This is the first hitman game I have ever played. It was in 2006, more than 3 years after it has been released, I still got very addicted. Later, I play every hitman games, and even pre-purchased absolution, and I must say that "hitman 2: Silent Assassin" is the most revolutionary, the most intense, deepest, and thus the most successful game of the series. It corrects most of the mistakes that the first hitman "codename 47" has, and adds a lot of successful features that shine through hitman 3 "contracts" and 4 "blood money". Plus, the visual effect is amazing back in 2002, and the music delivers more richer atmosphere to the game that it really makes the play get into the game, get into the world of 47. Unfortunately, absolution somehow throws out some very essential features (what absolution loses is discussed on metacritics, my username is chinesephoneme). I hope IO and its new parent company Square Enix would fix it and combine the best of old hitman(1-4) and absolution to make the 6th hitman game much better!

Stealth Game were you don't have too much choice to kill your targets, you have to follow a path and there's no much place for creativity. To be honest I was waiting much more from this game, it's the first Hitman I've played, I can't say it's a bad game but not exactly what I was waiting for. After I've played "Death to spies" series, I found this one not so challenging.

I really like this game. The original Hitman game was based on a great concept and a metric ton of style, and there was something wonderfully devious about its gameplay. It went wrong, however, by demanding too much of the player. Its incredible difficulty not only made it very frustrating, but also damaged the feel of the game. Agent 47 is supposed to be a stone cold killer, but in game he too often felt slow, clumsy and vulnerable. Hitman 2 corrects the mistakes of its predecessor, but errs a bit in the beginning by trying to give 47 a conscience.

A real classic and probably the best in the series (not having played Hitman: Absolution yet). The stealth is still there, something that almost disappeared in the third installment "Blood Money". This is like a polished version of the first game with a bit more action to be had if you choose. But Silent Assassin is probably the best balanced game in the franchise, and for that I give it the thumbs up. The best game in a great series. What's not to like?

One of the best games ever made. Despite having it's share of flaws, Hitman 2 still stands out as one of the best of it's kind, with a good storyline, great level design, friendly UI and excellent music. The AI could've used a little more work, but the rest of the game more than compensates for it. Must-buy for any gamer.

Far better than the first Hitman game, with gameplay ideas that still feel fresh today, Silent Assassin distills the best of other franchises that came before it - think (Remedy era) Max Payne meets Goldeneye. It's a shooter, but most of all it's a game of patience, requiring equal parts deliberateness and spontaneity. Running at the enemy guns-blazing will only ever be a last-ditch attempt when you've screwed up every other option. The AI can be absolutely unforgiving to the point of being completely unrealistic, some maps absurdly make sense only after you've scouted them out once or twice with initial suicide runs, and the sniper rifle's clumsy and a bit frustrating. It's just rough enough around the edges that I can't give it 5 stars. But, every successful mission *feels* like a success. That alone makes it worth it.

Every level has you and target to assassinate and it is up to you how you do it.

A very challenging and rewarding gane.

There are some flaws which require to reload a savegame, but it is worth it

The flaws are the only thing that keep this game from being a classic and everyone should have played this game just so they can say that they have played this game.

Hitman is a great series and I would definitely suggest this game to everyone who is interested in the game. It's also unique, there are so many ways to kill a target and you can always decide whether you want to use stealth or just go in guns blazing.

Gameplay: 5/5

Graphics: 5/5

GET THE GAME! :D

Amazing game... Sneak around and kill people, complete mission objectives stealthily, a game that truly gives you the ability to be a modern ninja. Snipe out foes from a distance, strangle them, blow them away with a gun, and drag their bodies out of sight. A genre-defining title that is a must buy for anyone who likes stealthy kills or action in general.

First of all, the controls are good and easy to handle. Unlike Codename 47 where you have to change the controls and everything, this game's controls are already set in a comfortable arrangement. The only control i changed was crouch. That's it. Literally. Second of all, the gameplay is much, much better than that of Hitman Codename 47. The cursor in front of your head is easier to control if you played the game. Also, you can go into 1st person mode if you press F1. This makes it easier to kill people, especially if they're running. Thirdly, the graphics are improved a whole lot. The graphics look pretty amazing being made in 2002. Also, the characters faces are more detailed. I can see that Eidos and IO interactive put a lot of work in the graphics engine. So, my final thoughts are that if you are a true fan of MR.47, I highly recommend buying this game.

The good:

- The music and atmosphere are awesome. There are games with better graphics now, but very few achieve a better atmosphere.

- There's no easy button. Thinking and planning are rewarded. The game doesn't have a "designed path"... you never get the feeling "okay I'm doing this the way the designers intended." That's huge for me, and it's something that's very rare to find anymore. Instead you are given various tools, and you decide how to make them work to get the kill. Each time I play, I find a new way to accomplish the mission. It's truly open ended, and I expect the developers are surprised at some of the solutions people have found.

The Bad:

- Sometimes the enemy AI doesn't make sense. Sometimes a disguise works or doesn't work, and you don't really know why.

- You must like trial/error and experimentation. Often the best way to learn is to simply try something and see what happens. This isn't really a flaw, but I can understand that not everyone will enjoy experimenting and trial/error.

I play every Hitman sequal, but this is the only excellent Hitman. The others lack the atmosphere, level design, and/or have easy buttons. All the paths in Blood Money have clearly been designed. There's no creativity.