Why the next Hitman should go open world

Oooh, bitchy. This cat has claws. Ok, soI'm being harsh on Ubisoft’s epic historical wet work ‘em up. Both Assassin’s Creed games almost nailed it. They offered up brilliantly vibrant open environments, they just forgot to properly hone the stealth. In all but the rarest examples, almost every hit in both games become massive, unrewarding clusterf*cks of getting spotted, fighting loads of guards, then running after some old religious dude, before stabbing him through his holy undergarments.


Above: Subtle, too

If a new Hitman game could just offer up the level of atmosphere and variety of Ezio’s Venice, but with hits that could be properly planned and executed at different places all over the city, developer Io would be onto a winner. Albeit a really stabby one.

47%26rsquo;s awesome and all, but the dude%26rsquo;s getting a little ripe

Bloody Money was a brilliant, brilliant game. But, if I'm honest, all it really did was refine elements from previous games. It was very much a case of gradual evolution, rather than full scale revolution.


Above: Althoughthey've remained consistenlygood and Blood Money's notoriety system aside, the series hasn't changed much since Hitman 2

While I loved stuffing a gun into a roast chicken to off the Meat King in Contracts and laughed maniacally like a Disney villain as I killed that woman with a barbecue in the last game, the series needs a change. And going open world could be just the ticket to reintroduce 47 to the world with the bloodiest bang possible.

We're hoping a new Hitman game will be announced at E3 this week. If it is, rest assured we'll bring you all the news on 47's latest adventure... as soon as it sneaks up on us dressedlike a pastry chef holding ashitting bigknife.

Agree with me? Think I’ve gone wrong in the head. Either way, tell us what you’d like to see in a new Hitman in the comments section.

June 14, 2010

David Meikleham
Google AMP Stories Editor

David has worked for Future under many guises, including for GamesRadar+ and the Official Xbox Magazine. He is currently the Google Stories Editor for GamesRadar and PC Gamer, which sees him making daily video Stories content for both websites. David also regularly writes features, guides, and reviews for both brands too.