Hitman

Our analysis

Hitman (2016) delivers the quintessential assassination sandbox, but guided opportunities trade satisfaction for less frustration. Its episodic pacing, repetitive checklists and thin, unfinished story undermine the experience.

Our analysis

A highly enjoyable, gameplay-first stealth game that ended up being one of the rare successes of episodic release, with the full first season bundling Paris, Sapienza, Marrakesh, Colorado and Hokkaido. The gorgeous, intricately designed levels reward mastery and replay through the mastery track, escalations and elusive targets, making it deep and challenging. The weak, forgettable story and slightly off shooting are minor drawbacks, but the open-ended assassinations make it a standout.

Our analysis

Not worth buying in its sliced-up episodic launch state. The single Paris mansion mission is the strong point — genuinely replayable, open-ended, and fun with its many ways to assassinate the two targets — but everything else falls short: the prologue tutorials are immersion-breaking actor-staged sets, the always-online DRM punishes a single-player game by kicking you mid-mission, and the AI and old cover system are weak. One real mission for the asking price simply isn't enough.