In this video interview with the game's art director, Roberto Marchesi, find out why developer IO Interactive thinks this is their most ambitious game to date.
So ambitious that IO Interactive had to build a new engine to make the game, helpfully explains Marchesi, who walks through some of the updated mechanics bald super assassin Agent 47 will have at his disposal in the upcoming sequel, as well as tidbits from the story which takes place after the events of 2006's Hitman: Blood Money.* The words "personal journey" come up during the interview, leading me to believe (along with the trailers for the game) that IO Interactive might be looking to humanize the character a bit.
The major reveal from the trailer, though, is the inclusion of the "Instinct" suite of features which give the hired killer a supernatural suite of new abilities like x-ray vision. The inclusion of more sci-fi elements to the gameplay feels like a concession against the normally super methodical gameplay of Hitman games past, opening it up for players who might not be inclined to take several positions throughout a room simply to find the best one for a takedown. Of course, the first thing that comes to mind is the revamp Sam Fisher received in Splinter Cell: Conviction, which heightened the number of encounters requiring gunplay over previous titles in the series.
We'll see what IO has wrought when Hitman: Absolution arrives sometime later this year.
*Will Agent 47 become like Donald Westlake's hardened criminal Parker and simply get subtitles in lieu of numbers for his sequels?
Hitman: Absolution will be hitting the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC sometime later this year.
Related posts:
Square Enix's 'Hitman: Profession' Trademarked
--
Discuss this story in our Gaming forums! Follow @MTVGeek on Twitter and be sure to "like" us on Facebook for the best geek news about comics, toys, gaming and more!