Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #13073 in Computer & Video Games
• Brand: Eidos
• Released on: 2002-10-04
• Rating: To Be Announced
• Platform: Xbox

Amazon.co.uk Review
Eidos' stylish, strategic and almost puzzle-like Hitman 2 makes its console debut, managing to address many of the criticisms that haunted the PC original while still falling short of its potential. The premise sets up the player as a genetically modified hit man, forced out of retirement when things get a little personal. Each level then sets up an overall mission, broken down into sub-objectives, thankfully with a much-requested save-game feature included in case things get a little hairy. This isn't your standard walk-and-shoot kind of game, though; Hitman 2 rewards planning, and lots of it. While there's no fixed linear route through any of the levels, each will require a lot of thought to be defeated.

What limits the game's potential though is the continual stream of frustrations. The enemy's artificial intelligence, for instance, is sometimes very sadly lacking, and there are occasions when the pace drops to snail-like speed, without always generating sufficient tension to carry the player through. That said, when it hits top gear Hitman 2 can be tense, atmospheric and enjoyable. Graphically it's very polished, and those who enjoy games that reward solid thinking more than an itchy trigger finger will certainly find something to enjoy. But while undoubtedly a step forward from its predecessor, it's an ambitious game that still falls short of what could have been. Put simply, it's good, it's challenging, but it still leaves quite a lot of room for improvement. --Jon Foster

Manufacturer's Description
Hitman 2: Silent Assassin is the sequel to the PC's popular Hitman: Codename 47. Once again, enter the mind of the Hitman, a for-hire assassin who is trying to distance himself from his violent past and discover his true identity. Eventually, you find yourself tricked into returning to your trade by a twisted Russian crime boss bent on assisting rogue countries for his own personal and financial gain. You soon realize that you're caught in the middle of a ring of deception and discover that you have become a target yourself--of a highly trained ex-Spetsnaz assassin. Utilize stealth, tact and survival instincts to complete your missions. Plan your hits carefully and think to survive.

Customer Reviews

Well worth buying : if you have the patience
After the great success of the original Hitman, I, among many, was waiting to see what marvels the sequel could produce. We have not been disappointed. Enemy AI has been completed re-vamped make the sadistic joy of killing your target in a cunningly stealthy way even more rewarding than before. The game’s design allows you to capitalize on their humanistic weaknesses just as if they are real people.
The lush visuals (which really shine on this Xbox version) make great use of the Xbox’s hardware capability and feature some dazzling lighting effects. Everyone’s favourite assassin (“47”) now has a vast array of weaponry ranging for surgical scalpels to hi-tec sniper scopes including a welcome selection of melee weapons and the classic fibre – wire. The start of the game gives a brief tutorial where you can get to grips with the game’s controls and mess about with some big guns – really useful if you are a new comer to the Hitman series (where have you been?!).
The in-game save option saves a lot of cursing at the screen when your character dies just seconds before you almost completed your elaborate operation to kill your target and allows you to be more experimental in what you do. The game is so dynamic and malleable it means that there are lots of ways to complete a mission: NEVER only one or two. This means that you can use your own style, although some styles can be more rewarding (points AND gameplay-wise) for example, avoiding the massacre of civilians and only killing your intended target.
The inclusion of a First-Person view also helps with aiming when you decide to go on a rampage and generally makes life easier .The jaw-dropping selection of locations (from Sicily to Russia) helps make sure you don’t suffer from déjà vu and keeps you interested. A symphony orchestra created the incredibly atmospheric soundtrack where brings the game alive and is well worth turning the volume on your TV up for.
And now for the few negative points. Some of the impatient among you may feel that waiting for a Security Guard to go to the toilet is a bit slow and tiresome. I personally feel that it adds to the realism and depth, but this game definitely requires patience. Also, the plot isn’t as engaging as the original Hitman which is a shame, but you probably won’t take much notice…
This game is a must – it provides a unique sense of achievement at the end of every stage and presents a great replayability value as you can try out different ways of completing the 20 missions. Anyone who thought the idea of Hitman was good, but were put off by its flaws should DEFINATELY consider buying this sequel.

The first great game in the big Christmas lineup!
I had no intention of buying this game initially as none of the reviews I'd read had given it a top rating. I wanted to save my pennies for the big upcoming games like Splinter Cell, Blinx, Unreal and the rest of the top scorers in the Christmas lineup. In a moment of weakness I decided to splurge and bought it after all. I was in no way disappointed. The only bad thing going for this game is in the timing of its release as it's somewhat overshadowed by the others in the pipeline.

This has to be one of the most graphically impressive games I've seen so far on the Xbox. The atmosphere it creates is intense as it's packed with effects such as movie like lightning and your shadow rushing past you as you run past the hanging lights in the subway.

The game play is very satisfying and gives you complete freedom to choose whether to blast your way through the levels or stealthily make your way to each hit with a minimal number of casualties. The latter is a lot more satisfying and strolling past six policemen armed to the teeth without raising their suspicions will have you on the edge of your seat!

If you're sitting on your hands waiting for the likes of Blinx, Splinter Cell and Unreal then I'd recommend you buy this game. For me it's the first great game in the Xbox Christmas lineup.

Suave, stylish and stunning
What can make a game is atmosphere. It can have cool guns and suave moves but atmosphere is something that is under-appreciated. The Hitman games, especially Hitman 2, is drenched in atmosphere. It's settings wherein you play the levels are simply amazing.

Hitman 2 revolves around a clone who works in the profession of "cleaning" but, after the bloodbath of the original game, Hitman: Codename 47, our hero, 47, is now religious and lives alone in a church with a priest in Sicily. Wanting to lure him from his lair to show off his skills, a Russian crime lord hires a group of Sicilians to kidnap the priest. This takes you into the first level of the game, "Anathema", a powerful opening level as you stalk around the mansion of the Mafia boss and murder him. The priest already having been taken by Russians, 47 has to cut a deal with his old agency that if they give him information on the priest, he will continue to assassinate important people, including army officers, members of the Yakuza - just to whet your tastebuds. To do this, you'll need a great deal of cunning as you sneak through each level, disguising yourself as certain people to get closer to your target. The game will take you from St. Petersburg, murdering corrupt ex-KGB officers, to locations such as India, Malaysia and Japan.

Each mission is unique and the way you complete it is entirely your choice, whether you strive to get a high rating by being as stealthy as possible or whip out your dual baller pistols and blast away everyone in sight. Both ways are fun, though the former is more satisfying. The arsenal of weapons are superb, ranging from shotguns, silenced pistols, assault rifles and a fibre garrotte. They'll always be variation and the guns are impossible to get bored of. The levels have so much replay level as you can find different ways of completing them or playing them again to get a higher rating and unlock a reward. You'll be playing Hitman 2 for months.

Just as an example of how cool this game is, you should have an idea of what the levels are like. In St. Petersburg, there's one particular level on the Kirov islands where you have to place carbombs in the limos of a Mafia boss and an ex-KGB officer. It's simply beautiful to watch the plan fall together. Following this level, there's another in St. Petersburg at a party where you mix in with the guests and try to assassinate another ex-KGB officer and try to get to his briefcase before a Spetznaz agent does, which calls for a little trap. In another brilliant level, set in Malaysia, there's a different approach. You have to dress up as a pizza boy and go down to a basement to kill a fat computer guy. Then you'll find yourself killing his naked brother in a jacuzzi with some girls. There's an idea of how varied this game is.

The physics of the game are awfully satisfying. Shoot a guy and his blood will splash onto the wall and he will slump lifelessly with perfect ragdoll physics into a pool of expanding blood. This isn't a game to show your parents but all the same, it's damned good fun and you should feel a feeling of refreshment afterwards, seeing as you've used your brain to complete a mission - by the way, it's possible now to save in levels, unlike the first game.

Another great feature of Hitman 2 is the soundtrack, composed by Jasper Keyd. Some tracks are powerful, others are creepy. There's great music in this game.

The Hitman series are my favorite games for their sheer originality and awesome gameplay. Please - buy this.