-contained missions with a loose narrative structure around them. For me, it's always been about the little stories within each mission and the backstories of the characters/targets 47 encounters. 47 as a character has never been particularly compelling for me. Give me Traditions of the Trade and ...Till Death Do Us Part over a comprehensive narrative any time. Again, just my opinion.
Moff
Member
that statement can in no way be taken seriously, sorry. the hate absolution gets is absolutely insane and blown completely out of proportions. I am the first to admit that absolution does not reach blood money or contracts by far when it comes to "hitman gameplay", but it basically offers anything a hitman game needs, even if its not enough in most cases. the ingridients are there, but in the wrong proportions. but as a trade out, it polished the game extremely, improves many flaws the hitman games had and proives a lot of great new stuff.
for me, blood money is still king, easily, but absolution comes in as a second, together with contracts. and I am a hardcore hitman fan since c64, but sometimes you need to drop nostalgia and recognize what new installments bring to the table.
that being said, I am glad the hitman HD collection is received well and I hope the next hitman game will be absolution with bigger and better leveldesign, give me that and I'll be a happy man.
Really? I found those types of levels to make up the majority of what was offered in Absolution. Were we playing the same game? Even the more traditionally "open" levels were much smaller in scope than their counterparts in the previous games.
I think that better storytelling would definitely benefit the Hitman series, as it has always been lacking (or at least sparse) in that department. But the approach taken in Absolution was not the right way to go. For one thing, it was an incredibly awful plot. Truly abysmal from top-to-bottom. Secondly, it forces the player into these linear situations to advance the plot, which is the opposite of what Hitman should be. I want to be able to choose my weapons, go in and case a large area for options, and then attempt to execute my plan. Most of Absolution's gameplay consists of sneaking around Convinction-style and snapping necks. And don't even get me started on the borked disguise system.
I dunno, I found those missions to be fairly large and very dense. I also enjoyed the break away from traditional Hitman missions at various points.
I've enjoyed all of the games in the series, though, so I can't really argue AGAINST the older games. I simply really enjoyed what the new game offered.
I received mine yesterday.
I saw that the trilogy started with the second game, and then looked it up and noticed the first Hitman was PC only. How did that one compare to the rest? I hope the series improved as it went on, would hate to lose some gem in the trilogy because it was on a different system (PC).
Looking forward to trying this.
I saw that the trilogy started with the second game, and then looked it up and noticed the first Hitman was PC only. How did that one compare to the rest? I hope the series improved as it went on, would hate to lose some gem in the trilogy because it was on a different system (PC).
Looking forward to trying this.
Moff
Member
Hitman: Codename 47 is easily the worst game of the series, I loved it anyway. there were a handful of levels where it would shrine through, what would later become known as hitman gameplay.
these levels were remade in contracts (hitman 3), so if you play that you have basically seen the best of hitman 1, save the story. but story is in my opinion a minor aspect in the hitman franchise.
bodyofanamerican
Member
Also, am I missing something super obvious? Is Contracts the only game that shows your highest ranking achieved for each level? My OCD side needs to Silent Assassin every level in every game (except for fucking Japan in H2). Do Silent Assassin and Blood Money just not display past levels in this way?
Hm. I'll have to check when I get home. I thought that Blood Money did this as well, but I could be wrong.
Noisepurge
Member
i think Hitman 1 was better than Hitman 2
but the first game was pretty janky and clearly they were just trying things out. As mentioned, the best missions are remade in Hitman 3.however the series did lose visible bullet holes on enemies and customizable dual wielding. In hitman 1 you could hold a single Hardballer and a Desert Eagle at the same time for example.
Small stuff but still. And both 1&2 have those long annoying stealth/rambo missions like Japan in Hitman 2 and the Jungle in Hitman 1.