HITMAN 3 to become ‘World of Assassination’

[Dribbleondo]

@Rimland

Yeah but the codes will eventually run out and/or be ridiculously expensive…

Sure the codes will run out eventually, but that’s not for what I’d estimate to be several years, maybe even a decade from now. There isn’t much of an incentive unless you really have a hankerin’ for 2016 or 2, and again, H3 supersedes it with not much of a downside. Just because something isn’t being made available for sale, does not mean it’s being lost to time. 2016 and 2 are plenty documented, me and several other modders and wiki editors have made sure of that.

@Rimland

And there are no disc releases on PC if I’m not mistaken

I recall there being a H2 collectors Edition that also had codes and a “disk”, but those ARE considerably rarer now, as those were only on sale for a few months of 2018-19.

[LandirtHome]

A bit late to the announcement. But : looks good.

Before Year Two was announced last year (time flies) I was certain that a full pack game was going to be made then, I was wrong by a year.

In a way : congratulations IOI. It is, in the end, a pinnacle. And worth celebrating.

I wonder if the current ET progression menu will still be here. It is technically the one from Hitman 3, and I wonder if the new WoA game will be considered a separate new entity on that front.

---

(Also : I’m not saying new UI, and new menuing. But I’m definitively saying that. The current one is not good for the quantity of content present)
(Second also : if there is one place to give the trinity pack it’s here. It would be thematic of the trilogy package.)

[PatteDeFruit]

First of all thank you IOI devs for finally bringing the idea of the HITMAN platform into life. That was the initial idea and i think that’s the best way to play the HITMAN trilogy.

However i think that there is a better way to do it rather than simply delist the previous games and merge everything into the latest installment of the franchise…

I totally understand that the actual way of selling those games is a confusing mess: multiple versions and DLCs, confusing episodic model split into different categories…so much people have been worried about what version of the games to buy and how to complete their collection for the right reasons.

But i think that removing HITMAN and HITMAN 2 from stores is a bad idea unless you are going to merge everything into one roof for the best.

There are things that i prefer in the first game and others that i like in the latest installment of the trilogy. Restricting the whole trilogy into only one available game would be wrong as there are lots of things that differ from one to another, especially gameplay features!

Putting everything into one roof will mean that players will have no choice regarding gameplay mechanics, graphics, missions, weapons and tools, but also 47’s face.

So much things differ from HITMAN (2016) to HITMAN 3 that it is a high risk to propose only one version of the game without checking the ensemble before that.

I suggest you guys to keep selling previous versions of HITMAN but in a more simple way: one package for each game including the whole content, so no more (or much less) confusions about which version to purchase:

→ HITMAN (2016) Legacy: GOTY Version (full pack)

→ HITMAN 2 (2018) Legacy: GOLD Version (full pack)

—> HITMAN 3 (2021): Deluxe Edition (the whole content)

Then put the “World Of Assassination” version of HITMAN as the ultimate update of the trilogy, but as another game instead of only renaming HITMAN 3:

----> HITMAN: WoA a.k.a the actual “HITMAN: Trilogy”

Whoever has previously purchased a HITMAN game (no matter what version) gets that new update (and DLCs) for a reduced price and those who have all HITMAN games get the WoA standalone update for free.

The WoA Standalone Platform gets to work by either selecting a HITMAN standalone game (as a legacy preservation) OR using HITMAN 3 mechanics for the whole stuff…

I think that it’s the best compromise between keeping the legacy games intact and keep offering a wide variety of playing without removing all the work (and content) that has been brought with the previous HITMAN games.

Thank you guys for reading me (and caring).

We’re one step closer to perfecting the HITMAN experience anyway.

Wishing the best to developers still working on that beloved franchise.

Cheers!

EDIT: Post was merged from another topic HERE no intend to spam!

[PatteDeFruit]

It’s not only a matter of weapons, so much stuff is different regarding the three games!

Different rules, different animations, different gameplay (even if close of each other), meaning different tactics and approaches between one game and another…

There’s so much to do between those three games, to each level and contract it’s own way to go through it, that would be a shame to restrict all those possibilities to only one game while there’s a huge wide variety of possible combinations by going back and forth between all those versions of HITMAN

@Dribbleondo

I agree with that. In fact, quite a while ago, I made a list on TV Tropes of all the differences between 2016 and the later games (corner takedowns, for example were insanely untrustworthy, now they actually are pretty good). It is a bit of a time capsule in many respects:

Also, removing those games purely and simply from the stores would mean hiding behind so much years of work and evolution, like nothing happened. There’s even people to this day who have never heard of HITMAN (2016) while it remains one of the greatests of them all even to this day: polish, cinematics, animations, etc. !

HITMAN 3 is probably a good sequel, but let’s not forget what we’ve all started with, and i think the gap and differences between the first, the second and the last are big enough to keep them all available to play and purchase, even for the years to come

[AnthonyFuller]

@PatteDeFruit

I think that it’s the best compromise between keeping the legacy games intact and keep offering a wide variety of playing without removing all the work (and content) that has been brought with the previous HITMAN games.

Your model for what they should do complicates it so much more than it is currently.

[Heisenberg]

@PatteDeFruit

I’m sorry, I see these images and I just think: bald Daniel Craig; Napoleon from Animal Farm in an suit; Agent 47.

[TheChicken]

I get the idea behind keeping the other titles up, or granting access to them as a bundle, but I just don’t see any random person wanting to go back to the days of Target-Spotted-No-SA, or no accidental KOs, or not having a centralized progression system…

[AnthonyFuller]

Preservation. Which can still occur, I get preserving 2016 because it’s definitely unique compared to H2 and 3. But H3 is just H2 but better in so many ways.

They’ve been refining Hitman 3 to be the best version of everything in the trilogy. This much was evident in the Y2 October mega patch. So it makes sense to delist the rest.

[Dribbleondo]

@PatteDeFruit

Different rules, different animations, different gameplay (even if close of each other), meaning different tactics and approaches between one game and another…

The rules are worse in many respects, the animations are merely sped up (the only actually different animation is hiding behind cover…which is reused from Absolution), the gameplay is genuinely different enough to disorient H2/H3 players, but the gameplay is largely the same, you just have to do minor things differently; enough to second-guess things.

@PatteDeFruit

There’s so much to do between those three games, to each level and contract it’s own way to go through it, that would be a shame to restrict all those possibilities to only one game while there’s a huge wide variety of possible combinations by going back and forth between all those versions of HITMAN

…not really? All the featured contracts got imported between the games, and there are outright LESS combinations of kills between 2016 and 3, not more. 2016 feels like a base for a better Hitman game, not the definitive version.

Really, the only losses are to 2016’s escalations (a lot of which are awful, but I’ll admit I want IOI to go back and improve them) and the content behind legal red tape (TS6 is tied up with Sony, while The Wildcard and The Undying have image rights issues which prevents them from officially re-running. Likenesses and voice rights are expensive).

Also, 47’s face in 2016 looks really bizaare. Like, why did they go with that bug-eyed mess? I admit, people are fond of it, but H2’s design is at least more human-looking (and H3’s is just a walking comic book reference, which i appreciate).

@PatteDeFruit

Also, removing those games purely and simply from the stores would mean hiding behind so much years of work and evolution, like nothing happened.

No, no it wouldn’t. I made that list of changes to tell players what is different between the games, and it would not “hide” work or the evolution of the series. These games are well documented in that regard, so your words come off as wholly untrue. Just because you cannot buy them does not mean Hitmans’ previous iterations will ever be forgetten.

@PatteDeFruit

There’s even people to this day who have never heard of HITMAN (2016) while it remains one of the greatests of them all even to this day: polish, cinematics, animations, etc. !

The polish of 2016 is…in hindsight, not great. The HUD was a little strange (why was there large text slapped in front of you when you were compromised?), the toilet bug was a very annoying issue, and there’s some quirks of the game that have since been fixed in H2/3. The animations haven’t gotten any worse either, and even the cinematics, while obviously less detailed than 2016’s, are still generally pretty good (You can’t beat cinematics funded by SquEnix’s resources, but H3 comes pretty close).

@PatteDeFruit

HITMAN 3 is probably a good sequel

No, it IS a good sequel, no ambiguity there at all.

@PatteDeFruit

but let’s not forget what we’ve all started with

We’re not. Stop nostalgia-pandering.

@PatteDeFruit

and i think the gap and differences between the first, the second and the last are big enough to keep them all available to play and purchase, even for the years to come

The issue is that it causes a lot of problems for WOA’s infrastructure, and purchasing DLC’s is very confusing. When H3 reaches EOL, then maybe IOI will ask WB and SquEnix to re-list 2016 and 2, but as it is right now, their motivation for delisting them is very understandable.

[mananlak]

You think it would make everyone happy if you put the most OP item in the trilogy behind a paywall? Or any other additional content that has been sitting in the first game’s files? I can’t imagine a worse thing for IOI’s PR than to do that when the only people clamoring for it are fans hardcore enough to browse this forum.

They could just add the E-Phone back in and nerf it so that it isn’t an accident, or it is an accident but doesn’t kill unless the target is standing in a puddle…not going to rehash the debate over it but it’s clear that IOI does not think that it belonged in the game in the state that it was in. Or just give access to legacy versions of 1 and 2 when the WoA package is bought, without leaving them up for individual purchase which continues the problem of cluttering the storefront and making purchasing the series more confusing.

[coopzr]

If I buy the physical disc for H3 will I be eligible for the upgrade?

My concern is that the physical disk for H3 from most retailers don’t include the words “standard edition” (whereas steam and Microsoft store versions do!). I’m not sure if this affects anything.

[Fleur]

IO have been killing it, and this is just one more of those things…

I totally understand the decision to remove past games from the storefront as well. The casual gamer isn’t gonna care about some old version of 47 or changes to how fire extinguishers work. And the people who do care, already own all this shit anyway. All that’s gonna show up now is WoA and its DLC, and I’m sure they’re gonna make more sales with complete simplicity.

[PatteDeFruit]

@Fleur

The casual gamer isn’t gonna care about some old version of 47 or changes to how fire extinguishers work. And the people who do care, already own all this shit anyway. All that’s gonna show up now is WoA and its DLC, and I’m sure they’re gonna make more sales with complete simplicity.

You make a point here

However if they decide to delist those games definitely from stores (and maybe shutdown the servers), i hope that AT LEAST, we’ll get a fully working offline mode for those legacy games, as almost all the content is locked online (rankings, unlocks, progression, …)

That would be the minimum to be able to keep playing them without problems

And i’m not even counting the loss on Contracts and Elusive Targets

[Fleur]

I do understand concerns about the servers of those old versions, yes. They would be the first ones to shut down, surely.

[MrOchoa]

@PatteDeFruit

i hope that AT LEAST, we’ll get a fully working offline mode for those legacy games

IO Employees reading this:

[PatteDeFruit]

@MrOchoa

IO Employees reading this:

That’s not very much demanding, as those two previous games are potentially getting out of the equation (too soon imo)

I’m sure they can do this. One patch and it will please lots of players

[Urben]

I don’t think the servers will be shut down for H1&2 anytime soon, especially when they only have to maintain them to keep running. But with them being delisted the chance to invest into a full offline mode are dropping drastically. That might be more a thing for H3/WoA.

[AnthonyFuller]

@PatteDeFruit

hope that AT LEAST, we’ll get a fully working offline mode for those legacy games

This is more wishful thinking. If we do get a proper offline mode, it will only be for Hitman 3. Why would they pour resources into older versions of the game (that at the time, would be delisted)? Doesn’t make sense.

[PatteDeFruit]

@Urben

I don’t think the servers will be shut down for H1&2 anytime soon, especially when they only have to maintain them to keep running. But with them being delisted the chance to invest into a full offline mode are dropping drastically. That might be more a thing for H3/WoA.

I guess taking care of legacy servers isn’t that hard and expensive as they might share the same kind of database. Still hoping for a fully fonctional offline mode someday anyway, as it is primarly a singleplayer experience and most of the stuff is still locked through online services

[PatteDeFruit]

@AnthonyFuller

This is more wishful thinking. If we do get a proper offline mode, it will only be for Hitman 3. Why would they pour resources into older versions of the game (that at the time, would be delisted)? Doesn’t make sense.

Because that would make those games fully playable outside of servers so no more cost (or less) regarding online servers and stuff, plus it will please the playerbase who is demanding that feature since the beginning (a thing that was completely normal on previous games)

And it’s not about resources but simply put a patch that is potentially already available and ready to launch. It’s all depending on their wish to do it or not

I wouldn’t even be surprised that the offline patch would be more or less the same for all three games, making it simplier to dispatch through the whole trilogy