Hitman 2: Silent Assassin Retrospective - Realized Potential
Вставка
- Опубліковано 9 лют 2025
- Chapter 2 of the Hitman Retrospective covering IO's second attempt at the series. This time around with a lot more experience and access to console dev kits
Support me on Patreon : / cvit
Follow me on Twitter : / cvit_
My Twitch: / cvit_
Check out my Sponsor's using promocode (cvit10): www.imperiumdu...
End cards done by: / @robingrundy7807
Copy&Paste into .ini file:
DefaultScene=AllLevels/Logos.gms
SoundDll SoundEngine.dll
ScriptDll SDL_Engine.dll
ScriptIfDll ScriptInterfaces.dll
DrawDll RenderD3D.dll
LocaleFile=Locale\English.xml
Resolution 1920x1080
AutoDumpName ScreenDump0000.jpg
ColorDepth 32
ErrorLog error.log
EnableConsole
Anisotropy 0
AntiAlias 0
ShadowDetail 2
TextureResolution 0
UseDirectInputMouse
UseDirectInputKeyboard
HeroControlMode 1
MouseSpeed 0.848789
SpeechVolume 100
MusicVolume 88
SoundEffectsVolume 100
ConfigFile=Keyboard.cfg
DisablePolyLimit
UseEAX 1
Window 1
StartUpperPos 0,0
NumSoundBuffers 16
Widescreen fix files:
steamcommunity...
Sources:
www.pressreade...
en.wikipedia.o...
en.wikipedia.o...
news.bbc.co.uk/...
#Hitman #Agent47 #Hitman2SilentAssassin
The floor squeaking is an anti ninja counter measure in real Japanese castles.
Nightingale floors.
@@SongokuJidai god yes
Dude thats dope
@@SongokuJidai lmao
@@kikicoot Killed by a ninja, cool
By far one of the best and most memorable soundtracks. “47 makes a decision” is engraved in my memory.
yeah, besides the main title, which is an masterpiece
Core childhood memories
One of the most underrated soundtracks in gaming. Jesper kyd really went all out with this game.
In the song 47 makes a decision the best part happens at 0:47 seconds into the song.
I know this is a year old comment, but, yeah, whenever I see someone commending Hitman's soundtrack (specially Silent Assassin, Contracts and Absolution) I have to say something.
And Jesper Kyd is needless for presentation. The guy is a mage in the music realm. Even his works in other games (like original Assassin's Creed) are magnific.
Jesper kid is brilliant, AC and hitman is his fortè
Silent Assassin and Swat 2 scores are way underrated.
H2 - Action theme is burned in my mind for the rest of my life.
I think this game does a pretty good job of humanizing 47, its better than Absolution's portrayal of 47 i'd say
Cause Hitman 2 doesn't exist?
@@andreiiiksavvv6054 wut ?
in my opinion, any portrayal of 47 is better than absolution
@@carbonreptile5437 the movies ?
@@tareklegrand7747 the movies suck
Not enough games use the idea of having the game hub being attacked, it's always really cool to see that imo.
Wolfenstein: New Order has an amazing hub and seeing it on fire near the end is heartbreaking
It would become an overused trope. It's good that it's a rare delight, especially since a "safehouse" is supposed to be... well, safe, it's in the name, lol.
There are a few, yes, but not too many are so unfair like Silent Assassin ahahaha.
Dishonored did this, didn't it? What really blew my mind with Hitman's is how you start with almost no weapons but then you have access to all the ones you got throughout the game.
Resident 2 having the main hall of the RPD being your safe space to save, heal and manage inventory, only to have Mr.X bust the fuck through unexpectedly was great.
After a lot of experimentation, i finally figured out how to avoid getting spotted in Hitman 2: Silent Assassin.
The suspicion meter does not tell you this, but if enemies see your face they are much more likely to spot you and blow your disguise.
What you must do is keep the camera looking away from the guards while you go past them. This way 47 head will face away from them and they won't be able to recognize him unless you are really really close.
Of course, this only works 70% of the time, it's still somewhat random, but it's a viable way to fix the disguise system.
I tried it many times, and every time i walked past a guard that would always spot me while not looking at them, they wouldn't spot me. It works even if you are pretty close to a guard.
How did i figure this shit out?
Because some guards in that India level where you need to kill the female doctor can only be sneaked past this way. They are way too close to you and will spot you 100% of the time if your head faces them. I had to figure this shit out in order to get Silent Assassin rating on that level.
or you can cheese by holding shift and spamming w
Yeah, I noticed that too, pretty quickly... though I still wonder if this was intentional.
I believe guard vision is also tied to where their head actually looking as well
I tried this in hitman contracts thank you so much for this new tip!
@@swolzerfunny how I remember doing the opposite. Holding w and spamming shift
To mention something you didn’t, the music in this game is amazing.
This game was my favorite. I played and played and played when I was 12 years old until I got silent assassin on every mission. Finding how to accomplish silent assassin rating was always the highlight of this game
I still to this day can not stealth that first mission since the AI constantly sees through my disguise, even while I'm walking like the game wants. If you're close enough they'll just start unloading on you.
Gotta also love those NPCs that will twist their entire body to make sure you're not doing anything behind their back.
Watch Centerstrain01. Might help
hold shift and tap W. you move very fast and you're invisible.
I think that if you have less FPS, they detect you slower
Only if your FPS is super high, if you limit to either 30 or 60 it works fine.Simple fact is to just stay away as much as possible and go around if possible.Honestly prefer it to Absolution system which they brought back for 2016/Hitman 2
@@samz8691 add an asterisk to that "brought back". it's nowhere near as bad as absolutions system. now there are enforcers who can see through your disguise because it makes sense. targets who probably know their employees, investigators, and body guard captains are usually enforcers and that makes sense and is fair. it's also much more forgiving on the detection meter than both SA and absolution
That "guard" in the Market in India is supposed to be the assassin looking for you. I guess they wanted to make it feel like he was hunting you down but sometimes the AI glitches and never shoots at you and just follows you everywhere like a puppy. It actually makes the mission easier cuz it hands the kill to you on a silver platter.
One of the best. This blew me away in 2002, how subtle & nuanced the gameplay was, demanded your patience & clever planning & refused to handhold you. Great weapons selection, shooting mechanics & awesome soundtrack! My favourite part was going back & playing as a straight shooter & holding down the trigger on the M60 whilst immediately flicking to the binoculars- essentially creating a sniper version of the m60. Brilliant stuff! The AI was a bet buggy but it definitely rewarded your patience - I unlocked all the hidden weapons (22SD, sawn off, Ballers SD, W2000, Custom Rifle & the M4 off the UN guards).
When you knock someone out they can wake back up and tell the closest guard and they will immediately hunt you down. This might be the problem you are having.
Yeah ur right... u only get like 5 mins before they wake up
@@TheNostalgiaFiend You're allowed to kill one guard and still get SA, so that's usually the best option.
@@cookieface80 you can do 2 as well as long as you don’t shoot your gun
This is where it all started for me! Absolutely adored this game.
i was waiting for this. and unlike hitman absolution i wasn't disappointed
Hitman absolution is a fantastic stealth game.
@@The_Buff_Guy it was a pretty steathly pile of shit yes.
@@The_Buff_Guy It's a serviceable stealth action title. On the merits of a Hitman game though, it's bad.
@@Jojje94 I haven't played absolution but the problem to me it seems is that it's a stealth game in a series of slow paced puzzle games.
@@COOLMCDEN I wouldn't really even call it a stealth game because the busted systems and action focus.
i really like the codename 47 type of videos because sometime you can make me see stuff in level and ai behavior that i didn't notice. other than that great video and keep them coming. also can't wait for the absolution video
The console release (at least the Gamecube version) has none of the bugs you mention so I can only assume this is the result of trying to run a XP release on a contemporary OS.
Or more likely the result of high framerates.
Can confirm, the ps2 version doesn't have any of these bugs or glitches either.
Pc version also doesn't have thus glitches.
@@Pretendentas exactly what I was going to say, I don't think he played them on back in the day (on pc, I did, didn't have a ps2) and the modifications to the ini and frame rate, may be causing the issues .
Some of them I had back in the day. But today with modern systems it sure to be causing more abnormalities.
Also, we have to remember ioi had consoles in mind when developing this, so... it only makes sense that it runs better there.
The very best memories I have about Hitman came from this game. While buggy and frustrating at times, I had so much fun playing and re-playing it. Soundtrack is still the best to this day for me.
this game and the 4 first hitman games will always hold a very special place in my heart. they were so unique, quirky, innovative, immersive and just so fun all around
I remember playing that final level in the church so many times, it probably took me 20 tries to get a Silent Assassin. It was so much fun to say "Fuck it! I'm just going to use all my guns in the shed!"
Its impossible to get Silent Assassin. Even if you cheat because you have to fire more than 2 shots
the final level is the one time you shouldn't play sleath
You can't get Silent Assassin, there's not even a mission rating at the end.
Soundtrack is core childhood memories
I liked the style of Codename 47's analysis.
excellent timing cvit. i just finished your 5h persona 5 review for the third time and suddenly a new upload :D
Dude your videos are quality, appreciate the hard work.
You can totally get Silent Assassin in Shogun Showdown
5:57 This is a result of bugs introduced by the censored patch version. If you have the Steam version you need to downgrade. Also, even with the older uncensored version, make sure to cap FPS to 60 or, even better, 30. Because the game is very FPS-dependent. Hidden Valley trucks don't work at all above 30fps
47 setting out to rescue and avenge a priest is an amazing concept. Father 7
YAMEEEEE! YAMEEEE!
Samananya Tendayo
"Hayato was spooked"
** Restarting in 5 seconds **
Finally. I thought you'd never follow up
I actually liked the level by level recap style, but both videos are good. 👌
Glad this series got not executed by 47 to keep his secrets.
This game is in my all time top 10. I don't know why but It never gets old for me. One thing that I miss from hitman games since Blood Money are these cool (though unrealistic) shooting mechanics, especialy in first person. Shooting guns here just feels amazing. Nothing like poping headshot with silenced beretta, in close quaters, with enemy shocked by you having a gun. Or same thing but with pair of thunderstormy silverballers making people fly. That being said I don't have nearly as much problem with AI as most players.
Same. All this plus the ragdoll effects never get old for me.
@@lastsonofktn exactly
YES! Beretta headshots from out of nowhere were my absolute favorite shots to take with double barrel shotguns at close range a close second :)
that sweet silencer sound..
Well wasn't expecting this to show up in my recommendation today
This was my first Hitman game. I played it on my first laptop, and later on Gamecube because why not.
A lot of the bugs you're encountering are due to those third party fixes. If you change the FOV, resolution, and framerate from default, it can cause weird problems with AI spawns and people passing through walls. If you can get it locked at a lower framerate and play in 4:3 it may resolve some of those weird problems.
Yeah it's strange how people are so vehemently against experiencing a game in the resolution and framerate it was supposed to be played at that they rather put up with game breaking issues that these "fixes" bring.
@@korvo3427 How are people "vehemently against experiencing a game it was supposed to be", when most don't even know what was supposed to be intended and just assume it's old games being janky?
I know it's not the developer's fault for not predicting issues from running on future machines, but players aren't going out of their way to change it for the worse either
Great video man. I'd love to hear your thoughts on contracts and blood money. As to your question at the end, from what I vaguely remember of the first vid I prefer the style you took in this vid
I never got any of those glitches except the Japan mission broke me. the instant I entered the sniper's line of sight they one shot me. I couldn't even peek around a tree at them or I was instant killed. I couldn't run from one tree to the next because I was instantly killed. I needed to get replacement fillings after this level
At last, more Hitman. Amazing as always man, keep it up
I like the fact you had to use a CBBC Newsround screenshot from 2002. Certainly a blast from the past.
I'll say this game and the first Socom were absolute bangers as timesinks for stealthy gaming and strategies. I'd play levels over and over and over again and it never got old. Many many all nighters here.
10:39...Just why...why cant the people of my country just stop to take offense to every damn fuckin thing...I am an Indian, and I have played this game and honestly would feel great if none of those changes were made...It would actually be amazing...
This game and contracts have a glitch where in some levels if a guard wakes up they automatically know where you are. To prevent this sedate full dose to the guard or fiber wire him
best game ever. played it on the ps2 and it was godly.
talk about market of Afghanistan.
Show the market in Panjab in India.
Never change 4kids, never change.
Had been waiting for this one. Great video.
Was waiting for this! Thanks
also i liked both style, but this one seems better.
Loving your Yu-Gi-Oh content, and seeing that you talked about one of my favorite game series I was super stoked! Would love to see an analysis of the weird ass mess that is Contracts, the pinnacle that is Blood Money and the lamefest that is Absolution.
Atmosphere wise, I still think Silent Assassin is the best in the series. The soundtrack is also the best in the series imo, just ahead of Blood Money.
I can’t wait for another hitman to come out my favorite game all time
great review. This was the first game I played through. I had fun playing it.
Of course they can walk through walls and hear you from across the map, they're ninjas dude.
The music in this game is so atmospheric and fitting, despite it being usually short loops. And maybe because of the fact it was my first foray into the Hitman Series, it really stands out to me as a really good game. Interestingly though, these bugs never existed for me.. unless the game was running for too long, and this extends to the PC ver. on the latest PCs as well.
This game is the proof that anybody who says 47 is an emotionless machine with no feelings is wrong
Great video and I can give you an explanation for many of the bugs that you have been experiencing with ai, as someone who has played this game hundreds of times on PS2.
So if you take a look at your map in any area while you are alone in a room with ai near you, above or below you, you will see them face in One Direction, now try running about 3 ft. Now take a look at your map again you'll notice that the AI has turned to face you regardless of what floor you are on and even though walls separate you.
This bothered me so much because if there is any enemy in your vicinity regardless of what floor you're on, and they are suspicious in any way of anything, if you begin running they will immediately run after you even though they can't actually see you, and they will pinpoint the trace of your footsteps as you run.
I hope this helps you understand how the AI worked and Hitman 2, and it is something that really bothered me but I was still really love this game.
Thanks for the video of man!
Yeah, that was noticable where you run but a guard faces the direction where you made the noise while behind a wall can be annoying but also can be used to your advantage. Also since you own the PS2 version, my 2002 copy with the old ESRB symbol won't allow me to use god mode, all weapons and items, and punch mode. Do you know why this happens with cheats like those?
@@revenge9599 absolutely! And I definitely used that as an advantage at times lol. I was pleased that blood money fixed this issue though.
As for the cheats, well I've also never been able to enable God mode but thank you so much for reminding me of the NAILGUN CHEAT haha! So many good times with that.
@@RobertBradford2 im not sure if it's my copy of the disc that makes some cheats not work or the wireless controller though and I'm not sure why... I really want to see some unused items with the all weapons cheat...
@@revenge9599 oh yeah and it sucks that there seems to be some bugs that prevent some cheats.
Hopefully you can find a way for them to work.
Most of it is actually due to him not limiting the framerate.
My favorite part about the final level was always sneaking to the shed and collecting all the guns I had collected throughout the game before getting into a big firefight in the church.
yesss!! Finally, after so long!
Yes! I've been waiting for this!
For a game that came out in 2002 this is incredible.
Love your review! I'm shocked though you didn't mention the kick ass soundtrack! :D
I didn't run into these bugs at all on PC and played it just in November
Loved the video man, but here are a few tips for the Japan levels
1. Head into the second entrance to the tunnels and take out the guard wth the anesthetic and when someone checks your ID, just tap click to give them a quick dose and run and do that for every guard that asks yo for your ID. Its cheap, but it works
2. The snipers seeing you does not equal an alert
3. In Shogun Showdown, head through the secret door and walk on the beams instead of the boards to avoid the sounds and then sneak around the guards to get to a room with clothes. Use the silent run trick to get past the guards at the top of the tower.
The silent assassin rankings are achievable, but not with intended mechanics which sucks
i used the beams to sneak around the guards, that part isn't the issue in the level in fact that works the best out of all of it
And here I was wondering if we'd get another one of these kinds of episodes. I hope Contracts and Blood Money retrospectives are around the corner!
the detection ai is actually insane this game. You cant run near enemies, you cant let your face be seen by the enemies, you cant be near enemies for too long. They get super suspicious very quickly, especially on higher difficulties. The best way to use a disguise is walk really far away out of the vision of enemies. but at that point, better to just use the suit. unless its in levels where cameras are on you and you need disguises to enter an area. This is still my favorite hitman game because it was the first I played 👍
Pretty sure the face thing is a myth, it's just proximity to the enemy.
Bought this game on Xbox and Kill Bill Vol 1 on DVD about 15 years ago. Best $40 bucks I ever spent.
@Christopher Cats Hitman 2: Silent Assassin and Max Payne are in my personal top 10 of all time, easy. I can't rank them but Burnout 3 and Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory are also on that list for me.
I've played this game several times in the past, and although it's been several years I don't remember it being buggy. I think that some of these bugs are related to the custom files you mention at around 1:15...
Great vid, cant wait till you review how amazing and underrated contracts was
Love your Hitman hot takes
Silent Assassin have one only problem: extreme difficulty!!! Still a masterpiece
It's far from a masterpiece
They really should have put in an easy mode.
@@-thesalemcrow-5941 why?
Off topic: i feel like its not absolution people dislike, its how they decided to go ahead with the maps in the missions, if each one was in massive well layered open spaces with multiple options to kill your targets it would of been one of the best
holy shit it's finally here
fucking finally, now hurry up i want a feature length absolution retrospective
This game steered me into classical music and game design which both led to metal music and computer engineering
no tienes idea de cuanto he estado esperando esto tanto que no lo voy a poner en ingles te amo bb
Back being a broke pc gamer with no internet this was basically my whole damn childhood 🤣🤣🤣I love this game
I miss Jesper Kyd in the new trilogy
It’s called a rosary bro. The crucifix is just the end piece
Easily one of the greatest title screen music, every single time I hear I just wanna play the whole game once again!
Hitman 1 and 2 had the best stories.
Holy shit I just watched ths first part this morning
I'm happy now
Looking through keyholes is more useful on Professional difficulty where the map only shows you the target's location and no one else's
Hitman2 and blood money are the best hitman games
Good Stuff. Keep up the good work.
6 days ago, whoa bout time I was lookin for these
I love this game. It is rare for a game to be better in every single way the way that Silent Assassin was compared to its predecessor. The locations in Italy, Russia, Japan, Malaysia, Afghanistan and India were a great variety. The new Hitman games are great, but can feel overcrowded at times. There was something soothing about the emptiness of levels in an older game like this. I am not saying that IO should go back to that, but I also cannot criticize Silent Assassin for something that I enjoyed.
this was the first game i bought with my birthday money with mortal komba da and the original Xbox i still say this is the best one out of the hitman games for the 1st 4
I've been playing the Silent Assassin on Xbox 360 and weirdly "Shogun Showdown" has the opposite problem to the PC version, it's too easy! The guards & ninjas don't seem to react to you at all as long as you're wearing a disguise, and you can stroll all the way through the building to the top floor without a single alert. I figured it had to be bugged as they make such a point of telling you to move around without making any noise. Other missions have similar bugs to the PC though, like the trucks not moving in Hidden Valley. I think that level is a nightmare on any platform.
For future reference, you are allowed to kill one guard and still maintain silent assassin rating (at least on normal). I figured that out halfway through my playthrough and it helped a few times where the AI completely bugged out. I still wish I could’ve done the missions clean, but what can you do?
0:27 why couldn’t they get kits?
The long plane rides must have been torture
I've seen at least 3 lets plays of this game where EVERY mission is finished with Silent Assassin. Unless you just had a bad copy of the game it shouldn't be that difficult.
tf you smoking. the japanese levels, mainly the first two are super fucking hard to sa. Some of the other missions are also tricky but even with a walkthrough i gave up
@@HawkeClan69 oh really? Okay maybe it's just me then, then again I've been playing this since I was 10 so maybe I just know it really well.
i did hidden valley silent assassin with no kills, no alerts, no sniper sightings and suit only! took me 3 nights but i bloody well did it!
My first Hitman game!
The most popular of all Hitman games, and in my humble opinion, a bit too experimental for my taste...
but it was still the best attempt at a personal story for 47 then what "Absolution" tried.
The storyline is why it's my favorite, and the final boss battle at the church.
This is my favorite hitman game.
Ok this is epic
Another great video, Cvit! :D
btw have you ever planned on making a video talking about Almost every Platinum Games title? from MadWorld to Astral Chain? (Mostly their main games)
That sounds like a fun idea maybe down the line I will do that
Most of the bugs you experienced might be related to frame rate. I would recommend capping it to 60, and then you'll only get half of the bugs
Edit: particularly the AI. AI cycles are definitely tied to framerate
My first hitman game
11:37 a cardboard cut-out, lmao
I think most of the AI problems you experienced (I did myself experienced them and it was awful) was due to this: Frame rates above 60 fps will cause NPCs to be more sensitive than intended and may affect pathing timing. Game is still playable at 144 fps, but issues may arise if attempting to play through a level with perfect stealth. So most likely you must lock framerate using nvidia control panel to 60 to avoid most of the issues.