Hitman: Absolution goons get 2000 pages of dialogue
The guards and goons of Hitman: Absolution will have plenty more to say than your typical variation on “what was that? I thought I heard something. Must have been a rat.” Game director Tor Blystad tells Videogamer that IO are giving their NPCs thousands of lines of dialogue.
“We just did a big recording before Christmas and we have another one,” he said. “We’ll see how much we can cram in, it’ll basically come down to logistics and memory. We have a script of 2000 pages for the AI alone. It’s huge.”
Hitman: Absolution’s game director: “It’s about creating a world around Agent 47″
Rich interviewed Hitman Absolution’s game director yesterday. Click above to watch Tore Blystad talk about the evolution of the franchise, Agent 47 as a character, difficulty settings, and the balance between cinematics and player interactivity.
We’ll have more on Hitman Absolution soon. Until then, check out yesterday’s screenshots, or the most recent trailer.
New Hitman: Absolution screens show fire and brimstone, comical disguises
Square Enix has not-so-silently released a new batch of Hitman: Absolution, and – as with all things Hitman – they look like ads from some sort of twisted Armani catalog. Agent 47′s his usual snazzy self, and where he has a bar code, everyone else may as well have an expiration date. There’s also an uncharacteristic amount of ‘splodey run ‘n’ gun ‘n’ axe action on display here, but IO promises that these are indicative of a very, very small piece of the pie, which – if you so choose – you can sneak right past altogether. Check out all nine screens after the break.
Square Enix trademark Hitman: Profession
Shortly before Christmas, Square Enix filed for a trademark that suggests a title for the Hitman game set to arrive after Absolution. The name? Hitman: Profession. Siloconera spotted the trademark application, which will likely be the working title for the new Hitman game in development at Square Enix’ recently opened Montreal Studio.
Hitman: Profession would be a terrible name, but the trademark coincides with a spate of unusual odd upcoming game titles…
Hitman Absolution trailer kills all the men
Uh oh. Agent 47 has taken the drastic step of scratching off the barcode on the back of his head, thus removing any chance Hitman’s famously unobservant guards ever had of identifying him. There’s some confusion about what’s happening with the woman Agent 47′s trying to save here. First she’s in bed, then she’s in the shower (dead?), then she’s alive and being kidnapped, then Agent 47 goes all Leon with empty elevator and a lights-out killing spree.
I love the Hitman series, but I stopped paying attention to the story as soon as someone said the word “clone.” Who is the woman, is she a clone, and why do the bad guys leave two men to guard an empty room?
IO Interactive to begin new franchise after Hitman: Absolution
Agent 47 and his magical murder adventures may be what IO Interactive’s best known for, but that’s hardly the only number on the developer’s calling card. Most recently, IO gave the Hitman franchise a break in favor of Kane & Lynch. And sure, it wasn’t everybody’s cup of steaming hot crazy tea, but it was definitely different.
Never one to tread water, IO plans on taking a similar approach after Hitman: Absolution. Don’t worry, though: Thanks to a new Square Enix Montreal studio, Agent 47 and his oh-so-snazzy suit aren’t going anywhere.
Hitman Absolution developer commentary talks instinct powers and alternative paths
We’ve seen the sixteen minutes of Hitman Absolution footage above before, but not with an informative developer commentary layered over it. Their main focus is on the instinct system that powers Agent 47′s guard-prediction and stealth abilities, and on all the different ways that they could proceed through the level differently. They reveal that it’s possible to assassinate the sergeant directing your manhunt if you’re skilled enough, and you can start a gunfight with the police force whenever you choose. As the fight continues, SWAT officers will start appearing to try and take you out.
Hitman: Absolution trailer dives in through window, straightens tie
Square Enix have sent over a new teaser trailer for Hitman: Absolution called ‘Run for Your Life.’ It’s not clear who should be running from who. Agent 47 is cornered in a run down Chicago library, surrounded by cops. Can he make it out alive without ruining his suit? We’ll know when Square Enix follow up with the full trailer tomorrow.
Third try is the charm for Kane and Lynch?
Job postings on IO Interactive’s website (spotted by Gamerzines) suggest that cold-blooded screw-ups Kane and Lynch might come back for another job together.
In addition to programmers for “an unannounced AAA action title,” IO is also looking for a senior multiplayer programmer to lay “the foundation for a yet unannounced 3rd person game with strong cooperative multiplayer elements.” Taken together, these clues strongly point toward another Kane & Lynch game.
Hitman: Absolution video shows leaked in-game footage
Hitman: Absolution was shown behind closed doors at E3 this year. Joe public had to make do the with the official E3 trailer and a couple of screenshots, until now. CVG have found some leaked in-game footage of the game in action. It’s spliced into the CG trailer, and there’s a subliminal glimpse of the terrible Hitman movie in there somewhere. Fight through all that and you’ll see the first moving images of Absolution’s new engine, along with the new cover system, hostage taking and a cruel KO manoeuvre starring a bust and the back of a policeman’s head. Find out more in our Hitman: Absolution E3 preview.
E3 2011: What we want from Hitman: Absolution
Tim and Graham have seen the fifth Hitman game in action now, and it comes with some surprises. A cover system? Actual stealth? Donnie Darko predicto-vision? A rooftop chase under helicopter fire? What is this, a game that’s slightly different in some way?
I don’t know how any of those things will work out yet, or how much of the game they really represent. But the last game, Hitman: Blood Money, was so nearly perfect that you can see what they need to do next. This is what they need to do next.
Hitman: Absolution screenshots arrive
Two images masquerading as screenshots for Hitman: Absolution have snuck out of IO Interactive’s secure facility and set up shop over on Joystiq. We’ve posted both of them below. We see Agent 47 hiding in an unlikely position several metres up a pillar, and undercover as a cop. We can’t wait to tell you everything we learned at last night’s IO event, but we’re embargoed for now, and don’t especially want a certain developer to put a contract out our heads.
Hitman: Absolution box art leaked in marketing survey
Some prototype box arthas been spotted by Kotaku in a marketing survey, showing three possible covers for Hitman: Absolution. Amusingly, the game’s listed in the mock-ups as Hitman: Subtitle. It’s likely they were created before the Absolution subtitle was decided. You’ll find the three pics below. Which would you choose?
Hitman Absolution first details reveal new engine and plot info
IO have followed up on yesterday’s Hitman Absolution teaser trailer with news of the sequel’s brand new engine, and a few hints about Absolution’s dark, conspiracy-laden story.
Hitman Absolution trailer arrives
VG247 have spotted the first teaser trailer for the new Hitman game. A gloved hand! A silenced pistol! A snake! It’s Hitman! To add to the excitement, there’s also a new Hitman Absolution site. There’s not much there yet, but we can expect more info on the next Hitman game soon.
