Hitman Absolution: Professional Edition Xbox 360

Released on 20/11/2012

Hitman Professional Edition includes:

• Agency Gun Pack DLC: Advanced access to Agency Weapons with upgraded laser sight or silencer.
• Hitman Artbook: Premium hardcover artbook that includes foreword from Game Director Tore Blystad.
• Exclusive Making of DVD: Shot over six months see and hear about what goes into launching a videogame in 2012.
• Professional Packaging: Clamshell box containing Hitman Absolution game.

Agent 47 is back in his most personal mission yet in Hitman: Absolution for Xbox 360.

The classic stealth-action series returns with a tense new story promising Agent 47's most personal mission to date, and equipped with a host of new features to enhance every aspect of the Hitman experience for long-time fans and newcomers alike.

Key Features of Hitman: Absolution on Xbox 360

• A dark, personal mission
• Innovative stealth gameplay and new Instinct Mode
• Disguises return, more important than ever
• Experience IO Interactive's new Glacier 2 Engine
• Original Agent 47 David Bateson leads an all-star cast
• New Contracts Multiplayer mode

Agent 47 finds himself at the centre of a dark conspiracy and embarks on his most personal mission to date. Betrayed by those he trusted at the International Contract Agency, he's now a rogue agent out for revenge. The trail he follows through shadows and corruption leads to Blake Dexter, a rich businessman with mysterious ties to the ICA…

With five different difficulty levels, Hitman: Absolution is the most accessible Hitman game to date. Long-time fans of the series can ramp the difficulty to the max, greeting 47 as an old friend, while newcomers will enjoy taking their first steps in the world of Hitman.

Hitman: Absolution marks not only the return of Agent 47, but also the return of classic Hitman gameplay where stealth and improvisation is very much the name of the game. There are lots of different ways to kill, using the weapons you carry and the environment around you so that you can get in, make the kill, and get out again. Stalk your prey or snipe from afar. Hide bombs under chairs or hide bodies in dumpsters. Just remember that getting out and not getting caught is as important as the actual kill.

The new Instinct Mode is a key tool to help you see the way Agent 47 does. This new feature can be used to locate targets – including locking onto several at once with the 'sharp shooting feature' – and plan escape routes. Instinct is earned throughout the game by executing classic Hitman moves, so the more you play like Agent 47, the more Instinct you'll gain. A silent takedown will do wonders for your instincts!

Disguises continue to be a big part of the Hitman franchise, and in Hitman: Absolution they're more integrated than ever. There are over 300 disguises that 47 can wear in his attempts to infiltrate his targets, and now you can blend even further by impersonating actual characters. But be careful – the people around you will react and interact with you and your chosen disguise!

Hitman: Absolution is powered by IO Interactive's new Glacier 2 Engine, making this the most visually stunning and immersive game in the series. Each level becomes like a mini open-world environment, complete with spectacular detail, rich graphics, dynamic lighting and environments, and inhabited by much more intelligent characters.

The Glacier 2 engine also boosts the AI of the people within the game with a new 'Comprehensive Intelligence Spectrum'. Enemies are no longer just targets, and the other characters are not just walking scenery - crowds will react and interact more naturally, people will get in your way and notice you, too. You'll need to keep an eye on the Attention Bar to see how suspicious people are getting of you and your actions - they'll even notice doors open that were closed before.

Hitman: Absolution features an all-star cast, especially when it comes to the enemies that 47 has to face. Keith Carradine (Deadwood, Dexter) plays the villainous Blake Dexter, Powers Booth (Sin City, Red Dawn, Sudden Death) is ICA head Benjamin Travis, and Shannyn Sossamon (A Knight's Tale) as his secretary Jade. Lassandra Nixon, the head of the Assassin Nuns, is played by Independence Day's Vivica Fox.

David Bateson returns to role of Agent 47, once again providing his distinct voice. The motion capture performance for 47 was done by Lost actor Willliam Mapother while his Lost co-star Marsha Thomason plays his ICA handler Diana Burnwood.

Contracts is the new mode bringing multiplayer to Hitman for the first time. Contracts Mode will let you create your own scenarios, choosing your location, weapons and three targets, aiming to complete the Contract in as little time as possible while earning as much money as possible. You can upload your Contract to the online server and challenge other players to beat your score – and then you can try to beat it yourself using the money you've earned to grab the disguise or weapon you need!

• Heroes Reborn!

  
  

  2012 sees the return of four iconic heroes to our screens - Master Chief in Halo 4, Lara Croft in Tomb Raider, Agent 47 in Hitman: Absolution, and Max Payne in, er, Max Payne 3. But why is this exciting? Read on...

  

  Max Payne

  
  

  In a nutshell: Vengeful cop turned vengeful vigilante.
  Last seen in: Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne (2003)
  Returns in: Max Payne 3 (May 18th 2012) on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC

  Why this excites us: The man who really puts the "Homicide" into "Homicide Detective", Max has been missing in action for nearly a decade (unless you count the Mark Wahlberg movie. We don't). The series was famed for its film noir elements and its use of bullet time action, and for Max's own increasing inner darkness.

  When he returns in Max Payne 3 he's still just as miserable; the years have not been good to Max, who's now working private security for a less than scrutable employer in South America. Needless to say, a certain substance soon hits the fan and Max finds himself smack in the middle of criminal wars, teaching them all a lesson in his own brand of angry justice. And we couldn't be happier.

  

  Agent 47

  
  

  In a nutshell: Bald-and-barcoded clone built for assassination
  Last seen in: Hitman: Blood Money (2006)
  Returns in: Hitman: Absolution (TBC 2012) on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC

  Why this excites us: Gaming's best-dressed killer has always been cool, calm and genetically superior, and this year he's back to remind everyone just how this assassin thing is done. He's famed for his increasingly ingenious methods of eliminating his targets, from poisoning punch, to pushing off balconies, to sneaking about in disguise, to plain old shooting, with a real emphasis on tactics, planning and skill.

  Betrayed by the agency who built him, and those he's gone on to trust, Hitman: Absolution sees 47 on the run once more and at the heart of a dark conspiracy, and on a journey that's more personal than professional. The developers are promising big technological advancements to enhance your instincts and abilities - and those around you, too. Just remember, it's not just about killing, but killing outside the box!

  

  Master Chief

  
  

  In a nutshell: Silent Spartan super-soldier. John-117 to his mates.
  Last seen in: Halo 3 (2007)
  Returns in: Halo 4 (6th November 2012) on Xbox 360

  Why this excites us: The UNSC may not like him, but we sure do. It didn't matter that he didn't really get a personality until Halo 3, this intergalactic badass has been doing his job and saving the Earth from alien conquests (with no showboating or stopping for, ahem, conquests of his own) since the launch of the Xbox. The responses to Halo: ODST and Halo: Reach showed that it was really the Chief that we wanted to see, and Cortana's cry of "I need you! Wake up John! Chief!" in the Halo 4 trailer echoed the sentiment of Halo gamers the world over.

  Halo 4 promises to delve further into who Chief is and what makes him tick, as well as his relationship with Cortana. Getting to know the Chief a little better can only further our relationship with him, especially as his new armour seems to only further his relationship with badassery. November can't come soon enough.

  

  Lara Croft

  
  

  In a nutshell: Posh British adventuress with enormous... skills
  Last seen in: Tomb Raider: Underworld (2008)
  Returns in: Tomb Raider (TBC 2012) on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC

  Why this excites us: Lara Croft is one of THE icons of modern gaming. She arrived in time to launch the original PlayStation and drew mainstream press to gaming like none before her. Since 1996 she's raided many a tomb, fought tigers, sharks and dinosaurs, and survived more than one reboot - as well as more than one subpar movie. But now she's back, younger than ever in a Batman Begins-style reboot (minus, we hope, the gravelly voice).

  In this year's new Tomb Raider Lara is 21, fresh out of "the academy" and shipwrecked on an island. This game promises not only a back-to-basics setting but more challenging gameplay than recent outings, with the stress on exploration to survive over exploration for kicks. A reboot like this is a little risky - and we'll miss Keeley Hawes' voice acting - but Lara has certainly proved she can endure pretty much anything.
  

• Hitman Absolution: Agent 47 has gone rogue - and we like it!

  Agent 47 has gone rogue - and we like it!

  
  

  Square-Enix's E3 presentation opened with the promise that this would be the most ambitious Hitman game to date. Square-Enix said that Hitman was one of their most valuable properties and that there was a reason they didn't just keep bringing games out year on year; they wanted to make sure that every Hitman game lives up to the value they believe Agent 47 has.

  Once again, Hitman Absolution is all about the many ways to take out your targets, with particular emphasis on improvisation, using the tools and environment around you and making deaths look like accidents to avoid being made. Of course, they also pointed out that you can play the game as an all-out, guns-blazing killing machine, but they hoped the new trailer and gameplay would point out just how many ways there are to kill. They also informed us that disguise still plays a major part in the game, with over 300 disguises in Hitman: Absolution to use to blend in and hide in plain sight.

  
  

  

  
  

  The first level we were shown was named "King of Chinatown", which begins with Agent 47 getting his mission brief from his informant Bennie. The target is a local mobster, but there's also a drug dealer of no small importance in this level.

  This - like all the other levels, has a real open-world feel to it - rich, expansive and with lots of dynamic light sources. It also had over 500 individual crowd members filling up the (market)place - and this, we were told, was one of the smaller crowd scenes.

  We saw our first glimpse of 47's "Instinct" mode which highlights your target in red. But finding your target is only the first step - getting to him to take him out is a lot trickier, especially here where he's in plain sight and surrounded by many corrupt police officers, conveniently on his payroll. So it's up to you to scope the place out, following what Bennie's told you. So we find the drug dealer's apartment, and various other handy hiding places. Then we find the drug dealer, deep in conversation with the King before being sent off to make some calls.

  What followed was a slick sequence of following and killing the drug dealer, hiding the body and disguising yourself as him and getting into his apartment - and more importantly, in a position to locate the King's prized sports car. When you're interrupted by a police officer, another death-disguise-hide body is required, leaving you in the right position to drop a small explosive, set off the car alarm and when the king goes to shut it off?well, you shut him off, permanently! But taking out the target isn't the end of the level - getting out is just as important.

  
  

  

  
  

  We were shown part of a second level called "Streets of Hope", taking place about half-way through the game and set in a 50's-style American small-town. This level is supposed to be around 1-2 hours worth of gameplay, so we only got a peek, but what a peek - with 5 targets to kill and one to kidnap and question in Agent 47's mission to find his girl. This level really showcased the eavesdropping, disguising, body-hiding and imaginative-ways-to-kill that are 47's tactical trademarks, as well as showing that 47 has little worry for collateral damage when it comes to people getting in his way.

  The scene opens with Agent 47 driving along to the sound of a twangy guitar playing Dirty Old Town. The colours have a slightly faded look about them and together with the lighting, it gives the game a great atmosphere. He goes into a garage, which presents interesting opportunities - gas leaks, for example, could work to your advantage. Setting up an explosion creates a lot of attention, so the set-up is done and Agent 47 has already walked calmly away when it blows.

  With enough instinct power you can use the 'blend in' feature to move past certain characters in the game. Or use your instinct to lock onto several targets in the 'sharp shooting feature' then watch as you take out a group one by one. Overcome another character and you can take on their guise. When Agent 47 becomes the cop, you know things are going to get interesting!

  The world of Hitman is a world of accidents waiting to happen, and once the demo was over we've witnessed strangulations, explosions, car squishings and kidnappings. You can turn off the clues to these to make your missions more difficult if you choose. Check Agent 47's notebook for your objectives to keep on track in the game.

  It's all in a day's work...

  Hitman Absolution is out on November 20th for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC, with the Professional Edition also available.
• Hitman Absolution Deluxe Professional Edition announced

  Fans of Agent 47, the slaphead assassin star of the Hitman series, will be pleased to learn that an especially swanky special edition of his next game has been revealed.

  Top of the goodies list for the Hitman Absolution Deluxe Professional Edition is a very cool 10" vinyl Agent 47 figurine, designed in what can only be described as a South Park style, with a bulbous cartoon head and trademark pistols held aloft. That hefty collectible is joined by a hardcover art book, a DVD documentary on the game's production and a code for the Agency Gun Pack DLC, granting access to the Agency Jagd P22G pistol, the Agency HX UMP SMG and the Agency SPS 12 semi-automatic shotgun.

  All of those treats - minus the statue - are also available in the standard Professional Edition, which is also a special edition but clearly not quite as special as the Deluxe Professional Edition. Got that?

  Regardless of which version you want, everyone who pre-orders the game will get a code to download the Hitman Sniper Challenge minigame. That's available right now, and can be used to unlock items in advance of the full game's release.

  Hitman Absolution will have you in its sights from November 20th for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC.
  

  Published: 07/04/2012

• Create your own hits in Hitman Absolution's new contracts Mode

  
  

  The Hitman series has become a fan favourite thanks to its imaginatively designed missions in which the player, as slap-headed assassin Agent 47, can eliminate his target in a number of ways. With the upcoming release of Hitman Absolution, you'll get the chance to create your own challenges and share them online.

  Contracts is based around what you do in the single player story missions. You can assassinate the character of your choice and, provided you pulled it off without killing anyone else or attracting attention, you can then throw down the gauntlet to other players to match what you did.

  Those who take up your challenge will be given the exact same weapons you chose, and will have to repeat the kill and make it to your chosen escape point. Doing so will earn more money that can be used to unlock gear for use in the rest of the game.

  It's just the latest example of how the game is offering interesting new ways to play. Everyone who has pre-ordered the game has already been given access to the downloadable Hitman Sniper Challenge, a bite-sized mission designed for replay and high score appeal. As with Contracts mode, the better you do in Sniper Challenge the more goodies you'll unlock when the full game releases.
  

  Published: 17/08/2012

• New Year Revolutions: The games of 2012 that we want to play now

  
  

  New Year Revolutions: The games of 2012 that we want to play now

  Towards the end of last year, we saw veritable avalanche of amazing games roll over us, leaving us swamped but happy with top-notch titles such as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, Batman: Arkham City, Skyrim, Super Mario Land 3D, Assassin's Creed Revelations, Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, Saints Row The Third and, oh, you get the idea.

  Surely that's more than enough new games to leave even the greediest gamer feeling stuffed and satisfied? Well, yes, but don't pretend you can't hear that little voice whispering in the back of your mind. What's next? it says.

  Here's the answer: our guide to the big games of 2012 that we can't wait to play.

  

  GTA V

  The genre-busting open-world crime caper makes its long-awaited return, with an all-new tale set in the pseudo-L.A. of Los Santos. Details are limited to one cryptic trailer, but where Rockstar is concerned it's safe to set expectations high.

  
  

  

  Mass Effect 3 (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)

  Bioware brings its grand space opera to a cataclysmic finale, as the world-devouring Reapers declare open war on Earth. The game adds optional multiplayer modes, as well as Kinect voice features for Xbox 360.

  
  

  

  Halo 4 (Xbox 360)

  Who seriously thought that Halo 3 would be the last we saw of Master Chief? He's back for the start of a brand new trilogy, which will find the Spartan super soldier confronting his own destiny as well as an ancient evil poised to destroy the universe. No pressure then.

  
  

  

  Bioshock Infinite (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)

  Swapping the bottom of the ocean for the top of the world, this continuation of the smartest sci-fi shooter in recent memory casts you as a Pinkerton agent in 1912, trying to escape a dystopian city in the clouds. Expect gorgeous views and gruelling terror in equal measure.

  
  

  

  Borderlands 2 (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)

  Return to Pandora for another round of co-operative role-playing mayhem. The game promises more dynamic quests which will alter the path of the story, as well as smarter enemies and more independent non-player characters. Bring it.

  
  

  

  Hitman: Absolution (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)

  It's been five years since Agent 47 last graced our joypads in Blood Money, and his latest adventure will take full advantage of the updates in technology since. Expect to be able to set up more elaborate assassinations, as well some form of multiplayer.

  
  

  

  Max Payne 3 (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)

  Rockstar's other big game for 2012 finds the dual-wielding anti-hero cop disgraced and working as a bodyguard in Brazil. Of course, it all kicks off when the family he's guarding are targeted by gangsters, and slow-motion shooty-diving is the only way to settle the score.

  
  

  

  Tomb Raider (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)

  After drifting out of the spotlight, the first lady of gaming returns with this series reboot which follows a more vulnerable teenage Lara Croft, as she grows into the confident adventurer we all know and love.

  
  

  

  PlayStation Vita

  Sony's incredibly powerful handheld drops in February, bringing next-gen muscle to the portable gaming market. With 3G and Wifi-enabled models available - and boasting exclusive Uncharted, Wipeout and Call of Duty games - it's the console to watch in 2012.

  Published: 19/01/2012

• Online pass scrapped for Hitman Absolution Contracts mode

  Square Enix has dramatically dropped its planned "online pass" system for Hitman Absolution's online Contracts mode. The mode will now be available to all players, regardless of whether you buy the game new or used.

  Contracts mode is a free form assassination sandbox that can be activated in any level at any time. While playing the single player campaign, you're able to select any non-player character as your target and take them out in whatever manner you see fit. You can then upload your hit to the Hitman community and challenge others to match your feat. The mode is a highlight of the game according to many reviews.

  Proof that the decision was made at the last minute can be found in the case itself, where you'll still find the insert containing the code to unlock the online pass. You can enter this code as normal, but if you don't have a code you can simply head to the Store option on the menu and download the pass for free.

  Many games have used similar systems in recent years, but Hitman Absolution may be the first of many to abandon the scheme. Call of Duty: Black Ops II, the year's biggest launch so far, has no additional charge for multiplayer.

  Hitman Absolution is out this week for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC.

  Published: 19/11/2012

• The future of Hitman, according to IO Interactive

  With Hitman Absolution now on sale, IO Interactive, the Danish developer responsible for the Hitman games as well as Mini Ninjas and Kane & Lynch, has been talking about where the series will go next.

  A new Hitman game is already in development, but this time it's being put together by Square Enix's new Montreal studio rather than IO. Speaking with Official PlayStation Magazine, Absolution's director, Tor Blystad, reckons that's a good thing.

  "We've been talking about these similarities to some of the big movie franchise like Aliens, where everyone's doing it their own way," he says. "Every time someone gets their hands on a franchise they do something different. So rather than doing the same thing again you get another take on the character from a fresh perspective.

  He acknowledges that changing the core mechanics of a game can be too much, but reassures fans that IO hasn't washed its hands of Agent 47. "There are talks between us and of course it has to be somewhat in sync but it's the first time you could say Hitman has gone out of the house," he explains. "Luckily it's with someone we know. Some of the key developers came from IO and have been working on previous games so it's not like it's in completely new hands".

  Hitman Absolution, the first new game in the assassination stealth saga since Blood Money in 2006, is out now for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC.
  

  Published: 22/11/2012

• Hitman to get a second shot at movie success

  Square Enix's stealthy assassin sandbox Hitman was given the movie treatment back in 2007, with Timothy Olyphant stepping into the red tie and shaved bonce of Agent 47. The movie didn't exactly set the box office on fire, and reviewers weren't much impressed either.

  Now Fox is lining up a second shot at the target, and has announced that Fast and Furious star Paul Walker will be taking a Gillette to his scalp to take over as the new Agent 47. The script will be written by Skip Woods, the writer behind the original movie, along with newcomer Mike Finch. Polish-born commercials director Aleksander Bach will make his debut behind the camera.

  It's not yet clear if the movie will acknowledge the first attempt or will simply reboot the movie series with a new storyline inspired by the games. Hitman: Absolution, the most recent entry in the game franchise, came out last November and found Agent 47 on the run after the International Contract Agency was unmasked by his former handler. The game also introduced the clever Contracts online mode, in which players can challenge friends to recreate perfect hits against any non-player character. "Quite possibly the best game in the series and easily one of the best games on PS3," reckoned Play magazine.

  Hitman: Absolution is out now for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC.

  Published: 06/02/2013

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