Hitman 2: Silent Assassin

Richard likes his assassinations served with a nice Chianti, we're told.

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Whether it's the cop who breaks the rules; the doctor who enjoys fava beans with Chianti; or the lawyer with principles; we like characters that lead atypical lives. None more so than the professional killer. The man, or woman, who hides in the shadows, stalking their target without emotion. A cold, calculating killing machine whose only purpose is to execute an immoral judgement...for a fee. Their most deadly tools are stealth and silence. They look for that clean kill. Only to then disappear into the night like the wind. But if all that sounds like far too much hard work then plan B is for you. Grab the biggest gun you can and kill everyone as well as the target; the bodyguards, waiters, chefs, maids, heck even get the people that owe him money if you like. Welcome to the world of Hitman 2: Silent (or very noisy) Assassin.

After a mixed reception for the first game in the series the developers, IO Interactive, took note of the complaints and went about refining the game style. The result is a much more enjoyable game and one that has already seen success on the PC and the Xbox. Now it has made its way onto Nintendo's little machine so Mario players everywhere can train to become full time killers. The story of the first isn't required reading to understand the sequel and in fact the story is largely dispensable. You start this game retired in a monastery, having eschewed your dubious lifestyle for religion. Pretty soon though you are drawn back into the murky underworld you inhabited when the priest of your church is kidnapped. To make sure you're not rusty you're given a quick tutorial that covers most of your skills. The plot that then follows largely takes a backdrop to the individual missions themselves. These are very neatly presented. The narration of each of the mission is done by your contact at the 'agency'. While she does this you can examine any information provided, such as maps, videos and photos. The very sketchy nature of these briefings makes them a lot of fun; for instance in one mission you only get to see footage of the target as a child.

You will likely play through the game using the default third-person view using the two analogue thumb sticks to look and move around. It is possible though to assume a first-person view as well. Most of the important commands will appear in a context sensitive menu. So when you walk up to a door there may be a couple of options to choice from; either pick the lock or look through the keyhole. This is the same with people you 'dispose' of. Once you've done the messy part of the job you can drag the body to hide it, pick up any guns or ammunition that person may have dropped, and even put on their clothes as a disguise. The rest of the controls are a little bit awkward to get used to, simply because there are quite a few to contend with. On the whole though the controls are possibly let down more by the design of the Nintendo controller. For example moving from the PC, the original platform, means that instead of tapping the mouse button to fire you must squeeze the right analogue trigger which feels a little off. When you bring up the map in game you view one floor at a time and switching between these floors requires an annoying sub menu. All in all though the controls are pretty good but at times you may find them a little awkward. Let me put it another way, having played the PC version it's abundantly clear which one is easier to handle.