Hitman (game series)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Hitman
Hitmancodigo.png
The bar code of Agent 47
developer DenmarkDenmark IO Interactive
Publisher United KingdomUnited Kingdom Eidos Interactive (2000–2009) Square Enix (2009–2017) Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment (2018)
JapanJapan
United StatesUnited States
First title Hitman: Codename 47 (2000)
Last title Hitman 2 (2018)
Platform (s) Windows , Linux , macOS , GameCube ,
PS2 , PS3 , PS4 , PS Vita ,
Xbox , Xbox 360 , Xbox One ,
iOS , Android , Windows Phone
Genre (s) Third person shooter , stealth

Hitman is a computer game series and is about a created in Genlabor assassin whose skills are geared emotionless and kill targeted. He is only referred to by the code name 47, in individual missions he has code names such as Tobias Rieper or Mr. Metzger. In the games, you can switch from the standard third-person perspective to the first-person perspective , so Hitman is also known as a first-person shooter . The series was developed by the Danish development team IO Interactive .

description

With the first part of the Hitman series, a new type of computer game protagonist appeared in 2000: The player slips into the role of a bald contract killer who was literally only born to kill for money.

Fans of the game series emphasize the stealth component: the best rating for a mission is given when as few shots as possible (preferably none at all) are fired from a weapon and the hitman remains camouflaged until the end of the mission. You see the attraction of the game series primarily in the great freedom of action with which you can achieve the objectives in this way, that is, a variety of solutions are offered for most missions, in which the objective can be silently neutralized, ideally without harming other game characters (innocents or even bodyguards of the target person).

In addition to the questionable subject of contract killing, critics highlight the shooter component: As with classic first- person shooters ( Half-Life , Quake ), it is possible to simulate mass murder by shooting around wildly - in most missions, the target is faster this way and thus reached the transition to the next mission, even if the game penalizes this with a very bad rating by the player. However, it is above all the sober and detailed depiction of sometimes excruciating murder scenarios (e.g. death from torture by electric shock or heat death in a locked sauna) that makes Hitman a controversial series of computer games that can only be legally acquired after reaching the age of majority . The first part of the Hitman series was indexed in Germany and was no longer allowed to be publicly advertised, demonstrated or sold to minors, parts 2, 3 and 4 were not approved for young people . On September 28, 2012, Square Enix announced that the BPjM, at the request of the publisher Hitman: Codename 47, removed it from the list of media harmful to minors and thus removed the index.

In November 2004, the game Hitman: Contracts was the subject of a report by the ZDF news magazine Frontal21 on violence in computer games and its effects on young people. The game was presented from the critics' point of view using the intro mission Nachspiel in the sanatorium .

In addition to a piano string as a choke loop ( garrotte ), partially silenced pistols ( Beretta , Colt M1911 , AMT Hardballer ) and precision rifles, many other weapons can be used in Hitman : machine and assault rifles such as AK-47 , M4 and M60 , submachine guns such as Micro-Uzi and MP5 as well as pump guns and knives. In addition, useful objects such as golf clubs, ax, meat hooks or pillows can be used as a murder instrument, mostly for a mission. In Hitman Absolution, hands, legs and feet are increasingly used as weapons.

publication title Platform (s) paragraph
November 19, 2000 Hitman: code name 47 Windows 553,000 units (as of June 30, 2006)
0October 1, 2002 Hitman 2: Silent Assassin Windows , PlayStation 2 , Xbox , GameCube 3.6 million units (as of June 30, 2006)
April 20, 2004 Hitman: Contracts Windows , PlayStation 2 , Xbox 1.9 million units (as of June 30, 2006)
May 26, 2006 Hitman: Blood Money Windows , PlayStation 2 , Xbox , Xbox 360 1.4 million copies delivered to retailers in the 2006 financial year
November 20, 2012 Hitman: Absolution Windows , macOS , PlayStation 3 , Xbox 360 3.6 million units (by the end of 2013)
January 29, 2013 Hitman: HD Trilogy PlayStation 3 , Xbox 360
17th April 2014 Hitman GO Windows , Linux . PlayStation 4 , PlayStation Vita

iOS , Android , Windows 10 Mobile

March 11, 2016 Hitman Windows , macOS , Linux , PlayStation 4 , Xbox One
November 13, 2018 Hitman 2 Windows , PlayStation 4 , Xbox One
January 11, 2019 Hitman HD Enhanced Collection PlayStation 4 , Xbox One

Games

Hitman: code name 47

In addition to enriching the third-person shooter genre, the first Hitman part also set standards in the field of computer game graphics from a different point of view: Hitman: Codename 47 was one of the first games to simulate the movements of dead or unconscious characters a ragdoll engine is created. The realistic depiction of corpses, like other games in which ragdoll physics has been implemented, is one of the reasons for the controversy of the Hitman franchise. Therefore Hitman: Codename 47 was indexed as the only part of the series. It could not be saved during a mission, a save function was only integrated in later Hitman parts. The title was unindexed in 2012.

Hitman 2: Silent Assassin

47 has gone to a Sicilian monastery to reflect on his past as a hit man. His only confidant is the priest of the monastery, who is kidnapped by the local mafia . In order to get information about the whereabouts of the priest, 47 again contacted his former employer ( International Contract Agency (ICA), also known as: "The Agency").

Hitman 2 was able to show significant improvements compared to its predecessor: In addition to a more detailed graphic, the switch between first-person and third-person perspective was implemented. The stealth component has been improved by displaying a "suspicion level" that increases if the player behaves in an abnormal manner (fast running, drawing a weapon, inappropriate disguise). Furthermore, the "Silent Assassin" system was introduced, which evaluates the behavior of the player for each mission: If the mission is carried out very aggressively, the player can receive the worst evaluation "mass murderer". The highest rating "Silent Killer" (hence the name Silent Assassin ) is usually only awarded if 47 remains camouflaged until the end of the mission (no exposures or alarms) and a maximum of one other enemy person is killed apart from the target person. In return, however, the payment system was removed from the first Hitman part. Here an inconspicuous execution of an order was better rewarded than an order with exposure or high aggressiveness.

Another innovation in Hitman 2 is the anesthetization of people with chloroform . As in the first part, the disguise is an essential element of the game in Hitman 2 .

The game's weaknesses can be found in the AI of the opponents , among other things : In a room with only one door, opponents run into the player's sights one after the other. Furthermore, opponents shoot each other in the back when they are standing one behind the other.

The Danish composer Jesper Kyd worked with the Budapest Symphony Orchestra on the soundtrack .

Hitman: Contracts

The injured 47 is in a hotel room and remembers earlier assignments in flashbacks. The player takes on the role in these assignments, while the framework action in the hotel room is carried out by video sequences between the missions. The missions themselves are only partially related in terms of content.

The ambience is kept gloomy. Almost all of the assignments are played at night, and it often rains or snows. Some players found the graphics dreary. Four of the twelve levels are a remake of the Hong Kong missions from Hitman: Codename 47 . All missions can be completed without a shot from a weapon, provided you have enough playful experience.

In the area of ​​graphics there were only marginal improvements, including the implementation of mirror effects and a post filter that gives the 3D background a diffuse, fog-like appearance. In addition, a slow-motion effect has been added, which appears shortly before Agent 47's death.

The music, mainly calm soundtracks with synthesizer sounds, was composed again by Jesper Kyd. Critics objected that the artistic value of his opulent masterpiece from the second part was not achieved.

There were few noteworthy changes to the game: The three levels of difficulty no longer only differ in the number of possible save states and the information content of the map, but also in the degree of “skepticism” of opposing people. Furthermore, the inventory selection is no longer represented by terms, but by 3D objects. The chloroform anesthetic was replaced by an anesthetic syringe.

The game achieved good ratings in the press, but the few improvements and changes compared to its predecessor were criticized.

Hitman: Blood Money

In early November 2004, Eidos Interactive announced the fourth part of Hitman for the spring of 2005. The first official artwork at the time shows the Hitman in front of a large "CASINO" neon sign, which already suggested that Las Vegas would be a location. In fact, Blood Money is set in New Orleans , Las Vegas, Chile , Paris , San Diego , the Mississippi River , the Rocky Mountains, and the White House .

One of the most important innovations announced in this title is that the approach of 47 will have a major impact on the following missions ("awareness system"): The more uncontrolled he is in his missions, the better known 47 becomes and will sooner or later be found in various Newspaper reports again. Of course, this publicity makes his job as a silent killer difficult. Conversely, the more skillfully and inconspicuously he behaves in an assignment, the more unsuspecting the opponents will be with the next assignment. Based on the payment system from the first Hitman part, 47 receives a bonus for completed jobs, which he can spend on equipment and weapon upgrades or for information. However, the balancing leaves something to be desired - making money is not a decisive factor in gameplay. The payment for successful assignments is so exorbitant that you always have more than enough money to buy upgrades or bribe witnesses. In addition, all levels can be mastered with the standard equipment, unless you want to play very brutally.

In March 2005, as part of the publication of negative business results, Eidos announced the postponement of the publication date to the second half of the year. This date lasted until mid-July 2005, when it was announced that the fourth part would only appear in early 2006. The exact release date was May 26, 2006.

In addition to the standard retail version, a Collector's Edition and a free demo version, in which the first level can be played in full, is also available.

There are many new features in Hitman: Blood Money . Probably the most drastic innovation are the weapon upgrades. Depending on your budget and progress in the game, you can, for example, buy a silencer, extra ammunition, larger magazines, aiming devices, etc. for your weapons. At the beginning of a mission, one can acquire valuable information about the target's habits or security gaps. Another point that makes the latest Hitman part more realistic: there are video cameras in some of the missions. If you are filmed by them during an operation, this leads to the fact that the level of awareness increases and it can happen that you are recognized in a disguise yourself. The level of awareness can be reduced by either stealing the corresponding videotape or buying a new identity at the end of the mission or bribing any witnesses.

Another innovation compared to the third Hitman part is the saving and loading of the game. Saving is possible during the game, but if you end the game / level before the mission has been completed, the scores expire and you start all over again in the level - IO justified this somewhat vaguely with problems that occurred when saving in Connection with the awareness system. A new feature is that after loading the profile you can redefine the level of difficulty (four levels).

Hitman: Absolution

Hitman logo : Absolution

A fifth part of the series was announced by the developer IO Interactive at the Games Convention 2008, when its lead designer Jens P. Kurup responded with “Definitely!” To a website asking whether another part of Hitman was planned. At the same time he promised some playful changes. Which it is and when the fifth part should appear, was not revealed. A release was still a long way off at the time, however, as the development studio was working on Kane & Lynch: Dead Men . At the beginning of April 2009 an entry by IO-Interactive-Level-Designer Vilijar Sommerbakk appeared on an American online platform, who indicated in his profile that he was currently working on Hitman 5; However, exact information on gameplay and a possible date are still closed. In May 2009 Hitman 5 was finally officially announced, which like its predecessors is being developed by IO Interactive. In June 2009 it was announced that Hitman 5 would be released in late 2010. It was also mentioned that in the new part Agent 47 will "take a completely new direction". In July 2010, the Great Graphics website, which is also involved in the development of Kane and Lynch 2: Dog Days , showed two pieces of art that indicated that Hitman 5 would be released in 2011. In August 2010 a former employee of IO Interactive announced further details on the fifth part, including that a different development team was now working on the title.

Hitman: Absolution was finally revealed in May 2011 . It was released on November 20, 2012 for the PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. On May 15, 2014, the game was released for MacOS .

Hitman: Sniper Challenge was released in 2012 , a stand-alone game with a single level that is only available to pre-orderers of Absolution .

Criticism from the press

The magazine GBase.ch gave Hitman: Absolution a rating of 8.5. The test report praised the large freedom of action, the varied levels and the good synchronization. In return, for example, the dropouts of the AI ​​and the newly introduced bullet time were criticized.

Hitman: HD Trilogy

In December 2012, Square Enix announced the Hitman: HD Trilogy for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The HD collection contains Hitman 2: Silent Assassin , Hitman: Contracts and Hitman: Blood Money and was released on February 1, 2013. The games have been visually redesigned for the HD Trilogy . An exception is Blood Money , which does not offer any changes to the game released for the Xbox 360 in 2006, but appeared for the PlayStation 3 for the first time in the trilogy.

Hitman (2016)

On March 11, 2016, another part of the series appeared simply under the name Hitman . This game is available on Windows PC, Linux PC, macOS, Xbox One and PlayStation 4 platforms.

The story is not directly linked to the predecessor. In the tutorial, 20 years in the past, you can experience the entrance exam of the protagonist "47" by his future employer ICA (a global contract killer group) in two training missions. Then you go back to the present, where the rest of the story picks up.

The game was released in an episodic format; a new location was added approximately every five to six weeks. The final episode was released on October 31, 2016. These episodes can be purchased individually or purchased in advance as a complete package for the amount of the full price game, which means little savings. A retail version with all episodes was released on January 31, 2017.

In addition to the story missions, there is an order mode in which players can publish their own orders, and the escalation mode also offers the prospect of increasingly difficult goals, but without the option of saving in the main game. In addition, time-limited, one-time events are published in the form of target people who only appear for a few days.

At the beginning of November 2016, developer IO-Interactive officially announced a second season. Due to a close connection to the previous season, equipment and unlocks can be carried over from previous episodes. Furthermore, you are able to return to the previous locations.

A Game Of The Year (GOTY) edition was released on November 7, 2017. In addition to the complete original game, it contains a new four-mission campaign and three new disguises. Owners of the original game can upgrade to the GOTY edition for around € 20. At the same time, a free update was released which revised the user interface and the lighting mood in all locations. In addition, the "Elusive Targets", which were previously only available once and for a limited time, will be reactivated in sequence.

Hitman 2 (2018)

On June 7, 2018, the latest installment in the series, under the simple name Hitman 2 , was announced for November 13, 2018 by the developer IO Interactive . The seventh game in the main series continues the story of the predecessor, although unlike the predecessor, it does not play in episodes and is sold as a complete game. New for the Hitman series is a real-time multiplayer mode in which players have to complete missions cooperatively.

Main or recurring characters

  • 47 : A tall, bald man who was created in the gene laboratory from the combination of the DNA of five men. His “birthday” is September 5, 1964. The laboratory is located in a converted Romanian psychiatric clinic in which 47 spent the first 30 years of his life, always guarded by doctors and security guards. As with the other clones from the gene experiments, a barcode was tattooed on the back of the head in order to facilitate identification and monitoring of the clones with the help of scanners installed in the prison rooms. 47 prefers to dress in a tailored black suit, shirt, red tie and black gloves. His trademarks also include the Silver Ballers , two modified silver-colored Colt M1911 licensed builds from Springfield Armory (also AMT Hardballer ) and a black briefcase with the symbol of the Hitman project, in which he can transport a disassembled sniper rifle (a Walther WA 2000 ) . When 47 is on the road, he has aliases like “Tobias Rieper” or “Herr Metzger”, which are a sarcastic allusion to his work (Rieper corresponds phonetically to the English word Reaper , German: “ Grim Reaper ”). He is also the last surviving clone. All but one of the clones are killed by 47 at the end of the first part in the sanatorium, including his "father". His last surviving brother is executed by 47 at the end of Part 2 in St. Petersburg. Furthermore, Agent 47 cut out his tattoo after level three in Hitman Absolution. The reasons seem to be that he doesn't want to live his life as a killer anymore because he promised Diana. Torsten Michaelis 47 lends his voice in the acclaimed synchronization of the German version of the games .
  • Diana Burnwood : The 47 contact person at the agency . Her appearance has long been unknown, as she never personally gives instructions and background information to 47. Right at the beginning of the fifth part, Hitman Absolution, the secret is revealed and the portrait photo from her file is shown. She has dark brown, shoulder length hair. At the end of Blood Money, she presumably saves Agent 47's life by using a syringe to make him seem dead when police forces storm his hiding place. Shortly before he was cremated, she reversed this condition with the help of the antidote. In Hitman Absolution, she is apparently killed by Agent 47 at the end of the first level, but reappears at the end. She is voiced by Celine Fontanges in Hitman 2: Silent Assassin . From Hitman: Contracts, Petra Barthel lends her her voice.
  • Dr. Orth-Meyer : The creator of 47 and opponent in Hitman: code name 47 . A brilliant German scientist who spent around 50 years manipulating genetic material to create an army of perfect super soldiers. The most successful product of his experiments, 47, he used to eliminate the other four masterminds behind the Hitman project. When he saw a supposedly better clone series in 48, he lured 47 back to the insane asylum to have his successors remove him. However, 47 was able to successfully reverse this intention, killing its successor clones and ultimately its creator.
  • Agent Smith : While in other games from the action genre direct employees of crime- fighting government organizations are often the main heroes (for example NSA agent Sam Fisher in the stealth shooter Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell ), Hitman's CIA agent Smith is considered naive - funny minor character represented. It is indicative of the fact that in all Hitman parts of 47 he has to be freed from a torture chamber, always only wearing underpants with the pattern of the US flag. In the second part he is also characterized as an alcoholic. In Part 4, 47 has to free the agent from a rehab clinic that only releases its patients cured or dead. Therefore 47 brings Smith into a seemingly dead state with a serum and revives him with an antidote at the end of the assignment. After the second Las Vegas mission, he surprises 47 in his car and gives him the job of killing the Vice President of the USA and the killer Mark Parchezzi III in order to prevent an attack on the president. With the exception of "Hitman Absolution", Agent Smith appears in all Hitman parts.
  • Mei Ling : Just like Agent Smith, Mei Ling appears in almost all parts of a similar plot: She is a prostitute with an Asian gang leader (Lee Hong in parts 1 and 3, Hayamoto in part 2) and wants from 47 for a consideration of to be freed of their tormentor. The encounter with her or even her liberation is not a fixed solution, but provided by the course of the framework action. The conversation between Mei Ling and 47 in the second Hitman part (Death of the Shogun) relates to the liberation during the Lee Hong assassination. But you can also kill Mei Ling so that you get the necessary information immediately. However, this approach is not what it should be.
  • Sergej Zavorotko : The opponent and client in the second Hitman part. Just like his brother Boris, one of the five fathers who killed 47 in the first part, Sergei is a chemical, biological and atomic weapons dealer. He reactivates 47 as a contract killer by having his closest confidante, father Vittorio, kidnapped by the Sicilian mafia. He uses 47 to procure a nuclear weapons system and to remove the business partners and confidants involved. When the project is exposed, he wants to use clone 17 and killers of the Russian mafia 47 to eliminate it. As in the first Hitman part, 47 can reverse this intention and kills 17 and, after the liberation of father Vittorio, finally also Sergei.
  • The assistant : a mysterious man in a black suit. He draws Sergej's attention to 47 and arranges for his reactivation as a contract killer. The cutscenes at the end of Hitman 2 give the impression that he has lured Sergej himself into a trap and apparently works for an institution of higher power.
  • Alexander Leland Cayne : A wheelchair user who has been paralyzed since an accident and who wants cloning exclusively for himself and his organization. For this reason he wants to destroy 47. Alexander's left half of his face and his left eye, which is bright green, are disfigured by the accident. It appears he was sending the special command that attacked 47 in his hotel room. He is a high-ranking member of the franchise, has closed the office of the ICA agency for the time being and had almost all agents killed. Cayne is a heavy cigar smoker and has mood swings. At the end of Blood Money you can kill him - provided you can "free" yourself from the seemingly dead state.

Novels about the games

Film adaptations

The film Hitman was originally scheduled to open on October 12, 2007 in the United States , but has been rescheduled to November 21, 2007. The start date for Germany was December 13, 2007. Vin Diesel was originally planned for the role of Agent 47 , but this was then played by Timothy Olyphant . Filming began at the end of March in Bulgaria's capital Sofia .

According to the IMDb , a second part was planned for 2012. In June 2012 Adrian Askarieh was named as the producer of the follow-up film. The film was released under the title Hitman: Agent 47 on August 21, 2015 in US cinemas, starring Rupert Friend and Zachary Quinto .

Web links

Commons : Hitman  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Annual Report for the period 1st July 2005-30th June 2006 ( Memento from August 22, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Page 4 (English), PDF file, accessed on December 14, 2015.
  2. ↑ hemscott.com : Annual Report 2006, page 9 (English), PDF file, accessed on January 24, 2008. SCi Entertainment Group Plc, Annual report and accounts 2006.
  3. ↑ Lukas Pitz: Square reckoned with 6 million Tomb Raider copies sold. In: IGN . April 9, 2013, accessed on December 9, 2018 : "Even Hitman: Absolution, which has gone over the counter 3.6 million times to date, could not achieve the target of 4.5 to 5 million sales."
  4. ↑ Mike Lowrey: Hitman - code name 47 was removed from the index. In: Schnittberichte.com . Schnittberichte.com, December 9, 2018, accessed September 28, 2012 .
  5. ↑ Eidos Announces Kane and Lynch 2 and a New Hitman Game! Games Aktuell , May 9, 2009, accessed December 14, 2015 .
  6. ^ Hitman: Date for the next game. Games Aktuell , June 25, 2009, accessed December 14, 2015 .
  7. ↑ spieleradar.de: Hitman 5 - Abscondence: Fifth part is apparently in development ( Memento from October 15, 2010 in the Internet Archive )
  8. ↑ Hitman 5: Absolution - Debut teaser for the killer sequel. In: GamePro . Webedia , May 10, 2011, accessed April 26, 2018 .
  9. ↑ HITMAN: ABSOLUTION - Spectacular launch trailer for the action hit. In: Square Enix . Square Enix Ltd., November 19, 2012, accessed April 26, 2018 .
  10. ↑ heise online: Hitman: Absolution for OS X published. Retrieved February 21, 2019 .
  11. ↑ Tobias Simon: Hitman: Sniper Challenge. Pre-order bonus available starting today. In: Gameswelt . Entertainment Media Group AG, May 15, 2012, accessed April 26, 2018 .
  12. ↑ Test report from Hitman: Absolution on GBase.ch
  13. ↑ jpgames.de : Square Enix announces Hitman: HD Trilogy
  14. ^ Richard Cobbett: Hitman HD Trilogy review. In: Eurogamer.net. February 1, 2013, accessed May 31, 2017 .
  15. ↑ Hitman - Season 2 officially confirmed. In: ps4info.de. Retrieved November 5, 2016 .
  16. ↑ GOTY Launch Day - Io-Interactive . In: Io-Interactive . November 7, 2017 ( ioi.dk [accessed November 13, 2017]).
  17. ↑ HITMAN - GOTY Release Notes - Io-Interactive . In: Io-Interactive . November 3, 2017 ( ioi.dk [accessed November 13, 2017]).
  18. ^ Hitman 2 announcement. Retrieved June 8, 2018 .
  19. ↑ Excerpt from the Hitman 2 comic by Mawil ( Memento from November 27, 2013 in the Internet Archive )
  20. ^ Website for the film
  21. ↑ IMDb
  22. ↑ Chris Tilly: Deus Ex Movie in the Works IGN, July 10, 2012, accessed January 20, 2013
  23. ↑ Hitman: Agent 47 , Twentieth Century Fox, accessed November 25, 2014