reboot it. Instead, IO Interactive now acts as an independent studio with the full departure of Square Enix.
Season 2 delivers six additional sandboxes to play in, bringing the total amount to levels to 12 if you include Season 1. I have always been a big fan of the series, and started playing Hitman with the original on PC, and then played the rest of the series up util now. Each game is great and carries its own strengths and weaknesses, with Absolution being the most unorthodox on the list do to its more linear approach.
This new take on the series is what I would call a “true fans dream come true”. Everything is greatly expanded upon and levels now feature the scope and detail the series has always deserved. Season 1 had a bit of a slow start being episodic, and it took a while to make a disk version. The game was around, but it was more like a ghost, few even knew about it. As good as Season 1 was, it never felt 100% complete because it only had 6 mission. Even with the missions being large in size, it still felt like half a game, and that is because it was.
Season 2 is the second half we needed, but its greatness doesn’t end there. Season 1 lacked only a few things that held it back from being perfect, and Season 2 not only addresses such impediments, it also reprograms the original Season 1 missions with much needed features. Season 2 brings back the six locations from the previous Season, as part of the Hitman Legacy Pack, but it is only a free download for owners of Season 1. The new levels in Season 2, do not take part in the Season 1 levels, they are all new locations.
The new missions from Season 1 have been remastered and enhanced to support new gameplay features found in Season 2, including a new progression system, higher-fidelity crowds, picture-in-picture mode, and new gameplay items such as your briefcase, dart gun and flash grenades. There are new difficulty modes and the A.I has been reworked from the ground up. The A.I will no longer stand around and let you go gun happy, they will now move around tactically, flank and run into cover, so it is now a blast to play it both ways, stealth and as a shooter.
A.I can now see you in a mirror and respond accordingly. Cameras also now serve a purpose. Guards will now run to investigate, like they should with guns ready. No longer do they hide in the back eating Doritos, or whatever it was they have been doing for the past 15 or so years. It is now safe to say that all of the old guards have officially been “let go” do to a lack in job performance, and have now been replaced with guards who are more actively motivated by some kind of new payroll system.
Final Verdict:
Season 2 delivers more needed content, as well as polishing up its Season 1 content. The only feature I would like to see return is the “Human Shield”, which for whatever reason is not an option, but does not hinder the great experience. If you have been holding out on buying Season 1 then now is the time. This will now give you 12 large sandbox stages to play around in, but just keep in mind, the Season 1 stages are not included on this disk, they are downloaded only as part of a DLC Legacy Pack, and only free to owners of Season 1.
