Pleb Tier: Hitman Absolution Review (2020)

Hitman Absolution (2012) is a stealth-action game from IO Interactive widely considered to have been the weakest addition to the series, so of course its the one that gets featured on this channel. It features an Agent 47 after a slight bump in the head whom is far more susceptible to traps and deception than ever before, at least until his recovery where he starts trying to get his life together before the world falls apart around him. It's a fun third person shooter with light stealth elements and honestly wouldn't be that bad a game if it wasn't called Hitman and it toned back its """"Grindhouse"""" influences.
TehSnakerer: / @tehsnakerer
#Patrician

[@Patrician]

Please bear in mind that I had 33 subscribers when I uploaded this video.

[@Kyle-rq1sr]

Shows you had good quality from the start. Man I'm getting a sense of Deja vu

[@smith6752]

why

[@marcusbravim]

How

[@garethjones6342]

hey I think you missed the sign proclaiming "landmine testing area" so clearly hes a forward thinking and innovative entrepreneur.

[@Kelis98]

I wish you weren’t so negative and actually listed the positives of the game

[@Steven-cf1ty]

I remember Hitman 2's beginning showing Agent 47's desire for absolution in a lot more reasonable way. 47 starts the game in a church where he tends the gardens and even attends confession, before the kidnapping of the priest for ransom draws 47 back into his work.

[@TheArcticWonder]

That was one of my very favorite games as a youngin and I played it sooooo much. As a kid, I ended up using the dual ballers for everything. Never needed another gun

[@w00master]

It’s interesting you mention Hitman 2:SA as the disguise system in that game is essentially the same as Absolution. It’s probably why disguises are pretty broken in H2:SA as well.

[@himynameis3664]

This is one of the 1st games that I played through multiple times. To the point I knew levels inside out and all the AI patrol routes. I always played my playstation but for some reason got this for PC

[@countvronsky4025]

That was my first Hitman game. That church and the garden and shed and everything was a beautiful little space

[@tybirous3417]

I'm over here SCREAMING that Patty's idea for 47's redemption was almost exactly the first act to silent assassin. I came looking in here to see who brought it up lmao, glad to see someone did

[@TheTaylorwailer]

“I play stealth games for the man ass goddamnit...” 😆

[@filipeamaral216]

Kojima approves.

[@GuyOnAChair]

@@filipeamaral216 Yes.

[@scott4398]

hell yeah dude

[@tylerh2548]

The analogue of Hitman as a Terminator power fantasy is sheer genius and right on the money, at least for this entry

[@mauythai678]

I remember just how disappointed I felt playing this game. After playing blood money so much back when it came out then waiting year after year for a new hitman for this to finally come out. Playing this game felt like a swift kick in the nuts.

[@jonasjojofalco9896]

And I got disappointed with blood money because it was supposed to be the better one but was just as buggy and problematic as every other game in the series

[@InsidiousOne]

@@jonasjojofalco9896 Don't remember it having many bugs. At least if you are not trying to break the game.

[@XxDruidmancerxX]

And it was the first game I had ever pre-ordered. Yeah, right in the nuts a few times lol.

[@averyn34]

one thing that always bugged me about Absolution is the level in Chicago, where if you steal a cops uniform you have to avoid every cop in a city with like 30k cops.

[@thorvidarr]

ONLY 30k?

[@darkowl9]

Hitman Absolution is actually a "get to the door" simulator.

[@fencer4597]

This game was a lynchian slow burn atmospheric gut wrenching bone chilling character development driven fever dream kino at it's finest.

[@uberness77]

When he talks about the hole 47 seeking absolution thing...Really funny how that happened in the second game.

[@w00master]

Absolution is the Conviction of the Hitman series.

[@victoryakujisawa5528]

the difficulty adds more enemies, more enforcers who can see through your disguise and some items are move or removed and yes you die faster too, no hints and only saves if you completed a section.

[@DCMPSaliva]

Man , different cutscene dialogues for references on how you play, detected or stealth would be a touch

[@GuyOnAChair]

I think MGS1 (the docks section) and 2 Deus Ex games do that.

[@DCMPSaliva]

@@GuyOnAChair I know psycho mantis does it as well in mgs1 also . But that’s more of a run down of statistics 😂

[@GuyOnAChair]

@@DCMPSaliva Yeah not what I meant. Guess there is Alpha Protocol but it's also terrible.

[@GuyOnAChair]

@@shanehenson315 If you wouldn't call that terrible I don't want to see what you'd consider horrible! 😅

[@acidbubbles419]

I really wasn't playing this game for the story lol. The fever dream quality is what made it even more fun.

[@kodan7879]

The contracts system was... not good. They were alright, but not good at alll. I remember making a super tricky map where I silent assassined the map but killed 3 guards that initially start in the middle of the map with a silenced pistol. The idea was to trick the players into instantly shooting away at them. But you can't get the stealth rating that way. What you do instead, is lure each of them individually away then choke them, then shoot them in the head (because choking gives you extra points). Making it harder I did it suit only. As you might see this is basically just showing off your virtul cock and seeing how many people can live up to it. But it can be pretty fun sometimes.

[@aelius3805]

47 sits down in an alley against a dumpster and shoves a floppy disk into his mouth with a stoic expression, stands up, and straightens his tie. It isn't addressed and the game continues with no changes.

[@gokibros4451]

I remember playing this game. I loved blood money as buggy or strange as it could be, because of how many alternate routes and just so many fun ways to play each mission (with maybe the exception of the ones in louisiana boat one that one felt entirely too on the rails for the rest of the game.) Even after a whole year of playing the game off and on and with mods and stuff, I would still learn something new about blood money that made the game more interesting. When I got absolution it felt like it had been watered down. In fact you know that mission in absolution where you have to eliminate 3 targets during a festival? It's actually a carbon fucking copy of a mission in blood money where you eliminate 3 people during mardi gras. I replayed absolution maybe twice all the way through again after beating it. It felt significantly more on the rails and like it did not have the flexibility of earlier titles in the series. I did replay some levels that I really liked but especially the closer to the end of the game it got there were some I absolutely did NOT like. And the story, I feel like it is either the least ambitious of the series while being the most overtuned. In previous games we assassinated russian authority figures, meddled with saudi princes, and the overarching plot like in blood money that all of the assassinations were connected in a conspiracy from within the organization we've been working. It meant we were oblivious tools for literally blood money and politics under the pretext of what is otherwise a standard day in the life of 47. It was actually somewhat satisfying without being too imposing. If the story was going to be more imposing like 1 or 2 maybe have a more coherent reason to do all the things we do. In fact, if you never told me the story was about saving the girl then I would never have remembered it. Most notably I remember hating cowboy dude and being disappointed with his demise which was the only clear motivating factor for the player. Imagine if 47 just put a cap in that girl as the evil route because that would solve most of the problems of the entire story and it is not even entirely well explained WHY 47 wants to protect something made to destroy him anymore than he kills random people and destroys families without remorse with a nail gun for blood money. 5/10 imo

[@samuelromine2275]

Liked mostly for the comment on Aliens and people thinking they're enlightened. That was spot on.

[@andrewbeard9566]

You should 100% play the new Hitman trilogy, all on game pass in one package these days. Legit the best stealth sandbox ever created, never played a game with so many options, its insane.

[@nathansmiddy732]

I subscribed after listening to your Morrowind and Oblivion breakdowns, and I've been making my way through your other uploads. I reflexively had to make sure I was subscribed when you used an Xavier clip.

[@b1thearchitect401]

To be fair, the contracts mode essentially made the game. It was legitimately pretty great and really opens up the stealth action sandbox

[@linkesocke4533]

I think that what you suggested at the end of the video is what the game was going for. But it didn't work out too well with the gameplay loop and player motivation. Not to mention that the redemption story doesn't work very well, both on it's own and especially with the gameplay loop and mission objectives and optional challenges.

[@GoldBeatsProduction]

Nice content man keep it up ! I just sub ♥️

[@tasunkewitka8769]

"give me a few minutes and I'll get there as soon as I can" - never seen again ... 'cry'

[@brutalistkiosk]

What you said about continuing when getting caught inspired me to do that (most of the time) in the most recent hitman

[@HerbertFilby]

Purist mode, the hardest mode, is horrible if you hate save scumming. The levels are absolutely (pardon the pun) impossible unless you play with robotic precision the exact way the devs expect you to thread the needle through guard patrols. Even if you do everything perfect with exact timing, they can swivel their head and spot you randomly, ruining your run and forcing you to restart the entire area because there's no mid-way checkpoints. You were also comparing "in-game 47" you the player are playing versus "cutscene 47," ...you'll notice watching the cutscenes that 47 is still shown in his beat-up suit. The fact of this, then, is that canonically most levels are meant to be ghosted "suit-only," which is virtually impossible without breaking reality and your willpower. I am so thankful IOI learned from this, and 2016-2021 Hitman 1-3 now are infinitely better.

[@JaelaOrdo]

10:10 Sounds terrifying and disgusting at the same time

[@vvvios]

It's absolutely facinating to think how Hitman Absolution and Thi4f (Thief 2014 reboot) were so stunningly disappointing, despite both being heralded, cherished stealth titles with a similar emphasis on player agency and combat options. Both reboots were embarrassingly linear to the point of apeing walking simulators. Both also significantly worsened the storytelling and protagonist's personality, strangely. Thi4f at least looked nice I suppose...

[@Patrician]

I think It's the fate of all niche genres. Publishers expect infinite upward growth, but like RTS and Arena Shooters there's only so many people who are truly interested in a niche. I think in Hitman's Case they didn't really want to make a Hitman game but were forced into it due to poor sales with their other series Kane and Lynch so they used the brand name while leaving behind that niche audience that likes stealth.

[@yewtewbstew547]

@@Patrician I hope there is eventually a resurgence of quality stealth games within the indie and "AA" parts of the games industry, at least before they inevitably fall into exactly the same "must cater to mainstream plebs to continue growing company" trap. So far it has been pretty sparse. I did quite enjoy Styx: Shards of Darkness though.

[@VladimeirVolk]

10:15 Actually, the scientist lost his leg because of the pig, that's why he hates pig and used them as mine experiment.

[@whojackie92]

Subscribed just because of the alien tangent.

[@tassadarc8069]

Eyyyy Tehsnakerer references!

[@SalusFuturistics]

Imagine, the Game happened, because 47 didnt shoot Sanchez in the Head. After Hitman 2: Silent Assassin, he realizes that this IS what he is made for, and he can't stop it. So there's that for your "But why tho"

[@thorvidarr]

How do I describe the general dialogue in Absolution? It's so chaotic and awkward that it's actually a work of genius

[@HeftyOwl]

I adored your micro rant about humanity and Aliens. Your channel is extremely good.

[@ElectroBooze]

It would have been so much cooler if the slow-mo of him walking at the church was him walking down the aisle with the carnage he just caused behind him. Then the hearse. The scene writes itself. How IO messed it up is beyond me.

[@Maggerama]

>Tehsnakerer I knew it! That's who your approach reminds me of. The game itself is shit, but I can see how people who didn't know any better could like it. Have no excuse for ones who played other Hitman games or good representatives of the genre, in general. 16:08 lmao, love your observations.

[@raynebowmo2223]

Absolution was my fist ever hitman game and now i understand exactly why i suck so much at every other hitman game

[@leobustos740]

Nice video

[@saltyshrimppasta]

Ah yes, the true origin do the deepest of Deep South vernacular South Dakota

[@sealthesymbol419]

IO had some edgy teens write this robert rodriguez inspired script.

[@squareheadgaming2908]

teh snakerer is coool

[@blueshit199]

this game reminds me of Halo 4 a lot in the way that it misses the point of what made its predecessors, and the protagonist, so special and memorable in favor for a narrative where you have to care about a dependant female figure and feel emotionally invested in the "personal" side of the story. It's bs and it was another trope of early 2010s with taking existing IP and going in this "new" direction with it

[@Roach6195]

10:10 there is actually an explanation for all the violence towards pigs if you read the bio for that particular target (F1 key). Apparently, he has childhood trauma from falling into a den of hungry pigs, that chewed his leg off and ate his little sister (if I remember right (edit: apparently, not)). Therefore, he acquired a hatred for pigs, which he directed towards using them as living test subjects.

[@HerbertFilby]

The pig died and landed on his leg, and he was stuck there for 2 days and they had to amputate the leg. I am having a Mandela effect here, too, because I also thought that the pigs had eaten his legs or sister, but the wiki says it was amputated.

[@Roach6195]

@@HerbertFilby 'Aight, lemme pull the wiki... According to the HitmanWiki: "At the age of 12, Green's home in rural Nebraska was the target of a break-in one night while he, his sister, and their babysitter were inside alone. The perpetrator attacked the babysitter and forced Green and his sister into the house's pig holding area while he robbed the house. While he left them there, one of the pigs attacked Green's sister, who killed it with a rake, only to find himself pinned under its weight. He and his sister weren't found by police until two days later, after which Green had to have his left leg amputated. He eventually had the leg replaced with a prosthetic one." So the story *did* involve a younger sibling, and them being attacked by pigs. We're not that crazy after all lol.

[@andrewmurphy5532]

Liked for the Xavier Renegade Angel

[@joko49perez]

Have you ever thought about making a "Pleb filter" series where you talking about games that seem awful superficially but are actually "patrician"?

[@joko49perez]

@JustDev it has to be HIS opinion. I'm not a big expert on games because I can barely play them. The concept comes from /mu/ and it's about albums that turn off new listeners but are actually very great. Dark Souls 2 (Vanilla) may be a good example of a pleb filter game in my opinion, since many Dark Souls fans are "filtered" by it and condescendingly call it a bad Souls game. I used to think the same the first time I played it, but something drew me to play it more and more and then I discovered it's unique ideas that make it stand out in that series of games. People get stuck trying to play ds2 like it's ds1 and suffer because of it, but when I started playing ds2 like it's designed to be played, I started enjoying it more and more, surpassing the gameplay highs that ds1 had for me. Ds1 is certainly more artistically interesting, deep and cohesive, but ds2 is more mechanically interesting to me. TL;DR: Pleb Filters are usually black sheeps with a terrible reputation that are actually excellent.

[@Sahuagin]

​@@joko49perez agree somewhat about DS2. the design went a little overboard with the idea of making the player die, and ended up with frustrating feeling gameplay, especially early game. but if you can get past that, it has the best character variability out of any of the three DS games. and then, DS3, which might be artistically and mechanically the best (maybe), ends up with the _least_ character variability, making it the least fun to replay. (it confused me for a while because I thought DS2 was the worst and DS3 the best, but I kept playing DS2 over and over, and kept not playing DS3.)

[@joko49perez]

@@Sahuagin which version of DS2 did you play? I wouldn't say DS2 vanilla is focused on being infuriating, it just focuses on different gameplay styles than the ones in ds1, like managing multiple enemies at the same time and managing your life gem use allowing you to trade hits. I really really really really really hope you didn't play SotFS, which just adds a lot of random enemies in places that don't make any sense just to make things hard.

[@Sahuagin]

@@joko49perez ah, yes, SotFS. I always forget there are two versions. I have not played DS2 vanilla. I have played through SotFS maybe 10-15 times.

[@joko49perez]

@@Sahuagin The vanilla game has more thoughtful positioning for the enemies and you only fight like 3 enemies at the same time max (except for those stupid fucking Gargoyles). SotFS is like a kaizo remix and adds stuff for the lulz to throw off the muscle memory of people that got used to Vanilla. I've seen that places like Iron Keep can have you fighting like 6 knights at the same time, it's like a huge fuck you, I can't imagine anyone playing that game and enjoying it :/

[@woolchipmunk]

I know this is a 4 year old video but at around 8 minutes you mentioned how you didn’t want to save scum, you physically can’t do that in absolution because the saves only respawn you in a certain spot and the level resets. Meaning anyone you killed or anything you moved reset, including targets. They reintroduced objectively the worst part of codename 47 for some reason lol

[@ryszakowy]

47 being on the run and situations requiring guns blazing - that's a positive spin on stealth game. but the way it's written is on par with hitman movies where plot either makes no sense or there's no plot at all and it's all 47's plan. i knew i'd play this game only one time when i saw 47 trying to strangle big danny trejo... and they might went with "absolution" in hitman 2 where if i remember correctly he actually went to live with god in abbey and went for his guns again when badguys killed everyone

[@joshualong7724]

As someone who lives in south dakota, I can confirm.

[@HeartOfALion313]

One of my fav games

[@mrhumanguy3256]

Nooo you don't understand war and murder is a product of only man! Man is so eviiiiillll no I have no idea how animals actually act! I'm very smart tho!

[@AshKaperdon]

You know the funny thing about your tangent about regret/remorse as a potential plot point? IO already did that in hitman 2, where he retires and goes to live the rest of his days in a catholic church in Sicily, before being forced back into his profession. So, Absolution's story isn't just bad, it's been done already and better by the same people two games earlier.

[@plaguedoctorjamespainshe6009]

Shouldn't it be pulling an End of Evangelion ? Instead of Black mesa

[@hamtart6572]

how does reality work, Pat?

[@OneTyler2Many]

I only played absolution because I had a buddy that had never played hitman before and bought absolution to get familiar with the franchise. He loved it and wanted me to borrow and beat it so we could talk about it. I remember thinking, this isn't hitman, this game is kinda garbage. I made him play blood money and he didn't like it. The damage had already been done.

[@Patrician]

I think 2016 is a better introduction to the franchise. For a lot of people older stealth games are an acquired taste.

[@Supernoxus]

I played Hitman 2 (the old one) before Absolution and still preferred Absolution. All the criticism in the video is totally valid, but it was just an overall more polished experience.

[@TheArcticWonder]

Big oof

[@jamestheheel]

You can’t judge absolution as not being a stealth game if you refuse to play it as a stealth game or even turn up the difficulty

[@blakehansen5434]

17:34 BAAAAASED! Damn!!!

[@michaellaborn1816]

I didn't play the game so I wouldn't know, but I hope the guy on the phone call at the end actually leaves if you give him a few minutes. I think it would be cute.

[@bluechalk6275]

Terrible Hitman game, but that greasy high-contrast Tony Scott aesthetic just does something for me.

[@cooldinom]

Hitman Absolution to me always had a nasty feeling to it when I played it when I was younger. Something about the game just made the games Atmosphere gross, odd criticism ik, but its the thing that keeps me from playing this game as much as other Hitman games, aside from the obvious reasons.

[@alexradice8163]

You probably just like how edgy and over the top it is because you're a kid

[@richardschaffer8740]

@@alexradice8163 he just said he doesn't like it?

[@cooldinom]

@@alexradice8163 huh

[@Babylonian_Escapee]

same

[@charaznable8072]

South Dakotans say yee-ha? I am surely surprised.

[@citizencrimson201]

You needed to put terminator police station after first minute into "terminator simulator" bit. It would fit perfectly.

[@workoutfanatic7873]

do you like the new trilogy?

[@Patrician]

I was going to review 2016 at one point but yes, I think they are a step back from the brink.

[@totallynuts7595]

The true Hitman aboslution (not really but sort of) was Hitman 2 Silent Assassin. It's a good game btw, but nowhere near the levels of Blood Money or the new ones, the soft reboots.

[@user-vr5wx2dn4d]

I still believe this isa so bad its good game. The gameplay is passable so its not miserable to play, and the characters and story are just fucking ridiculous to the point i actually laugh out loud at certain story points. This game sucks, but I think itll still have a place in my heart

[@anonanon3112]

In retrospective I actually think this game was a kino satire. Everything is so ridiculously over the top and comical I can't help but laugh as it goes off the rails.

[@Skyfox94]

5:10 I think the issue was, that the game wasn't designed to be as a "cinematic experience" from the ground up. If I remember correctly it was only mid-developement that the shift of focus was made. Edit: apparently I was completely wrong, it was the other way around.

[@thebiggeridiot]

it was the other way around, based on the documentary, it started out as a linear cinematic game but then was changed midway to re-include the classic hitman stuff

[@Skyfox94]

@@thebiggeridiot Aaah right - that makes more sense anyway, now that I think about it. Thanks for correcting me.

[@enymetouche2558]

Hitman 2 is actually more about absolution than Hitman Absolution.

[@alexanderthemagnifcent2573]

A hive mind alien might be peaceful

[@Patrician]

Plenty of aliens could be benevolent. But it's doubtful given the immense cost of interstellar travel that any would show up to fix our problems for us.

[@Kenjuudo]

@@Blaze-xb9nu If they'd be advanced enough to rationalize interstellar travel on a whim, it'd be likelier they'd understand our wants and needs better than ourselves even. I doubt there is much beyond different survivability outcomes in the spectrums of emotions that we have.

[@joshuabacker2363]

Ants are at constant, 24/7 war with eachother. Highly unlikely.

[@emanuelarriaza3710]

I love this and dishonored the final mission was great in hit man

[@Koji44-]

Hitman absolution is my favorite because it was my first so I’m going to not be mad because you had 33 subs at the time

[@kodan7879]

I liked it. It was a Hitman game, and I had fun with it. The levels on the hardest difficulty are pretty fucking challenging and make you discover a lot of stuff and non linearity you probably wouldn't have at first playthrough. That said both the old and new Hitmans are far superior games, and the old games have some much better enviromental story telling. Like the Meat Kings party in Contracts or the story of Silent Assassin, which is basically exactly what you described should have happened here. It is also kinda sweaty that while all other games make a point of you being part of the INTERNATIONAL Contract Agency, this game was entirely set in the U.S, and not the most diverse of maps. And yeah the story is pretty bad, but I found it enjoyable, it was good enough to find an excuse from level to level. Kinda like Doom 2016's story or Dishonored's. So to sum it up, this game was the prime example of what Square Enix does to a franchise. They make a semi-linear cliché ridden but audio-visually stunning story and botch it into EVERY SINGLE ONE of their franchises. What they don't seem to realise is that this formula only really works for the Tomb Raider. I am really glad IO escaped their clutches and are free to do whatever the fuck they want. Also, whatever happened to Jasper Kyd? Why is he not making music for these games any more?

[@rendurai]

Thank god we are past this generation of games.

[@r.graves5531]

Absolution was and has continued to be wildly disappointing. That said 8 years removed from it release? I've grown to appreciate it a lot more. I like the over the top characters and even enjoy the garbage nonsense story. The one thing I cannot appreciate is how much they broke the disguise system. It just doesnt work and makes some sections of the game a chore.

[@MarcosGarcia-kx4rb]

This is no blood money yes we can all say that. It has also all the wierd shit going on that's just too much. I found the Hawaii scene wayyyyy too much for my taste. (The backroom where they killed and obviously rap3d non obidient dancers) Also the way this alternate world works since it all looks too dirty and too distopian But in the end it's not a bad game. It has great action mechanics if you wanna do it that way and great stealth if you play in a moderate yo high difficulty (where you don't have infinite instinct) Also when you compare it to the newer hitman's it's even a better game since the newer ones don't make you think they have all the ways of killing made into a big cinematic task list which you don't have clues you just have straight objectives.

[@shoganflamemasta3975]

17:26 I find hilarious the amount of arrogance with which you deliver what you think is a truth about a subject you clearly know nothing about. I still love your videos though lmao, and I'm also prone to arrogance so I definitely can't really judge at all

[@dinlo]

Oh so we know truths about alien intentions yeah? Shut up