A Hitman Retrospective (Hitman 2: Silent Assassin - Hitman 2016)

This is a retrospective critique and analysis of the Hitman series.It's a review of each game and how they change and evolve over the course of the franchise.
I don't make any money off this so feel free to share the content if you enjoyed it!
Timestamps:
Hitman 2: 8:22
Hitman Contracts: 17:58
Hitman Blood Money: 28:38
Hitman Absolution: 41:47
Hitman 2016: 56:25
My Twitter: / kolbehoward

[@EldritchAugur]

Correction: A viewer has brought to my attention that Hitman 2 behaves erratically with framerates above 60 and makes guard perception oversensitive. I played the entire game with the framerate capped at 144 so my arguments here might not be entirely accurate if you keep the framerate locked at 60.

[@DirtyGarrett]

Having played the game many times throughout the years, I can safely say the AI has always been trigger happy

[@Scrubworks]

I've played it several times on PS2, where of course the framerate goes nowhere near 60, and the stealth system was still fucked.

[@samz8691]

@@Scrubworks Don't run (which the game tells you in a hint when you first disguise in the first level) and keep your distance.

[@Napoleonic_S]

there's another stealth game genre that most people forgot : the commandos, desperados and shadow tactics games... what are they in the classification? strategic stealth games? oh wait, there's another type of stealth too, the Invisible Inc type game, in some ways they are harder than the action stealth ones. Oh wait, there's even another type : mark of the ninja, 2D action stealth. Stealth genre isn't as small as most people usually think.

[@ahmedmohiuddin3017]

To get around the walking problem I just toggle between walking and running very quickly. The guards do not notice most of the time.

[@franzpattison]

I've always thought of 47 as a likeable good guy who isn't completely amoral. This might be because Hitman 2 was the first one I played, and the first thing 47 says is "forgive me father I have sinned, I have killed people, many people, for honey" so he seems to me to be very morally aware what he is doing is wrong and he even feels bad about it. He even intentionally got out of the agency because he didn't want to do it any longer, and wanted a life of peace in the monastery. However he's been trained and conditioned to be effective and lethal (unless I'm controlling him) despite how he might feel about the actions.

[@venomsnake225]

Haha, "honey"

[@franzpattison]

@@venomsnake225 yeah little did you know that 47 is actually Winnie the Pooh.

[@thefearofg0ds758]

Blood Money was probably the game that showed 47 at his absolute worst in terms of what he's willing to do for his own benefit and for the sake of his profession. He comes off as incredibly cold and detatched from humanity in that game.

[@shakemiz]

@@thefearofg0ds758 Yeah in blood money he killed a mail delivery guy just because he saw his face and also killed an innocent priest at the end so there were no loose ends about him being alive. The only reason he saved the president from being assassinated is because payment was good enough LMAO

[@thefearofg0ds758]

@@shakemiz his bird too😱😰

[@jennabrutananadalewski412]

I can’t even put to words how excited I am to find a new channel that does long game retrospectives!! Yes!!! Wonderful video. Can’t wait to see more.

[@EldritchAugur]

Thanks, I'm working on a Metro 2033 and Last Light video right now. Hopefully will be up in the next couple weeks- a month.

[@filipeamaral216]

Brutananadalewski is an epic name.

[@Jeff_Biden]

@@filipeamaral216 sadly, "Filipe" isn't very epic.

[@filipeamaral216]

@@Jeff_Biden that's where you are wrong, kiddo.

[@ST0077]

I started playing this series when I was 7 or 8 years old lol. As a lifelong Hitman fan, you did the series justice by putting out this video. Some of my greatest childhood memories was playing the Hitman 2 demos - the mission in the embassy in Russia is still burned in my memory

[@gopalkrishnan9732]

In silent Assassin's tubeway torpedo level you can put the pager outside the general's door then equip the phone and press left click and the pager starts beeping causing the general to get out of the room to investigate the sound when you can strangle him silently

[@comfylung]

Now that the 2016 trilogy is complete, I'd love to have another 75 minutes of retrospective from your perspective. Great video!

[@chappanagent]

Still hoping

[@ST0077]

Jesper Kyd is the greatest video game composer ever. The early Hitman games, Assassin's Creed 2... this man hits it out of the park every time.

[@Yomom12388]

Kelly Bailey and Naoki Kodaka are better IMO, but Jesper Kyd is pretty great

[@AjarSensation]

i always get the chills when hearing the winter might theme

[@IAmDaDumb1]

I think you’re oversimplifying the character of 47 in these games, as his ark kind of goes up and down through each game. In codename 47 he’s as you describe where he’s practically a mindless tool that doesn’t care who he kills or for what purpose. Silent assassin shows that 47 actually has some self-awareness and is somewhat troubled at the idea of killing people for money, or at least people that don’t necessarily deserve it. Blood money shows his character regressed a little bit as he’s a bit more remorseless in that game and even kills a few innocent people canonically. However the new trilogy clearly establishes a sense of justice in 47 where he shows a concern that his contracts are “just” and by the end of the newest game he has his own personal mission based in fighting corruption rather than just killing for the right price.

[@GamersEatCrisps]

Wow, I'm a bit late to this video but it's honestly surprising that this was an hour long, it was so perfectly made that it only felt like 20 minutes, the video deserves way more views than it currently has. You definitely have a talent for making reviews. Keep up the good work!

[@Happytreefriendsfan3]

I'm one day late because I was busy. This clip was even better than the Planescape: Torment one. It was really entertaining and you're an extremely well-articulated person. I just have a few gripes, but these don't ruin the video at all, I just wanted to give my two cents: 1. You were too harsh on Contracts, it's definitely way closer to the Blood Money side of games than the Silent Assassin side. 2. The story in Blood Money is definitely not unobtrusive, and one of the main faults of the game is related to it. Because of story-related reasons, you have obligatory lethal segments in a few missions. For example, the two "boss battles" in Dance with the Devil always annoyed me, and the last part of the White House mission even more so. 3. "Death on the Mississippi" is not a good mission because most of the ship looks sam-y as hell. It's a giant, but really boring map. 4. I feel like there's you're biased and favorize BM and the newest Hitman way too much (you went over the fact that BM undermines the stealth of the series like it's nothing, for example). When it comes to approaching the targets, SA and Contracts can't compare, but they make up for it with their unique scenarios, and you failed to mention this. SA is especially filled with these kinds of stages. Sure, some of them are a miss (who thought carrying that giant weapon through the streets in "The Motorcade Interception" was a good idea?), but you have some extremely memorable moments like, for example, disguising yourself as a fireman, staging a fire and infiltrating the target's basement so that you can kill him. There's also stuff like the cardboard cutouts (best not to go into spoiler territory, but you know what I'm talking about). You failed to mention these things, and it's unfair to the game, because if you went into detail when it comes to the flaws of the game, you should do the same about the good things. The scenarios in SA weren't mentioned almost at all. My first Hitman game was BM, and I was madly in love with it, but after playing the other games in the series, I've taken a big liking to SA and Contracts, especially the latter with its masterful atmosphere. BM has too easy of an AI (Contracts did it best, because the AI isn't as stupid as the one in BM, neither stupidly harsh like the one in SA), I dislike how zoomed-in Agent 47 is (personal gripe, of course) and I dislike the almost complete lack of serious atmosphere. In the end, I guess it boils down to whether you value one of two things - atmospheric stealth or sandbox experimentation. I love the latter, but I go to games like Deus Ex for it. I value the former way more, and a fact for me is that, for example, BM rarely has moments that can compare to the stuff like "Basement Killing", "The Jacuzzi Job" etc. I'll take greatly atmospheric and memorable stages over giant sandboxes which don't have an impact on me, but that's just me and I have no problems with people who love Blood Money, and I can see why it's so loved.

[@EldritchAugur]

Fair points all around, although I kind of disagree about Contracts. If that's the impression you got than I probably messed up somewhere. I very much enjoyed Contracts it's just that it's antiquated design showed through occasionally which broke the spell of the atmosphere for me. For BM's "lethal segments" I'd definitely disagree about the assassin in heaven because it's just leading them to a closed room and shooting them. You'd have more of an argument about the assassin in hell with the actual duel segment but it's never bothered me personally. And for the record I definitely agree on the White House. I realize I'm in the minority on Death on the Mississippi, but I love it for the same reason that I love Traditions of the Trade and A House of Cards. All the hotel rooms provide you with opportunities for creative wacky stuff like knocking out the drunk guy in the tuxedo and dragging him into a room or sneaking in on the gator gang member after he gets rejected. I also love that you are mistaken for a waiter and can get a disguise from that whole situation. Really good level I think. I totally agree that BM undermines the stealth and for me this isn't an issue. I feel like I could have explained that better. I understand how that might upset people who liked the stealth mechanics in the previous games but for me it was always secondary to the level design and the assassinations. Yeah looking back I wish I went a little more in-depth on SA but the point I was trying to hit is emphasized in the conclusion for it. The jankiness of the stealth mechanics and the inconsistent mission design undermine everything else the game does right. I was honestly so frustrated, and so bored most of the time playing it that it corrupted even the good levels (Yes I love Jacuzzi Job and Basement Killing) but I couldn't even get to them on this playthrough because I got so fed up with the bad levels (I hope you can agree with me that some of the levels are terrible). And I went in depth on the unique scenarios with the Deadly Cargo mission in Contracts. I definitely disagree. I don't like them. While they are unique and give variety to the game they unnecessarily constrict the players options and make Assassinations much more pre-determined and linear. Hitman 2016 has Soders on the operating table which could be considered a unique scenario but it still manages to give the player tons of options on how to actually kill him instead of one forcefully directed signature kill. I also feel that I should mention that I do think that the newer Hitman games are lacking in atmosphere after the departure of Jesper Kyd. I very much appreciate that about the older games and I only consider Hitman 2016 the "best" game in the series because I appreciate the sandbox level design above all else when it comes to the series. If you prioritize the atmosphere and stealth I can definitely see where you are coming from and don't disagree in that frame. Overall very good points and I appreciate the criticism. I haven't gotten many comments yet with this much depth so I'm glad to see someone thinking about my points seriously.

[@MelindaSordinoIsLiterallyMe]

I would differ, I hated large chunks of SA und to have my issues with that game expressed so clearly felt good. Its not only clunky, its frustrating. ALL Japan missions absolutely sucked, Basement Killing was rather boring, in particular the design of the basement itself, the dumb engine room, though the idea of being set in Malaysia was good. The only mission that is really great and creative is Return to St. Petersburg. That mission was awesome even though the mission it is basically copying was too linear. Oh, Eldritch, if you're reading this: Absolutely stellar video, clear and concise. I would recommend you check out C47's soundtrack though. Yeah, the game itself is not that good, but I thank the soundtrack is tied at best OST with BM IMHO.

[@rudrasingh6354]

@@MelindaSordinoIsLiterallyMe I agree a bit, I love SA as it was my first hitman game and I adore it to this day but ALL Japan levels sucked.

[@Tangeffect]

This has been one of the best retrospectives of Hitman. You actually went through the games and talked about the missions and the real differences.you even talk about Absolutions ACTUAL positives and cons. Great job! I hope you went over the new Hitman games.

[@father042]

If you think Hitman Silent Assassin is tedious the first game doesn't even let you save in the middle of mission

[@longlivetheking1065]

that is likely why he doesnt talk about it much

[@father042]

@@longlivetheking1065 Or because it was broken on his PC

[@P9HL2BETA]

Tracking Hayamoto bad because it takes 5 seconds to complete it when going gun blazing? You can say the same for all missions in the World of Assassination trilogy. In the Paris level you can kill the first target in less than ten seconds... Learn to play the games the way they were meant to be played or at least try to before critiquing them.

[@TheEternalOuroboros]

Absolution got me into the Hitman Franchise. I enjoy replaying Absolution for its few great missions and cinematics. It's not as much of a Hitman game but i enjoy it.

[@benmooney280]

The things that were good in absolution were the scoring system. You didn’t just have to play silent or one way. You could gun your way through a level and still get a high score for aggressive play. In follow up hitman games the scoring system devalues anything other than killing the target and must be done accidentally for highest score. Another thing absolution did good was having the targeting system where you could mark enemy heads and quickly shoot them after filling up the meter. I wish that was in the new hitman along with a more variable scoring system like absolution. Absolutions only problem was it was too linear. If they hadn’t made it so linear it would of been a great hitman game

[@vadar0521]

same i loved the hope county mission where u kidnap lenny

[@HotRossBuns]

You did serious work, dissecting my favorite franchise. And you've done a excellent job, well done my friend.

[@brucesnow7125]

Damn, this video is fantastic, definitely deserves hell lot more views. I'm subscribing.

[@scrappie8309]

hitman 2016 actually was a sequel, not a reboot since its about 47 returning to the agency.

[@IAmDaDumb1]

It’s a soft reboot, meaning it didn’t restart the storyline but doesn’t really build off the previous ones that much and starts its own story. It acknowledges the previous games briefly but otherwise is pretty self contained

[@PerfectMadeStreets]

how does this only have 53 views??

[@EldritchAugur]

Still a relatively new channel. Feel free to share it if you enjoyed it.

[@cooldinom]

I know right?

[@negative949]

@@EldritchAugur it's the gay tone of the narrator...

[@walter9733]

negative 9 I thought you had to be 13 or over to make a KZbin account

[@Tauttuk]

2020 30405 views as of august 7

[@lenwoke6658]

Instead of Walking you can Hold down The Run key and actively tapping the foward Key. This is The Same As Walking but Faster

[@lenwoke6658]

Oh, and It's Only Avalible in Silent Assassin and Contracts

[@Lin_Eileen]

@I hate antichrist The game is bearable enough if you play it as intended but abusing mechanics just makes it more enjoyable as you have more options this is the case with pretty much any game if you play it on more than a casual surface level.

[@bigbeck3553]

Late to this video as well. Watched it twice before. Awesome dedication to such a long video. Extremely detailed. Awesome work man keep the shit up. Subbed

[@elektrisksitron9054]

Excellent work, buddy! This is a really good in- depth analysis

[@DiastroYT]

Wow dude, I commend you for taking the time to create this documentary. I subbed. If you're as passionate about the medium as you are about the Hitman series, we can expect great stuff! Nice work!

[@mrwafflesplays]

This is really amazing... please make more Hitman content I love it! 😀

[@SirNemexis]

How the heck does KZbin hide this absolute gem of a video! Great video, really well researched. Keep this up, you'll definitely get the recognition that you deserve!

[@TheEternalOuroboros]

This is one of the best Hitman Analysis videos ever. Congratulations.

[@Kserijaro]

Hitman 2016 is not a reboot- its actually a continuation. But its a mechanical reboot where they took Blood Money and ramped it up to 400%

[@Realcomptoncityg]

In tubeway torpedo there’s another way of getting the general out of the interrogation room , you use the pager put it by the door that’s locked then use the Nokia mobile and ring it and he comes unlocks the door and picks up the pager , if you time it right you can fiber wire him .. I found that out back in 2002/2003 without using a manual

[@xmus4023]

Not only a good review of the series as a whole, but a good introduction for newcomers to how Hitman works and compares to other games in the stealth genre.

[@q0w1e2r3t4y5]

"Hitman 2 was just released" Could've added it as well. I like long videos. Excellent series review though.

[@aslanobrien7618]

Yeah then he could named it Hitman 2 to Hitman 2, missed opportunity

[@apollojustice5338]

I'm glad to know that I wasn't the only one in a predicament to get Codename 47 to work properly..... I started playing it a month ago after numerous configuration changes. Also I'm gonna be honest. I got Silent Assassin in Tubeway Torpedo on my own without even referring a walkthrough...

[@Deliveredmean42]

Codename 47 works on modern computers using the GOG version, but yeah the game is certainly not super refined when it came out with the sequel mostly fixing the issues. But I manage to get Silent Assassin on that game, and I will never ever do that again lol

[@WristyPlum]

Well done, this is a great retrospective

[@neonorange6545]

Brutal! I wish this was 3 hours! Insanely good!!

[@KillingSpree265]

Nice vid dude. I'm glad I found this channel

[@MusssabM]

This is a great great video my friend and it deserves much more attention, I will do my part to share it.

[@kennypham1894]

There's also A Animation skip Glitch for Hitman 2 Silent Assassin. The fibre wire animation for example. As soon as you Starr to Strangle them, Open the Map and Close it immediately, it Will skip The animation very quickly. It works with many more

[@brixfrancis1234]

Also works with lockpick

[@snowhole87]

The Noclip documentary on IOI and the recent Hitman titles revealed that it was not the publisher at the time but IOI themselves who decided to have always online feature in the 2016 title. I guess it has to do with the high internet coverage (above 90%) in Denmark and North Europe in general where IOI offices are located.

[@uuuuNB]

Great video, btw @14:00 you can make the General leave the room by dropping the pager outside and calling it with a cellphone.

[@mattmas6628]

This is one of my fav game reviews on KZbin. I come back to this every few months. Please talk about splinter cell or metal gear

[@EldritchAugur]

I'm currently too busy to dedicate time to the channel but I actually just played the original splinter cell games on my own time so hey, I can tell you what I think of them at least. Splinter Cell 1 - Fun but pretty obviously a product of it's time. Lots of trial and error and one narrowly intended path for stealth as well as forced shootouts. Doesn't stack up to the sequels. Plays really awkwardly a lot of the time with some bizarre encounters. Splinter Cell Pandora Tomorrow - Huge improvement, more flexible, tense atmosphere, varied locations, dark and miserable story. I almost like it more than Chaos Theory if it weren't for the bad voice acting. It's a shame you can't legally purchase it and it's a nightmare to get running. Splinter Cell Chaos Theory - Obviously this game is great. It's everyone's favorite and for good reason. Even more flexible and open, vastly improved mechanics, great level design. Not much else to say, it's got some of the best stealth mechanics of all time. Doesn't stack up to Thief 2 in my opinion but it's pretty high up there for stealth games. I never played Double Agent so I can't offer an opinion. Conviction is pretty fun if you think of it as an unofficial Jason Bourne game, but it's obviously not a good splinter cell game. Blacklist has some good mechanics but the voice actor change for Sam Fisher and the lacking atmosphere kinda kills it. It can be decent fun because it's probably the most flexible Splinter Cell game of all time, but it's not as tense and atmospheric as Pandora Tomorrow and Chaos Theory. I've never played a Metal Gear Solid game so I can't speak on it. Only one I've played is Revengance which I love.

[@lenwoke6658]

In Hitman 2: SIlent Assassin, you can open the map and close the map really quickly to skip certains animation

[@Ch4os4ever]

The worst about absolution is that the level design was actually great, If we could prepare and setup the missions like we could in all others the game would have been great.

[@goldy_on_pc930]

you put so much effort in your videos for such amount of subs keep it up man

[@shahnawazsooba7904]

Keep up with the good content. Nice reviews.

[@SriMJ54]

How you summarize the uniqueness of the series and its place in the genre for the first 7-8 minutes is simply the most accurate I've ever seen. Outstanding work on the video!

[@MrMLBson09]

11:23 you never thought as to why there is a random box right next to the ladder? the developers clearly put it there so you can crouch behind it. it's easy to subdue him if you just hide behind the box..

[@KentoKei]

Took me about 2 years after this video was made, but another good channel worth subscribing to

[@Roscharch1]

NICE REVIEW!!! Hope this reaches 1M someday

[@jamesfreeman7954]

It's so great to see my favorite of the stealth franchises come out on top :)

[@michanus1092]

Played hitman 2 (2002) when i was a kid and to be honest i always did kill the whole map and played it more like a fps :P Never had the problem you did with it.

[@pauldenton227]

Great channel, surprised it hasn't more subs

[@coldramentpm1013]

i just finished your cool ds3 video and i had no idea you had a hitman thing too. excited to hear your perspective

[@maydaymemer4660]

gonna rewatch this video again. it's a great one! what's your thoughts on Hitman 2&3's levels if youve played those?

[@andre.mateus]

Only 1202 views? This video and this channel are awesome. You deserve a lot more views :/

[@markbirchall8225]

One of the best. This blew me away in 2002, how subtle & nuanced the gameplay was, demanded your patience & clever planning & refused to handhold you. Great weapons selection, shooting mechanics & awesome soundtrack! My favourite part was going back & playing as a straight shooter & holding down the trigger on the M60 whilst immediately flicking to the binoculars- essentially creating a sniper version of the m60. Brilliant stuff! The AI was a bet buggy but it definitely rewarded your patience - I unlocked all the hidden weapons (22SD, sawn off, Ballers SD, W2000, Custom Rifle & the M4 off the UN guards).

[@hcaz5818]

I play all the new games with Jesper's tracks playing, adds so much. Hope he returns to the series one day

[@moviesaredope]

Please come back to KZbin, this was AMAZING!

[@lhanzejaredcarpio6037]

This... does put a smile on my face.

[@SoFarSoGoodSoWhat14]

A THICC atmosphere Always loved Hitman Contracts, probably due to nostalgia, but it would be awesome to see some of the old levels like Beldingford Manor and Traditions of the Trade in the new Hitman engine with more objectives etc

[@southparkkenny2]

I know this is late and the video overall is great, but I disagree with you saying Soders is the only personal hit in the series. C47: Ort-Meyer and the revelation that all the main targets were your genetic fathers. 2SA: Agent 17 being one of the few remaining imperfect clones of 47 alive not to mention the final target who kidnapped Vittorio. Contracts: Ignoring the remade levels with 47's genetic fathers, there's the final target. The only man to identify and almost kill 47. BM: Mark Parchezzi and Purayah the two clones who are near identical copies (yet flawed) of 47 (albino assassin's working for a contract agency with superhuman abilities)

[@Kavemancast]

Best review for any hitman game

[@zombievideomaniac]

Definitely a great video gonna be watching your other videos and subbed too

[@topcthepainclan2004]

Glad I found this 🤙🤝🍻

[@sausage4049]

47:30 to be fair you are playing on easy, on harder difficulties the instinct meter drains much faster

[@tydendurler9574]

And he doesn't even mention the difficulty he played on, he just bashes the game. Can't take that boi serious.

[@somedude6733]

Damn bro, if I didnt know these words came from a place of love I would cry. You sound so mean towards the earlier hitman games. They are rough but at the time they were pretty cool.

[@sterlingbenevolent8259]

I know atmosphere is possibly the most subjective aspect to art, but I’ve felt that contracts was the peak of hitmans identity, bloodmoney was the best mechanically, but I feel that our modern versions are nothing more than James Bond fantasies, and in my opinion that is completely not what hitman should be. I still absolutely love the modern games, but it is a point of sadness.

[@EldritchAugur]

I agree and this is something I regret not going into more detail with on the later titles. Contracts is absolutely my favorite of the series in it's mood and style, it was wholly confident and unique. Hitman 2016 and Blood Money are my favorites of the series for the level design and depth of options in player choice but I don't deny that Contracts has a stronger and more cohesive creative vision than any of the later titles.

[@sterlingbenevolent8259]

Eldritch Augur I agree, and all though I’m disappointed with the emotional direction of the modern interpretation, I am absolutely enthralled with how amazing it is mechanically, and to be honest, I’m incredibly excited for the future of Hitman, because I believe they’ve perfected how to make a hitman game work, but I do hope they go back to the grittier roots in style.

[@nytrox84]

I couldn't agree more. Hardcore fan of the entire saga ever since i was 12, Hitman 2:SA was my first one and i have so many frustrating but also sweet memories of the game, the opinions of the others are just about the same, with 2016 being so far the best. Not to mention my jaw dropped when i saw the beauty and level design of Sapienza. Only thing for me is: I really prefer Marrakesh's more vertical style of level design to the blandness that is Colorado.

[@dmitrijpaulauskas4426]

After playing the entire of codename 47 where you CAN'T SAVE, silent assassin feels like the best game ever

[@vafanapoli5396]

Dmitrij Paulauskas after playing Absolution, Codename 47 feels like the best game ever

[@spiridonpa7080]

@@vafanapoli5396 true

[@coomfard5771]

Tracking Hayamoto is a great level, you’re suppose to play this game with SA in mind. Getting upset that a level in a stealth game is short because you completely disreguarded the stealth option comes off as disengenous, lazy, or stupid. The level easily can be anywhere from 6-20 minutes depending on how you play it, obviously it’s gonna seem short if you just shoot everyone. It’s a game about stealth, you’re just playing it wrong.

[@yourverybestfriend1263]

Tracking Hayamoto is straight up iconic

[@Rad-Soup]

Nothing will beat blood money

[@GeoffreyBronson]

The new games have surpassed blood money and blood money used to be my favourite game of all time.

[@GeoffreyBronson]

@@omarsheriff51 You don't have to tell me mate, it took me a long time to finally accept that the new hitman games were better but one day I naturally just opened up hitman 2 and thought "wow I didn't even have to think about that where as I used to automatically open Blood Money". Personally I couldn't be happier. What other game series is at its peak right now and seemingly only on the up and up?

[@user-hx6gs9rq7u]

Nothing will beat silent Assassin

[@minesbiggerthanyours9474]

Fantastic Video. You've scored a successful Hit!

[@EldritchAugur]

Lol! Good work 47, proceed to the exit.

[@PlasticSorcererTheOriginal]

I thunk contracts has the best disguise system. The fact you can still get caught if you slip up is what makes it tense for me, if you understand the games system you'll likely not be caught much, only because it forces you to be careful. In Blood Money, you practically have free reign while in a disguise as long as you don't go anywhere crazy locked off. I don't think this necessarily more mature, but the WOA at least added in enforcers.

[@MangoStudija]

Hitman 2: Silent Assassin will be the best for me no matter how it is difficult

[@joerieper6768]

I am super late for this party, but how do you have only 1k subs and 19k views on this video? This video has more professional work put into it than some unnamed channels with more than 10 million subscribers. I enjoyed this way too much.

[@KingKalebasas]

It’s a small nitpick I know, but in Contracts, it wasn’t a failed mission that resulted in 47 being shot, it was the outcome of the final cutscene on “Curtains Down” in Blood Money where a gunman is seen following 47 through the streets of Paris.

[@sveeny]

Thanks for this interesting Video! Love to revisit some of those old Hitman moments! You seem to be a stealth game fan. I wonder have you ever played Mark of the Ninja? I think it‘s maybe the best stealth game I have ever played and I‘m a huge stealth fan for 20 years now :-)

[@avfromman1av503]

Great video!! Loved the structure, quality and background music that matched the content theme. What was the song that played at the start? Was very calming...

[@EldritchAugur]

Thank you. It was Ave Maria. It's the title song for Hitman Blood Money.

[@BlueDG142]

There's a slight error in your title "Assasin" but this is maybe the only Hitman retrospective video that tells us about Jesper Kyd and his unique soundtrack. Thanks a lot

[@seanlauziere8796]

Love your videos Eldritch!!! I understand how hard it is to make long retrospective videos so props and please continue to make quality videos! I'd love to hear your thoughts on the God of War Franchise or perhaps something more choice oriented like dragon age or Deus Ex. Anyway all the best! I can't wait for this channel to blow up. Cheers from Canada 🇨🇦

[@EldritchAugur]

Thanks so much! God of War I'd love to do but I don't own any consoles at the moment so that's not something Im able to do. Dragon Age, definitely in the future I have a very complicated opinion of that series and I probably will do Deus Ex at some point as well. Right now I'm thinking about doing Metro 2033 and Last Light in preparation for Exodus, because I'm one of the few who has read the books they are based on.

[@seanlauziere8796]

Hey fair enough!!! Thanks for taking the time to comment back, Really appreciate it!!! Also the Metro Series is a great choice! I'm hella excited for your metro series video and the passion you'll put into it! I hope the creation process and editing goes smoothly! Again keep up the great work my dude

[@rekalty4477]

Excellent video, made me a heck of a lot more nostalgic than I would have thought... I would love to hear your opinions on Hitman 2 (1018), if you ever get around to it.

[@EldritchAugur]

Yeah I haven't made a video yet cause I don't really have anything interesting to say about it. It's very good, probably the best one but it's so similar to Hitman 2016 that I'd just be repeating myself if I made a video on it. I'll probably get around to it at some point when I can come back to the series with something fresh, but for the moment I've said pretty much everything I wanted to about the series. Thanks for watching!

[@tanelraastas5630]

Very nice video!

[@littlenemos1536]

For therecord, Silent Assassin, Tubeway Torpedo, you can drop the pager by the prison door and call it with the cell phone to force the General out of the door in order to take him out silently. But you cant avoid the hot pursuit scene.

[@connorevans104]

I set the bomb on the escape room early and blew it up as a distraction. By the time you need to escape they’re no longer investigating the explosion. And I avoided a chase that way

[@apictureoffunction]

Whoa whoa whoa. Chaos Theory was phenomenal, but so were Conviction and Blacklist. Conviction was a great thesis on how stealth didn't have to move slowly to still be stealth and still be fun. And Blacklist was an excellent example of open ended level design with multiple angles of approach, while accounting for the 3 different play types/loadouts available to players. Not to mention, the co-op on both Conviction and Blacklist was an absolute blast if you had a friend who was good at it. Terrorist hunt felt like we were a couple of special ops dudes, 2 guys taking out 6-8 enemies in a room within 2-3 seconds, all without talking

[@MikeVideos327]

amazing quality

[@korvo3427]

My brother, please get a widescreen fix. How can you play Contracts like that with the screen horizontally stretched so it's hard to tell 47 and the meatking apart. 2:14

[@Krzemieniewski1]

When I played Hitman 1 for first time and saw tradition of the trade mission I was in love. And yes MGS 1,2 and psp snake eater. Splinter cell till double agent all brilliant games.

[@some.person]

Really great video! I agree with pretty much everything. The only thing I don't like about post-2016 Hitman is the whole spy thriller theme. I miss the darker atmosphere & soundtrack from Contracts.

[@Ch4os4ever]

Hitman 2016 is not a reboot, the intro cinematic shows all previous installments events.

[@michal1991994]

Im glad somebody said it about hitman 2. It's not a good game, compared to the rest of the franchise and I never understood people saying it's the best one. It's not. Not even top 3.

[@ChocPretzel8]

He said it is the best one. I bet you always say older stuff is better.

[@michal1991994]

@@ChocPretzel8 You don't know me

[@michal1991994]

@@ChocPretzel8 Wait, what do you even mean, he said it's frustrating a f and I concurred, which means I dont think old stuff is better. Are you trolling?

[@DerRazzman]

This was an incredibly good video made about the Hitman series. I especially like how you present a strong opinion and back it up with good proof why you think so. I just recently bought Hitman 2, they made some good changes but at the same time left obvious improvements out. Did you play it and will tell us what your opinion is?

[@EldritchAugur]

At the moment I've only played a few hours so I can't comment with a lot of depth. It's good, seems like 2016 just slightly better. I'm hoping to come back to the series in a year or two when I can say something fresh.

[@thejumbokomodo6405]

Brilliant video man, you really did manage to spell out the strengths and flaws in these games so well. And as someone who knows the wraith of hitman 2 silent assassins disguise system, it’s good to see I’m not the only one that wanted to punch a hole through the tv at times. You gained another sub 👍🏻

[@sasquash8709]

Beldingford Manor is creepy and atmospheric.

[@DeathStarU.S.A]

Hey Eldritch, love the vids. I just wanted to know the name of the song that starts at 39:51 and ends at 41:45. If you could tell me, I'd really appreciate it, Thanks.

[@EldritchAugur]

Swan Lee - Tomorrow Never Dies. If that title sounds familiar it's a James Bond theme that Swan Lee was originally supposed to do but was scrapped so Hitman Blood Money ended up using it as it's end credits song. Ironically I actually think it's the better version of the song too.

[@alliedaardvark9391]

Found your channel from a comment made 3 years ago saying "Marcus No!" off of a Fallout 2 video. Pleasantly surprised to find that your channel is active and that you are uploading great content. I swear I've heard your voice somewhere before but its probably coincidence. All in all I can't wait to see your Metro video coming up! Keep em coming!

[@EldritchAugur]

Thanks. I'm hoping to have it out soon but an entire session of audio got messed up (sounds like I'm using a Darth Vader voice modulator and nowhere near the mic IDK WTF happened) so I'm gonna have to re-record a good chunk of the video. Also I've started reading Metro 2035 to compare it with Exodus when it comes out and written a script for a Walking Simulator round up video while I'm waiting to record this audio. So I should hopefully have a couple of smaller videos out after the Metro one as well.

[@GuyOnAChair]

@@EldritchAugur Can't stop rewatching this. This is the Hitman Retrospective that all others will have to stack up against.

[@EldritchAugur]

@@GuyOnAChair Aww thanks. I figured I had to do Hitman because nobody else has really done a thorough series analysis before. Plenty of them for DIshonored, Splinter Cell, Thief but no Hitman.

[@namelessfaceless5213]

I know this video isnt very recent. But i just wanted to say, that i love this video, and i can guarantee that if you continue with this kind of quality, you will blow up eventually. Your content doesnt fit the algorithm, but it is fantastically made, and i cant wait to see where you go.

[@EldritchAugur]

Thanks! Yeah I've got suspicions that the algorithm doesn't like my titles. If I put "Critique", or "years later", in all of my titles I can't help but think KZbin would prioritize it more because that's what all channels like this do. I really don't want to do that though because my videos aren't really critiques and we don't need even more people ripping off Raycevick's titles.

[@namelessfaceless5213]

@@EldritchAugur its the first result if you search for hitman retrospective though. Its how i found it

[@EldritchAugur]

@@namelessfaceless5213 Oh really? That's good at least.

[@redphoenix2m101]

The Hitman 2016 part really sums up how fantastically precisely the game is made, you really nailed the video. I honestly thought you had at least 1 million subscribers. Your content is really professionally made. Keep up the great work!!! The only flaw which is in Hitman 2016 is that there isn’t any way to get “Ave Maria” to play in the background while murdering everyone.

[@malic_zarith]

My first Hitman game was Absolution. I knew there was something I liked there, but it was buried under a bunch of bad gameplay choices. It discouraged me from buying Hitman 2016 when it came out, and I missed out on the black winter suit because of it. If only I had started with Blood Money.

[@hegyak]

Something you didn't mention about Blood Money. At the Start of the game, all the NPCs in the Pews or Benches are there. As you play through the game, those NPCs, go missing. They are the Targets you go after throughout the game.

[@Nikitoz9595]

Can you pls elaborate? I don't get it.

[@somedude6733]

Honestly after playing every single entry in this franchise, it feels like 2:Silent Assassin and Absolution were probing games for concepts. Taking the feedback from gamers to design the next couple entries. Which seems fine in the case of Hitman 2 cause it offers so much variety.

[@Big-BossX]

First I was sceptical and didnt like your voice but 5 minutes in this is brilliantly well written and all in all great video

[@Raelyn]

This was an informative excellent watch. Great job on your research and obvious love for this storied franchise. Though imo you were a tad harsh on Splinter Cell hah. Blacklist was really good, and I hope the next game in the series continues the upwards trend. And while I love the Hitman series more, I can't deny that Chaos Theory is one of, if not THE greatest stealth games of all time. By the way, I'm not sure you're aware but in Tubeway Torpedo for SA2 you can make the general leave the room by using the phone and pager they provide you with in a drop near the start of the level (where you get the bomb to blow the wall). You just drop it outside the door on one side, hide on the other, ring the pager with the phone, then fiberwire the general when he comes out to get it.

[@MrMLBson09]

Chaos Theory is absolutely incredible. It's a shame we'll never get another game like it.

[@crashmatrix]

I just finished Hitman '2' silent assassin again. Besides being a real pain in the behind to run on a modern win10 machine, my childhood nostalgia for this game has taken a hit. I vividly remember really enjoying this title back when it came out when I was 15 or so. After playing the first couple of levels I realized... it's a shitstorm of quirks, trigger happy guards, and twitchy civilians. Impenetrable accurately describes it. That said, I am very satisfied with my latest playthrough, and will gladly do it again in a decade or so. If you're a fan of the formula it's worth at least a cursory review, and for the few levels where the 'Silent Assassin' ranking is reasonably attainable, it's a real rush when you finally land it. 7/10.