So now that the dust has settled, what's the verdict?

So now that the dust has settled, what's the verdict?
Some people say it's the best Hitman since Blood Money, others say it's more dumbed down, so who's right?
Also, even if it is good, I'm conflicted about it because a) always on DRM bullshit and b) the whole episodic release crap (which is why I didn't even bother following it until now) and that time-exclusive "elusive target" stuff, which basically means I won't even get to play the full game again.
Still, it's 50% off right now, so TL;DR, worth it, despite Square Enix being scumbag publisher yet again or not?

Speaking as someone who's played Hitman since Codename 47, it's easily the second best right behind Blood Money. I won't say that I like the episodic release method or the DRM, but the gameplay and levels are pretty damn great, and it plays like a proper Hitman game should.

It's not hard to be the best Hitman since Blood Money since Absolution wasn't exactly a Hitman game.
That being said, it's want you expect Hitman to be and it does it pretty well. Just turn off the assists in the options after playing a level for a bit.

It's most certainly the best Hitman game since Blood Money, but that's not saying much, because all it really means is "It's better than Absolution"

I've been with the series since Silent Assassin released and I don't know if this game is the best in the series, but I know it's exactly what I fucking wanted for the past decade. It's excellent and I am enjoying my time with it and looking forward to the second season.

second best hitman, great entry point for those who hadn't touched any of the previous hitmans

It's a mongrel, it takes the best parts of absolution and blends them with Blood Money. I miss purchasing upgrades but now you just unlock crap. And Level mastery is a good insentive to play different styles. I'm used to getting Silent Assassin in the first run (and still do) but now I feel good breaking my autism to return and try a sniper run, or prompt more accidents and find out what different ways I can complete and objective.

As for Elusive Targets OP, they're just random NPCs in a level they select to become a target every so often, it's just free mastery points and they even unlock more outfits for you. It's a fun optional challenge.

I only bought it because of the steam sale, so I got cheap enough to buy the bulk pack. I'll do it again after S2. I kinda hope they do a Nostalgia bundle so I can play some revisted old school levels. I'd love to see some of Contracts levels revisited for sure.

tl;dr buy on sale, u will like it

It is the best Hitman game. It could be argued that Blood Money is better, but Blood Money has much smaller levels so on that basis alone I'd give this one the edge.

The only thing wrong with this is the shitty always online DRM. Oh and it has babby gameplay aids. However, if you turn them off in gameplay options, it's good and a proper Hitman game.

ON MORE THING
The instinct bugs me? Idk if it bugs anybody else, but I feel the game is too structured around it that disabling it (I haven't even checked if you can) would feel like it's countering the game's design. I wouldn't be able to find some of those small hidden objects in rubble if it weren't for that feature.

You can disable the gameplay aids and the game plays way better without them. Only thing I don't know if you can disable is the Intel notes when you overhear an important conversation, but frankly I don't know if I would want to disable those. It's good to keep a reminder handy.

I've never played any Hitman games but I've always thought I'd enjoy them. Serious question minus nostalgia goggles, does Blood Money hold up now if I was to play it? I don't really want to deal with shit controls even if it was revolutionary for the time, etc. Or should I just start with this one?

It is an amazing game

The biggest problems with it are the always-on DRM, the episodic release, and the hand-holdy gameplay stuff.

Fortunately, the always-on DRM got patched out, all the episodes are released and as a stand-alone game it's got basically two and a half Hitman games' worth of content, and all the handholdy stuff can be turned off.

When it first came out, it was a good Hitman game marred by shitty decisions.

As of now, all of those shitty decisions have been removed or negated, so what we're left with is simply a damn good Hitman game.

Play Blood Money. It still holds up.

Blood Money should hold up okay, it has pretty good graphics and controls. Might as well get Hitman(TM!!) though. There is no reason to play the games in any particular order, so if you ever wanted to go back to try Blood Money for some extra Hitman fix you can.

it's the only old hitman game that hasn't aged like shit and BM handles almost the same as TM does, it's a bit harder though (no throwing junk gathered from the map except the guns, no sticking to the cover). Get it, it's still good and like 2 euros on steam atm

Hitman was never good. It's like Manhunt. People only like it because you play as an edgy hitman

cool, I'll check it out. Always heard it was amazing just never got around to it

>edgy

the only edgy thing here is your post.

>said no one ever

Second best HItman game to blood money. In some ways it's better than blood money.

alright, alright, you guys convinced me!
Downloading now!

maybe you're too young to have ever played the original Hitman games, personally I played the very first of the series when it came out and back then it was revolutionary. Yes, it has aged like utter shit and I can't play it anymore without getting eye-cancer and raging at the controls, but back then it was THE shit. What I'm trying to say is, STFU and GTFO, underage shitposter!

Better then Blood Money solely because this one has a sensible control scheme.

There's some dumbing down in level design, opportunities/instinct (although you can safely turn those off) though. But the episodic release really doesn't matter at all, and the elusive target stuff is annoying but safely ignorable since it's mostly just cosmetic awards.

Buy it if you liked Blood Money. The DRM does suck cock though and you'll need to put up with it.

is that Donyol Croyg in the OP's picture?

They actually patched out the DRM stuff recently. All your shit is now stored locally

you still can't unlock gear offline

fun game but i wish the targets had more randomness to them. i wish you could turn opportunities totally off and targets would just go wherever they want.

like in italy the targets never leave the house (except of course for set piece opportunities) i wish they would leave the house but have a bunch of guards around them and on the rooftops to make you adapt.

>no cheat codes to unlock weapons
>weapons unlocks are hidden behind progress bars
>50% of the maps are shit (only six maps)
>special contracts only appear once
>always online
>denuvo

yeah, game is trash senpai..

8/10 gameplay
0/10 business model

Im refusing to buy any more missions until they make it so all elusive targets are available for a short time starting when you start the mission for the first time. Im not going to give them money when 16 missions iv missed so far are forever locked out of my reach.

Those missions aren't "MISSIONS" so much as they are random fucks selected in the level you have to go find and kill.

>it's the only old hitman game that hasn't aged like shit

I only just played through all but the most recent game last month, and Contracts didn't seem bead, really. Blood Money is the best for the most part though, but fuck that damn temporary save system, who the fuck came up with that?

And its still content they locked out entirely arbitrarily, not to mention all the other stuff like unlockables you cant get without doing those missions.

Its so utterly fucking stupid, there is literally zero difference in terms of gameplay between having the mission start a countdown when you start the mission and them giving a week to do it but you do absolutely fuck over everyone late to the game.

Still a different way to play the game. Don't they change part of the map in some of them? Like the one where you have to kill some low-budget superhero series' protagonist?

you're placing far too much gameplay value in ETs, they're all shit. besides there will be a constant stream of them so even if you buy the game today, a month from now, or whenever you can still kill 13 of them to get your silly suits. you and everyone else with this made up notion of being left behind are making a mountain out of a mole hill. i missed them all too and my first ET was the chef.

>you're placing far too much gameplay value in ETs
I can put as much or as little value in them as I want, its a stupid system and I wont be spending any money until they change it.

>a month from now
I dont want to play the game a month from now, or a week or a year I want to play it when I want to play it. The core concept it a fun one ruined by the shitty system they use.

>Elusive Targets
>elusive
JˈluːsJv,-ˈljuː-/
adjective
difficult to find, catch, or achieve.

My neurons are firing up on their own.

Do you have a point or are you just resorting to shitposting definitions now?

you're still making shit up. you feel as if you're being left behind by missing ETs that don't come back. it's all in your damn head. everyone can unlock all the suits, the ETs don't stop coming and you don't miss any unlocks you want. you're literally creating walls in your own mind like the same people who make shit up about being "punished" in dishonored for killing someone.

>you're still making shit up
I have literally not made a single thing up, which is fantastically ironic for you to say since you're trying to find flaws in my argument and so you're the one making shit up to save face.

The system is shit. There is literally no gameplay difference between
1. Developer sets a week you can do a mission and chances are you cant play because you have a life and cant just stop everything to jump on your computer to play it
2. Having the mission on your computer and having a few hours to complete it that starts once you first run the mission

Its the exact same shit except 2 makes sense and 1 locks out content you paid for but cant access.

They're not getting my money and thats my reason, get over it kid.

People who whine about ETs never coming back should play the game. You're not missing ANYTHING. The only effort they put into them was the Gary Busey one. They are glorified contracts with a cutscene and 2 minutes of voice work and they have only gotten more and more lazy. If you actually played the game and played an ET you would instantly realize they are fucking nothing.

>Fortunately, the always-on DRM got patched out,

No it hasn't. You still get kicked back to the menu if you disconnect from the servers, and "offline" mode doesn't let you use equipment/outfits and starting locations that you unlocked which defeats the point of playing Hitman.

Even the console versions are always online, which makes no sense since you can't even pirate on those consoles.

You're right that the handholdy stuff can be disabled, it's the best Hitman game but still marred by absolutely unacceptable marketing decisions and a business model which arguably makes it not worth supporting unless you enjoy a future where single player games are unplayable without always being connected to the internet.

>you're still making shit up. you feel as if you're being left behind by missing ETs that don't come back. it's all in your damn head.

Nothing he said is made up. The fact is that you missed out on time-limited content if you didn't buy the game at launch. You can argue that the content isn't good but that's purely subjective and doesn't change the facts.

People who whine that ETs shouldnt change are just morons.

>People who whine about ETs never coming back should play the game. You're not missing ANYTHING

Except for content that can never be played again, objectively.

I played the game and even I recognize this.

It's worth it, it's one of the best games of the year. Maybe even goty.

>People who whine about ETs never coming back should play the game
I would but the missions are locked behind arbitrary time walls

Also
>ETS are the same as normal missions
No, no they absolutely fucking are not. You can only do ETs once moron.

They shouldn't even exist in the first place, why should they change? REMOVE

They should exist because they are a good idea thats poorly executed

Holy fuck you're retarded

>remove one of the best parts of hitman
Now it all makes sense, you're shit at Hitman and cant even complete ETs so you dont think they are important. Everyone ignore the casual, he doesnt even play ETs. I bet this fucktard plays with all the hints on too.

>they are fucking nothing.

>one of the best parts of hitman

So which one is it guys?

>implying the vast majority of you don't look up youtube guides for ETs

What a great fallacy! I can do one too

>Implying the vast majority dont look up guides on youtube

You shouldn't exist, yet you do, remove yourself.

They're literally timed contracts, i like them though, however the last 2 were sub-par.

>What a great fallacy

Great fallacy fallacy you got there.

Show me how to remove myself, set an example. I'll be right behind you.

Pointing out your bullshit isnt a fallacy but nice try

How about you prove it then that the vast majority of people look on guides? You cant and wont but I bet I can expect some pointless witty reply to save face so Ill save you by ignoring your posts.

Great game. A definite buy, even at full price! Honestly, TM is the best of the entire series. The episodic release and DRM are non-issues and completely irrelevant to the actual gameplay. Should be considered GOTY.

I'd say that is there at the top with Blood Money,
but the always online bulshit is atrocious tho

like, you can't even download a game while you play it because it slows down the save/missions, its utterly retarded

>Pointing out your bullshit isnt a fallacy

It's called a fallacy fallacy, I suggest you look it up.

>I can expect you to save face so I'll save face by ignoring your posts haha got em!

Just look it up you incompetent sack of shit.

>A definite buy, even at full price!
>The episodic release and DRM are non-issues

>Pointing out your bullshit isnt a fallacy but nice try

Prove it.

That's what I'm doing. Don't tell me that you don't actually know how to do it and are now trying to save face? Please, show the way sir.

For someone in a thread about being a professional killer, you don't seem well versed in the art of killing yourself.

I'm interested in this but I'm not a fan of buying incomplete games. How many episodes are there going to be in total?

Season 1 has 6, so assuming it doesn't end with Season 2, there will probably be about 18 total.

Season 1 is finished so you're getting the same amount of episodes that comes in the physical release a month from now. There's going to be another season which is effectively a sequel to this game.

>The instinct bugs me? Idk if it bugs anybody else, but I feel the game is too structured around it that disabling it
I somehow didn't realize it existed and played through the entire game without it.
I don't feel like I missed anything because of it.

Why does agent Smith acts as if he only knows 47 from Flatline? It's like the devs only played Blood Money prior to making this game, and even than they didn't finish it.

Wait, Agent Smith is in the last game? Which contract?

Hokkaido

Doesn't he say he owes you thrice now? That means he remembers his previous encounters with 47 beyond Blood Money, but saying thrice does kind of make the level where you encounter him in Contracts not canon or else he'd have said he owes you four times now, and Contracts were just memories of a near death state 47, so its plausible he might have never been there at all and 47 just hallucinated him there.

The thing is he acts as if 47 is just some agent he vaguely remembers, when in blood money's final missions he was your handler instead of Diana.

He HAS been in a corpse fridge for quite some time, though.