Sure, being spotted by someone and discovering that your only defence is a squeaky toy you’ve stuffed into your seemingly very large pockets isn’t ideal, but the story of how you pulled back that nailed-on failure of a mission is going to be worth it in the end. 2016’s Hitman, which created more of a buzz than the sequel — the reboot came after the polarising, more linear Hitman: Absolution, so it’s understandable why it made a bigger splash — introduced a whole new audience to the wonders of trying to squeak out assassination wins after wild mess-ups. Some might’ve been looking for more innovation from the expansion-like Hitman 2 when it came out, but I wasn’t. I craved that familiar feeling of pulling things back from the brink when all hope was lost. Plus, some of its maps are most certainly up there with the Sapienzas and Hokkaidos of this world. Miami, for example, is a wonderful playground of possibility, with much more to offer than just the F1 race track if you have a nose around; the peaceful suburbia of Whittleton Creek is ripe for divilment; and the Isle of Sgàil is a dense environment with plenty of solutions to attempt, and more than enough weirdos to marvel at. I even enjoyed the Ian-vs-Ian multiplayer. You don’t come to Hitman for some top quality esports action, so I get why it ultimately didn’t prove popular enough, but I thought the first to five kills format was a nice little idea. If you enjoyed its predecessor, you’ll enjoy Hitman 2. It’s more Hitman. And that’s a good thing.
