Betta Lines
Member
Poor trailer, great audio.
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New Hitman: Absolution trailer "She must be special"
- Thread starter Messi
- Start date
Hasphat'sAnts
Member
Was there ever any hint of "romantic tension" between Diana and 47?
All I remember is her being an ice queen.
NotTheGuyYouKill
Member
I'd figured she's Diana's like secret daughter or another clone, but 47's kid? Drama. He should go on Maury for a paternity test.
Maybe it means she's a wild cat between the sheets.
Messofanego
Banned
Aww, was just a rehash of the previous trailer (which was a great one).
Oh wait, how did I not expect people to bitch about the game based on a trailer?
Oh wait, how did I not expect people to bitch about the game based on a trailer?
LeadenStride
Member
We really need IO to show us multiple walkthroughs for one level. But at the moment I'm tired of not getting to see what I want to and I don't espext that to happen. So I'll just wait for the game to come out, buy it and find out myself.
Ciastek3214
Junior Member
Hitman: Absolution |OT| Man hit! Bail out, son!
The first "Design and Technology Series"? Those are really great, I remember the ones they did for RDR instantly getting me excited for the game. It'd be awesome if Squenix did a couple for Hitman.
Ventilaator
Banned
ALL I would need to feel good about this game is them releasing a trophy/achievement list and there being an achievement there for not killing anybody except your specified targets..
But considering how 47 is now a MAN ON THE RUN who is constantly hunted, so no time for contracts (Translation=Focus tests told us to get rid of all this slow gameplay so we tried to never put you in a situation where somebody is not trying to shoot you), that seems unlikely. Their stealth gameplay video featured him killing people. This is not Hitman.
But considering how 47 is now a MAN ON THE RUN who is constantly hunted, so no time for contracts (Translation=Focus tests told us to get rid of all this slow gameplay so we tried to never put you in a situation where somebody is not trying to shoot you), that seems unlikely. Their stealth gameplay video featured him killing people. This is not Hitman.
fabricated backlash
Member
Don't forget X-ray vision and psychic future telling vision.
It's astounding how a series about a professional killer became a series about a magical assassin.
Ciastek3214
Junior Member
The animation is topper but really want some level walkthroughs before I start throwing 'THIS IS NOT HITMAN
' posts about.fabricated backlash
Member
lol.
I wouldn't even mind a game about a magically talented assassin, or a psychic. Second Sight was amazing with it's visions and telekinesis stuff, but this is Hitman.
The series had some horrible entries over the years, but it was mostly consistent in it's aim to at least stay grounded in reality.
Now you have Uri Geller 47 going Berserk. Watch kill streaks like an AC 130, perks and prestige rankings to be added to this game in the next few trailers.
So extreeeeme.
SMT
this show is not Breaking Bad why is it not Breaking Bad? it should be Breaking Bad dammit Breaking Bad
I thought it was okay. Sadly, I was expecting more, the faces looks weird, except for the women's, if that makes any sense.
This is definitely not stealthy, maybe it's the way the devs were playing the game in the trailer, I hope.
This is definitely not stealthy, maybe it's the way the devs were playing the game in the trailer, I hope.
Ciastek3214
Junior Member
Holy shit. I just got an idea. The Witcher spin-off with Letho. Hitman-style.
fabricated backlash
Member
To be honest, the trailer is actually better at hiding the incredibly stupid gameplay decisions, than the walkthrough they've shown earlier this year. That one was fucking pathethic.
Like I said, there should be room for this. The gameplay you could incorporate, a sandbox type stealth gameplay, with hundreds of combinations to use (move switches from afar with telekinesis, ignite a fireplace to scare guards, create cracks in walls to draw guards attention, let them hallucinate about giant green tentacle rape monsters...)
A game like that could be amazing.
NotTheGuyYouKill
Member
Not all of the haters, I'm sure, but R* has been releasing a series of Tech & Design videos along with the standard cinematic trailers. They show off a ton of gameplay with the narrator explaining all the effort and work that's gone into Max Payne 3, in the narrative, bullet-time, environments, animation, etc. Love them. Definitely watch them if you haven't:
Creating a Cutting-Edge Action Shooter
Targeting and Weapons
Visual Effects & Cinematics
The animation is topper but really want some level walkthroughs before I start throwing 'THIS IS NOT HITMAN
Nice.
I must've missed the part where the developers say you're forced to use this.
Care to link?
I think it's automatically on, but not forced to use it. Plus there is a game mode where those things are disabled. So not a realy problem unless you search for something to bash on of course.
This game has such a bad rep. on GAF so I am sure I will enjoy the hell out of it. Always the case somehow.
It's probably going to be a great Hitman came but man, the PR since launch has been awful.
Still waiting for a level walk through or something just to make sure this isn't Kane & Lynch 3
The Janitor
Member
From the way they treated Bateson I think it's pretty clear that they dont really care about the old fanbase, I smell another Conviction in the making.
SketchTheArtist
Member
Yeah, that trailer doesn't represent what Hitman is, etc.
Previous trailers for Hitman were more subtle, they didn't show 47 killing everyone and shooting his gun around.....right?...... Right?
You gotta love selective memory.
Previous trailers for Hitman were more subtle, they didn't show 47 killing everyone and shooting his gun around.....right?...... Right?
You gotta love selective memory.
While it's disappointing not to have Bateson on board, I don't think that's indicative of IOI not caring about their fan base. They've gone on in interviews about how they're thinking about series fans but they also want them to trust them that some of the design decisions will be good.
They're thinking about making the most difficult Hitman game around, if you read some of the previews. Not by making NPCs hit harder or aim faster, but to make their behaviours completely different and harder to predict/manage if you let the situation go to hell by, say, not being stealthy enough.
Psychoward
Banned
Um, that was much less action-packed than the trailer in the OP, so.... yes?
SketchTheArtist
Member
Presentation is different but the content is pretty much the same. It's easier to showcase action scenes in a trailer to attract as much people as possible. They did that for previous entries in the series and they'll keep on doing it, however it seems most people already made up their mind about that specific chapter in the series long ago, regardless of the similarities between the past and present marketing strategies.
I enjoyed SC:Conviction (and the Vegas games) very much, so i know i'll probably enjoy this one too (although Kane&Lynch is very shitty, aside from the artstyle), but i think the corcerns from the fans are legit; yes you can disable this and that, but a game this kind, you have to design the missions around whatever system you introduce.
It's like when in Oblivion people say to "just not use the fast travel", but the map and the Quests are designed with the fast travel in mind, so it won't work just as good.
It's like when in Oblivion people say to "just not use the fast travel", but the map and the Quests are designed with the fast travel in mind, so it won't work just as good.
SketchTheArtist
Member
But this is what good design is all about. A good designer will make the game fun, but a great designer will make it interesting and fun for everyone.
So yeah, personally, I think it sucks and its selfish when people go ''I don't want the game to be for 'them' too, I want it to be for me only even if it doesn't sell.'' Because at the end of the day, you have to make a profit to continue on iterating on that formula and keep it alive.
1) I can't think of many examples of great "transversal pleasers", frankly.
You can kind of give everyone a biscuit, but your main target will be the one your game is designed for (in this case, a more "casual" audience).
2) We know for a fact that the new IO guys are NOT great game designers.
You just play the 2 K&L games; as much as i LOVE the style of DogDays, it's the most dead, lazy and uninspired example of game design (and sloppy gameplay) i can think of, seriously.
K&L1 wasn't much better(and lacked the interesting art style, too).
The 2nd point is also the reason because i have more trust in Max Payne 3 (that looks awesome, so far) than this.
R* have a certain quality track record, the new IO? Not so much.
BattleMonkey
Member
Looks pretty awful. Kinda expect more wow out of a trailer. Some awful animation all over the place
Hitman is pretty kill heavy in most of the trailers for each game.
Not sure how this is any different.
Blood Money trailer featuring 47 as a mass murderer
It is easier to market him blowing people away.
contracts trailer with 47 blasting people away
The haters will just pretend this facts don't exist, and conveniently never address your post.
Ventilaator
Banned
I got into the Hitman games way late so I haven't actually seen a trailer of it, and watching that I must say...what the hell was that supposed to prove? That was a rather excellent trailer. That shot of him walking towards the casino with his case in hand. That part with him assembling his sniper rifle and aiming at the dude. GAHHH. This trailer is only misrepresenting the game in the sense that it might appear way more awesome than it actually is.
I'm gonna go play Blood Money again.
MMaRsu
Banned
Im alread replaying it. Boat mission now; D
I understand where you're coming from, but I think it's a weak comparison. Fast travel is used to reduce back-tracking and the tedium that some players experience from said back-tracking. The Instinct (and the Mark&Execute-ish tagging feature) can be used to make all combat easier for new players who maybe aren't the stealthiest players; the developers even said (probably crazy PR speak meant to do damage control, still) that they put in Instinct because they were finding the AI too challenging to deal with.
Maybe it helps players new to the series want to avoid combat so they are encouraged to play stealthily?
I know that I most likely won't be using it. Just like how I rarely used Mark&Execute in Conviction. That game was tonnes of fun and you could argue that the game was designed around that mechanic -- but it still never forced you to use it. It just gave you the resources (enough enemies to fill your gauge) so that you could perform the M&E if you chose to do so.
I'm not really concerned about an action-packed trailer, as almost all the Hitman trailers have been action-packed. However, I am concerned about the highly linear and scripted levels shown thus far. IO keeps emphasizing that they want the game to be more cinematic and story-driven. Unfortunately, those two things inevitably result in less player freedom. The Hitman series has always been about open-ended level design with open-ended gameplay. Taking that away in favor of being more cinematic is not a good trade.
MMaRsu
Banned
Exactly..This game also did not need Hollywood va casting.
Yeah, I feel like unless Bateson was asking too much (maybe one of the other guys who auditioned sounded similar and he accepted at a much lower payrate?) there was no real reason for the move to getting a "Hollywood VO director" for the VO talent and such. I wonder if hiring a Hollywood VO director was something they did in the past.
I wish Bateson wasn't legally barred from commenting. It's an interesting situation. I'd argue nothing about it, but it'd be nice to know what happened and why. Still, I'm sure the new guy will do fine. I'm hoping that he'll actually be better than Bateson. Continuing with my rambling, maybe the director felt Bateson didn't have the range to take 47's character to the depths that this story wants to explore. (I doubt this because after checking Bateson's credentials, he seems a seasoned actor.)
Still I think it would have been easier for everyone involved to just tell Bateson that he didn't get the part after he auditioned. Now they told him he got the job and decided to never contact him, which is weird because you'd think they would know he's too expensive(soultron's speculation) before they agree to hire him. But this is the video games industry, so I guess anything's possible. Still shoulda hired some real talent with pull, like DiCaprio for instance.
fabricated backlash
Member
Ah the old: "But you aren't forced to use it!" excuse. The eternal optimist I guess.
Listen, I'm well aware that games in this day and age have to give new players more space to breath, to get accustomed with the games rules, but this is basically a wall hack asigned to a button. It's a pathethic way of making a game accessible.
It's stupid and simply screams focus group testing, rather than conscious design decisions.
If they wanted to make the game more accessible to new players, why not be clever about it? Increase footstep volumes on lower difficulties, increase tolerances on enemy field of vision, add subtle hints about a guards projected way, like a flashlight cone or arm gestures etc. There are so many ways to help players locate enemies in a game world without having to resort to magic powers.
No, they went with Agent 47 getting supernatural powers. Having him as some sort of psychic wizard. During the first walkthrough shown I almost expected him to enable cloak or shoot fireballs while levitating around.
This game shows a complete disregard for it's own fiction, and reinvents itself by adding some mumbo jumbo bullshit. I'm dissapointed by the way the game seems to be turning out.
You would have a point, but then...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UskfQZGL934
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yn-UVnEhlZY
I wouldn't have anything against ONE action-fested trailer, when there is at least one stealth/real hitman trailer.
Also the tone is completely different even in a Blood Money trailer like this here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LRIMpd2nh8 with some other people and not only the target going down. This latest Absolution trailer starts with story bla bla and then follows up with actionheavy clips only, ending in a total shootout with regular enemies and nothing more. And that's what most people are upset about. It just looks like "lookie here, lots of stuff to shoot, isn't that cool?"
the answer is: no, it isn't. It sucks
You can choose to not use it (like fast travel), but still, the fact that you must be able to use it, means they had to design the mission structure to allow it, to some extent (and infact, they did exactly this in Conviction).
I mean when you introduce a new feature like that, that requires a certain amount of work (also given its very nature) you're gonna have to put in some situations, design some scenarios in which the use of it is very much kept in mind.
I kinda see it as an either/or situation.
If you reverse engineer the old Hitman games, they too were strictly designed around a philosophy (following certain more or less fixed steps, to complete the mission stealthly) and everything else (complete the mission by gunning everyone down) was a possibility, but not really something supported nor rewarded by the design (and infact, it wasn't the finest shooter).
You can offer a choice, but unless you're some kind of game-design masterclass talent, you're gonna have to adhere to that philosophy and design the game around it.
This is not to say that games with multiple approaches can't work well (we have plenty of examples of the contrary) but it is to say that the "just don't use it" argument has short legs, because you can't change a game's design with a checkbox in the option menu, without severely unbalancing it.
So, if they had said 'we're putting much attention in the stealth, but refining the action parts too', i'd be ok in saying: just keep using a stealth approach and don't whine.
But to have a bunch of (big and foundamental) features that affect the gameplay and very structure of the game, and than just say 'well turn all of that off in the options, and it will be exactly as deep as before', i can hardly believe so, unless they're developing two parallel games.
I'm not trying to shut you down even though I'm debating the awesome mechanical suggestions you made. I'm open for more debate! I'm not a game designer or anything, so I open my shit up for criticisms!Ah the old: "But you aren't forced to use it!" excuse. The eternal optimist I guess.
I'm so much of an optimist here that some posters hate me for it, I'm sure.
Listen, I'm well aware that games in this day and age have to give new players more space to breath, to get accustomed with the games rules, but this is basically a wall hack asigned to a button. It's a pathethic way of making a game accessible.
It's stupid and simply screams focus group testing, rather than conscious design decisions.
If they wanted to make the game more accessible to new players, why not be clever about it? Increase footstep volumes on lower difficulties, increase tolerances on enemy field of vision, add subtle hints about a guards projected way, like a flashlight cone or arm gestures etc. There are so many ways to help players locate enemies in a game world without having to resort to magic powers.
I think that these suggestions are great, but do you really think that relying completely on sound or having line of sight on enemies to see subtle gestures is something that new players would pick up on? Those are tweaks that would be awesome for "hardcore" gamers like us. I agree that this stuff might have been focus tested. How do you know they didn't prototype -- and later toss out -- the awesome ideas (really, I'd love those things in a stealth game.) you suggested? Some of them might even be in there already, as I'll note later in this post.
I can see cases right now where the features you suggest might not be effective. Requiring line of sight on enemies (to see gestures or flashlight cones telegraphing vision cones) is something that new players might have difficulty with. I don't think it's super difficult to control the camera and position yourself where you can see enemies, but sometimes you never know how difficult this is to a new player until you watch them have difficulties with it. Also, how does a new player know what a gesture is supposed to mean? In MGS, you knew a guard performing a gesture was temporarily "blind" because their vision cone would disappear from the radar. There is no such luxury in Hitman because it does not have a radar/map on-screen. You might even argue that Instinct is an on-screen radar presenting you similar information, just in a new format.
Another thing is that audio cues (footstep volume being increased for new players) are dependent on the volume being on and/or at a level where players can hear it properly. The new player also has to be informed of this (through a tutorial or a loading screen info bit) -- maybe the new player doesn't see the tool tip or foolishly skips it. I'd say that a visual cue is always better than an audio cue (both combined are excellent!) because this allows for deaf or hard of hearing players to obtain valuable information as well.
Some of this stuff is probably already in the game. The one demo showed flash lights being used by police, IIRC. And footsteps will most likely aid us. And I will concede that I argue stuff like really "dumbing down" new gamers and even edge cases like gamers being hard of hearing (or deaf), but I'd rather have an optional vision mode that enables them to play a video game in hopes that they get the enjoyment that we do.
No, they went with Agent 47 getting supernatural powers. Having him as some sort of psychic wizard. During the first walkthrough shown I almost expected him to enable cloak or shoot fireballs while levitating around.
This game shows a complete disregard for it's own fiction, and reinvents itself by adding some mumbo jumbo bullshit. I'm dissapointed by the way the game seems to be turning out.
I'm not going to tell you you're wrong here, because that's the way you feel. I think that's alright. You explained yourself in detail why you think certain things are wrong, and I appreciate that, as a fellow GAFer, because it's better than simply dismissing it with one word. I just hope that, if previews/reviews/impressions show it to be a decent reimagining of certain mechanics, that you'll be able to enjoy it, even with your current scepticism/disappointment. I'm really am an annoying optimist when it comes to reboots, eh? Haha.
@UrbanRats: I agree with what you're saying. I don't know how this game will play out yet, since I've not played it, but I sincerely hope that I won't be forced to use this mechanic all the time. It doesn't appeal to me as a player. I'm hoping that, after the few tutorial uses, I can be done with it. And, like you mentioned, I hope this game will be one of those rare cases where the design actually supports players choosing not to use certain mechanics.
Also, I've not played Oblivion to the point where I witnessed fast-travel being purposely designed into quest structure... can you point it out? I'm genuinely curious. I've not played Skyrim yet so I can't comment on that game.