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Five O’Clock Fan Art: Hitman Absolution

Dylan Duarte — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 00:00:26 +0000

This stylized Hitman Absolution drawing reminds us that it’s never a good idea to walk blindly around a corner with the scent of freshly fired guns in the air. Especially when a dual wielding Agent 47 is involved.

We had a chance to speak with Patrick Brown, the talented Australian artist who created the work you see here, a few years back, and at the time, he was working in at a News Paper crafting these works of art in his spare time. It goes without saying that he certainly has the skills to do this as more than a side job if he isn’t already. Check out more of his work and let him know what you think.

Five O’Clock Fan Art is perfect for wrapping up the work day. You don’t want to think anymore, you just want to look at awesome things. And there’s nothing more awesome than a well crafted piece of video game fan art. If you don’t agree, what the hell are you doing at a gaming blog?

Square Enix Trademarks Hitman: Profession… the Next in the Series?

Catherine Cai — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 20:42:43 +0000

Apparently, Square Enix filed to trademark Hitman: Profession just a few days back. The screen capture of the trademark filing is available here:

Does this mean that Square Enix already has the next Hitman in the series lined up after Absolution? It’s not surprising, considering that back in November, Square Enix announced that they were opening a new development studio in Montreal, whose first title they already confirmed was to be a Hitman title.

Just my two cents, SquEnix, I’m glad to see you’re so enthusiastic about the Hitman series, but Hitman: Profession is a little lame for a series with bad ass subtitles like Silent Assassin and Blood Money. I hope to god that Profession is just for the working title…

[Via Siliconera]

Here’s a New Hitman Absolution Trailer From The VGAs

Chris Carlson — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 02:16:51 +0000

Agent 47 is coming closer and closer to finally reaching our next-gen consoles and PC’s since his last adventure on the PS2 quite some time ago.

Until then, we’ll have to be satisfied with sexy trailers. Like this one, straight from the VGA’s. Check it out!

SPIKE

Hitman Absolution World Premiere

Five O’Clock Fan Art: Hitman

Dylan Duarte — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 00:00:03 +0000

Did you guys see the 17 minutes of Hitman: Absolution gameplay? I understand the need to show off the new game mechanics, but do you really need 17 minutes to do it?

Five O’Clock Fan Art is perfect for wrapping up the work day. You don’t want to think anymore, you just want to look at awesome things. And there’s nothing more awesome than a well crafted piece of videogame fan art. If you don’t agree, what the hell are you doing at a gaming blog?

I should start calling this feature Five O’Clock Patrick Brown Art.

Enjoy Seventeen Minutes of Hitman: Absolution Gameplay

Sam Naylor — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 19:35:23 +0000

This morning we teased you, but now you shall be teased no more!!

Machinima have put up the full E3 2011 gameplay video of Hitman: Absolution.

The video shows an admittedly well-rehearsed section of the Library, crossing into the adjacent building and out into the safety of the city. It looks very unlike previous Hitman games from this footage, instead seeming more like Batman (detective vision included) or Splinter Cell.

Having said that, I always find Hitman games too hard anyway, even if I like the concept. This looks like it could be a brilliant little cinematic experience, as opposed to the open and free style the series has enjoyed so far. I wonder if perhaps this will be a good game, but under the wrong title. Time will tell, though, since this is only a small section of gameplay.

Hitman Absolution Gameplay Teaser Teases Gameplay

Dave Oshry — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 13:30:45 +0000

What?! You come up with a more creative headline!!

This is the first time that this Hitman Absolution gameplay has been seen by anyone other than the press back at E3. I’ve seen the full demo, and it’s rather awesome.

You’ll get to see the whole thing soon, but until then, enjoy the tease!

Hitman: Absolution Goes Hardcore (Mode)

Justin Carter — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 12:00:15 +0000

Hitman: Absolution will have a mode for those who’ve played through any of the prior games. IO Interactive Producer Hakan Abrak says that the mode will reward stealth play with Achievements/Trophies.

“We will get into more details at a later point, but obviously it’s linked to the playing style. It’s more pacify your enemies, be undetected, maybe solve the challenges in a smarter way. That will probably give you a stealth assassin achievement.

Rest assured, the hardcore fans that like to have replayablity value in the game or want to have this stealth assassin — you know, I’m the ultimate stealth assassin — that playing style, those achievements, are very much in the game.”

Hardcore modes in games are notorious for making gamers yell at the TV and prepare to hurl it, the console, and the game out the nearest window. Having tried and failed to play Fallout: New Vegas on its Hardcore mode, I don’t think I’ll try Absolution‘s Hardcore mode when the game comes out.

Hitman: Absolution stealth kills onto the 360, PS3, and PC sometime next year, so you’ve got some time to contemplate if you’ll give it a try. If you do, be sure to have the ambulance on speed dial and give your neighbors some earplugs.

[Via Joystiq]

IO Discusses Hitman Absolution Development and Multiplayer

Chris Carlson — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 15:00:20 +0000

We haven’t seen a Hitman game since the release of Blood Money back in 2005. With Hitman Absolution coming out next year, IO Interactive’s Christian Elverdam had a few things to say about the games development.

Many people have been asking for a new Hitman game for quite some time now and IO Interactive has been pretty quite about the series. In a recent interview with CVG, Elverdam explained why the new game took six year to develop.

“We’ve been building brand new technology, we call it the Glacier 2 engine. We actually got to build that from scratch, so we had a chance to look at all of the previous titles and basically ask ourselves what the important areas to Hitman were, and how we could improve them.

We really knew we needed to build this new technology. If you look at the E3 presentation, the AI is now way more advanced than it ever was. It has far more nuanced behaviour. To give you an example, in the demo we have this hippy apartment and 47 comes in dressed as a police officer. Because these hippies don’t really care about the police, his disguise isn’t very effective.

Their reaction to him as an officer isn’t to jump him; it’s to tell him to get out of the apartment, which is a new behaviour system. Now, if you come to the apartment dressed in the default suit, these hippies will be friendly to you. Conversely, if you are confronted by a police officer, they won’t necessarily draw their gun and try to shoot you immediately, especially if they haven’t seen any killings going on.

Encounters with police can escalate into full-blown combat, though. If they call for backup, you’ll be faced with a more direct combat situation. This is the kind of stuff we really wanted to go full circle on. We wanted to go from the more black and white AI of the earlier games to something that’s more shades of grey.”

When asked if he ever considered adding multiplayer to the series, he responded with this simple statement:

“It’s not something I can share with you at this point. But rest assured, we’ll be sharing more later.”

To me that sounds like a standard PR response when you know the answer is yes to the question being asked, but you’re not allowed to actual confirm the existence.

What do you think? Would you welcome multiplayer into the Hitman series, or would it be a big mistake?

Hitman Absolution is set to release in 2012 for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.

New Hitman Absolution Details Make You Feel Like a True Assassin

Chris Carlson — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 19:18:40 +0000

After a long awaited 5 years, Agent 47 is finally making a return with a new set of tools that will make you finally feel like a true assassin.

It’s been quite some time since we’ve last seen the likes of this beautiful bald headed bastard. The latest issue of Edge Magazine finally sheds some light on 47′s return, and he’s not fucking around. Check out the new details below.

The game is set in Chicago.
Tons of time making core movement and controls very responsive.
IO’s Glacier 2 engine supposedly offer fantastic facial animations.
Optional cover system with the use of cover mechanics without actually being in cover.
Instinct mode highlights enemies and patrols glow red through walls, similar to Arkham Asylum’s detective mode. It also replaces the map screen from the previous Hitman titles.
Mini map will highlight points of interest.
Threat meter is now a grey circle in the middle of the screen that flickers in directions where enemies may spot 47.
The more eyes on you, the faster your threat meter will fill.
Lots of environmental weapons, unique to each location such as a lamp cord being used as a garrotte.
Taking hostages return, but the AI is smarter and wont just start shooting at you.
Levels are divided into checkpoints for the first time in the Hitman series.
Many levels will be as large and open-ended as the levels from previous Hitman games, but some others will be tighter, more focused sandboxes.
IO’s goal is to build a greater variety of gameplay challenges around the core game, rather than changing it. Such as scripted action sequences.
Some levels are very story driven and other are way more explorative.
Having a disguise doesn’t meal you’ll be able to fool everybody or bluff your way past a group of NPC’s.
Instinct mode increases disguise effectiveness. Cops in the demo questions 47′s movements while he’s disguised as a police man, he enters instinct mode and uses his police radio walking straight past the cops and fools them.
47′s handler, Diana, is now played by Marsha Thomason.
Designated safe spots for disguises. Such as walking up to a box of doughnuts disguised as a cop.
Safe spots will keep you completely safe for as long as you want, even if the room is filled with enemies.
Crowds will be used very differently.
47′s long time voice actor will not return. No name was given for a replacement.
Glacier 2 engine offers realtime AI editing.
AI will react dynamically to your actions.

IO Interactive seems very confident in the direction they’re taking the game. The only way to find out is when Hitman: Absolution releases in 2012 for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.

Executive at Square Enix Admits to a “Humiliating” Japanese E3 Lineup

Stephanie Gutowski — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 07:34:08 +0000

Koji Taguchi tweeted this past Friday about his concerns with Square Enix‘s noticeable lack of Japanese games on display at E3. While games like Tomb Raider, Deus-Ex: Human Revolution, and Hitman garnered considerable media attention and fan hype, Final Fantasy XIII-2 failed to leave a lasting impression. The heavy hitters are coming from Eidos, the Montreal-based studio which Square Enix acquired in 2009. It comes as no surprise to learn that Square’s had some trouble recently with lackluster games coming out of its studios. With the mixed response to Final Fantasy XIII and the disastrous launch of Final Fantasy XIV, Square needed to showcase strong titles this year if it hoped to reclaim the trust of its audience.

“Because we merged with Eidos and had games like Tomb Raider, Deus [Ex], and Hitman, as a company we were able to keep face. But the decline in Japanese titles was almost humiliating. This has been a week where I worried daily about how we can fix this.”

Despite the disappointing lack of strong Japanese titles showcased at E3, Square did manage to save face with an impressive line up from Eidos. With Tomb Raider and Deus Ex nominated for multiple awards already, Square still has a few aces up its sleeve… despite its stock troubles and the continuing struggle to release Final Fantasy XIV on PS3. As long as Eidos can deliver games that live up to the caliber of their trailers and E3 demos, then Square will rise again.

[Source: Gameranx]

E3 2011: Hitman Absolution Gets First Official Trailer

Matthew Sims — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 18:55:00 +0000

There’s a good chance you’ve seen this before, considering it was leaked wayyy before E3. But Square Enix has finally issued an official release for their trailer.

Theres enough action to in this trailer make Sam Fisher blush. Check out the trailer and stay tuned to Ripten as we continue our coverage for E3.

Hitman: Absolution hits Xbox 360 and PS3 next year.

Potential Hitman: Absolution Box Art Images Revealed

Bryce Wilson — Sun, 15 May 2011 13:30:00 +0000

A marketing survey for the just announced Hitman: Absolution has shown participants three possible examples of cover art for Agent 47′s return.

Whilst none of them bear the ‘Absolution’ handle, they instead carry the ‘Hitman: Subtitle‘ naming tradition that they’ve carried since Hitman: Codename 47 back in 2000.

My personal favorite is the third but what’s yours? Let us know in the comments below.

Hitman Absolution is Official

Dave Oshry — Tue, 10 May 2011 18:45:10 +0000

We knew it was coming, but now it’s official. IO Interactive and Square Enix have announced Hitman: Absolution, and they’re showing it at E3! Better yet, the game will run on IO’s brand new Glacier 2 engine.

Here’s what Square had to say:

HITMAN ABSOLUTION follows Agent 47^™, a cold-blooded assassin, who takes on his most dangerous contract to date. Betrayed by those he once trusted — and now hunted by the police — he suddenly finds himself at the center of a dark conspiracy and must embark on a personal journey through a corrupt and twisted world.

“For the first time we are taking Agent 47 on a personal journey which allows us to explore other parts of the Hitman® fantasy,” said Tore Blystad, game director, IO Interactive. “This is both a familiar and yet significantly different experience from other Hitman games; something our silent assassins will relish, as will all those new to the Hitman world.”

Showcasing IO Interactive’s new proprietary Glacier 2^™ technology, the game has been built from the ground up. Boasting a cinematic story, distinctive art direction and highly original game design, HITMAN ABSOLUTION combines much-loved classic gameplay with completely new features never seen before in the Hitman franchise.

They’ve also released this teaser trailer. Why’d it have to be snakes!

No release date has been set, but we’ll be sure to give you a deadly report from E3.

Steam Winter Sale Day 12: Hitman Collection, Team Fortress 2 – 75% Off

Dave Oshry — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 18:58:12 +0000

If you’re spending New Years Eve alone and depressed – at least you’ll have gotten some great deals on video games today!! Drown your sorrows with Agent 47 and the cast of Team Fortress 2.

As usual, deals that don’t suck have been made all biggyfied:

Name	Reg. Price	Reduction	USD$	EUR€	GBP£	AU USD$	Metascore
Far Cry 2: Fortune’s Edition	$19.99	-75%	$4.99	7,49	£2.49	$4.99	85
Theatre of War games	various	-75%	$3-11	2-10	£2-9	$3-11	66
Team Fortress 2	$19.99	-75%	$5.00	3,75	£3.50	$5.00	92
Star Wars Jedi Knight Collection	$19.99	-75%	$5.00	4,75	£3.75	$5.00	89, 91
Dawn of Discovery: Gold Edition	$29.99	-50%	$14.99	19,99	£12.49	$24.99	82
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Bundle	$39.98	-88%	$4.99	4,99	£3.00	$4.99	80, 82
Empire & Napoleon Total War GOTY	$49.99	-50%	$24.99	24,99	£14.99	$44.99	90, 81
Hitman Collection	$29.97	-75%	$7.49	7,49	£4.49	$7.49	87, 82
Flight Control HD	$4.99	-66%	$1.70	1,36	£1.02	$1.70	-
Supreme Commander 2	$14.99	-75%	$3.74	4,99	£2.49	$3.74	77
Command and Conquer games	various	-75%	$5-8	3-13	£4-6	$5-18	82, 77
Guardians of Graxia	$9.99	-75%	$2.49	2,49	£1.49	$2.49	-

Hitman 5 Confirmed By Voice Actor

Garrett Hartman — Sun, 24 Oct 2010 21:14:22 +0000

The Voice of hitman 47, David Bateson, has confirmed Hitman 5 despite being forced to remove details from his website.

In an interview with The Gaming Liberty, the voice actor declined to give details but was forthcoming in cofirming the title’s development:

“I have to plead the 5th Amendment on this one. I am under contract not to say anything. There have been delays,” and “if the artwork is anything to go by… brace yourself!”

Later in the interview, David acknowledged appreciation for the series fans and the pressure developer IO Interactive might feel:

“That kind of dedication and appreciation of the game deserves repayment … with an even more gob smacking installment in Hitman 5, I don’t envy IO Interactive for the pressure they must [be] under to deliver. I am utterly convinced they will!”

Hitman 5 is definitely a series many have looked foward to in recent years and any installment will no doubt be greeted with good sales numbers.

Hitman 5 Coming in 2010 to Tie into Movie Sequel

Dylan Duarte — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 05:20:31 +0000

I mentioned yesterday that a screenwriter has been hired for Hitman 2 and now we learn that a new game is coming as well and it will be directly related to the movie’s storyline.

Hitman 5 will be released late next year and certain parts of the story will tie in with certain parts of the movie. There are no details as of yet, but I don’t like the idea of combining a movie that’s probably going to be awful with a game that could very well be awesome. It seems like a recipe for tears.

Go Nintendo

Writer Hired for Hitman Movie Sequel

Dylan Duarte — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 07:13:58 +0000

Keeping in line with other game-to-film adaptations, Hitman was pretty bad. It was a clumsy mess and Timothy Olyphant looked really goofy with a shaved head. Nevertheless, it made a killing, so a writer has been hired to pen the sequel.

Kyle Ward, the screenwriter who seems to be writing the upcoming film adaptation of Kane & Lynch, will also be writing the Hitman sequel. If any of you know any actual hitmen, you may be able to save us from the Hitman sequel and Kane & Lynch with one simple phone call.

Go Nintendo

Review: Hitman Movie

Jonathan Zungre — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 00:02:59 +0000

I came to a realization after watching Hitman– I want agent 47 to date my sister. Ok, I don’t want for it to happen, but I’d be ok with it if it did. For the same reason, Hitman is an enjoyable movie to watch, because even if Agent 47 is weird and scary, deep down he really is a good guy.

While I was first skeptical of the choice of casting Timothy Olyphant as the lead, I was quickly reassured they had made the right decision for the character. Olyphant’s Agent 47 is swaggerless, the anti-James Bond. If James Bond is the quarterback at Assassin High School, Agent 47 is the weird, pasty, scary outcast in the back of the class. Just seeing him stoically glide down a hallway gave me the creeps. It’s this passionless austere demeanor that creates equal moments of badass and hilarious.

When the plot throws in the romantic interest, it is initially groan-worthy, but then develops into something special. She’s a broken sex slave, who knows only a couple ways to relate to men. He’s a contract killer who knows only one way to deal with people. It really is enjoyable to watch them attempt to complete each other in their brokenness, neither of them really knowing what real love feels like.

Oh yeah, and then there’s action scenes in this romantic comedy. The movie is its most visceral when the Hitman goes on hits. Go figure. It’s not clear why he doesn’t go on more contract killings throughout the plot. In the action scenes we do see, the bullets fall like rain in a thunderstorm, but they don’t happen as frequently as a summer blockbuster like Live Free or Die Hard. Instead, the plot devotes a liberal chunk of time to a couple of supporting characters that argue about jurisdiction. It’s super boring no matter how many foreign accents they throw in.

The movie does have some over indulgent John Woo-like moments that come off as complete cheese and some scenes that just don’t work. I found myself saying, “I’ve watched this scene before in another movie and it was better then.” But when compared to videogame movies like Doom, Mortal Kombat or Resident Evil, Hitman’s flaws seem like lint on 47’s Italian made suit.

Despite its shortcomings, videogame and action movie fans alike should be able to get on this train. Whether he’s being shot at or hit on by beautiful women, Agent 47 is fun to watch, and as nerdy as it sounds, it really makes you want to be an international assassin. So much that I went out and bought the game.

Resistance 2 in 2008, Syphon Filter PS3 in 2009 According to PSM3

Patrick Steen — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 23:13:37 +0000

There have been smidgens of review scores from PSM3′s Christmas Edition, but not so much has been seen of the news section in the magazine. And oh, there are a bunch of treats held within its pages. There’s news on Resistance 2, as well as next-gen outings of Hitman, Prince of Persia, and Syphon Filter. Carry on reading after the jump.

For those of you that missed PSM3′s review scores, this is for your benefit:

PS3
Assassins Creed – 81
Call of Duty 4 – 94
Need for Speed ProStreet – 79
Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga – 80
Beowulf – 41
The Simpsons Game – 70
Kane and Lynch: Dead Men – 58
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock – 90

PS2
Crash of the Titans – 62
Thirllville: Off the Rails – 69
Jackass: The Game – 60
Singstar R&B – 70
The Sims: Castaway – 55
High School Musical: Sing it! – 32

PSP
Silent Hill Origins – 82
SOCOM Tactical Strike – 78

A lower than expected review score for Assassin’s Creed, but make sure you come back here for our thoughts on that game next week. Now that we’ve got that out of the way, we can move onto the good stuff. Within the pages of this Christmas Edition lies nuggets of insider news. From Warhawk downloadable content, to EA working on a snowboarding game…which just might be a next-gen SSX.

However, there’s more exciting stuff. Firstly, Infinity Ward is rumored to be working on an all new IP, expected to hit in 2009. Second, a next-gen Hitman should be coming in the Summer of 2008, and thirdly Ubisoft Montreal is bringing Far Cry to the PS3 in 2008, possibly even early 2008, but at the moment they are busy working on Prince of Persia (!).

Yet, perhaps even more exciting than all of this, is the news that Insomniac is in full swing with Resistance 2. We told you a few weeks ago, based on information we received from a trusted source, that Insomniac was looking to hire game testers for the sequel, and it appears now that our source was right on.

With the games global unveiling due for early next year, Insomniac hopes to release the game late 2008. That is insane. A strong PS3 game every year without fail just shows how incredibly talented those guys at Insomniac are. At this rate Resistance 2 might even release before Metal Gear Solid 4 (I jest). Finally, the magazine states that Sony is busting their butts to have Syphon Filter ready for release on the PS3 in 2009.

So there you have it, lots of exciting things going on away from the publics eyes. Here is PSM3′s remaining insider news:

- Street Fighter 4 won’t look like the teaser trailer.
- NBA Ballers 3 in April 2008.
- Sega has selected Eurocom to develop the official 08 Beijing Olympics game.
- Lego Indiana Jones to tie in with the new movie release date.