2
Fraser: Now that IO Interactive has
completed its ambitious world of
assassination, you can play all three
Hitman games in a single package, giving
you a lifetime of elaborate murders to pull
off. It feels like an endless vacation where
you occasionally top someone. A trip to a
gaudy Dubai skyscraper one day, then off
to an Argentinian winery the next, each of
them bursting with potential for mischief.
Hitman 3 is an exceptional game in its own
right – not least because it contains a
spot-on Agatha Christie mystery where
you get to play the detective – but the real
selling point is getting to play the entire
trilogy with all of the enhancements. It’s a
great excuse to revisit Sapienza for the
hundredth time.
Phil: On its own, Hitman 3 probably
wouldn’t be as high on this list. But
Hitman 3 as a way to access the entire
trilogy – including the ever-expanding
selection of escalation contracts and
time-limited elusive targets – is essential.
Each game has its own personality. The
first is IO rediscovering its aptitude for
creating intricate stealth sandboxes, and
getting bolder and more experimental as it
goes. Hitman 2 ups the scale, with some of
the largest levels in the series’ history, each
packed full of things to try. Hitman 3 is
tighter and more focused, but builds on
the previous games for a confident finale
full of memorable scenarios. Each mission
is ridiculously replayable, and this package
brings together more than 20 of them. You
could play this for years and never run out
of new things to try.
James: If aliens ever invade Earth and
demand to know what we humans call
‘videogames,’ I will give them Hitman 3. It
has everything: espionage, geopolitical
intrigue, slapstick comedy. The trilogy
represents the best of game design too,
working as a simultaneous sandbox and
teacher. I’ve played the same levels dozens
of times, reverse-engineering guard
patrols, NPC AI behaviours, and how my
weapons and tools interact with it all.
While the first run through a Hitman
level is typically overwhelming, the options
endless and threats leading to more
improvisational playthroughs, my 20th go
at The Dartmoor Manor with nothing but a
shotgun went off without a hitch. You’d
think I’d enabled cheats, the way I slipped
through sightlines and manipulated the
field with my shiny coins to point-blank five
guards in an escalation without getting
spotted. There’s a reason Agent 47 is an
emotionally stunted bald man: because we
need someone to look up to.
Andy K: This is some of the best stealth in
the history of videogames, with levels that
are big, complex, and pulsing with life and
detail. It’s Hitman 3’s Berlin that really
steals the show for me – a crowded
warehouse rave where the tables are
turned and hitmen come after you. This is
a neat switcheroo, and trying to kill these
guys with eyes everywhere is a challenge
like no other in the series.The Top 100
FE ATURE
HITMAN 3
RELEASED 2021 | LAST POSITION New