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[TheBoss1]

I know it's early footage not meant to be seen by the public but the hand holding in this game is ridiculous! It's basically walking the player through everything.

 

[TheTux]

Spoiler

Seriously did he just throw a screwdriver to kill a man and then went on the helicopter?

 

[Screaming Meat]

People seem to forget that a third of Silent Assassin is made up of connection levels where you don't assassinate anyone, much like Absolution.

Yeah, and those levels were shit.

Wait, don't you mean H:SA? That was the second, wasn't it?

 

[TheMoon]

I know it's early footage not meant to be seen by the public but the hand holding in this game is ridiculous! It's basically walking the player through everything.

It's called a tutorial.

You don't know if that's being played on easy or if it is literally the first level.

Yeah, and those levels were shit.

Wait, don't you mean H:SA? That was the second, wasn't it?

Yes, Silent Assassin is the second game.

1. Codename 47
2. Silent Assassin
3. Contracts
4. Blood Money
5. Absolution

 

[More_Badass]

I know it's early footage not meant to be seen by the public but the hand holding in this game is ridiculous! It's basically walking the player through everything.

It is an alpha, and has to be designed to teach players the basics too if this is the first time they're playing the game.

 

[Screaming Meat]

Yes, Silent Assassin is the second game.

1. Codename 47
2. Silent Assassin
3. Contracts
4. Blood Money
5. Absolution

That's what I thought. Contracts doesn't have connecting levels, H:SA does.

 

[TheMoon]

That's what I thought. Contracts doesn't have connecting levels, H:SA does.

But he was talking about SA. Not sure why you were confused.

he said "a third" ..."of SA"

 

[Screaming Meat]

But he was talking about SA. Not sure why you were confused.

he said "a third" ..."of SA"

That's why I was confused.

 

[TheBoss1]

It's called a tutorial.

You don't know if that's being played on easy or if it is literally the first level.

It is an alpha, and has to be designed to teach players the basics too if this is the first time they're playing the game.

What's the chance that the person working on the game is playing on easy? The video I watched showed different levels, so is there a tutorial for every level?

 

[loganclaws]

The conveniently placed dumpsters are such a huge turn off along with the minimap. A big part of the game is to observe the behaviours of npcs in each level and plan your assassinations accordingly, the inclusion of the minimap completely subverts this design and will make the player forget about the level and just stare at the bottom left of the screen most of the time. Stupid stupid stupid. And no, the fact that it can be toggled off is not necessarily a solution if the game is designed with this minimap in mind, similar to Absolution with instinct.

 

[BlackJace]

I'm a fan of the minimap, personally. Sometimes memorizing the whole area beforehand got to be too much.

I can see why it's removal could add more to the tactical nature of the pre mission prep, though.

 

[TheMoon]

What's the chance that the person working on the game is playing on easy? The video I watched showed different levels, so is there a tutorial for every level?

So you haven't actually watched the thing is what you're saying? This is all one level. Look at the objectives. This is from a closed alpha version. A dev didn't leak this (and why would they?). Someone who got access did.

 

[kmax]

I'm getting some serious Blood Money vibes from that clip. Finally a proper Hitman game! The guys at IO definitely weren't lying when they said that they'd go back to the roots.

This is what the vast majority of Hitman fans have wanted for years, and we're finally getting it.

Day 1

 

[TheBoss1]

So you haven't actually watched the thing is what you're saying? This is all one level. Look at the objectives. This is from a closed alpha version. A dev didn't leak this (and why would they?). Someone who got access did.

Oops! Didn't notice it. What threw me off was the constant cutting in the video so I assumed they were showing different missions.

 

[TheMoon]

Oops! Didn't notice it. What threw me off was the constant cutting in the video so I assumed they were showing different missions.

These were originally 9(?) separate clips that have been combined into one continuous video for the YT/DM uploads.

 

[FrontalMonk]

I know it's controversial to say, but I think the things that pop up saying "trespassing" or "guards alerted" are actually kinda nice. Like, I'm looking at these things from the perspective that hopefully they're optional (but on by default), giving you a clear sense of what's going on the first few times you go through a level, but after you learn it more you can hopefully turn some stuff off for greater immersion. Like, I don't think I really need the meters and whatnot on my 5000th playthrough of Curtains Down, but it would've been neat to have some of the visual cues on display here on my 1st, 2nd or 3rd time.

 

[justjim89]

Just got through the Columbia missions for the first time in Codename 47. Damn, those certainly earned their reputation as being pretty hard and frustrating, at least the last part. The rules for what guards are alerted when and the effectiveness of stealth is so unclear. Made it through though. I'd still say the Japan missions in Silent Assassin are the worst in that regard for the series.

 

[Jb]

It seems like the alpha somehow leaked on the interwebs...

 

[Foffy]

Apparently the alpha had keyboard support from the beginning, but the ini has it disabled by default. Weird for them to demand a controller, and double weird people are now finding out about keyboard support after the alpha build has been leaked. It would have been great to have an understanding of what the controls were, but I guess we'll rely on people brazen enough to download a build of a game that cannot give IO any feedback. Seems kinda fruitless to really go after this leak, now: it barely counts as a demo, as it's not even done. It very clearly isn't representative of the final game because it had placeholder assets, if I'm not mistaken. Or was that just a warning to prevent IO from being sued and/or given shade for the quality of a work-in-progress?

According to some digging into this leak, as it's now public, the alpha actually gives away what the second level of the game is, after the fashion show:

Spoiler

it's that coastal area we saw one small snippet of in the gameplay trailer. It involves killing three targets during an apparent movie shoot.

All of this comes from /v/, by the way.

I think this is all interesting, but for me, the ghost in the room is what the hell is the game launching with. No alpha covers that. I just hope it's enough content...

 

[More_Badass]

Apparently the alpha had keyboard support from the beginning, but the ini has it disabled by default. Weird for them to demand a controller, and double weird people are now finding out about keyboard support after the alpha build has been leaked. It would have been great to have an understanding of what the controls were, but I guess we'll rely on people brazen enough to download a build of a game that cannot give IO any feedback. Seems kinda fruitless to really go after this leak, now: it barely counts as a demo, as it's not even done. It very clearly isn't representative of the final game because it had placeholder assets, if I'm not mistaken. Or was that just a warning to prevent IO from being sued and/or given shade for the quality of a work-in-progress?

According to some digging into this leak, as it's now public, the alpha actually gives away what the second level of the game is, after the fashion show:

Spoiler

it's that coastal area we saw one small snippet of in the gameplay trailer. It involves killing three targets during an apparent movie shoot.

All of this comes from /v/, by the way.

I think this is all interesting, but for me, the ghost in the room is what the hell is the game launching with. No alpha covers that. I just hope it's enough content...

Oh man,

Spoiler

a movie set is such a perfect place for a Hitman level

 

[madjoki]

double weird people are now finding out about keyboard

Maybe because everything was encrypted to prevent leaks?

 

[Foffy]

Maybe because everything was encrypted to prevent leaks?

This can be changed in the ini files. They just disabled it, and I have no idea why; on PC, one would expect central PC controls - mouse and keyboard - for the series was founded on those. Unless they prevented the creation of an ini in the first place, this is something the user would be able to discover. It's precisely why it was figured out by the community hours after this public leak of the alpha.

Also, someone posted some of the music from the alpha, and the style kind of gives it away that Kyd is not involved again. I think it's nice, though.

Everything I've seen gives me true hope that what we have on our hands is a true sequel to Blood Money. And for that, my hype is through the roof.

 

[Dragon1893]

I must be one of few people in this world who really liked Absolution.

Only Hitman I've played and I enjoyed it, though from what I've seen from previous games I get why it's not very popular with fans of the franchise.
Definitely worth a playthrough though.

 

[Foffy]

Figure I'd update the thread with some more information based on the Alpha seeing as Youtube has been having constant videos being posted now.

- 47 lacks gloves solely for the fashion show, for it makes the most aesthetic sense for being in such a public location. The community manager at IO has given a response confirming this. I think this means gloves aren't unlockables, but that 47's default attire may change on depending on the level.
- The outlines over characters you can use melee attacks on may just be a placeholder, and may not make it into the final game. Again, this comes from Travis, the community manager. No idea if the stars above knocked out dudes will be the same.
-

Spoiler

There's a sniper rifle that literally plays Ave Maria when you aim down its scope. Figure this one deserves spoilers because they said the theme would indeed play, but they laughed when asked. This is probably why.

- The silverballers apparently can be given custom skins, according to some of the options found when using the debug console. The black silverballers are the 'Desert' skin for the guns, which may explain why his trademark weapons are still called silverballers and not blackballers.
-

Spoiler

There's a costume that makes 47 look a bit like Zorro, complete with hat and cape.

Have seen next to no footage on this, so I have no idea if it has any catch or it's something silly.
- The fashion show in the Alpha has what are known as Opportunities, which are essentially hints from previous games. These have context, and actually give you sub-objectives in order to complete theme. I will only specify what they are, not how to accomplish them, which is as much as the game tries to do. I'll also be listing only the ones that naturally appear on the map; some only unlock when entering a room or finding an item. No idea if this is due to the alpha, or that some are left entirely as self-discovery. I also have no idea if this information is given based on difficulty level, as the Alpha apparently had no difficulty option.

Spoiler

- Eliminate Novikov's bodyguard
- Prevent Sato, the man running the fashion show, from ending the presentation with Novikov on stage
- Wear the Sheik's attire
- Obtain an invitation card to the meeting on the second floor
- Sabotage the meeting

- The game still features point shooting from Absolution, but if it uses Instinct, there is no visual system in the Alpha to represent this.
- Instinct only shows you things in your radius. This means activating it won't show you things halfway across the map. It's also more barebones, only highlighting people and items you can use/interact with. The flames that would trail and show where the AI is going is either not in the build, or removed from the game.
- The targets who follow their patterns in the level exhange new dialog as you play. To give an example - not from the game - imagine you have a target who keeps going to the bathroom to call someone. Everytime he or she calls, the dialog will be different, and will in fact be influenced by what you've done in the level. This gives much more realism to a game where following patterns is rather important but very videogamey. Perhaps this will be one way IO tries to give the levels more lore to them, to learn about the plot of the stage and overall game.
- The above is expanded further, for the regular characters of the level also give off dialog explaining events of the stage. You'll be able to understand more of the level and get an idea of what may or may not be allowed by hearing such conversations.
- Jane Perry, the voice in the tutorial of Absolution, is apparently voicing Diana Burnwood in this. No idea if she also did Hitman Sniper on mobile. Either way, Marsha Thomason is not returning, and it appears neither is the original voice for Diana, Vivienne McKee.
- The composer for the game is apparently Thomas Bartschi, who also did Absolution. I would consider this to be the most doubtful, for the only information I've heard of this was from a Youtube comment that cited IMDB. He still works at IO, so this may be true.

Hope some of this wets the tongues of some of you guys. I believe the game will be at Gamescom, and I for one would love to see a public demo, or better yet a release date for the PS4 and PC betas.

 

[Screaming Meat]

Figure I'd update the thread with some more information based on the Alpha seeing as Youtube has been having constant videos being posted now.

- 47 lacks gloves solely for the fashion show, for it makes the most aesthetic sense for being in such a public location. The community manager at IO has given a response confirming this. I think this means gloves aren't unlockables, but that 47's default attire may change on depending on the level.
- The outlines over characters you can use melee attacks on may just be a placeholder, and may not make it into the final game. Again, this comes from Travis, the community manager. No idea if the stars above knocked out dudes will be the same.
-

Spoiler

There's a sniper rifle that literally plays Ave Maria when you aim down its scope. Figure this one deserves spoilers because they said the theme would indeed play, but they laughed when asked. This is probably why.

- The silverballers apparently can be given custom skins, according to some of the options found when using the debug console. The black silverballers are the 'Desert' skin for the guns, which may explain why his trademark weapons are still called silverballers and not blackballers.
-

Spoiler

There's a costume that makes 47 look a bit like Zorro, complete with hat and cape.

Have seen next to no footage on this, so I have no idea if it has any catch or it's something silly.
- The fashion show in the Alpha has what are known as Opportunities, which are essentially hints from previous games. These have context, and actually give you sub-objectives in order to complete theme. I will only specify what they are, not how to accomplish them, which is as much as the game tries to do. I'll also be listing only the ones that naturally appear on the map; some only unlock when entering a room or finding an item. No idea if this is due to the alpha, or that some are left entirely as self-discovery. I also have no idea if this information is given based on difficulty level, as the Alpha apparently had no difficulty option.

Spoiler

- Eliminate Novikov's bodyguard
- Prevent Sato, the man running the fashion show, from ending the presentation with Novikov on stage
- Wear the Sheik's attire
- Obtain an invitation card to the meeting on the second floor
- Sabotage the meeting

- The game still features point shooting from Absolution, but if it uses Instinct, there is no visual system in the Alpha to represent this.
- Instinct only shows you things in your radius. This means activating it won't show you things halfway across the map. It's also more barebones, only highlighting people and items you can use/interact with. The flames that would trail and show where the AI is going is either not in the build, or removed from the game.
- The targets who follow their patterns in the level exhange new dialog as you play. To give an example - not from the game - imagine you have a target who keeps going to the bathroom to call someone. Everytime he or she calls, the dialog will be different, and will in fact be influenced by what you've done in the level. This gives much more realism to a game where following patterns is rather important but very videogamey. Perhaps this will be one way IO tries to give the levels more lore to them, to learn about the plot of the stage and overall game.
- The above is expanded further, for the regular characters of the level also give off dialog explaining events of the stage. You'll be able to understand more of the level and get an idea of what may or may not be allowed by hearing such conversations.
- Jane Perry, the voice in the tutorial of Absolution, is apparently voicing Diana Burnwood in this. No idea if she also did Hitman Sniper on mobile. Either way, Marsha Thomason is not returning, and it appears neither is the original voice for Diana, Vivienne McKee.
- The composer for the game is apparently Thomas Bartschi, who also did Absolution. I would consider this to be the most doubtful, for the only information I've heard of this was from a Youtube comment that cited IMDB. He still works at IO, so this may be true.

Hope some of this wets the tongues of some of you guys. I believe the game will be at Gamescom, and I for one would love to see a public demo, or better yet a release date for the PS4 and PC betas.

Exciting! Thanks for posting.

 

[Miles Quaritch]

So it was at Gamescom, no footage but IGN have a pretty positive preview/interview up...

Hitman Brings Back the Best of Blood Money

Hitman’s Paris fashion show level is absolutely teeming with people. There are models, stylists, private security, waiters, guests, and oodles of others. Hitman: Absolution featured around 30 to 40 NPCs within levels, in addition to the game’s crowd system. For Hitman, due December 8 this year, developer Io Interactive has dialled this number up to 300, on top of the crowd system. It’s a truly huge increase in headcount.

Coupled with the immense scope of the Paris level itself the amount of options this affords players tackling the hit here is extensive. There’s a loading dock filled with equipment, rigging, and contractors. There’s the catering area, packed with hospitality workers. There are the dressing rooms and make-up tables. There’s the main hall and catwalk, private quarters, secret rooms, a basement and a large attic. Io Interactive describes that levels in Hitman are like Swiss cheese, full of holes 47 can use to infiltrate and work his way through them. It’s abundantly clear as I watch 47 negotiate his way through parts of this massive area that delivering on the spirit of 2006’s Hitman: Blood Money while retaining the more nuanced controls of 2012’s Hitman: Absolution is the key aim here.

http://uk.ign.com/articles/2015/08/07/gamescom-2015-hitman-brings-back-the-best-of-blood-money

 

[ashecitism]

make a thread for that I think

other previews to follow?

 

[Denton]

If they don't bring back Jesper Kyd I will be pissed.

 

[Cave Johnson]

Absolution is a terrible Hitman game in my opinion. It's a pretty good Splinter Cell game, but a terrible Hitman game with those level designs.

Which makes me wonder why they didn't create an original IP as a counterpart instead. I would've appreciated "Absolution" even more if it was based on that premise alone.

 

[Seventy70]

I really hope they just drop the player into a sandbox and let them figure it out. That's what makes a Hitman game so fun.

 

[Miles Quaritch]

make a thread for that I think

other previews to follow?

I might knock out a thread out if more previews pop up, or someone else can for the IGN one and update the OP as more come out?

 

[orthodoxy1095]

If they don't bring back Jesper Kyd I will be pissed.

I feel like I read that Kyd said he wasn't coming back but I could be very wrong.

 

[Parsnip]

I believe we discussed the Jesper Kyd possibility in some Hitman thread recently.

The exact quote from this interview:

You've composed critically-acclaimed soundtracks for the Hitman series, right up until Hitman: Blood Money. After skipping Hitman: Absolution, are there any plans for you to return to the series in the next Hitman title? If not, would you have any interest in providing the score for a game in that series again?

I don’t think so, though you never know in this business! It’s a different team over at IO now. Most of my friends who started IO Interactive and created the Hitman series (and Freedom Fighters) left IO and started another company, RetoMoto, so we’re working together on Heroes & Generals.

So, hopefully someone sees the light and contracts him to compose some new tracks at least. Though the music in the fashion show trailer was pretty good, and the Sniper Challenge from Absolution was pretty dope as well.

 

[Rekki-Maru]

If they don't bring back Jesper Kyd I will be pissed.

Absolution, had alot of style but his absence was noticed.

 

[BHK3]

I believe we discussed the Jesper Kyd possibility in some Hitman thread recently.

The exact quote from this interview:


So, hopefully someone sees the light and contracts him to compose some new tracks at least. Though the music in the fashion show trailer was pretty good, and the Sniper Challenge from Absolution was pretty dope as well.

He said almost the exact same thing word for word back during Absolution. I even remember the VA for Hitman saying something similar too.

 

[Denton]

I believe we discussed the Jesper Kyd possibility in some Hitman thread recently.

The exact quote from this interview:


So, hopefully someone sees the light and contracts him to compose some new tracks at least. Though the music in the fashion show trailer was pretty good, and the Sniper Challenge from Absolution was pretty dope as well.

Man, that sucks. I could not care less about heroes and generals (ok, maybe I will get its soundtrack..) but I really need Jesper in Hitman. Absolution's OST was so bland, mostly just some incidental noises, meh.

Although my favourite OST from Kyd might be Darksiders 2...I dislike the game, but the OST is pure magnificence.