But his legacy lives on.
-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
Square Enix Montreal's next-gen Hitman title confirmed cancelled (IO still on Hitman)
- Thread starter Sn4ke_911
- Start date
But his legacy lives on.
Can Crusher
Banned
Clueless about what exactly? Blood Money was great, and Absolution while not the best of the series was still a great stealth game, regardless of the streamlining.
Fact of the matter is that Absolution at its core is still delivering gameplay options that you can't find in any other game.
Pyramid head
Banned
Really? I have just finished the 'Dexter Industries' mission and so far the game has played like a straight up Splinter Cell clone for the most part with very, very few actual 'Assassination' missions.
When does it basically become another Blood Money?
the_batman
Banned
well like another guy said, i haven't played Blood Money in a while but Absolution seemed like a streamlined version of it.
Lana Del Rey
Banned
It never does and it's pretty damn different from blood money.
Crab Milk Mickey
Member
You mean they wouldn't have already by annualizing it through means of rotating new Hitman releases between two seperate studio's?
Absolution wasn't good and they were looking to use that as a blueprint to give the franchise the Assassin's Creed treatment.
Can't call it a stealth game if some of the mechanics for that style of play were utterly broken. Absolution's problems were plentiful.
MMaRsu
Banned
As am I
The team that made Blood Money all left. As for Absolution, the games systems were broken, as the disguise and checkpoint mechanics were very flawed. On top of this, assassination missions weren't even the games focus and the hits we did get were very basic when compared to BM.
It doesnt. Those are dirty fucking lies.
but IO is responsible for Absolution. I really wanted a different studio to make a new Hitman game because when you look at the latest installment of the series i have the feeling IO doesn't get anymore what made a Hitman game a Hitman game.
MMaRsu
Banned
Great stealth game? Gtfo dude. Shit was hot garbage. IO sucks.
Basileus777
Member
I can't believe SE put so much behind the Hitman franchise. What evidence has there ever been to suggesting two alternating teams putting out AAA budget titles for the franchise was ever a good idea?
Given the timing of the switch this was actually probably the first part of the legacy killed off. Which makes that picture more ironic.
Can Crusher
Banned
I always hear about how games have broken stealth. How exactly is the stealth in Absolution broken? I managed to be stealthy just fine. In fact, I love stealth games, and I found myself replaying plenty of missions in Absolution over and over, just to mess around with the sandbox stealth.
Sure it doesn't leave as much to the imagination as previous Hitman games, because it's clearly streamlined for the sake of a wider audience, but the core is still there. I mean you go as far as calling it utterly broken, which to me just means you suck at the game. Play the game they made, instead of trying to play the game you've created in your head.
I had a completely different experience. I'll just chalk it up to people sucking at it.
CecilRousso
Member
No one here would have been satisifed with the game anyway, so what difference does it make?
UltraGunner
Banned
Making mobile games is what I expect from Square Enix considering they are a mobile developer and all. The console market isn't suited for everyone, especially for them.
Pretty much what I was thinking. I was under the impression that this new game wasn't going to be well received here anyways, I'm surprised people are upset by this cancellation.
Given their ideas for mobile games I don't think they're suited for THAT either, nevermind that this was a new, unproven studio. Maybe they could've instead tried to make some new IP, perhaps try to get into the WRPG scene. I can't expect them to put out something with the power of FF, but it'd probably have a greater chance of actually appealing to their existing base than farming out Hitman, which probably had minimal overlap to begin with and clearly isn't THAT relevant in the AAA game scene anymore anyway (if it ever really was.)
EDIT: Though if you were to say they were more suited for handheld I'd absolutely agree. Shame they practically bailed on it instead, at least we got Bravely Default even if that wasn't developed internally, but clearly had enough SE staff involved to FEEL like something from their better days.
the_batman
Banned
it's not just the cancellation, it's that they're forcing devs to focus more on mobile games.
I chose to not even take the story seriously after a few hours. It's pretty bad. I did enjoy playing the game though. Was pretty satisfying when it comes to just playing out whatever scenario you're thrown into.
IdreamofHIME
Member
Why are people angry? This is good.
Squeenixes original idea was to turn Hitman into an annual series with two studios taking alt turns on it.
That plan seemed like the fastest way to kill the series.
Squeenixes original idea was to turn Hitman into an annual series with two studios taking alt turns on it.
That plan seemed like the fastest way to kill the series.
alexandros
Banned
Canceling a triple-A game to work on mobile titles. And people still think the industry if fine?
For some reason the anti-mobile crazies think some mobiles games can kill an IP too.
7DollarHagane
Banned
IOS is the wrong direction for this. Scale back the Graphics, size, and marketing budgets, and make a really good, focused sequel akin to something like call of Juarez gunslinger. Would make more sense than shoehorning it into an iOS game just to make use of the brand name.
Opus Angelorum
Member
This is the real issue here.
SJRB
Gold Member
I don't see any other major dev/publisher doing this. Square is just insane.
metalslimer
Member
The next Deus Ex is going to suck isn't it....
CecilRousso
Member
That depends on how you define "the industry". AAA publishers? No. Games in general? Yes.
Can Crusher
Banned
Yup. Cancelling the game is one thing, moving the whole team to this bs "AAA mobile" development is the actual kick in the nuts.
Basileus777
Member
I don't think anyone has argued that Square-Enix is fine or well-run.
UltraGunner
Banned
I dunno, that would require actual effort to be put in, and since effort requires money SE would be having none of that shit. How else would the executives have their daily shredded money bathes. They are the real victims here.
And funny you mention Bravely Default with how SE is treating it like a mobile game with the micro transactions in-game.
Team Filler
Member
It's trading one trend-chase for another that is extremely likely to alienate any remaining fan base, just like their fucking awful treatment of the Legacy of Kain property.
Square Enix really is the worst, and it's pretty much reached the point that I'd rather miss out on Bravely Default than give SE any more of my money.
ultratruman
Banned
tap to garrote
MilkyOctave
Member
Maybe it's for the best. If they want to do microtransactions, then they should aim to do it on mobile, anyway.
Ohhhhh you're so lucky Derrick's banned.
Lana Del Rey
Banned
This is the moment that you realized SE were really going to fuck shit up, remember in Hitman games when you could go unseen through missions? Yeah fuck that (Absolutions spoilers) :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOx0UK5Navw
It's almost so dumb that it's great.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOx0UK5Navw
It's almost so dumb that it's great.
Moff
Member
can't say I'm not surprised. as far as i know absolution was by far the most successfull installment of the hitman franchise. and while far worse than blood money, it was still not nearly as bad as some people said it was. and the franchise was certainly not beyond saving after it.
It saddens me that they can next-gen hitman for a mobile game.
not sure what you are implying, but there are at least three other ways to kill that guy, all of them "unseen".
but a hitman mission where you can - among other ways - disguise yourself as a wrestler and kill him hiding in plain sight? sounds pretty awesome to me. and was by the way done before on the theatre blood money mission.
It saddens me that they can next-gen hitman for a mobile game.
not sure what you are implying, but there are at least three other ways to kill that guy, all of them "unseen".
but a hitman mission where you can - among other ways - disguise yourself as a wrestler and kill him hiding in plain sight? sounds pretty awesome to me. and was by the way done before on the theatre blood money mission.
It's only those stupid potion things for unnecessary uber attacks that are that way. Ends up more Tales games where you can buy levels than an exploitative mobile game really.
Funnily enough the one part that IS most like a mobile game design-wise (town rebuilding) is MT free, they just want you to make a lot of street passes.
EDIT: And admittedly I answered in the way of what Square Enix at least as of a few years was capable of, not what the execs want to do. Yeah, the execs are just running it into the ground at this point, though the worst thing about it is that I don't know if my own ideas really would've been financially successful (don't want to be seen as a JRPG powerhouse? Invest in starting up WRPG studios to truly be global! And not just have them make shallow dungeon crawlers or buy up a company with major action franchises and pretend those are RPGs.)
AuthenticM
Member
I thought Absolution had sold several million copies ?
Hitman Absolution was the biggest disappointment for me this gen. It wasn't just the gameplay that was awful, my copy of it was constantly crashing and wiping my save file so I had to start all over again. Also the mid-save points were awful as on one mission in a strip club I'd saved at a checkpoint and then had to start again. But when I restarted a guard was directly opposite me blowing my disguise instantly. So can't say I'm devastated about this news.
At least I got my perfect Hitman game with Blood Money and the first half of Hitman Contracts.
At least I got my perfect Hitman game with Blood Money and the first half of Hitman Contracts.