Why Hitman Isn't A Stealth Game

Support the channel on patreon!: / architectofgames
Follow me on Twitter!: / thefearalcarrot
Hitman is a hell of a franchise. It's been around for just over two decades and it's been rebooted and overhauled more times than anyone can count (3), and over its many iterations, the team behind it have learned some very interesting lessons about how to get people to play a certain way, and about what kind of game they were actually making.
With Hitman 3 marking the end of Agent 47's career for the time being, The Architect - a fellow master of disguise - has taken it upon themselves to look back at Hitman's history and run through how the game earned its by now legendary reputation, as well as how the developers created it.
Hitmaps: www.hitmaps.com/
Dungeons and Daddies: www.dungeonsanddaddies.com/
You Saw:
Hitman: Codename 47: 2000
Hitman: Blood Money: 2006
HITMAN: 2016
HITMAN 2: 2018
HITMAN 3: 2021
Factorio: 2020
Polybridge: 2015
Opus Magnum: 2017
Dishonored 2: 2016
Deus Ex: Human Revolution: 2011
Metal Gear Solid 5: 2015
THE GAME OF WHICH WE DO NOT SPEAK (Hitman: Absolution): 2012
Fling To The Finish: Not Out Yet

[@ArchitectofGames]

THAT, Agent 47, is the Patreon address of the so-called "Architect". I wonder, if you could rustle up the requisite funds to pay for an exclusive membership tier, you might just be able to get a private meeting with the entity themselves - might be worth a look-: www.patreon.com/ArchitectofGames Well now, an executive from Twitter dot com is scheduled to meet The Architect later today to ask that they stop constantly badmouthing the worlds worst social media platform. If my intel is correct, the executive just so happens to bare a *striking* resemblance to you, 47. Perhaps you ought to remind him that this industry isn't *all* fun and games...: twitter.com/Thefearalcarrot

[@kharijordan6426]

Ok I wonder how hit man games fit into the narrative that gamer would choose the easiest safe way to complete a game sense the worst hit man games was hated because ppl had to choose the easiest safe way. Does it depend on experience with the title or?

[@11th_defender51]

why did you change the title? just wondering

[@vvill-ga]

Original Title: How Hitman Teaches You To Be Creative

[@11th_defender51]

@@vvill-ga ye IK but why

[@squa_81]

why am i happy to be the 865 liker?? WHY? (because it's good to support one of my inspiration, for developping my sense of critic and analysis )

[@gengarisnotinsmash...]

You could play hitman like a stealth game. Or you could just stuff the entire population of sapienza into a freezer.

[@xk445g]

Or make the biggest batch of Vino Humano

[@mathieupr6391]

Or stick an entire level of Blood Money inside a hot tub before shooting the glass floor so they fall to their death in a magnificent human waterfall. Man I had too much time on my hands when I was a kid

[@nathan.w4981]

Just off the top of my head your referring to RTgame right?

[@dtkedtyjrtyj]

Don't be silly. You can only stuff two people into a freezer. What you need is some sort of water feature.

[@Supervideo1491]

Or you could just go Rambo-style!!

[@sirmanmcdude508]

Stealth games: "Shoot him while his buddy's not looking" Hitman: "Quick! Throw the gravity defying briefcase at him!"

[@canonically47]

if nobody got me i know the gravity defying briefcase got me

[@mixtapeo7]

@@canonically47 what?

[@OrdinaryLatvian]

​@@mixtapeo7 It's a weird way of saying "If nobody's got my back, at least I know [X thing] has got my back". Like you can always rely on whatever they're talking about.

[@mixtapeo7]

@@OrdinaryLatvian facts

[@TinyDeskEngineer]

It also ignores solid matter and curves through the air.

[@yoshi_705]

I feel like all of us have had that “well shit, there goes the stealth option” moment.

[@johnnyc42972]

YEP then I shoot up the place before restarting sadly

[@towerbunga]

@@johnnyc42972 Yea. I try way to much to play Hitman as a stealth game.. but when I’m spotted, I shoot the person who spotted me about 20 times in the chest, and then reload a checkpoint.

[@S0RR1N]

Aka existing in Chongqing

[@doomyboi]

It lead to every single person but one guard dying in You Better Watch Out. I decided then to spend the entire rest of my time in that mission moving every single body to a single disposal place, with the last remaining guard stopping to stare at me suspiciously before moving on with his routine every so often.

[@Gt4wayDr1vR]

All it takes is one bastard you didnt see to start screeming for help and its all over😂

[@DJDarkDarsi]

"Where's my last Autosave" Not even in the same level "All the way back there!?"

[@a8lg6p]

The pain is real.

[@xX47ReasonsWhyXx]

Yep Lol I hate that it rarely saves

[@a8lg6p]

I turned on the autosave HUD indicator, and most of the time it pops up, it has an X in it, presumably indicating it tried to save but failed. Why, I have no clue yet.

[@shinyahiiragi5299]

*last save literally in a previous game* ah fuck

[@Noperare]

Don´t use autosave: last save is 13 hours ago Enable autosave: it will overwrite right after you fucked up

[@vvill-ga]

The original title: How Hitman Teaches You To Be Creative For those curious

[@RoamingAdhocrat]

I _knew_ I wasn't going mad. Fun fact: Hitman 47 _never_ wears green.

[@CuriousKey]

@@RoamingAdhocrat Hitman 2016 Sapienza mission - Golf Coach disguise.

[@ArchitectofGames]

Yep! I intended to change it before release because I thought it was a bit boring but I forgot - my bad!

[@CAPAE]

@@ArchitectofGames I like the original title. It is a better explanation into the video you create rather than the updated title leading you in a completely different direction. Considering the "Architect of Games", it is more of an overview teaching you what the lesson is to be learned, rather than a vague explanation that sounds more like a video essay.

[@spencer6736]

@@beastongaming1866 cant speak for them, but i think their comment is a nod to dont hug me im scared's "green is not a creative colour" bit

[@SavageGreywolf]

actually, Hitman is a point and click adventure game.

[@NorroTaku]

one could argue it's actually a walking sim with ... extra steps (huehuehue)

[@Mine_that_is_filled_with_salt]

@@NorroTaku I hate you with a fiery passion (nice one btw)

[@TreadTheDonutDuck]

@@NorroTaku I hate you with a fiery passion (nice one btw)

[@walkerscrisps7426]

Swear down I thought it was a top down strategy game

[@ethanlivemere1162]

I thought it was a mobile online battle arena

[@Doublepulse]

I love when franchises come back from the dead or a lack luster state and end up being some of the best gaming experiences to play.

[@maxwell9561]

doom

[@karigreyd2808]

Hitman never died.

[@venomsnake225]

@@karigreyd2808 although Absolution did cause it's heart to palpitate, Hitman 2016 got it back on track

[@karigreyd2808]

@@venomsnake225 I would deff say absouliton was the worst in the series. Just doesnt feel like a hitman game.

[@Kal-El207]

@@karigreyd2808 That’s right baby.

[@highwind1991]

Honestly the world of assassination Trilogy was my favorite game of the last generation. The level design was pretty much unmatched for me. These maps were more believable, populated and rewarding to explore than most of the open-world games that came out in the last 10 years

[@IrrationalDelusion]

Tried Kingdom Come, Deus Ex, STALKER already?

[@nanyabizness564]

@@IrrationalDelusion deus ex has laughably smal and superficial worlds, are you for real

[@IrrationalDelusion]

@nanyabizness564 superficial? It’s only very concentrated yes so you have to use imagination to justify the ridiculous overflow of content on locations in DXMD and DXHR. It looks believable and feels immersive. The power is measurable, so there are no unlimited abilities superheroes.

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

There is a classic scaling issue with level design. Too large and they feel empty and uninteresting, you just want to move through to get to the next interesting location. Too small and dense and they feel fake, like rides in an amusement park. And the layout has to make sense for what the place is supposed to be. Basically the dungeon situation. In a game a "dungeon" is a location, a set of rooms and hallways with a final goal, which can be a critical object, a boss, or a reward chest with loot. A location you want to reach. And the layout has to be be mechanically useful for that. The rooms and hallways and vertical levels have to create an interesting and somewhat challenging setup. And the final room has to be at the end, so that you have to traverse the entire thing first before you reach your goal. But nobody builds a place for that. People build places to live in, prisons, treasure vaults, crypts, entertainment halls, etc. And the dungeon has to make sense for that purpose. Think of the lair of an evil wizard. If his dwelling is at the end, beyond lots of traps and dangers, how does the wizard get in and out? There has to be an easier way that can act as exit and entrance. Or a crypt. You want to be able to get the bodies of your clan members in there and maybe even occasionally visit them. Or a prison. Sure you have cells for the prisoners, but you also want ways for the guards to move around, to get new prisoners in and to get people out when their time is done. And a house, a villa. The person owning the place would want to get in and out and have all the amenities necessary. All these places have to work for their intended purpose before they become a "dungeon" So if you're doing anything with game design, be it as developer for a big studio, a hobbyist working with RPG Maker or a DM at your local D&D table, think about which purpose the place originally had, and design it so that it makes sense for that purpose. Then transform them into a dungeon.

[@MichaelSchagen]

The designers of the hitman levels themselves have said in interviews that hitman is essentially a puzzle game. It is indeed working out a sequence of steps to get the desired outcome. Each step may require certain prerequisites which in turn lead to additional steps which must be executed first. And then when you are finally ready to pull your kill off, you realize you forgot to bring that crowbar you needed and walked past 20 minutes ago.

[@gamer47e17]

I'm pretty sure my playthroughs make 47 a kleptomaniac because I have had that same situation happen to me so many times that now I just grab everything not nailed down

[@a8lg6p]

I'm glad we can finally bring a crowbar with us. Now how about a screwdriver or a wrench? Would it be that hard for 47 to swing by a hardware store on the way to the mission? Seems like it would be a fair trade in lieu of coins or a vial of poison. I'm pretty sure a lot of us would even be willing to pay horse armor prices for that kind of downloadable content. Especially if it was called Screwey The Screwdriver, and the flavor text contained Jane's famous catchphrase, "I diagnose virus; I prescribe screwdriver."

[@gamer47e17]

@@a8lg6p Personally I want to be able to have some kind of box of food with the flavor text being "Allan please add details."

[@oneofegoraptorschins4422]

47 likes on your comment as of this moment

[@mattmorehouse9685]

Honestly, saying stealth games can't have many ways to complete missions sounds like an incredibly blatent attempt to justify the title. Has Millard never heard of Thief? Or Dishonored? In what way does sneaking around preclude several ways to complete a mission?

[@koalawithchaingun53]

“Thank you for having this in the background while you do something interesting” Me just lying here watching with full attention

[@destructivforce2894]

I felt called out by that, normally that's what I do with youtube videos, though not this one

[@CodytheDeer]

@@destructivforce2894 Ditto lol

[@rutgert3322]

Me, on the toilet, can't get up because my legs are asleep...

[@and3rs]

Imagine having anything shorter than a 3 hour critique on in the background

[@NLT1734]

same

[@ZombieLicorice]

I love how your plans can change on a dime by what you find in the level. On the Winery level I got to the attic of the male target and found a sniper rifle and a giant sword. One target was close, the other far away, so it worked out perfectly

[@voltage-lei]

Actually, you can do that exact sniper watchtower scenario you proposed, you just have to be a little better with your timing. if you wait too long after you shoot a target from there, the guards start approaching the watchtower or putting the other targets into lockdown, so you can either just take a couple of the targets out from there, or you can wait until all of the targets are exposed so you can take them all out simultaneously, either way, you can get off the watchtower and exit/ hide in some bushes right before the guards get to the watchtower

[@savoytruffles]

Agent 47's egglike head leads me to believe the barcode on his head is for a carton of eggs.

[@RoamingAdhocrat]

headcanon

[@savoytruffles]

@@RoamingAdhocrat *eggcannon

[@lizardlegend42]

@@savoytruffles *yolk yeeter

[@themathmoth7393]

@@lizardlegend42 *Scrambled Shotgun

[@PandemoniumGameDev]

Northernlion :D

[@hostilegamingz]

The Hitman reboot has to be one of my favorite game series period. Can't wait to see what IO will do next for their bond game

[@bennyomega9153]

Bond is boomer trash

[@Nadie47]

@@bennyomega9153 "bOnD iS bOoMeR tRaSh" stfu

[@Prix-cp5qc]

It isn’t a reboot tho. It happens after all the games.

[@glctcthnkr8059]

You know it’s good when even Yahtzee likes the core gameplay

[@pelayoagag5404]

@@bennyomega9153 its one of the most successful franchises in movie history you idiot

[@Somanous]

Hitman 2 was actually a fantastic game. It improved massively in every aspect over the first game, it was a lot of fun and had great twists.

[@Somanous]

@@agent3976 I was talking about the classic Hitman 2 - Silent Assassin, not the new Hitman 2 since the reboot.

[@maydaymemer4660]

@@agent3976i think they were always five except for the escalations

[@cathleenthefool6117]

16:42 reminds me of how soundsmith did this kill, placed the explosive rubber ducky on the chair hoping he could detonate it under her like a deadly whoopie cushion, instead Emma Carlisle finds the suspicious item and pockets it, and he instead detonates it inside her pocket during the photoshoot.

[@SianaGearz]

Every stealth game is a puzzle game, if it's any good. Almost every good challenge in most games regardless of primary genre has strong puzzle elements to it. Anything that relies more on insight and sharp thinking than on mindless reflex, speed, and precision of execution, is fundamentally a puzzle.

[@mattmorehouse9685]

I agree that his idea of "stealth games" only having a few solutions is a really torturous way to justify the title. By his definition, Portal and its sequel aren't puzzle games, since there is only one solution, and Thief isn't a stealth game.

[@etin97]

Absolutely. Good callout!

[@Eldiran1]

i like this answer , nice one !

[@kls1836]

I would argue that understanding timings and reflexes itself is part of a puzzle and i mean honestly everygame in its truest self is a puzzle game. get from state a to state b with the options listed below.

[@vee1766]

Hitman is a puzzle game AND a stealth game. It all depends on how you play it. You HAVE to be stealthy to get the Silent Assassin, Suit Only achievement on each map, no other way.

[@MaChanceSevapore]

Weird how for once I was actually watching the video and got called out for all the other times 0:)

[@drewski275]

Literally what I came to say lol

[@morxalot3034]

I was tabbed out playing Dishonored, he got me.

[@genm4827]

Speaking of the Colorado level, I was watching this Japanese player, MercuryU4X, rank different levels, and he ranked Colorado higher than I think most people would have expected, because he thought the quirk of being able to kill 3 out of the 4 targets in a single location (the house) made it more interesting than people gave it credit for. I do think it’s one of the worst levels myself, but it’s food for thought.

[@KamiRecca]

I actually rather enjoy Colorado. Found Miami to be worse tbh.

[@alexharrison2743]

@@KamiRecca everyone has their own preferences so it's totally fair and fine to like Colorado and not Miami, though I'm curious as to why?

[@KamiRecca]

@@alexharrison2743 Hmm not sure i can competently put it down in words. The map tied together in a way i appretiated more, and the enemies felt more personal. Like we get to prep a mission with them, see them cut grass, hear them speculate about the other members and so on. While Miami felt... hmmm... Well the guards are just guards, not a ragtag team of idealistic fools, so they are not as interesting. The map design felt, well not weak, but slightly far-fetched. To say it like this, the approach for Colorado felt like it went something like this: "Ok so terrorists, where are they? "Probably somewhere on the countryside, like a dead grandparents house or something." "Ok, so what do we find there?" "Oh you know, grandparent stuff. Like a greenhouse, a tractor house, a small orchard, you know, farmstuff." "I like it!" While Miami felt like a kid came up with the basic premise: "Oh there is a supercool racetrack, and you can walk underneath it into a shopping mall, and there are offices, and labs, and secret weapon factories, and one building houses a Moonrocket." "Yea that works, but drop the moonrocket, thats streaching it too far." Edit: By this i in no way mean to say that Miami in any way was a Bad map.

[@alexharrison2743]

@@KamiRecca I gotta say that, while you're not convincing me to like Miami any less, I'm going to replay Colorado with a new perspective now and look out for what you mention. What *I* didn't like about Colorado was that the targets all seemed pretty indistinct from the other hundred or so militia, and I felt that the briefing was weak in really making them feel like their deaths, and not those of the other hundred terrorists, was particularly warranted. I think it also has something to do with the fact that this is a hit that Diana is leading off her own back, rather than a contract with a fixed aim for the client, which is different but not in a good way from the previous 4 missions. If that makes sense?

[@KamiRecca]

@@alexharrison2743 yea, that makes sense. However 2 things: 1. Im not trying to convince you of liking or disliking anything. As you said, its up to each and every one of us ^^ 2. I kina like that with the targets tbh. Its not completely true (They do have more character than the goons), but for me the effect was that it raised up the goons of the level, not realy put down the targets. But hey, replay it and see if you feel the same or change your mind. I get that alot of people dont like tke map, so it is flawed in a general sense. Not bad, but flawed.

[@Daverinoe]

Just wanted to say I enjoyed your videos so much, I went back and watched all of them. Can't wait for your next installment!

[@__TheBlackSwordsman__]

It's technically a stealth game when you do the silent assassin suit only challenges.

[@FAMCHAMP]

Thats how I see it Honestly I'm kind of the opposite of this guy because I very much preferred the earlier games and actually liked his original lore. Hitman 2 Silent Assassin is my personal favorite in terms of overall story, scenery, mission objectives, amount of levels and arcs to level sections like you stay in St Petersburg for a couple of missions before moving on to like India, intel etc. It was kinda likea John Woo/John Wick hybrid because 47 retires and lives peacefully untill some bad men kidnapped his priest so he busts out his iconic gear and hunts this guy down and you can tell he's scared because he tries to use another clone from the same lab as you to take you out while having a cutout of himself be in a window as a decoy. Those original game stories I really liked. I found it more fun in these games trying to explore every option in multiple playthroughs to see how to go about if I can do this level with just a suit afterwards than the new ones. I still like the new ones. Don't really care for the reboot of the story and how it went that much or the episodic thing they had early on but although lesser levels they made up for it with the vast of space and different accidents you can pull off making it even more sandboxy. But I would say since the very 1st game all those years ago and still nowadays I feel like the A.I has always been a lil braindead or they immediately have x-ray vision or a 360 peripheral vision lol. I still think the ending to Blood Money is still one of the best video game endings because it kinda punishes those who skip cutscenes and may confuse people on the final mission Sorry kinda went off the rails but long story short I personally felt more rewarded in terms of enjoyment trying to get that Silent Assassin bonus in older games. Especially Blood Money when you read the newspaper

[@vantuz8264]

"Too small" levels of Blood Money were the perfect entry point to the series for me. I doubt it would've been as fun for me if i had to keep in mind everything happening in the large levels of the new games while i try to get into a new genre.

[@igorthelight]

So true!

[@Cerylion]

Very much this. After many years of not playing Hitman, I picked Hitman 1, completed Paris once, and was afraid to do it again. On other hand, after replaying Contracts and Blood Money, moving into World of Assassination was easy and I immediately got hooked. I wouldn't recommend Codename 47 because you must be a masochist, nor Silent Assassin as it is too stealth-oriented, but Contracts and Blood Money are great entry points (or warm-ups) for those who tried World of Assassination and got intimidated or overwhelmed.

[@ChipJones421]

Blood Money was my intro point as well. Granted I did play Hitman 2 at a friend's house... it was a bit much for me at the time. Absolution felt fine as a natural progression as it was more living sandbox that made you feel that being discrete was necessary, it also allowed you to go balls to the wall with action and mayhem which... was a nice change of pace, but went against everything a Hitman game stood for. I will still die on the hill that it was painfully disliked more than it should have been.

[@julienkouassi617]

Blood Money was my first Hitman agme and remains to this day the best hitman in my opinion . I especially loved the newspapers part, where you could be a mass murderer or a silent assassin depending on how you played. I think it gaves more depth , and while i do understand promoting that you should be playing like a SIlent Assassin, it was funny to kill everyone in a level with just a knife and being calleed "Chef" in the newspapers.

[@Jaapst]

@@julienkouassi617 no man nostalgia glasses I’m sorry. I started at absolution then 2016 and then instantly hooked best games in the world. Bought blood money week ago. While I have fun! And I know it’s old game. I just finished dancing with devil and did every level silent assassin it’s easier then the new games. But men the new games are superior in EVERY OTHER WAY. Put off the nostalgia glasses friend!!

[@superscatboy]

I've been telling my friends for years that Hitman in fundamentally a puzzle game. I'm so happy I'm not alone in this view :)

[@anthonymacomo4443]

I’ve been binging videos that explains Hitman either story or gameplay etc… and this hit the spot brother. I caught myself giving you “yeps” every now and again😂💪🏽

[@artemis_smith]

I've never played any of the Hitman games, but I was at a party once, watching someone else play. Instead of assassinating the targets, the dude playing ran around with a fistful of screwdrivers, killing EVERYTHING by throwing them. It was simultaneously hilarious and horrifying.

[@shanedillis153]

*FISH*

[@ts25679]

Feels like the social manipulation and espionage could be be turned into a game about a fledgling noble or bad actor trying to gain influence and access to a kingdom's royal court. Throughout the process of finding your place in society you are presented with a variety of different ways to build and defend your power base among the various factions vying for control and guide the future of the kingdom. How you choose to go about this could influence the difficulty and pacing of your accent, with each group responding to your methods whether good or I'll.

[@meganr9102]

that's a really good take! hitman's systems could translate really well into either benevolent runs; learn about nobles' needs and wants, learn how to find them, make deals; or more aggressive runs, full of your rivals falling mysteriously ill or choosing to step down (poison and blackmail)

[@udonsei5216]

Interesting concept that could be applied to any number of historical eras or even specific figures, like Richard III or the Medicis. Would you choose an actual historical setting or opt for creating a fictional one?

[@bradleycole6183]

This is basically Crusader Kings.

[@stevenlusk8441]

Actually, Hitman is really the Sims: Psychopath stand-alone expansion

[@ghostflxwer]

so, the extreme violence mod?

[@fibr-dragon7977]

@@ghostflxwer yes

[@KamiRecca]

@@ghostflxwer Or just the Sims...

[@ghostflxwer]

@@KamiRecca ok Karen

[@KamiRecca]

@@ghostflxwer Im not sure you know what Karen is all about. Or im missing something. But please, do explain how i came across as a Karen there, because i realy dont see it. Looking foreward to your response. From Sweden with (Confused) Love - Kami

[@ComplexGentleman]

Excellent breakdown. Hitman 3 is my first Hitman game and I immediately thought of it as a puzzle game more than a shooter or action adventure. It's all planning and putting pieces into place.

[@fuckgoogle2554]

You’re really showing your youth, here. Hitman 1 was seen as a janky diamond in the rough, but the series was considered great from Silent Assassin onward. Until Absolution, that is.

[@fica1137]

Until Absolution?

[@AJ-pc9gu]

yea hitman 2000 is the definition of eurojank. So if 'under any circumstance' it shouldnt be played, that would also apply to: gothic, riven, and stalker. Needless to say, everyone should play these games, just be aware of myriad technical problems

[@AnimatedStoriesWorldwide]

@@fica1137 yep. Blood Money was the peak of hitman pre-absolution. And Absolution is the last and only game I ever pre-purchased. Not a bad game, mind you, just not a hitman game. If it had been a separate IP, it would have been a best seller for that year. Expectations matter.

[@fica1137]

@@AJ-pc9gu I immidiately thought about Gothic, great game but yeah it's off-putting experience to new players even for early 2000s RPG standard. Hopefully "remaster" will keep spirit of the game, I am not impressed by the trailer

[@nicholasrockstroh6920]

I got the feeling he was more saying that he didn't find the early Hitman games compelling compared to the new ones, not that they were badly received.

[@tylersomerville313]

I have had an absolutely awful day but seeing the notification for this brought me a huge smile. Keep making great videos please :)

[@Hubris1998]

My favourite challenge was the no inventory challenge when you play Hokkaido for the first time. Having to sneak into the kitchen to get a knife that you can use to kill your targets, wherever they are, was more fun and immersive than simply starting out with the fiber wire. The only issue with that is that you can subdue people and even snap their necks without any item or weapon.

[@bigwavesun]

The whole time I owned the games, never thought to just use what's in the level. That will be real fun!

[@primary2630]

Don't see why that's a problem though

[@Mrterminus]

@Konichisan im currently trying to beat every level in hitman with only a explosive rubber duck SASO. It’s incredibly difficult but so rewarding to find a solution for those kinds of puzzles.

[@Hubris1998]

@@KenBro05 too on the nose. I like to make it more challenging for myself

[@articulatetirade1537]

I just found your channel and I’m really enjoying working through your backlog of content. of course I didn’t need to be called out by your end of video bit, but I’m sure I’ll get over it lol

[@Reakkor]

18:34 Really calling me out here, brother. I kid, damn good video as always.

[@togglinho]

7:32 NOOOOOOOO WHY DID YOU DO THAT because of that im going to remind you about *the game*

[@ev8om]

well I didn't do it and I am now too reminded of the game

[@kolinako6872]

I just lost the game

[@shaoronmd]

I see what you did there, @adam

[@persephone6204]

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

[@Ash-bx6kq]

Got me with the "thank you for having this in the background for the better part of 20min" line, lol

[@henrikaugustsson4041]

Stealth isn’t just about sneaking, it’s about accomplishing your mission without raising suspicion. That’s why disguises are an option. Hitman just explores a different part of stealth. Back in the day you had to get creative because a level might have metal detectors, and you might not want to bring a gun into that, unless you can find another way to get it inside. Modern Hitman is too packed full of objectives and requirements. I preferred the old way. Get paid, buy equipment, do a job (no morality or greater quest required) and bring what equipment you want, and say what you will about Blood money, it was fun to read about your hit in the newspaper.

[@mighmabasil]

never played the old ones but your description makes it sound awesome

[@Mrhandyhitman]

I loved the get paid system and upgrading custom weapons and also the news article! They definitely need to bring it back some way. Thats what made it cool looking at how u leave so many dead and how many witnesses, made you feel you had impact

[@Azboje]

You get a small hit of this progression in Hitman's Freelance mode. I'm actually finding it more engaging than the campaign missions (on which I spent a couple hundred hours overall)

[@Joao-ur7ey]

I don't know why but Blood Money was the only one I had genuine fun. I played Abosolution and it was kinda meh/tiring, I played the older ones and just droped them after a while. Now I'm trying the new ones an I'm still not hooked. I'm just finishing the tutorial challenges tho, so I don't have an objective opinion yet. Blood Money was such a great and memorable game. One of the best I've played to this day.

[@nxcrobutcher]

well hopefully you like freelancer because that seems to be pretty close to what you were looking for

[@KrazyKain]

I felt a bit called out by "thanks for having this video in the background while you do something more interesting"

[@crypt5129]

Same

[@KrassoTV]

Sociology student here: You got things mixed up a bit on the social theory part. E.g. front- and backstage theory is Goffman, not Bourdieu.

[@GypsyEyez_]

Yes indeed. I'm writing a paper about Goffman atm.

[@mbe2916]

Not only with sociology.

[@KamiRecca]

Well, i think you'll find that its Goffman as Frontstage, but actually Bourdieu as Backstage.

[@Denden-kj3rn]

your editing has gotten really good man, love it

[@whatluck1508]

I had this playing in the background while playing Diablo 3, and it surprised me when you said thanks for having this playing in the background while doing something more important

[@alfafanet]

Loved the video! Just one suggestion: when you make subtle (or not so subtle) visual jokes, like the one about thinking outside the box, I think the best approach is doing like IO itself - trusting your viewers' capacity! I think the joke explanation ("Get it? Get it?") actually takes from its charm. Leaving it unexplained rewards the viewers who pay attention to detail. Well, that's just how I see it anyways. Keep up the good work!

[@kiratherenegade1561]

Love that they finally kicked the training wheels off & put in Freelancer mode. A brutal difficult that forces you to become a true master of improvisation as well as planning & execution. That brick you accidentally picked up might be the difference between a quiet takedown & a life ending shoot out.

[@CriticalBattle]

Hi AoG! I absolutely love your videos, your insights to the inner workings of games are top-notch.

[@Gullbrand_]

18:15 everyone who plays hitman knows that feeling…

[@drowninafire]

You’re absolutely right about The Classics being the final challenge. But I always do Silent Assassin Suit Only first - or at least first after story missions.

[@alexharrison2743]

That's how I play it too, and I don't know if I'm 'doing it right', like maybe I'm losing something by not just 'seeing what happens'? I tend to play it first time blind, then do most of the mission stories, to get a good idea of the level, then try for a SASO kinda to prove to myself that I don't need the mission stories holding my hand to pull off a clean hit. I would really like to just follow my nose from the get-go and try to piece together the unique kills that aren't related to mission stories, but I'm never sure what they've actually made possible in the game's code

[@drowninafire]

@@alexharrison2743 Most of what you think is possible, is, but they also tend to make the coolest kills mission stories, or at least challenges, like throwing Robert Knox off the roof at just the right time so that he lands on Sierra's car.

[@Magnymbus]

"Thank you for putting this video on in the background while doing something more interesting" Bruh, when this video started playing, it pulled me completely out of the supposedly more interesting thing and I literally had to turn it off and watch this through first before I could return. Your videos are almost always hard for me to just put in the background. I love it.

[@LTAssass1n]

What a well done video essay. Lovely video

[@ThePegasiPony]

At the end when you say "thanks for having this video on in the background while you do something more interesting" ironically that's what I usually do, but this time I couldn't help but pay full attention to the video. Also the end bit where you get caught and say screw it and try to shoot the guards was hilarious. I'm come across that same situation so many times. Thank you for this video.

[@subprogram32]

I always love learning more about the Hitman games, they have so much cool stuff going on and even a video like this barely scratches the surface of that. Also good to know why Colorado is so hated, that does sound like a horrid design for a Hitman level indeed. Good work on this video, I liked it a whole lot! :)

[@subprogram32]

@@scratchsoft2347 already have! And I have also watched Writing On Games's breakdowns of the newest hitman levels, those were my favourite of all. And he plans to do the same for the third game of the trilogy ofc!

[@subprogram32]

@@scratchsoft2347 hope you like them, their channel is great!

[@subprogram32]

@@scratchsoft2347 awesome!! Happy to have helped show you a new thing today. ^w^

[@BergenEmigrant]

Thought it was a nice challenge. The scarecrow challenges though were pretty hateable

[@fgaze72]

sapienza is just an absolute masterpiece of level design. kinda reminds me of the old commandos games in terms of the level of detail (although obviously from a very different perspective)

[@scarabmango]

The Hitman games are very much stealth games IF you choose to play them that way. I find the stealthy approach very satisfying most of the time, and I try to get Silent Assassin at least once on every mission. The sheer variety of methods you can use is amazing. As to the mission stories, they are completely optional but I still like to check them off just to see what extra events and dialogue they offer.

[@Damian-cilr2]

You can also technically go in guns blazing and K̸̢̟͓̕̕͝I̴̡̪̻͐̔͌Ĺ̴̝͕͓̀͝L̴̡̼̈́͋͘͜ E̴͍̟͋̒͆V̸̡̘̼͛̓́E̵̡̺̦͌͌͠R̵͚͎̫̿͐́Y̴͍͔͎̾̿̾O̸̞͎̫͊̐̒N̴̙̺͕͛́̒E̸̼̪̘̽̐ Not easy mind you,but its possible

[@dvdv7777]

One my favorite game series ever. I've played these maps so often I probably know those locations better than I know my own home.

[@gowzahr]

"Thank you for having this in the background while you do something else" Me listening on Bluetooth headphones while I eat dinner: I took that personally.

[@Gustav_Kuriga]

Colorado is an amazing level, probably my favorite. If you don't see the creative ways you can play that level, that's on you.

[@12bfost]

You nailed it, great video!!

[@klaw6368]

"Hitman is actually a fantasy rpg with roguelike elements"

[@mcslender2965]

That's the upcoming Freelancer mode

[@Ghost-leader]

@@mcslender2965 just roguelike

[@togglinho]

19:07 i really like a podcast called heavyweight, its really fun

[@nicolaspeters5980]

3:41 this is why i love hitman lol. I have spent WAY to many hours in this thrilogy (literally nearing 200) i never new that was a thing you could. Oh my word that would have made my life SO much easier lol. No matter how well you know a map there is always something new you learn on every attempt

[@AwesomeSauceMcGee]

my first attempt on that part was that i walked into the chamber turned something of then ran as far as my little legs could take me

[@Hexagon4440]

I think Hitman is such a well made game that every individual player experiences it differently depending on how they see the game. Like I found Colorado the mission in which I felt most like Hitman, and I did complete it with almost complete stealth, while I struggled in other missions. This shows how much variety the game developers have put in the game.

[@jyc313]

As someone in the architecture industry I was impressed at the building layout and design in the recent 3 hitman series. Of course, there are some maze-like aspects because it is a game. But overall, the developers did a fantastic job.

[@quiteindeed6809]

15 year old me playing hitman on PS2: Hee hee, LMG go brrrrr.

[@NintendoSunnyDee]

Here's a good challenge for ya. Get silent assassin on every mission in Blood Money, using the nailgun for every kill. Careful; it is noisy, and will only one hit kill in the head. I've literally only pulled it off in the second mission (the Paris one, Curtain Call maybe?) because of the fact it's so noisy. I plan to complete the chalenge once I have the PC version.

[@cocokolah8567]

You actually CAN snipe all four targets in Colorado from the water tower. It requires you to knock out+conceal the two soldiers inside of the water tower's shed. They only swarm the tower if there's someone close enough to it to hear your rifle.

[@S3Cs4uN8]

Not true, at least not in Hitman 3. Guards will, after a short time spent near the dead target, run to where you fired the shot from if they either see the target be shot or notice the bullet impact. This can result in the rather amusing circumstance, provided nobody heard the shot/saw you shoot, where a bunch of the guards will run up onto the roof of the Water Tower building and aim up at the water tower itself but otherwise won't do anything because they can't actually see you up there if you stay crouched.

[@TheLastArbiter]

Very interesting breakdown. Thought provoking. I love Hitman for these reasons.

[@RuinousEntropy]

When you mentioned a possible Hitman who snuck into your outro donations list, I immediately started looking for Tobias Rieper and you didn't disappoint lol

[@almondmilkbone]

18:40 Wow, fucking called out lol

[@jimmypeeps8471]

Marrakesh is a unique level because it's a double fortresses level. When I was figuring out how to speedrun it on Master SASO/Default Start and Loadout/ICA19 Pistol Only, it felt like having to do two missions in a row. Usually one target is wandering around while the other is holed up in a building somewhere but both the targets are holed up in extremely well guarded buildings. It was pretty tough.

[@MAFdave]

I love the Colorado level. Cool change of pace

[@juliandebrouwer9118]

14:25 some maps have challenges seperately for all targets that require the same method of elimination, but still allow you to do them both in one go

[@leonardofernandez6488]

I remember playing Codegame 47 as a kid and thinking both that it was impressive as hell and that I had no idea on how to proceed.

[@blackadder564]

I still have to finish it,

[@ambrosiogiovanni6952]

I remember the first time i finished it. I was a very happy 14 year old. But honestly, at the time i couldn't finish some missions without going loud at some spots, like the Lee Hong assassination and the boss fight with the drug lord. But i loved the hotel mission, that was the one i loved replaying and creating new ways of killing the targets just for fun.

[@erikm8373]

It sure is lucky that no one ever notices the barcode tattooed on the back of his head. You'd think that people might pick up on that after a while. "Hey, I thought you were bartending. When did you join the security? Or the electrical company?" "Oh, those were my identical brothers, 48 and 49"

[@DarthJF]

When your local Mumbai barber has turned into a bald white man. "I see nothing wrong with this."

[@djvycious]

I never played the original two Hitman games but I can imagine how it may not have aged well. Incidentally the original Thief games have aged very well. I'd still say they are the gold standard of stealthy games. Never before or since has crouching in a virtual dark corner and listening to footsteps for 5 minutes been so exciting.

[@OtterPirate]

That final scene in the bank is such a mood XD

[@RainbowLizardOne]

Having played very recently, I don't really see the problem with Colorado. It's definitely a much trickier level than many of the others, but I really enjoyed having to calculate and consider different sightlines across the level (and the addition of tall grass in the legacy pack really helps). It's true that it's easy to get spotted here, but that doesn't eliminate the opportunity for creativity - there's plenty of spots where you can sneakily get all sorts of kills, either by finding small spots where nobody looks or by strategically taking out single guards. It's definitely jarring in how much more you have to think about than a more closed-off level like Paris, but I don't see why that has to be a weakness. I find Marrakesh to be much more limiting as a map.

[@capital_of_texas]

Yes, I love Colorado. I find every mission enjoyable, no matter how absurd they can be. Like, each mission just feels unique with each other

[@gondalasatvarsh5892]

I don't know what it was that made me love hitman so much from the inception. At first I played the initial games like an action game, I replayed contracts and understood the essence of stealth. Blood money opened up all sorts of opportunities, The new trilogy is like an in-depth puzzle game.

[@cjc111koolkat]

And absolution?

[@rich925cal1]

I bought Hitman 2 couple months back cause it was on sale for $11 on PSN ..hooked immediately after Miami .. then got Hitman III ..then inevitably the first one. Haven’t played anything since, the countless ways you can approach a mission and all the unique challenges make every mission EXTREMELY replay able and SATISFYING

[@jinxysaberk]

Imo what makes these games so satisfying is when you get dedicated it makes sense. And you can wipe out the area around you to keep your cover and I kinda love that about the game

[@staryoshi06]

I really have no idea what you're talking about with colorado. Once I got a soldier disguise (there's more than one security level btw), the level actually felt really open and fun.

[@moonblaze2713]

You're never in the background. You're on while I'm laying in bed trying to recover from a trying time.

[@NorroTaku]

6h ago are you me but in a different time zone?

[@ariamh823]

Hokkaido I believe is the perfect balance. In the middle of snake house and fortress, you can easily know what's going on in a few runs and you can do S.O challenges very cleverly. Each time doing a challenge is very rewarding because you unlock a whole new perspective, you can master everything about the level and even do the hardest things while S.A. it's plenty rewarding and doesn't really have much wasted space and it's also very surprising on how you could do things. The only bad parts were the unlocks

[@stingersplash]

It's interesting you mention your method for Colorado. They did tweak the sniping at one point and I indeed started at the water tower with thr Sieger 3000 and a tranq gun. I took out the rooftop guards, killed all 4 targets and left via the side entrance. Interestingly due to a glitch as the guards were running towards the water tower I was able to run straight past without being noticed! Got SASO Sniper Assassin on Master done in about 3 minutes. It was top 10 leaderboard stuff. No chance of doing it now!

[@justderp5713]

Hitman 2016 had some crazy aim assist on consoles. Playing it as legacy though from hitman 2 or 3 has basically none. It was a really great John Wick simulator. Also, 7:32

[@sumersinghrana1059]

The author of this video does an impeccable job at describing the subconscious, philosophical and a psychological approach which is a realistic perspective of this creative and aesthetic piece of art. The development team deserves a lot of respect.

[@McDonaldsCalifornia]

Wow I never expected to see Bourdieu and Goffman mentioned in a Hitman video but I instantly knew what you meant!

[@thickpooxbox360]

18:35 ahahah so accurate! I had this playing in the background while I was training

[@Furymgs3]

The AI is programmed to immediately rush your position if they see someone get sniped by you, even if they haven't actually seen you. It's also programmed not to stop their search before making an actual attempt at searching an area. Since they can't climb ladders, this means they'll rush at the base of the Colorado water tower, and stare at it with their guns drawn forever, because they can't go and search the top. It's... a bit of a weakness of Hitman's AI. It was made to be predictable, and therefore pretty dumb, because this serves the purpose of a puzzle game, but this, plus a few technical failings, sometimes results in dumb moments like that. Still, I think it's better than games where you can snipe in complete impunity because you're out of perception range.

[@IN-pr3lw]

I got this as one of my first big PC games yesterday and I played it all day

[@JoeGallo43]

18:23 when I get myself in a jam like that I usually just run to the nearest cabinet to hide until it cools off then proceed to take out all orange targets who compromised me.

[@honeyxew469]

I’d also like to make the argument that Hitman is a role playing game where you role play a guy who has to role play other guys to meet his goals

[@agent_277]

That's a lot of role play 😏

[@candlestone5397]

In the defense of the colorado level, it has 2 great things. 1. The scarecrow bell easter egg. Ya know, the one where you suddenly set everyone on fire that gets close enough to you. 2. 47 riding a raptor to leave the level.

[@TadoraxeLvr]

1:46 I feel like I'm the only one who enjoyed absolution lmfao Also awesome video dude :D

[@user-function100]

Good analysis of hitman games. I just want to say that it is possible to do a suit only sniper assassin challenge from the water tower in Colorado, if you shoot all targets before the guards manage to get you. 5:00 It should be the result of escaping too slowly.

[@thealgorithm2424]

18:35 wait how did you know exactly what I was doing

[@dapeopleeaters9887]

this might sound small but im really glad you didnt look down on using mission stories. i think theyre really fun and im not good enough at the game to improvise my way through levels in fun ways

[@a8lg6p]

Keep at it! I The mission stories are like training wheels. When I first played Hitman 1/2, I finished in like a day or two and thought I was done forever. Until months later, I learned from KZbin how amazing Hitman is...went back and made sure ALL the mission stories were completed, then the challenges, then the escalations...at which point I came to feel that escalations are where it's at, and the missions stories are just a dress rehearsal. I can't remember a name, but there's a video about how usually games avoid repetition, but Hitman was designed for it, and they pulled it off well. In a way that is actually really fun. But you might not realize it at first. Every time you play a level, you learn. You become more familiar with the layout, you learn the shortcuts, where the items are, you learn how all the pieces of these amazing convoluted Rube-Goldberg contraptions work. The first time, you may spend an hour or two painstakingly making your way deeper into the fortresses, etc, probably having to reload a bunch of times. By the 10th or 20th time, you might be in and out in under 5 min, using your Groundhog Day-like precognition. But instead of it becoming boring because it's too easy, it actually becomes more fun, because you have the feeling of mastery, and the ability to use the near-infinite array of options in new and creative ways.

[@TurtleMarathon]

18:20 is everything, every time, all at once.

[@xgrove]

18:34 . You got me, I was clipping my nails.

[@controllerplayer2091]

Everyone loves Helmut Kruger. That’s just a fact.

[@thebaronlouis8619]

Great video. It is possible to snipe all 4 targets on Colorado in one go, but they have to be in the open at the same time and you have to hide in the crate immediately after.

[@AGoodJoe]

Best game series ever for 20 plus years. Thank you IOI!!!

[@zancrow3634]

I subbed cause u read the fact that im doing something else while listening to the video from start till the end :)