Cube Posted June 4, 2011 Posted June 4, 2011 Since Hitman 2 I've loved all the Hitman games - and it feels like absolutely ages since Blood Money. One thing I'd love to see is more advanced AI. Guards should react to NPCs (in previous games if they ran away from you and entered restricted areas they would be left alone), and making them look suspicious so that the guards may open fire. It would also be great if they could get rid of the whole clunkiness feeling.
Magnus Posted June 4, 2011 Posted June 4, 2011 I hope this is just more of what made Blood Money so great, with some minor improvements here and there. Regarding Silent Assassin - was it just me, or was sneaking around way too hard in that game? Guards would start shooting at me within seconds no matter which disguise I was wearing. That completely ruined the game for me (and my brother hated it too), but everyone seems to love it, so I don't know if it was a bug or if I just sucked or what.
Dyson Posted June 4, 2011 Posted June 4, 2011 Those screenshots are fuckin' ace. Loved Blood Money. In fact, I'm gonna load it up right now.
Shorty Posted June 4, 2011 Posted June 4, 2011 Why is he standing on that tiny bit of floor? how could that possibly be a good idea.
Magnus Posted June 13, 2011 Posted June 13, 2011 There's an article about this in the latest issue of Edge. It mentions how they're replacing the composer from the previous games (he's working on the new Assassin's Creed, so that may be why), as well as the voices of Diana and 47. Though the part about Bateson not returning as 47 isn't a direct quote and the official response right now seems to be "no comment", so there may still be hope. I'm already annoyed by how they decided to replace the voice of Diana after three games. 47 will apparently be more agile in this game, and he'll actually be able to sneak this time, rather than just walk around like a robot. So that's nice. The all-seeing map is gone, and now there's going to be something akin to the detective mode in Arkham Asylum instead. The game will have "smaller sandboxes" and a "checkpoint structure", but the article also mentions how there are going to be larger free-roaming levels, so I'm not sure how that's going to work with checkpoints. Freely walking around a huge level and experimenting was one of the best parts of the previous games. Overall, I'm slightly worried that this is going to turn into another Splinter Cell: Conviction. Hopefully they'll manage to strike a balance between new and old.
Shorty Posted June 14, 2011 Posted June 14, 2011 Ugh, "Detective Mode". This was my least favourite thing about the reveal of the new Tomb Raider. Since when do these people have magic eyes?? Stop walking us through the game, stop making all the interactive objects flash and glow, let us figure it out.... People mocked Nintendo for having tutorial videos, or letting the computer take over and show you where to go, but this new fad of auto-highlighting the next obstacle is much worse IMO!
Magnus Posted June 14, 2011 Posted June 14, 2011 Tomb Raider will have a detective mode (that's what I get for not watching the trailer)? So that's this game, Tomb Raider, Assassin's Creed, Batman... And people say all shooters are the same. Maybe it's this generation's generating health!
Retro_Link Posted June 14, 2011 Posted June 14, 2011 (edited) Ugh, "Detective Mode". This was my least favourite thing about the reveal of the new Tomb Raider. Since when do these people have magic eyes?? Stop walking us through the game, stop making all the interactive objects flash and glow, let us figure it out.... People mocked Nintendo for having tutorial videos, or letting the computer take over and show you where to go, but this new fad of auto-highlighting the next obstacle is much worse IMO! Agreed! These 'senses' are plain stupid!FFS be creative with your puzzles/design and let us work the stuff out for ourselves! Oh and because it's not in here yet... a pointless trailer... Edited June 14, 2011 by Retro_Link
Aimless Posted June 14, 2011 Posted June 14, 2011 Maybe it's this generation's generating health! I do think it's a generational thing, but not in quite the way you're thinking. You can realise environments in such great detail on current hardware that interactive elements in a scene aren't as obvious as they used to be. As such visual cues — such as golden doorhandles in LA Noire, or climbable surfaces in Uncharted being notably lighter than their surroundings — are something of a requirement. Frankly that kind of visual messaging is both time consuming and comes with a fairly wide margin of error, so it's not too surprising that more and more developers are finding visor-like modes to be an easier solution.
dwarf Posted June 14, 2011 Posted June 14, 2011 Which brings into question why they're shoehorned into a game when the tech isn't there for it. Signposting objects, for me anyway, removes the purpose of clue-hunting style activities. The only types of game it works in are point and click affairs where you can combine items and use logic, or in something Heavy Rain where being the detective isn't as much a gameplay element as it is suspenseful exploration. I can only really see a detective game working in a first person perspective with a narrower FOV, where instead of aiming weapons you control your arms to interact with objects, and cycle through items to experiment and affect the environment. That doesn't happen with video games, the focus always has to be on action. The gameplay has to be universal for consumers to understand and cope with. And the stories always have to be fucking dire.
Magnus Posted June 14, 2011 Posted June 14, 2011 You can realise environments in such great detail on current hardware that interactive elements in a scene aren't as obvious as they used to be. As such visual cues — such as golden doorhandles in LA Noire, or climbable surfaces in Uncharted being notably lighter than their surroundings — are something of a requirement. Frankly that kind of visual messaging is both time consuming and comes with a fairly wide margin of error, so it's not too surprising that more and more developers are finding visor-like modes to be an easier solution. I see your point. It's like how in a lot of older games you could tell which doors could be opened because they were in 3D, while doors that couldn't be opened were simply textures. I've seen a lot of Tomb Raider fans complain about how climbable ledges stick out too much in the newer games, but in the older games the surroundings were so plain that ledges stuck out just as much without being lighter than the surroundings. But at the same time, I'm not sure that giving 47 magical eyesight and the ability to see through walls/observe patrol paths is really the best solution. Previous games (or just Blood Money, I can't remember) showed everything on the map, and I can kind of see why they would want to get away from that. But this just feels a bit too much Assassin's Creed.
Aimless Posted June 14, 2011 Posted June 14, 2011 Well, you have to remember that your character is, in this case, a genetically engineered assassin. We're getting a visual representation of his instincts and senses because a) the person playing isn't going to be a trained assassin, and b) the player's experience is an abstracted, vicarious one; we don't have access to the same amount of ambient feedback, or indeed the freedom of movement, that one would have if really in the situation depicted on screen. From more of a game balance perspective it's worth mentioning that 47's instincts are a finite resource, topped up by silently taking down enemies and the like. You won't be able to spam it all the time and it also has some other functions.
dwarf Posted June 14, 2011 Posted June 14, 2011 (edited) Detective modes: They're like laboratory experiments because they lack ecological validity. They take you out of the game. The function of these devices is understandable but they're too forced and compromise the experience in my view. Silly games trying to tackle multiple complex systems with one framework. Detective sniffing to be pulled off well demands very special attention. I know Hitman isn't a detective game and this isn't the main 'mechanic', but it's not an engaging or fun one in my view. At least I haven't liked it in other titles. Edited June 14, 2011 by dwarf
Magnus Posted June 14, 2011 Posted June 14, 2011 From more of a game balance perspective it's worth mentioning that 47's instincts are a finite resource, topped up by silently taking down enemies and the like. You won't be able to spam it all the time and it also has some other functions. I'm a bit confused by this, actually. If the instinct mode is limited, they can't really design the levels around the use of it. In the previous games, you could always use the map to check for guards/potential dangers, but now there's a chance that you'll end up in a tricky situation with an empty instinct meter. It's also a bit odd that it refills when you silently take down enemies, as avoiding enemies completely whenever possible should be preferable. Though I guess it's possible that it will refill at checkpoints or something similar as well.
ViPeR Posted June 14, 2011 Posted June 14, 2011 You don't HAVE to use this instinct mode though do you?
Shorty Posted June 14, 2011 Posted June 14, 2011 Well, you have to remember that your character is, in this case, a genetically engineered assassin. We're getting a visual representation of his instincts and senses because a) the person playing isn't going to be a trained assassin, and b) the player's experience is an abstracted, vicarious one; we don't have access to the same amount of ambient feedback, or indeed the freedom of movement, that one would have if really in the situation depicted on screen.I realise that, but you can do that with sounds, vibrations, dynamic lighting and perhaps subtle camera direction, rather than holding a button and making a vent shaft glow yellow. And as Magnus says, you're rewarded with this ability for silent takedowns? For me the best part about Hitman was that you could complete a whole level with a needle and the right disguise without ever hurting a single guard. It's probably the thing I dislike most about Assassin's Creed, and as such I try to avoid using it. Sure, you have Assassin's instincts, but they actually treat it like an inexplicable "power", it can make invisible things appear on walls and highlight your target in a glimmering gold. In Tomb Raider it's even worse. This is Lara's first adventure, and yet she has these instincts which can make interactive devices glow. If Nathan Drake can manage without it, Lara Croft can.
dwarf Posted June 14, 2011 Posted June 14, 2011 I realise that, but you can do that with sounds, vibrations, dynamic lighting and perhaps subtle camera direction, rather than holding a button and making a vent shaft glow yellow. And as Magnus says, you're rewarded with this ability for silent takedowns? For me the best part about Hitman was that you could complete a whole level with a needle and the right disguise without ever hurting a single guard. It's probably the thing I dislike most about Assassin's Creed, and as such I try to avoid using it. Sure, you have Assassin's instincts, but they actually treat it like an inexplicable "power", it can make invisible things appear on walls and highlight your target in a glimmering gold. In Tomb Raider it's even worse. This is Lara's first adventure, and yet she has these instincts which can make interactive devices glow. If Nathan Drake can manage without it, Lara Croft can. Absolute word.
Magnus Posted October 10, 2011 Posted October 10, 2011 Oh hey, it's a new Splinter Cell! Or a new Batman game or whatever. Okay, that was needlessly negative. Hopefully it's the first mission, and the rest of the game relies much more heavily on the things that made the last couple of Hitman games so great. Hopefully. (I didn't watch the entire video, so I may have missed the really awesome parts.)
ViPeR Posted October 11, 2011 Posted October 11, 2011 I will NOT be using that detective mode if I can help it. It gets rid of any tension when you know a guard is going to go to a certain location and stop. I hope it's a little less scripted and you get to choose your own routes or even make up as you go along. The way I was watching that video it was almost as if you had one way out and had to do things in a certain order to progress. For example pushing that guy into the hole then grabbing the guard up top. Why not have the option to scale up somewhere else and takedown the top guard. Maybe there is. Hmm can't judge on one video alone though.
Retro_Link Posted October 11, 2011 Posted October 11, 2011 Oh come on cops!... you can see the Tattoo on the back of his head ffs! :p
Retro_Link Posted January 12, 2012 Posted January 12, 2012 The last scene in that video is a bit unintentionally Agent Smith like... everyone looks the same! :p
Cube Posted May 16, 2012 Author Posted May 16, 2012 Well, the pre-order bonus is now out. You can get your code by pre-ordering it at Amazon.co.uk and redeem it at http://hitmansniper.com/redeem . It's a sniper challenge level. You have 15 minutes to kill a CEO of a company. You also have to kill his 15 guards, trying not to be noticed by the others. Good scores will unlock the sniper rifle and upgrades in the main game. You can also easily cancel the pre-order after you get the code. It sounds like a great pre-order bonus - a nice little extra to play before the game is out.
Aimless Posted May 31, 2012 Posted May 31, 2012 It's disappointing that the people behind a series I love think that trailer would appeal to me.
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