H2SA - Sniper Assassin

Classic Hitman Games
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Currently working through Hitman 2 trying to get Sniper Assassin (distance kills only) in a New Game file. It has been a fun challenge so far, with some of the hardest parts being the non-target stages since you need to find a way to get it through the stage so you can use it on the next target.

So far I’ve done up to At The Gates in Japan. Here’s a summary of the stages so far:

Anathema: Quite easy for the most part, although the GCN version has buggy AI when in the guard costume. For some reason, using the sniper from the garage will cause the guards around the front of the house to aggro when they next see you whatever you do. The solution? Knock out the postman first, then drop the rifle after the kill, change to his outfit and go in via the front door. Pretty simple after that, but you need to grab the sniper on the way out.

St Petersburg Stakeout: Vanilla method, took the sniper with me.

Kirov Park Meeting: Again, pretty vanilla. Used the radio tower, but knocked out the nearby guard so he doesn’t catch me doing it.

Tubeway Torpedo: Not as hard as I expected in all honesty. I took it a little bit more carefully so guards didn’t see me much, just in case, but otherwise straightforward. Things get a bit ropey with the kill as that guard doesn’t like you with a sniper, so you need to move fast to lockpick the door and shoot the target from the observation room before making your way out.

Invitation to a Party: This is a fun one, but don’t expect to leave with the W2000. You can grab it from the secret area easily enough, and edge around to the ballroom balcony to shoot the general as he opens the door. Now you need to drop it quickly and get out of there, heading to where the safe is. After that, just stroll right to the end.

Tracking Hayamoto: This level is normally a pain, but I had fun with this stage using the sniper. The R93 Sniper from Anathema can shoot through the wall in front of you, meaning that one carefully placed shot can kill him as soon as he leaves the plane. Then you can drop the rifle behind the starting rock, go around to the helipad to place the tracker, and then head back - picking up the rifle right next to the exit.

Hidden Valley: Same as the speedrun route, but harder since you need to knock them out for longer to give you enough time to pick up your sniper rifle. They don’t aggro seeing you with it, so the level isn’t that bad. You just need to hope that the guards are far apart.

I’ll be sure to update the topic as I get further. I imagine some stages will be a pain, but it has been a fun challenge so far!

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I’d like to see this in a video, sounds very entertaining

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It is pretty fun to do (so far). Unfortunately I’m not recording though since it’d be a hassle to set up, and it’s only really to see if I can do it.

I may go back and record some individual levels though, since some of them are pretty cool.

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Small update:

At the Gates: Like with Hidden Valley, there’s not a huge amount to say. The beginning is certainly trickier trying to take down the guards with anesthetic and then grabbing your rifle again, but the rest is ok. There are some problem guards inside the castle, but it’s mostly the normal route.

Shogun Showdown: This was a fun one to route, even if it’s not all that different. My main problem was that the guard who you can trigger in the passageway just didn’t appear, so I had to take out another guard instead. After that, it was a simple case of leaving the sniper at the start while I get the objective, and then shoot up at Hayamoto’s window to cause him to flee. With that done, all I had to do was wait at the start and then shoot him in the head when he’s about to enter the helicopter. Not the fastest way to do it, but pretty simple.

Basement Killing: This level is so dumb. Firemen can carry the sniper rifle openly and nobody cares. I have no idea why, but it means that you can basically do this one as intended so long as you grab the rifle before heading down. The only thing to remember is that you need to instantly drop the sniper at the start or some woman will report you to the guards, ruining your Silent Ass rank

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Interesting way of approaching things, especially knowing the difficulty of the game and when most of levels weren’t designed for a sniper setup :+1:

A video could be nice indeed, let us know if you’re planning to do some :slight_smile:

Have fun!

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Yeah, some levels make it pretty tough - especially as levels are grouped together, so you often have to take it with you to the exit!

As I say, I may go back and re-record some of the more interesting ones after, so will let you know!

BluntzNBeatz is working on a far harder challenge though (suit only), so if he’s successful you’ll probably see a video for that. He’s pretty near the end but hit a bit of a roadblock.

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I wish today’s update was a more interesting one, but unfortunately it isn’t.

The Graveyard Shift: Not as hard as I expected as the civilians don’t care about the sniper, and the guards are kinda fine as long as you’re in uniform and they don’t get too close. As such, I dumped it in the admin room near the exit, did the rest of the level, and then exited as normal. Guards were hella suspicious, but I was fine.

The Jacuzzi Job: This one annoyed me, because that glass is super bulletproof outside his building. And I mean super. The M93, which can penetrate walls in Tracking Hayamoto, cannot get him through neither the walls nor the window here. Interesting, neither can the MI95 from the Motorcade Interception, which is designed to penetrate the bulletproof glass of the window. The solution? Same as the vanilla strategy except shooting him with a sniper from his doorway instead of your pistol. Yawn.

Murder at the Bazaar: Super easy, as my speedrun method for this is essentially a sniper route. From the start, I shoot the ground to cause a panic, and then shoot the fella taking a stroll to secure that objective. I then run around to the building with the other guy and shoot the side, to cause him to run out. I can’t shoot any more or I’d lose SA… however, I don’t need to kill him either. I drug him for the co-ordinates and then pick up the key on the way out. I don’t need the sniper, so that was dumped after the second shot.

The Motorcade Interception: …and the reason I don’t need to exit with the sniper in the previous level is because I get one here for free. There’s no trick with this level, just do it as intended - just make sure to shoot from the mosque. It’s a tricky shot from this angle, but then you can just drop down and exit to make sure you take the sniper into the final stage.

I would have done the final one of the Nuristan trilogy, but I want to see if I can find a way to get the guy from a distance. I have a feeling it isn’t possible, but it’d be nice to play around with it first.

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And challenged finished, with every level beaten Sniper Assassin!

Here’s a rundown of the final ones:

Tunnel Rat: Boring. Guards can carry the Sniper just fine as long as you don’t get too close to people, meaning it’s mostly vanilla. Distance shot is impossible as making him run from his hole makes him run about 2 metres. I did that though and shot him in the back, just for some fun.

Temple City Ambush: This one is … fun … but it’s not as tough as you think. The walking assassin can be lured to the start for an easy kill, and the sniper can be sniped from an opposite building. The trick is to set up on the opposite side of the street from him in the corner by moving and dropping the sniper bit by bit to make sure you don’t get spotted with it. Moving it to the exit the same way will help to ensure you can get there with Smith without the added hassle of a massive gun.

The Death of Hannelore: This was a huge pain. It seems easy as you can snipe her from the start, and then just leave the sniper there for when you exit. The problem? You have one small window to shoot her, as two shots will alert a guard and fail the body hidden objective.

…but there’s more! You have to get there and move the body so the wandering patient doesn’t find her and make you fail.

… but there’s more! If you don’t sedate the guard enough and he wakes up, the guards will run for you and aggro regardless of your disguise.

So yeah, I ran to her, moved the body, got the key, re-sedated the guy, went back up, hid the body, escaped. I had so many problems with this level just figuring out how to beat it!

Terminal Hospitality: This was a fun one. Cultists can carry the sniper, so the idea is to use the basement ducts and snipe him from the window. You’re not supposed to, but you can just hit him if you angle it right.

St. Petersburg Revisited: Seems impossible as you only have fiber wire and a sniper with blanks. But you can distract him outside by making a noise outside his window, making him come and find you. Taking the long way around so you don’t cross paths, you can enter the building and his little room to grab his sniper and then shoot him with that as he comes back. Best to do it from afar, so you can make a quick sewer dash to the exit.

Redemption at Gontranno: What better way to end the playthrough than a sniper only massacre? Running straight to my shed, I grabbed the SVD Sniper and then took everyone out. Way harder than it seems as it’s pretty slow.

So that ends the Hitman 2 Sniper Assassin challenge that I set myself for, well, no real reason. Still it was fun. There’s some iffy levels, but I’d recommend trying it. I did it in a New Game, meaning I had to worry about carrying the sniper across levels a lot of the time, but if you want to have an easier time then try NG+ so you can just drop the sniper once you’re done!

Thanks to whoever decided to join me on my journey and read all this!

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