analyzes by someone who loves stealth games and dedicates a lot to hitman series are always interesting to watch, please do more of these. i enjoy your videos!
You definitely got your point across, this style of video is very good and enjoyable for me, your knowledge and opinions are a joy to listen to. My only critique would be that i wish it was a little longer or there was a little more of it, although you mentioned having struggles getting around to making them so it's understandable.
Hitman: Absolution would have been a great game if it wasn't part of the Hitman series and was instead a standalone game with a fugitive anti-hero protagonist whose face is known by everyone and is hunted at all times. This would make the disguise system make more sense too but would still need a bunch of tweaks to make it work well in all levels. I hate that for most of the game guards can easily spot you when they have absolutely no reason to suspect you and, especially, that they can spot you when you're facing away from them. I really want to like this game but it pisses me off so much, I don't know if I'll ever play it again.
Could have been a new genetically engineered agent who goes rogue and is being hunted down by the agency. Could of even had a part where 47 is the one hunting you down just to find out he's part of the reason u managed to escape a raw deal. Fuck knows still sounds better than what we got imo. Would anyone else play my game?
Aside from "Run for your life", I feel like the next section "Hunter and Hunted" is pretty underrated. I like how it's a big enough section for you to get meaningful disguises and equipment (such as silenced pistol) while also navigating through police searches and killing some targets. The last section of "Hunter and Hunted" also works great as climax even if they are reusing the chinatown map.
Stealth games are one of my favorite genres, and I thought this was a great video on a subject that hasn't really had much focus brought to it. I think the focus on the shifting advantage from the police to 47 was a good decision, as it showed a nuance to the level design I never really noticed when I played through the game. While I don't really have complaints about the existing content of the video, maybe the topic could have been expanded on a bit? Considering how you mention considering the train section one of the best in the game, and even genre, I was thinking it could be interesting to compare what this level does right compared to others in the game, or what the train platform segment succeeds in, compared to other "social stealth" attempts. Regardless, I still really enjoyed this video, and would be very interested to hear more about what you have to say about other stealth games, a genre that definitely doesn't get the recognition it deserves.
ah yes Deadly Cargo is one of the most twisted and diverse mission in Hitman IMO. The twist part is before the war begin, you could choose to disguised as swat team, disguised as the mafia, or do a solo hunt and kill the target before even the war begin. Very fun mission imho.
What I wish previous Hitman games had and liked that Absolution explored, is dealing with failure. In previous games you were, more or less, always in control. In BM, the Agency is falling apart, and not capitalizing on a "you're being hunted, and perhaps eliminate targets" type of mission was a wasted opportunity IMO. The first and the last levels in Contracts come to mind, where you had to escape, but I don't think they were very successful in implementing that. Absolution, especially this level, nailed this type of mission, and I hope they explore, in moderation, this type of level.
Hey Kotti, I thought this was your best video in ages and I'd love to see more of you focusing on specific parts of the series that you love. It was good to see you talking about the franchise without the criticism for a change, and while constructive feedback has its place I'd like to see you talking more about the things you do enjoy rather than the things you don't. Hope to see more of this kind of video on your channel in the future. Peace.
I think you did a magnificent job w this video. Absolution may be different than previous Hitman entries, but it's still my favorite in the series. I never realized it until now, but probably because of this level in particular. That sense of fear it evokes, often times splitting hairs while running and hiding from a dense police presence. Studying their every move for the appropriate action to take. One small slip and it's over. Trying to make it through the game with suit only and silent assassin rating (when possible) brings a whole new level of difficulty and suspense lol.
Never actually expected you to do a video about Absolution, better yet - a positive one. Nontheless the video is good and you made fair points. Still Absolution is a fckin mess of a hitman game... What we actually need is... another anthology run :D
The video format is great and you are precise and succinct. You made your point across and managed to point at least one quality in this mess of a game. The stealth system in Absolution is the very definition of "Sounds good, doesn't work". The mission takes too long, the linking sections are pointless and bad, and Agent 47 is far too good to be entangled by first responders for so long. The mission should be the library, Shangri-la and the train station. Done.
I remember when I first went through the train station segment, the constantly rising suspicion meters combined with the countdown that seemed to stretch into one unbearably long minute made the tension immense. I was nailed to my seat.
the game mechanics on absolution maybe lackluster but the graphics still holds up even after all these years. I don't mind playing a hitman game with the recent game mechanics and freedom with absolution's graphics. imagine having the freedom to play the game just like in the hitman 1,2 and 3 with graphics of absolution, you can play the game even with an integrated laptop graphics.
I'm a sucker for documentaries like these, especially about an underrated game like Absolution. It's honestly worth the effort and the point has been indeed got across. Please don't be discouraged if it does worse than your usual content, I love it!
Completely agree, the strength of this part of this game is probably why it was shown to the public so early on and it really did impress me when they revealed it. It's dragged down a lot by the other parts of the game, especially the ridiculous writing for the hotel scenario which really dampens what could have been a highlight of the Hitman series.
@@kur5ula i disagree, although Absolution might seem mostly linear, the levels are made so that you can do a lot in them, take the library section of this level: there are 3 ways i have found to do it just by being stealthy, if you want you can go guns blazing, just like older Hitman games, and thats JUST one part of it! Im not even counting on traditionnal Hitman levels like King of Chinatown, Shaving Lenny, Hunter and Hunted... this game has so many options that people like you dont see, plus i think the challenges are great fun and addicting!
The game is not bad at all, it's an interesting take on Hitman. Actually, it's how Hitman movie should have been. BUT. Retarded disguise system, where everyone recognizes you, even some guy from the store in the other side of the map, only because you have the same uniform... It's not good, at all, and destroys like half of the enjoyment.
fantastic dissection of the level! i never thought of it like this, but i see exactly what you mean. would love to see more videos like this, if you're passionate about making them.
I appreciate the time you put into the Hitman series, since finding your channel, they have helped me TREMENDOUSLY in enjoying this series. Thank you Kotti!!!
Thanks for the video. Absolution obviously has a lot of problems, but it's always good to point out the things it did well, things the developers did that they should try and expand upon, instead of just declaring the entire thing is trash and nothing like it should ever be attempted again. Playing a stealth game where the protagonist is fugitive and trying to clear his name does sound like an interesting concept, and I would like to see IOI try it again in the future as something completely separate from the Hitman series.
top notch stuff, the points you made about the pacing of the mission checkpoints is what really makes "Run For Your Life" stand out amongst the rest of the levels in Absolution, and even other stealth games.
I just found that mission incredibly infuriating. I kept getting spotted when I really shouldn't have, was getting killed over and over again (especially that bit with the helicopter, and found myself just having to cheese it by sprinting for the exit just to get to the end after like an hour.
I like the style of the video and always enjoy hearing the opinion of other people who have spent a lot of time with these games. Absolution in particular is one that I didn't play much. Seeing this makes me want to pick it back up again, maybe in the years between when it released and now I'll have a new appreciation for it :) Making videos should be something you enjoy, so if /you/ don't like making this type of content, then IMO don't do it. If you enjoy it though there are definitely those of us in your audience who will watch them!
This is a fantastic video! I love how your points are concise and effectively made while also being extremely detailed and thorough. The point about how the mission progresses was a really awesome idea that I never thought about and made me consider this level as a brilliant sort of stealthy short film where 47 is being chased and uses his own smarts and abilities to turn the tide in his favor. I think another thing that could be brought up is how the art designers used each area to reflect the 3 acts of this mission. The library is run down, and the bookcases and desks make for good cover while at the same time making the level feel claustrophobic. The Shangri-La is more colorful to suggest a change in acts and has more areas for 47 to hide which, in turn, gives him more power. And finally, the train station gives 47 access to his greatest asset (the ability to blend in) to allow the player to feel in control again. I think the biggest weakness of Absolution is a level like Dexter Industries/Death Factory. The lack in interesting scenery and different gimmicks that need to be used make it feel like traversing corridors to get from A to B rather than an interesting and worthwhile level. And because it's so long to get through, it kills the pacing. I really hope you make more videos like this in the future because this was really interesting and thought-provoking. Also, congrats on 20k subs, Kotti; you deserve every one of them!
To be honest Absolution has the best level design in the whole series. Levels were very interesting, well-made and memorable. This game is basically buffed Codename 47 on steroids.
Thought this video was great and you got your point across very smoothly. Thank you for showing footage pertaining to what you are talking about as well as someone not to experienced with absolution it was really helpful
Great job here. I personally feel Absolution has the best atmosphere except maybe Hitman 2. Also the AI here and the point deduction system is a lot better than the others.
ah yes I agree, I remember replaying The Train Station for so many time with SA/SO attempt when the game just released, it's so challenging. It is the only part of absolution I mostly replayed. Too bad the game was simply not a hitman game like the old ones, is just another heavily-scripted stealth game, mostly point A to Point B.
Please do more of these kinds of videos! listening to your analysis on hitman titles or any other stealth game is quite informative. Speaking of, will you be doing any other stealth titles for rants or speedruns like the splinter cell series, theif, metal gear?
Well-explained analysis! Totally agree. Absolution's tension is fantastic, and honestly the hated disguise system is certainly part of that. The tension still persists when speedrunning Run For Your Life, as well. Very well-baked into the game.
i sometimes like to play this level just for fun because it has good atmosphere! ans i recommend everyone to play this lvl before watching any guides or speedruns 👍
This is a lovely video and I agree with your point. It's not that Absolution's system was inherently bad, it just tried to make too universal of a ruleset that didn't have the flexibility to make sense in a lot of contexts. Makes me imagine what a reworked Absolution could be like, where you use the WoA enforcer system and just give everyone enforcer in levels like Run for Your Life.
Honestly I don't understand why people hate this game I feel people just bitch about everything cause it's not what "they wanted" I loved this level and this game and yes Kotti you did a emaculate job with this video and I would love to see you talk about the older Hitman games
My first hitman game was blood money, Absolution was a good game imo not as good as blood money or world of assassination trilogy but a good game nonetheless I would love remakes of the original pc only games
I always feel like Absolution is a good stealth game just not a good Hitman game. Levels like these helped cement that thought. Really well done analysis though!
(This is going to be a mini review of some sort) To be honest Hitman: Absolution is an alright game in of itself even if it has flaws that make it less of a Hitman game and more of a traditional stealth game like Splinter Cell for example. In fact, I believe the general direction that IO made with Absolution was inspired by multiple games including Splinter Cell. Aside from the Mark and Execute type of mechanic from Splinter Cell: Conviction that is present in Absolution by the name of Point Shooting AND the general go-from-point-A-to-point-B type of stealth, it actually could've been that Absolution would've featured a "hiding in the dark" mechanic as Kotti mentions during 2:59 which is a mechanic present in every Splinter Cell game. This makes sense in a way considering that at one point in development Absolution had no targets to kill which not only would've enforced the linear and social stealth aspects of the game but it would've made disguises particularly useless just as they are in-game. In fact, this may be the reason why disguises in Hitman: Absolution are near useless/broken; Absolution was supposed to be a linear stealth game with no targets to kill from the start. Seeing how fans were not happy with the change of Hitman's general identity revealed in E3, IO had no other choice but to add some targets in but still left the general linear aspect of the game which is why the whole game feels all over the place with the disguises and the level design in general and such. The general controls of the game are really good and are fluid and compliment the gameplay. The only nuances I may have with it is the fact that the Caps Lock button is used as the holster/draw button and the fact that on the PC version during QTE the buttons wouldn't be colourful nor flashing like in the PS3 version, but this is generally nitpicking and isn't really all that important. I have to admit that I'm not _entirely_ happy with the decision that almost _every_ mission in the game is a literal fucking line. Of course there are exceptions like The King of Chinatown, Streets of Hope and The Vixen Club to an extent (Also The Chinese New Year in Hunter and Hunted), but most levels fall under the go-from-point-A-to-point-B type of level. By far the one that frustrated me the most was Dexter Industries where a whole empty space with people that have the same disguise as me wandered around and I couldn't do much to get inside because my Instinct was empty which eventually lead to a gun fight that I had to dispatch if I wanted to progress but since my objective was to go through the whole level without firing a single shot I naturally uninstalled Absolution and decided not to play it again until I get my hands on a new drive to install that bad boy in there. Regarding the soundtrack it's not really memorable at all to be fair. Sure, there may be one or two tracks that actually keep looping in my mind whenever I think of Absolution (The first being "Death Factory - Combat 1" which has a Jesper Kyd-like influence to it and the second being "The Barbershop" which reminds me of the few songs in Hitman: Contracts that play that you just can't get out of your mind because of the impact it leaves in you when you first hear it), but other than the whole soundtrack is rather mediocre at best when it comes to creating an atmosphere. Speaking of atmosphere, it seems also rather underwhelming, which I find ironic considering the fact that Absolution tries to be gritty and dark like Contracts. While it may have its fair share of good moments like in 4:20 where (without the commentary) the scene shows Agent 47 in the lift going to the first floor while the police officers show at one scene running and breathing heavily while trying to catch 47 with the camera switching to show the back of 47 while suspenseful SFX can be heard as the lift finally makes its way to the first floor. That scene alone to me is almost comparable to scenes in Contracts (Reason why I saw "almost" is that Contracts is of course its own type of atmosphere. On that note, I imagine the Hitman games as "stealth horror games" especially on the highest difficulties, mainly because the atmosphere Jesper Kyd makes with the first four Hitman games really make you feel like an assassin actually taking people's lives away.). The sad part is that this may be one of the only few scenes where Absolution's atmosphere really shines. Despite all of the points I've made, Absolution is still a "good" game, even if it's flawed. Hell, I'm glad the team decided to change some things up instead of being unoriginal and reusing the same Hitman formula but with better graphics. This is how we have The World of Assassination trilogy now, as it combines Absolution and Blood Money mechanics.
If The Last Jedi wasn't a Star Wars movie... it may have been considered a pretty decent movie. If Absolution wasn't a Hitman game it may have been considered a pretty decent game. Anybody else agree?
I have recently reinstalled this game and tried to do it the way the devs wanted us to do it. I wanted to find something that would make me appreciate it. It was impossible. The rating points, quick time events and lots of other things forced me to quit it. Even the action side was bad. But I had to give the devs points for choosing that mission as a demo for promotion. In fact I would trade it in for the whole released game.
Bought the PS4 remasters of Blood Money and Absolution soon as they launched, platted Blood Money, have got 1 trophy on Absolution, don't think I even completed the tutorial mission.
Very good analysis! I will admit, when I first saw the Run For Your Life preview godknows how many years ago now I was concerned. Guess I was in the camp of "Hitman fan who wanted the next game to be like Blood Money, but more". As you rightly say, the circumstances leading up to RFYL are schlocky and make little sense; and I guess that's also where I disagree with you a bit on the disguise system. Yeah, the cops are on a big ol' search for some guy who (supposedly) stabbed a maid and burnt a hotel room in the trashy part of town, so they'd keep their wits about them... But given how they seem to be bringing in units from all over the city ("fuckin' Sauganash!") just to pad their ranks, I don't think they should still get suspicious of your disguise when you're in line of sight but at a safe distance. That's just me, though. Overall, in a game that consists of mostly 'run from A to B' levels, this chapter probably is the best of the Absolution experience.
If they had changed the disguise system absolution would be great for what it is. I can only play it on easy because of it to be honest. Had some really good easter eggs though, especially the nuke and kane & lynch
Absolution did nothing wrong except park itself under the already infamous Hitman name; standalone, it would've been considered brilliant without the "wHerE's MY SteAlTh StuFf" I love it nonetheless.
