Death is his business. And business is good.

Story 8.5

In Hitman 2: Silent Assassin, Agent 47, who has retired from contract killing, is forced to return to his old life to save his kidnapped priest friend. With the help of ICA and Diana, Agent 47 can find information from his kidnapper, but he must also carry out contract killings spread across the world, such as in Italy, Russia, Japan, Malaysia, Afghanistan, and India. The narrative of the game has more cutscenes, and the lore of each assassination target is more interesting and varied, going beyond just "there" to be killed, namely the high-ranking officials of the Russian Army, Don "Anguillo" Guillano and Masahiro Hayamoto Sr. the leader of a Yakuza clan. The development of Agent 47's character in this game is quite interesting, revealing his moral nature and his dislike for double-crossing, making him a more complex and relatable character.

Gameplay 9

The developers retained the core gameplay elements from Codename 47, such as the ability to change clothes, use environmental methods for killing, employ the fiber wire and suppressed firearms, and utilize sneak mode. Additionally, they made several adjustments to the gameplay, including the removal of the credits system and the provision of more detailed and clear mission and target information. Furthermore, significant improvements were made to the in-game gameplay, such as the introduction of very realistic NPC behavior, the debut of the Silent Assassin feature to measure player performance, anesthetics to perform non-lethal takedown, suspicion meter, modernized controls, Agent 47's normal health points, pretty enhanced gunplay with first-person perspective, most of the locations feature a point of interest and the availability of save games. Despite these improvements, some players have expressed minor concerns about the game's bullet travel and a bit infuriating level design design in Japan missions. Overall, Hitman 2: Silent Assassin represents a substantial leap in gameplay, making it a pinnacle of realistic stealth Hitman mechanics.

Graphics 8.5

The developers not only enhanced the gameplay but also made significant improvements to the graphics. They modified the Glacier engine to increase the number of polygons in material and character models, added dynamic lighting for a more appealing environment, and improved the accuracy of shadows and reflections in water. Additionally, they elevated the level of complexity in the game by enhancing the design, texture, and atmosphere of each environment, making it more immersive and visually stunning. They also introduced destructible objects, including lights, and added animals to enrich the gaming experience. While the physics remained largely unchanged, the user interface underwent a partial transformation, moving from a greeny hackercore design to a simpler early 2000s phony bureaucratic and flat-design gray. Unfortunately, the widescreen user interface optimization issue was not addressed in this release.

Sounds 9.5

The original soundtrack was composed and produced by Jesper Kyd and performed by Prague Symphony Orchestra. Unlike the soundtrack for Codename 47, which was entirely electronic, the soundtrack for Silent Assassin consists of classical, instrumental, and some electronic genre tracks that match the theme and plot of the game. Standout tracks such as “Main Title“, “Waiting for Action“, “Japanese Snow Castle“, “47 in St Petersburg“, and “H2 Exploration“ resonate as my personal favorites. The voice acting in the game has also been improved, with all NPC voice acting having distinctive voice accents and often speaking the native language of their respective countries, such as Afghans speaking in Dari and Pashto, Malaysians in Malay, and Indians in Hindi, further contributing to the game's immersive atmosphere.

Replayability 8

In my previous review of Codename 47, I mentioned how gameplay significantly impacts the replayability of a game. This is evident in Hitman 2: Silent Assassin, where the strong gameplay not only opens up opportunities for high replayability but also allows players to experiment with various killing methods based on the environment. Additionally, players can strive to achieve the Silent Assassin rating on each mission, which presents different levels of difficulty. Upon meeting the requirements for this rating, players are rewarded with bonus weapons. Furthermore, after completing the game, players can increase the challenge by replaying it on a higher difficulty level, such as expert or professional.

Overall 8.7

Hitman 2: Silent Assassin is a non-linear game that features Agent 47 coming out of retirement to save his kidnapped priest friend. The game offers improvements to the core elements of its predecessor, resulting in realistic stealth mechanics and visually stunning gameplay. The classical soundtrack complements the game's theme and plot. The game offers high replayability and allows players to experiment with various killing methods and attain the Silent Assassin rating on each mission. Overall, it's an engaging game that combines storytelling, refined gameplay, and impressive audio-visual elements, making it a must-play for stealth action enthusiasts.

Death is his business. And business is good. Story 8.5 In Hitman 2: Silent Assassin, Agent 47, who has retired from contract killing, is forced to return to his old life to save his kidnapped priest friend. With the help of ICA and Diana, Agent 47 can find information from his kidnapper, but he must also carry out contract killings spread across the world, such as in Italy, Russia, Japan, Malaysia, Afghanistan, and India. The narrative of the game has more cutscenes, and the lore of each assassination target is more interesting and varied, going beyond just "there" to be killed, namely the high-ranking officials of the Russian Army, Don "Anguillo" Guillano and Masahiro Hayamoto Sr. the leader of a Yakuza clan. The development of Agent 47's character in this game is quite interesting, revealing his moral nature and his dislike for double-crossing, making him a more complex and relatable character. Gameplay 9 The developers retained the core gameplay elements from Codename 47, such as the ability to change clothes, use environmental methods for killing, employ the fiber wire and suppressed firearms, and utilize sneak mode. Additionally, they made several adjustments to the gameplay, including the removal of the credits system and the provision of more detailed and clear mission and target information. Furthermore, significant improvements were made to the in-game gameplay, such as the introduction of very realistic NPC behavior, the debut of the Silent Assassin feature to measure player performance, anesthetics to perform non-lethal takedown, suspicion meter, modernized controls, Agent 47's normal health points, pretty enhanced gunplay with first-person perspective, most of the locations feature a point of interest and the availability of save games. Despite these improvements, some players have expressed minor concerns about the game's bullet travel and a bit infuriating level design design in Japan missions. Overall, Hitman 2: Silent Assassin represents a substantial leap in gameplay, making it a pinnacle of realistic stealth Hitman mechanics. Graphics 8.5 The developers not only enhanced the gameplay but also made significant improvements to the graphics. They modified the Glacier engine to increase the number of polygons in material and character models, added dynamic lighting for a more appealing environment, and improved the accuracy of shadows and reflections in water. Additionally, they elevated the level of complexity in the game by enhancing the design, texture, and atmosphere of each environment, making it more immersive and visually stunning. They also introduced destructible objects, including lights, and added animals to enrich the gaming experience. While the physics remained largely unchanged, the user interface underwent a partial transformation, moving from a greeny hackercore design to a simpler early 2000s phony bureaucratic and flat-design gray. Unfortunately, the widescreen user interface optimization issue was not addressed in this release. Sounds 9.5 The original soundtrack was composed and produced by Jesper Kyd and performed by Prague Symphony Orchestra. Unlike the soundtrack for Codename 47, which was entirely electronic, the soundtrack for Silent Assassin consists of classical, instrumental, and some electronic genre tracks that match the theme and plot of the game. Standout tracks such as “Main Title“, “Waiting for Action“, “Japanese Snow Castle“, “47 in St Petersburg“, and “H2 Exploration“ resonate as my personal favorites. The voice acting in the game has also been improved, with all NPC voice acting having distinctive voice accents and often speaking the native language of their respective countries, such as Afghans speaking in Dari and Pashto, Malaysians in Malay, and Indians in Hindi, further contributing to the game's immersive atmosphere. Replayability 8 In my previous review of Codename 47, I mentioned how gameplay significantly impacts the replayability of a game. This is evident in Hitman 2: Silent Assassin, where the strong gameplay not only opens up opportunities for high replayability but also allows players to experiment with various killing methods based on the environment. Additionally, players can strive to achieve the Silent Assassin rating on each mission, which presents different levels of difficulty. Upon meeting the requirements for this rating, players are rewarded with bonus weapons. Furthermore, after completing the game, players can increase the challenge by replaying it on a higher difficulty level, such as expert or professional. Overall 8.7 Hitman 2: Silent Assassin is a non-linear game that features Agent 47 coming out of retirement to save his kidnapped priest friend. The game offers improvements to the core elements of its predecessor, resulting in realistic stealth mechanics and visually stunning gameplay. The classical soundtrack complements the game's theme and plot. The game offers high replayability and allows players to experiment with various killing methods and attain the Silent Assassin rating on each mission. Overall, it's an engaging game that combines storytelling, refined gameplay, and impressive audio-visual elements, making it a must-play for stealth action enthusiasts.