What this thread is for
What it’s not for
I do expect users who decided to post in this thread to respect other members without it resulting in petty and juvenile insults.
As for mission stories, I also criticised them for their limited number and lower intricacy once I had finished the game, but apparently, IO Interactive decided not to serve the most interesting scenarios in the easiest form, letting players discover them themselves. Many levels have such hidden opportunities, which no mission story will lead you to, and I bet you’d be suprised to find that in fact you have the same gamut of possibilities you had in the previous installments to the trilogy.
STEALTH GAMERS RISE UP: the post.
Yeah I think it’s definitely not as good as 2 but jeez dude. You treat being a fan of stealth games like it’s a country club membership.
AngryJoe is not a fan of Hitman.
Not since WOA he isn’t, but like a lot of us, he used to be.
He wasn’t. He liked Absolution but I’ve never seen him mention the old games, and he’s never reviewed the new games. I never said he disliked the other games, I’m saying he’s not a fan. In fact there’s video of him having fun with Hitman 2. https://youtu.be/vdxOB6qGccI
I like that you just straight up lied about him not liking the new Hitman games because you thought I didn’t know. I was saying he’s not a CJ or Kotti. He doesn’t interact with the fan base, ergo not a fan. But he does like the new games. So you just made a fool of yourself.
HAHAHAHAHAHA. Literally changing the narrative when I point out you’re wrong. Yes AngryJoe, the man who liked Absolution, is truly a well respected games journalist.
https://youtu.be/NTNkoDzP1hI You think this was him at his best?
Did you ever play the original Thief games or the original Deus Ex? Like Thief is all about exploring open maps and the harder difficulties make you do even more exploring.
The idea of exploring in a stealth game isn’t some kind of weird WOA thing. Not to mention this was done in older Hitman games 20 years ago.
I do like this conspiracy theory that Angry Joe is being silenced and forced to conform to these WOA fans.
This is some next level stuff.
Alright, I got got around to play more, and… I have very mixed feelings.
First things first,
Gameplay:
Nothing to add, It’s the same since 2016, with some tweaks here and there. I kinda miss the tankiness of the classics, but I like it anyway.
On the other hand, I feel like the levels are easy. At least feels easier than any of the previous levels.
For example, the bank felt more complex and hard to ge to certain places than Dubai did…and there’s a huge difference between them.
Graphics:
That’s something I don’t care for, if the gamepley is fun, I’ll play it anyway. Despite this, it looks gorgeous.
Story:
In the context of the previous two games, or just as standalone… it was a huge letdown for me; mostly because everything was predictable, especially the ‘betrayal of Diana’. It played out exactly like in Blood Money.
Also Diana’s inner conflict about her loss felt even more forced and out of place.
Then there’s subject 6. I expected to him dying, but I thought it will be by the hands of 47. After all, he was an ICA sanctioned target and the contract wasn’t fnished, up until Diana sent some goons after him. (Also why CICADA? ICA can’t afford to send their own?)
I liked the demise if ICA, but it wasn’t as impactful as the cutscenes tried to show it to be.
The story details (from newspapers to bios and intels) are just… wow. It’s one of the reasons I can’t stop playing these games.
Olivia feels very underdeveloped, like if she wouldn’t be present the game wouldn’t be any different.
Finally, I don’t know how I feel about seeing 47 smiling, but I kind of like it, that he has a personality now. (Looking at choqing starter location for example)
What I absolutely loved, is the ending. The trilogy started with the E3 reveal, with 47 running in the snow and ended just after that run. I think it’s brilliant.
Overall the game feels a mix of Blood Money, Contracts and Absolution.
Cutscenes:
Oh, boy. Don’t know what happened, but there are some huge inconsistencies in the quality.
Also I noticed , there’s an oversight where 47 gets betrayed by Diana: 47 points a silenced silverballer, but when he drops it, it’s unsilenced.
Levels:
On the old forum I was one of those, who supported the idea of a train level: I got it, and couldn’t be happier. I would support a little more complexity, but still. It was an unexpected surprise.
Same goes for the elevator. I can’t remember with whom I was talking about this, but it got implented to some extent: an another great surpeise from IO.
Besides China and Argentina, the levels are smaller, than any of the main locations in the previous games, I think.
Finally:
I find it very cheap and honestly annoying, that items and oufits I unlocked earlier, got taken away and locked behind challenges, that forces me to play several escalations. Like why the hell did went trough all the escalations previously? (I talk about the cashmerian suit, the el matador pistol, summer suave suit etc)
They took away -yet again- Holiday Hoarders and took away Snow fest. I’m not happy with that, sorry. Don’t care if it will be available at christmas, or next year january; I think it’s a very dick move to try to milk it the same way again.
The progression carryover is super annoying also: it did not carried over my proggresion at all.
I got some of my tools and suits, sure. I can see my xp boiled down to every level. Yet the levels themselves are set to 0. (both mastery and challenges)
I have several bugs happening, but I won’t list it,because a game update will come on Monday and hopefully they’ll get fixed, like the missing requiem pack.
I lowkey expected Sarajevo Six doing a comeback, at least on PS, but that didn’t happened, nor any of the old ETs.
I kinda still clinging to the hope, that at the end of H3 lifecycle all -I MEAN ALL- ET will become permanent to replay.
Despite my problems, I quite content with this game and can’t wait for the new ETs -if there’s any- to arrive. I gave it 8/10.
The story is predictable for everyone who have played BM, indeed, but for more recent players, who have discovered hitman with the WOA trilogy, I’m not so sure. My boyfriend has never played the previous games, but he watched me a lot play the WOA trilogy and he doesn’t really knew if Diana’s betrayal is real or not.
I love your profile picture btw 
Does Frag think Providence is real and is solely populated by WoA fans?
Agreed, I am new to the franchise and when the betrayal happened I was all scandalized and about to ragequit haha. I had no idea that this is something Diana apparently does regularly for shits and giggles 
Every 6 to 7 years approximately. We’re safe for a few years now
Don’t you still keep those items from the escalation challenges? I could have sworn I still have the Cashmerian suit.
@Atropos You might be right… I had a suspicion from the moment I red the comics.
Then H2016 confirmed it to me, not to mention the whole BM/A ordeal, I saw her intentions right away.
@HungaryHippoe
I thought so too, but:
summer suave, mumbai suit, casmerian, el matador, most of the ducks and some other gears (haven’t checked everything yet) had been taken away and got locked behind an escalation tier / challenge…
Is there a way to complain about the lack of “I need to use the bathroom” ee in china?
I already had a review drafted being very impressed with the game, but more and more mission stories that I did positively surprised me even more, so I decided to at least finish all the main ones before posting a review.
I’ll go with brief highlights and (when it applies) lowlights of locations and an overview.
Soundtrack
Missing the multiple amazing original songs like Paris radio, Final Test radio, Jordan Cross’ band tracks, Caruso tapes, Sapienza Landslide singing, and many more from the previous editions, but the environmental soundtrack is up there with its predecessors.
In particular, for Hitman 3 the tango version of Hitman’s exit mission theme was brilliant and my favorite. The more I play, the more I enjoy every location’s soundtracks. Judging the trilogy as a whole, Niels and IOI’s freelance partners (who composed some other custom songs) were a ture masterclass in soundtracks.
Dubai:
Feels like an extension of and a bridge to Hitman 2 before Dartmoor really sets the tone for Hitman 3.
Great level design and mission stories. It ended up presenting more different environments within the location than I anticipated from the trailers. Following and manipulating targets’ routes was very interesting and full of possibilities. The “top of the world” concept to start the campaign was spot on.
Dartmoor:
Most reviews agree that the detective mission story was fantastic and I’ll just second that without saying the same in-depth things about it again. Very entertaining and immersive, but could’ve avoided Diana solving the case for us.
Amazing level design, settings and lightning. Every environment there feels like a classic Ralph Lauren catalog, which I absolutely love.
Negatives: No matter the circumstances, I’ll always prefer multiple targets rather than a single target, so it could’ve been even better with plus one.
Chongqing:
Character concept and voice acting for the targets was excellent as well as the social dynamics between the two. Loved just standing around and listening to their altercations.
As commonly observed: Chongqing is incredibly photogenic and one of the most stunning Hitman locations.
The rainy night and calm city setting as opposed to the usual very crowded locations was a good touch. It managed to deliver a calm, less crowded mission without being boring, which is a feat in itself.
Negatives: underground lab felt larger than optimal while the city itself felt underused. Could do with an extra well developed zone like the Chinese restaurant providing another mission story to approach targets.
Berlin
The voice actress for the ICA handler (the same as Imogen Royce’s, btw) of the agents was perfect. She masterfully communicated the tension of the mission. First time playing I felt really immersed and emotionally connected to the mission and the betrayal of the ICA.
As you replay and get used to everything it’s different, but although I consider Mendoza the best mission, Berlin is absolutely the best first-time experience for a mission. One that I won’t forget.
The Rolf Hirschmuller mission story was insane. I was expecting to meet the boss but suddenly I was ambushed by agents… I even happened to be unarmed but then there’s a shotgun under the desk. I already had a high opinion of Berlin before being amazed at this bit.
Mendoza:
My favorite kill in the whole trilogy is absolutely Don Yates’ hit on Tamara Vidal.
First: it got me completely by surprise because the challenge thumbnails suggested to me that obviously the two kills by proxy were the wife killing Yates and the sniper killing Vidal.
I was not expecting at all another kill by proxy option and the scene made me go “WOW” and after that Diana gets slapped and captured and I’m like “NO WAY”.
Not only it was totally unexpected, the composition and cinematics of scene was very cool and well made.
Mendoza was already my favorite location BEFORE finding this one out, so just take the trophy and go home already: the best mission in Hitman 3.
Also, Yates’ reaction to the wine spill is one of the funniest moments. Then even comes the wine specialist to cry along.
The tango with Diana exit is the best mission exit ever.
In short, Mendoza is a beautifully made location, it has the largest amount of opportunities (and combinations of it) from H3 locations, the best mission stories and (after all the missions so far) having Diana on the field interacting with 47 was simply remarkable.
Negatives: it has optimization issues around some areas and especially around the lavender fields it drives massive fps drops. Nothing negative about the level design itself. Just that technical problem.
Carpathian Mountains:
Yes, this is not really a sandbox or very replayable mission like the usual ones. Still, it manages to deliver a good ending to the series. I actually think it makes more sense to finish off in such a fashion than to have a regular mission that wouldn’t feel like closure, despite the fact that of course Sure I’d like an extra sandbox because who wouldn’t. Glad DLCs are coming in the future to fill this gap.
Much better challenge to play it going for suit only. Certainly the hardest, most restricted SASO in the trilogy.
The contrast between the calm inside and the violent storm going in and out of the train works nicely.
Overall impressions:
I disagree with the common review point that it’s “more of the same succesful formula”. To me it’s more of the same with a plus.
Details like the investigation in Dartmoor, uncovering and killing multiple armed and very aware targets in Berlin, having Diana on the ground with you in Mendoza, ambush mission stories and other features clearly added an extra layer above the previous titles and went beyond just “more of the same”.
Dubai and Chongqing are the only missions that arguably would qualify as such.
That is, if you’ve seen H1+H2, you’ve seen these missions before. Others were something else and a plus.
As a trilogy, it’s simply the greatest. The clockwork structure of the NPCs (with pretty nice mechanics that adds predictability and precision manipulating the AI’s behavior), the ambitious “make the world your weapon” proposal that delivers on the expectations, the amount of details, triggers and nudges around objects and NPCs, virtual living world and immersion, catering well to different playstyles, the concept that people care so much about appearance and clothes in social contexts that someone in a disguise could plausinly become invisible, and so and so on, is unique in the game industry.
It has the best replayabilty value than any other single player game by a large margin. You literally need hundreds of hours to experience just the majority of the scripted events and opportunities going on in the current selection of locations. Then you also have infinite liberties to try your own ideas beyond scripts.
Despite lowlights here and there, in any reasonable and practical sense, this game is a 10 for me and my benchmark for what 10/10 games should be delivering.
There’s no “bad level” in the entire trilogy. The weakest in my personal opinion is main mission Bangkok (even the Patient Zero version is better). Even for the weakest mission relative to others, it’s still so good that I could write a big review listing the positive aspects and memories of Bangkok.
That sums up the amount of praise I have for this game.
I have played the entire campaign in one go for the first time. So continuing straight to the next mission after completion and paying closer attention to the lore. Its fair to categorise this into three segments, since its 3 games in the WOA.
Chapter 1.
The game has a strong start with some great missions. The gameplay feels like classic Hitman with no story strings attached and it plays out as freelance contracts. The targets and maps are fantastic. Guys like Novikov, Caruso and Cross are such layered characters that its hard not to love them. The games does a little 180° with Bangkok and Colorado as the two bad maps and then returning to a great final map in Hokkaido. Bangkok was honestly the worst map of this game. I could rant about that for another hour. Storywise, the game does a pretty good job of introducing characters behind the scenes. The Shadow Client is really mysterious and has a really threatening aura to him. The amount of damage he caused to the mysterious Providence without raising alarms is notable. He is presented as the antagonist and a serious contender for 47. I liked him as a character and was ecstatic to know where his involvement in the story would lead to.
Chapter 2.
This is where the scales’ balances makes a weird jump. The missions are great. With characters like Rico Delgado, the Maelstrom, Alma Reynard and the Knoxes at Kronstadt it ties in smoothly into the lore that H1 started. (Remember, all of the above were named in the previous game). The palette of different maps is also something that I found very enjoyable. From the clean Miami, NY and WC maps to the seedy Colombia, Mumbai and Ambrose Island. And the inclusion of different accents and weapon types on enemies is very much appreciated! The most “Blood Money-vibe” I’ve had from Hitman in years. Now, the story however turns to shit here. Lucas Grey loses all his threatening and mysterious personality and is transformed into a butthurt teenager. The Homecoming cutscene made it really hard for me to give a shit anymore. All the whining and that dumbass anti-amnesia serum. Gah… And the worst of all is that this shit involves 47 and Diana, who in turn behave very irrational. From this point on it genually feels like 47 is a rowdy schoolboy and Diana is his mom. Why tf does 47 have hatefull feeling now??? Please don’t make the heartless killer show emotions, it ruins my immersion. The Providence part of the story unwraps itself pretty well though. Everything after WC hooked my interest. Especially how it this in into the Asylum / Ort-Meier part of the Hitman lore.
Chapter 3.
Honestly all the missions involving Providence were my favorites. Dubai and Dartmoor play out as classic Hitman missions. The story has barely any impact on the gameplay loop, which I like the most. Keep that stuff seperated, please. Things go rather fast from here though. The jump from killing the partners to suddenly ruining ICA, all in 4 missions, was a bit abrupt to me. I didn’t quite get why we needed to kill all those agents and leak the ICA files to begin with. Don’t forget Lucas Grey also died. (I didn’t care tbh. Found him annoying and cocky at this point). The Constant was also quite annoying and arrogant in this third chapter. He got the carpet pulled from under his feet and yet he behaves like he’s stronger than ever before. Even with the Partners’ funds, he still has a unstoppable killer on his ass which never failed an assignment. The writing again makes it obvious that if Diana wasn’t so cunning, 47 would’ve been fucked. Thats what I don’t like about this story, it makes 47 look really dependent. Anyway, the lores ties itself up pretty neatly in Mendoza, with all the returning characters. Don Yates is one of my favorite targets by the way. Since the end of H1 I always wanted an old money target like him. The finale (train) was lore-wise kinda decent. As a map it was dogshit. I take it injecting the Constant is canon, which completes this personal circle nicely. Though I hoped the final level would have been located in the Asylum. For the sake of story logic, a personal touch to 47 and Grey’s story, and nostalgia.
Lastly.
Good map variety
Great sandboxes with a lot of ways to approach
Return of classic weapons, suits and tools
Agent Smith
The briefing videos are really slick
Love the bonus missions
Story isnt always great and has too much impact on gameplay in some maps
Some features of classic games are missing
Too much handholding if you don’t disable 90% of its HUD elements (which I did)
Lack of different and unique animations
Different cutscene styles look sloppy
My rating of the maps and targets:
Yeah, didn’t like that “twist” either. But to be honest, I’m kind of tired with Hitman-Stories that grab something out of 47’s past. I get, that this is a reboot and therefore it was okay and far better, than to get just a new origin story, but if there will ever be a Hitman 4, 5, 6 etc. I would like a story, that just has nothing to do with the past of 47. There are many other ways to make things more personal and sometimes it just don’t have to be.
All in all I enjoyed the story anyways, but like you more the part about the Providence.
Not a fan of that one either, but to be fair, there are not many Hitman Games where I liked the final mission, because most of the time, it doesn’t fit the mechanics I like in a Hitman Game: stealthy game play and figuring out how to kill the target. Final missions are either shoot outs as in Blood Money or some time trial killer stuff like Contracts or Absolution. Or you just have to kill everything that moves like in Codename 47 and H2 Silent Assassin, but those were different times with different approaches to the series.
