check out those dogs
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Despite all negativity towards Absolution I LOVE that game and I like too see more connection and references in safehouse. I donât like why IOI is cutting off from Absolution. There is only two references a Terminus Outfit which is my favourite and Blake Dexter.
Birdie is one of my favourite characters and I would love to met him again. But also put to Hitman universe Kane & Lynch, they fit perfectly
Just imagine that in Chongqing we met them as weapon smugglers. That would be sweet (damn square enix license)
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All of that, all of it = 
(I was very much not a fan of the characters, story or tone of Absolution, youâll be surprised to learn⌠
)
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There were quite a few things that made absolution not very well liked within the community.
The first thing is that the mechanics / rating system isnât very well made at all. Itâs completely busted in every way, never leaning fully into stealth or into combat. The checkpoint system is also terribly made, as well as the inventory system
The second thing is the tone of the story, the grind house theme is very offputting and jarring in not a good way. The hypersexualization and crassness of the humor doesnât blend well with 47 and the serious story itâs trying to portray. The series has done well with dark tones and sexual elements before, but in this case it was applied in a way thatâs not enjoyable.
The third thing was the levels themselves, absolution underwent massive changes in style and methodology with major pivots throughout development and as such the game is far too short and linear in a lot of places, some of the levels are just generally bad as well.
Also the plot of fighting the ICA is completely wasted. The best parts of Hitman games are when 47 fights other assassins, and yet the ICA barely makes an appearance outside of attack of the Saints and operation sledgehammer (shocker, the two best set pieces in the game IMO). We should have seen many more confrontations with various different assassins with different tactics, as well as that feeling of being hunted more.
Then we get to some of the story beats, which were either rushed or badly implemented. Birdy and Dexter are good (despite Dexter being one of the purveyors of the grind house theme, he has an infectious energy and charisma about him that makes him interesting). Birdy doesnât have a conclusion or actual ark either.
However everyone else has major issues all the way through:
47 for starters is a walking disaster, and absolutely nothing like his usual self, he gets caught and fails for no reason multiple times.
Victoria didnât get nearly enough screen time, that bond with 47 should have been more pivotal and had more time to develop so that players cared about her more. I see such wasted potential here, she was such an interesting idea that was boiled down to a simple motivator to get from level to level
Cosmo Faulkner and the police storyline is completely and utterly pointless, despite taking up like half of the cutscenes (I mean seriously itâs ridiculous, his role is so overplayed for how little of an impact he has on the actual story)
Dianaâs âdeathâ changes 47, despite how he should know that sheâs alive last minute? I mean the shower moment is replayed multiple times throughout the game showing that it had an effect on 47, but how could it if she was still alive?
Benjamin Travis is like the rest of the ICA betrayal storyline, tragically underplayed for what it could have and should have been.
I could actually talk at length about what I think could/should have been done with absolution to make it more interesting and better accepted by fans. Iâm not going to get into it (especially since nobody has asked for it). However if we ever end up getting a series retrospective remaking / retelling of 47s entire storyline, we could get something a lot more people would have enjoyed.
It definitely was a valuable learning experience for IOI though, and Iâm actually glad they underwent it. Thereâs also some cool leftover ideas and levels that were never actually implemented that I would like to see in future entries,
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I know very well what is good and what is bad - but still itâs very subjective. I personaly love Absolution because gaved me a lot great memories and nostalgia, iâve spend a +700 hours in game despite all that bad things. But this is not the topic - question is, why some characters litterally donât exist anymore like Absolution would never will happened.
I know that IOI may be not proud what they have done, but still - I would like to see some of these characters as some kind of reference in that same maner like some of characters from past games have own place in WoA.
Few Examples: Sapienza with Tommy Clemenza shop, Cosmo Faulkner retired in Whitteon Creek working in garden, Birdie maybe as a Elusive Target etc. There is a plenty of quite characteristics NPC that could be showed in some way in WoA no matter if story vise Absolution is good or not.
But IOI treat that as will never happened and this is something that I donât understand.
as little offtopic:
And if comes to Absolution - I personaly to be honest donât care what people think about it, because for me was a great game, maybe not best Hitman, but whole atmosphere of noir and that redneck was damn good and very unique. You may like it or not, but you canât denied that Absolution is very memorable because itâs consistent in style what it is. And this is something that makes this game why I loved so much.
There was only two things which I think is bad no matter how you look at Absolution. Outfit system where everyone with this same could recognise you and cutted small locations which could be a one big location in WoA maner. Dexter Industries could be a one big map, Streets of Hope also one big map - that would totaly make a diffrence how game is received. Point Save system and Point Shooting System - I never used anyway, so I donât even noticed how bad it is.
Absolution is like an old movies - you know there is a plenty of weird shit but you love anyway no matter how bad it could be, because bring you a lot of good memories, and this is what games should be, right?
Ah, of course, the wondrous power of nostalgia-tinted glasses. Theyâve the incredible ability to convince those who wear them that a steaming turd is a multi-carat diamond.
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If Absolution would be a bad game - then no one will remember it. And I remember a lot od details, back then gaved me a lot of fun playing (+700 hours yo!) and afterwards I still love to get back. Bad game would never do that. Problem is that people compare Absolution to other games and say itâs a very bad game! And this is wrong - itâs a great game, but not so great Hitman game. And this is all about.
Thatâs your opinion. For me, Absolution is a bad game. Not compared to other games. Not as a Hitman game. Just all by itself. It is a misogynistic, sexist piece of shit, and I personally donât care that they treat it as if it never happened. I do the same.
And Iâm sorry for my choice of words, but I really canât find a better description for this game.
Edit: I just want to add that I am not talking about game mechanics. I think with Absolution they did much progress in that case and Iâm glad they kept some of it for the WoA trilogy. My problem with Absolution comes to the story and the characters and unfortunately that makes it unplayable for me.
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+1 to @Miniâs post above.
In terms of plot, characters and general tone I found Absolution repulsive. It canât be denied that mechanically it introduced features that transitioned the janky Hitman gameplay of the Blood Money days into the smooth AAA experience of the WoA that we know and love, but as an immersive narrative experience it immersed me in the juvenile tasteless mind of a particularly stupid teenage edgelord. Yuck.
Eternally glad that the WoA trilogy moved the series towards a classier tone that suits both the gameplay and a narrative experience that doesnât want to make players throw up in their mouths as they go.
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I know that you deleted your comment Tetra. But since you said âSince the Safehouse (as far as most of us know) is exclusively a feature in FLâ.
Am I the only one who would find fun to have a way to launch the main story campaign (or at least a carbon copy of it) from the safehouse ?
Maybe through a file cabinet, archives, in the office.
Not with the cinematics/mission stories hud/challenges, but a custom campaign where you play the 18 map on the row, where the main targets are selected as targets. With the usual trapping and mechanic of Freelancer (no save, one death resets, spent equipment, more open loadout, random alerted territoriesâŚ).
It could genuinely be fun to play.
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This is something I didnât know I wanted, thanks.
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I wouldnât say IOI are cutting off from Absolution when theyâve got 47âs suits from Absolution present in the game (Absolution & Terminus Suit).
Plus, they already acknowledged HITMAN follows on from Absolution, so itâs all still cannon. We also see Dominic Osmond killed in the âLegacyâ trailer narrated by Lucas Grey. Absolution just isnât really directly followed up on because the WOA is a new story and the only way Absolution could have been followed up on, is by 47 killing Birdie and that would have been it. We could argue what happened to Victoria? But I think even IOI thought her character wasnât well received by us fans so quietly forgot about her.
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She died after throwing away her necklace, or chose to keep her abilities hidden and took up a new identity living a normal life somewhere in the world. No big mystery why sheâs not mentioned. If she lived and 47 and Diana respect her decision, they must never mention her to protect her. If she died, same thing; show respect by letting it be. That said, should Victoria show up in a future game and have better contribution to the story, it could help redeem Absolution a little in the eyes of the fanbase. Birdie is likely dead, as is Cosmo Faulkner, probably from ICA itself repaying 47 for deal with Travisâs bullshit.
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I go to post how Abs still has a special place in my heart, and yet acknowledge the flaws in its story⌠Remember that time I made a topic to rewrite the Abs story? Soupienza really went to work on that! 
And SeriousPony made some good arguments defending the story (or aspects of it).
This was a reference to Victoria (and Absolution). Maybe she realized she didnât need her 
magic necklace to be able to do MMA moves and aim and shoot a gun or whatever.
So yeah. The SafehouseâŚ
Yes⌠Youâre right⌠I did. 
But that was to nudge (anyone) to set this topic to the âSafehouseâ topic category. I deleted the comment so as to not appear pushy⌠Because I felt I was being pushy. 
For all intents and purposes, Absolution is dead. âDead to IOI and many, many fansâ, if you will. So, not outright non-canon, but more like psuedo-non-canon, notwithstanding a few cameo suit appearances.
Absolution is just that good kidâs one bad trip on psychedelics before getting back on the straight and narrow.
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Like the 7DS, Iâve had the idea that âWhat if?.. What if Absolution were just a dream?â
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Or it all happened in a much less grindhouse kind of way but itâs being told by 47 whoâs remembering it in a more violent fashion or maybe Victoria is the one telling the story and in her mind it was more scary bc she is like 16 ish.
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âAnd then, Diana, you wouldnât believe this shit⌠He hits me with a freaking sex toy!â
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Absolution is not dead. Never had been, never will be. It had its fans, and IOI had specifically chosen not to strike it from the canon. What it is is a standalone story, taking place in between two distinct eras of the series. It doesnât affect what came before, it doesnât affect what came after. It happened, but there is no reason for a revisit, other than the fates of three characters from that story, all of whom itâs easy to guess what happened to them. So while Absolution is an event that definitely did happen in the ongoing tale of Hitman, itâs a side story that doesnât necessarily have to be told. Think the DCEU from Man of Steel to Justice League; yeah, Suicide Squad takes place there, but do you really need to watch it to get the story the rest of the movies tell? You could skip it and miss nothing important (except Viola Davis giving the only award-worthy performance of that series). Itâs kinda like that.
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