This game is awesome, here is my reasons why6. Gameplay 10/10 Dare I say it, but the enemies in this game are exceptionally smart, like Metal Gear Solid 2 smart. These guys don't play dumb, they KNOW if the jig is up. You mess up, and believe me, they are on your arse man. They will hunt you down if you hit and run any one of them.....and that is just on the normal difficulty! You really don't play dumb with these guys. If you are dressed as one of them (yes, you can change clothes and be one of the enemies or a civilan, including a pizza man of all things)they will search you, ask for ID, or just plain shoot you if you do something stupid. The enviroments are just amazing as well. All were well planned and administrated. The 'headquarters' of sort (a.k.a. your tool shed) is a fine example of that. Not only do you have a tool shed stacked with weapons you collect, but you just have fine scenery to look at, including a full interactive scarecrow. I haven't even come close to beating this game, so I still have a lot to see......which is fine with me. Hitman 2 wouldn't be half as fun without the meaty arsenal that 47 can access from his garden shed between missions - whenever 47 takes a new weapon out of a level and brings it back home it is immediately stored for future use. There's something for everyone here. For the Arnold Schwarzenegger types, try a sawn-off shotgun, M4 assault rifle and AK-47, while those who prefer to use small arms have magnums, standard .45 service pistols and 47's trademark guns, the beautiful silver Hardballers, to play with. For those of you with sneaky yet deadly preferences, the silenced 9mm, long-distance crossbow and fibre wire (a la Red Grant in Bond flick From Russia With Love!) will all be right up your street, while for those that want to be as silent, professional and harmless as possible, there's nothing better than sleep injections for any guards, while the only "permitted" kill - the target - should have a traditional army combat knife reserved exclusively for their throat... Accompanying 47's assignments is a wonderfully eerie score, the separate tracks changing to fit the mood or setting of the missions. When an enemy gets unsure of 47's identity the music pumps up and becomes more frantic, representing 47's nerves of the moment. As the enemy shrugs it off and continues his patrol, the head stops throbbing and the sweat stops gushing as the music dies down and 47 is calm once again. If you're in an area with a Far Eastern theme, the tunes and ambiance correspond with this, while in snowy Russia - with the weather effects stunning, by the way - music is more spooky and you can hear the trudges of 47's boots as he walks down fluffy main roads. Brilliant stuff. However, the real standout piece is the main theme, that can be heard at the title menu in all its glory. It's wonderfully haunting and opera-like with orchestral accompaniment, symbolic of Hitman 2's many European locales and 47's new start there, and you WILL be humming it as you head up to bed after somehow managing to switch the game off in the early hours of the morning. Hitman 2 is brilliantly acted as well, with the various accents from around the globe effortlessly done, 47's contact, Diana, providing sultry, mysterious tones that are all we have to go by seeing as we never see her in person, and 47 himself has the perfect voice - 47 is an American but since he has moved to Europe he has picked up a very slight yet noticeable accent from the continent, and you certainly gather that from the delivery of 47's lines. The cast are flawless and really add to the quality of Hitman 2, as if it weren't high enough already. A true highlight. Criticisms leveled at Hitman 2 include its lack of pick-up-and-play simplicity and "zero" replay value, which seem pretty absurd to me. Although the game is impossible at first, with you helplessly watching 47 get rumbled in the first 5 minutes repeatedly, once you've learnt the generous controls on the suited PS2 controller, the game is a solid challenge throughout - never getting too frustrating - and the free roaming that has been allowed for 47, along with the various ways he can complete the missions and the three difficulty levels, should keep anyone who likes the game from hanging up the hitman gear for quite some time. The main sticking point for me was the obsession with getting the top rank for each and every mission. See, at the end of a level 47 is ranked on how he handled proceedings; how quiet he was and how aggressive he was. Vicious players who like to decorate walls in brains often receive ratings like "Mass Murderer", "Psychopath" and "Postal", which is cool if you like a bit of gore, but for more subtle players the elusive "Silent Assassin" rating can be earned by creating the illusion that 47 was never there. Nobody except the ultimate target dies, the guards are never alerted to 47's presence and the mission generally goes without a hitch. There are secret rewards for Silent Assassins only, so here's a hint: if you want some of the classiest weaponry in the game try to become one. Getting a Silent Assassin rating after what can seem like hours of hard work makes you hugely proud and not only is it just well worth it in the end, a lot of Hitman 2 players find themselves enjoying the sneak-'em-up approach much more than mindlessly blowing heads off shoulders left and right, even if they don't expect to - I should know. Then again, each to their own! To conclude, I cannot recommend Hitman 2: Silent Assassin enough. I found the stealth aspects less irritating (in fact they didn't irritate me one bit) than in Splinter Cell, the firefights just as exciting and strategic as MGS2's and more visceral, which I like, and the neat storytelling proves you don't have to drift into 20-minute cutscenes to be effective and interesting in that department. Majestic graphics and sound are like the cherry on top of a lovely cake. Hitman 2 is an absolute must for anyone who at least thinks the prospect of stepping into the shoes of a contract killer for a couple of hours at a time might intrigue them. Don't let the recent release of Hitman: Contracts put you off this as it is the older game, it is actually the better game, and seeing as Hitman 2 has a budget re-release in PAL and NTSC territories I can't see any excuse for passing it over right now. Bargain price, tremendous game. Buy it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! NOW.
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