184 replies to this topic

[Agent Shadow]

Has anyone read this preview by David Houghton from GamesRadar? Aren't his concerns the same as yours? Mind you, this is guy is not a random guy off the street. He's a journalist that has seen both walkthroughs, and has had more than one interview with IO. What are your thoughts?

Edited by Agent Shadow, 23 January 2012 - 12:37 PM.

[Habit]

No.

This is a redundant topic.

we could copy and paste everything from this thread and start over here, or we can just continue the discussion where it's already happened

http://www.hitmanfor...ss-up-this-bad/

[abeg]

Agreed. Also, I coudn't read it all because everything he takes up have been discussed already, or are in current discussion; http://www.hitmanfor...h-tore-blystad/ . What we should do is making a thread that takes up all the things Absolution so far differ from Conviction.

Edited by abeg, 23 January 2012 - 12:59 PM.

[sgg847]

Who is David Houghton?

[Agent Shadow]

Who is David Houghton?

The guy who wrote the article?

[Black glasses]

Agreed. Also, I coudn't read it all because everything he takes up have been discussed already, or are in current discussion; http://www.hitmanfor...h-tore-blystad/ . What we should do is making a thread that takes up all the things Absolution so far differ from Conviction.

Well, the plot doesn't involve saving a wo...
Umm, the levels aren't linea...
Ahem, there isn't a feature that helps console players aim bet...
Well the gameplay is the same as in the previous gam...
The main character doesn't have a silenced p...

Oh come on, it would be the shortest list in the world. Not worth a thread.
I may sound pessimistic and might get downvoted, but seriously, when will IO show/tell more about the open sandbox levels? That's right, never. Because they won't talk about something that doesn't exist. Hitman as we know it is gone. The same thing happened with Battlefield. Six years between sequels (spin-off series not counted) doesn't do good. Battlefield 3 was supposed to be the true sequel, it was supposed to have the biggest maps of the franchise. But what did it become? A hybrid of BF:BC2, CoD and a pile of unpolished features. At least IO isn't lying that Absolution has the biggest maps of the series and that it is a true sequel to Blood Money.

[Habit]

when will IO show/tell more about the open sandbox levels? That's right, never. Because they won't talk about something that doesn't exist.

Daniel.Ben-Noon developer for absolution confirmed open sadbox levels on this forum. I believe Mr. Me asked and got the responce.

So, uhm, will the game have free roam levels or not? I do not want long answers just yes or no. Thank you.

yes

http://www.hitmanforum.com/index.php/topic/55035-hitman-absolution-full-gameplay-video/page__st__660__p__1513926#entry1513926

Edited by Habit, 23 January 2012 - 02:20 PM.

[hityutz]

any dissenting voice in video game industry must be heard loud and clear, especially coming from professionals within the industry, who are typically paid to speak only praise.

he didn't say anything new, but at least he verifies many of my worries. it's a relief to expose absolution for what it is. bald sam fisher. at least my expectations won't be too high this time.

[Aeseric]

We shouldn't report the kill now. Hitman Absolution is down, but not dead. It's quite worrisome for me to see that there has been nothing on sandbox levels, but there's no reason for extreme cynicism.

Black Glasses, I suggest we give IO some more time for the advertising campaign to unravel. Why, you may ask?


As someone already pointed out, Daniel@IO confirmed free-roam levels. Tore also confirmed it numerous times in an interview. I'm sure Nick would support these if someone were to message him.


Time will tell, so just wait and watch.

[abeg]

Well, the plot doesn't involve saving a wo...
Umm, the levels aren't linea...
Ahem, there isn't a feature that helps console players aim bet...
Well the gameplay is the same as in the previous gam...
The main character doesn't have a silenced p...

Oh come on, it would be the shortest list in the world. Not worth a thread.
I may sound pessimistic and might get downvoted, but seriously, when will IO show/tell more about the open sandbox levels? That's right, never. Because they won't talk about something that doesn't exist. Hitman as we know it is gone. The same thing happened with Battlefield. Six years between sequels (spin-off series not counted) doesn't do good. Battlefield 3 was supposed to be the true sequel, it was supposed to have the biggest maps of the franchise. But what did it become? A hybrid of BF:BC2, CoD and a pile of unpolished features. At least IO isn't lying that Absolution has the biggest maps of the series and that it is a true sequel to Blood Money.

I love you Black glasses

[Expert]

If you are too demanding, you will necessarily disappointed. As some, strangely, were for Blood Money.

Hitman is still Hitman. Silent Assassin is also different to Codename47... For the best.

[Choronzon]

any dissenting voice in video game industry must be heard loud and clear, especially coming from professionals within the industry, who are typically paid to speak only praise.

he didn't say anything new, but at least he verifies many of my worries. it's a relief to expose absolution for what it is. bald sam fisher. at least my expectations won't be too high this time.

So, here we have a well-educated Hitman journalist and industry insider (well, almost) pretty much confirming what all of us cynical "haters/doubters" have been theorizing and speculating for weeks, no, months now. Oh my, this doesn't look pretty... at least it confirms my worst fears. Where's Coflash when you need him?

[Agent_88]

So, here we have a well-educated Hitman journalist and industry insider (well, almost) pretty much confirming what all of us cynical "haters/doubters" have been theorizing and speculating for weeks, no, months now. Oh my, this doesn't look pretty... at least it confirms my worst fears. Where's Coflash when you need him?

He is hiding until he plays the game, dear God! its even worse than splinter cell conviction.... now people that was neg rep and rage upon our posts, go and read those game breaking features mentioned in that article...

Edited by Agent_88, 23 January 2012 - 03:42 PM.

[sgg847]

Where's Coflash when you need him?

You can't imagine how people's thoughts can intersect at the same time.
I have also found one work of Coflash

[Quinn]

I may sound pessimistic and might get downvoted, but seriously, when will IO show/tell more about the open sandbox levels? That's right, never. Because they won't talk about something that doesn't exist. Hitman as we know it is gone.

By that logic, you could also argue that the new Hitman voice actor doesn't exist, because IO aren't talking about that aspect of the game right now.

More open/incognito levels are pretty much a given since pretty much every IO interview to date about Absolution has insisted that those kind of levels will be in there. Also, i'm still hesitant to refer to those kind of levels as 'sandbox' as the reality is there is very little freedom involved. ALL Hitman games have been tightly scripted with the emphasis on breaking/exploiting the script. Just because there's no start/finish in the level, it doesn't make it a sandbox.

So, here we have a well-educated Hitman journalist and industry insider (well, almost) pretty much confirming what all of us cynical "haters/doubters" have been theorizing and speculating for weeks, no, months now. Oh my, this doesn't look pretty... at least it confirms my worst fears. Where's Coflash when you need him?

There is no confirmation in this article, just speculation You can tell that the author has his heart is in the right place by the way he words his article, but it still boils down to his word against the word of the developers (which he goes out of his way to emphasize is the case).

Edited by Quinn, 23 January 2012 - 03:50 PM.

[Agent Shadow]

If you are too demanding, you will necessarily disappointed. As some, strangely, were for Blood Money.

Hitman is still Hitman. Silent Assassin is also different to Codename47... For the best.

"Too demanding"? So, um, that would assume that the fans are "demanding too much", right? What is it that is being asked for that would be "too much", and why?

[Choronzon]

There is no confirmation in this article, just speculation You can tell that the author has his heart is in the right place by the way he words his article, but it still boils down to his word against the word of the developers (which he goes out of his way to emphasize is the case).

Of course, but he also stresses the fact (near the end) that much of these developers' promises are just PR smoke-and-mirrors. At least here we have a journalist intimately familiar with the Hitman franchise, voicing his righteous concerns over the "improvements" and change in direction it has been privy to. Agreed, it's speculation on the part of the author, but this is the most hands-on view we've been granted so far. This is also the first journalist to ask relevant questions to these devs. Not that they get answered, but at least this Houghton guy is asking them.

[Agent_88]

There is no confirmation in this article, just speculation You can tell that the author has his heart is in the right place by the way he words his article, but it still boils down to his word against the word of the developers (which he goes out of his way to emphasize is the case).

what is this? no really? speculation? he reviewed the demo and gave you his verdict, that is called speculation these days?

Does this : "So we find our slap-headed death-dispenser infiltrating said dumping ground for the de-parented, not to meticulously set up an elaborate series of quietly lethal events as usual, but to safely navigate a linear route full of hostiles on the way to an objective."

"Sandwiching all of these elements into a resolutely linear A-to-B structure felt very much like dropping Ryu into a side-scrolling Final Fight-style brawler and calling it Street Fighter V"

"Because as slick and beautiful as it was, yesterday's demo was basically Splinter Cell Conviction: Bald Edition. "

"Agent 47 was no longer playing the long-game, quietly exploring a sandbox in order to discover deliciously contrived avenues through which to set up ‘accidents’, or studying and manipulating the behaviour of the area’s cast of players. Instead, he was sneaking along a largely linear, occasionally branching path, partaking in the same basic hide/wait/kill/move/repeat loop inherent to stealth games since Manhunt. "

sounds like he is still speculating? I hope you were joking my friend.

Edited by Agent_88, 23 January 2012 - 04:09 PM.

[Agent Shadow]

By that logic, you could also argue that the new Hitman voice actor doesn't exist, because IO aren't talking about that aspect of the game right now.

More open/incognito levels are pretty much a given since pretty much every IO interview to date about Absolution has insisted that those kind of levels will be in there. Also, i'm still hesitant to refer to those kind of levels as 'sandbox' as the reality is there is very little freedom involved. ALL Hitman games have been tightly scripted with the emphasis on breaking/exploiting the script. Just because there's no start/finish in the level, it doesn't make it a sandbox.



There is no confirmation in this article, just speculation You can tell that the author has his heart is in the right place by the way he words his article, but it still boils down to his word against the word of the developers (which he goes out of his way to emphasize is the case).

This isn't about one's "word against someone else's". Its a well-articulated and professional journalist who happens to be a hardcore hitman fan, laying out some very well-reasoned concerns that the majority of the old-school fans share. And this is based purely on what the developers have shown, not on what they have said. He admits that in the article. But his concerns are still valid and completely legitimate.

Don't forget that he is a fan just like you and me, and is holding out hope that this is just one big misguided marketing campaign. We can all continue to hope that, but we can't ignore the available data. Most of us have been around and played enough games to know that developers and PR will tell you anything to keep your hopes up, despite how far from the truth their statements may be.

[Agent Shadow]

Look guys, I"m not trying to rain on anyone's parade here, because that's what posts like this tend to feel like when you are positively anticipating something. But that's not what this is about. We've seen how things work. If you want the developers to take your concerns seriously and lay them to rest by showing some gameplay that is actually reminiscent of the older hitman games, then you have to voice those concerns. If IO has nothing to hide, then you would think that they would not only tailor their marketing campaign to the COD fanbase (of which I am a proud member, by the way), but also to the hardcore oldschoolers that kept this series alive (also a member). We've yet to see any trailer or gameplay video in which the player kills ONLY the target by orchestrating an elaborate "accident", and disappearing without a trace. We've only seen Splinter Cell: Conviction-esque gameplay, in which you can either "choose" to kill or sneak by the guard. That's not hitman. That's just every other stealth-action game from the past decade or two.

If everyone is busy eating up all of the PR drivel that marketing departments spout out, we will always end up being blindsided by disappointment when a game releases. Many developers these days are at the mercy of marketers and statisticians who are too much involved in the decision making process of their designs. Do not think that IO is not the exception. We're talking about a major publisher, Square Enix.

If you are concerned about something, voice it. Its not about being negative, or assuming the worse. Its about recognizing the enormous amounts of pressure that game developers are under to cater only to current "trends", and make bad design decisions. Happens all the time. This isn't anything new. If the Hitman series gets destroyed, it wouldn't be the first.

But, I'm sure I'm not the only one here that can confidently say that I hope that IO can prove me wrong. If everything that I have mentioned turns out to be incorrect, you can then all post as many "I told you so" posts as you want. I will happily become an IO fanbot and play Hitman: Absolution to my heart's content.

Edited by Agent Shadow, 23 January 2012 - 04:24 PM.