Hitman's past has been as cold and calculated as its murderous anti-hero, each game cloned from the last to create a technically better sequel with technically better mechanics. Absolution defies this tradition.

Varied missions with seemingly limitless options; Sleek; sexy style; Bountiful improvements to the basic gameplay

A sometimes muddled story; That there aren't enough traditional levels; Seriously; what's up with the bloom lighting

The game doesn't have a great save system, and instead uses what feels like random checkpoints available to physically activate. You do get saves through the breaks in levels, but going back isn't really possible meaning checkpoints are sometimes a gamble.

Multiple gameplay approaches; Contracts mode adds addictive community competition; Solid overall presentation

Mediocre A.I; Lackluster narrative; Annoying save and checkpoint system

Agent 47 is back. Hitman Absolution transports us into the much-adored franchise, letting us glimpse the world through the eyes of a cold-blooded contract killer. Returning after a six-year hiatus, does the game triumph over Blood Money, its much-acclaimed predecessor?

Great voice acting; facial animation; Nice stealth elements; Breathtaking environments (at times; Contracts multiplayer is cool

Shoddy plot; Minor AI issues

Overall, Hitman: Absolution is a blast to play, and it represents a beautiful union between the Hitman games of old and new ideas. Everything from the presentation to the subtlest of the audio effects feels crafted with a level of care that is the hallmark of IO's past efforts with the series.

The cinematic quality accentuates the gritty nature of the story, Story is used as a cool way of exploring 47's inner emotions, There are so many different ways to dispatch your targets; Fiber wire, bullets, or accidents..

Some glitchy AI; Bit too much light bloom; Checkpointing and lack of a hard save system can be annoying; Story quickly falls in quality

- I have been playing shooters for a while now and I never got the chance to play any of the previous Hitman games. So when I saw it I was thinking its time I got into it as I have had many friends tell me how great the series was.

Six years seems like a long time to have to wait for a new Hitman installment, but I/O Interactive certainly kept themselves busy during that time. With a powerful engine under the hood (in the form of Glacier2), the baldest assassin of all-time is stepping out with a taut, exciting adventure that...

Agent 47 is back with clean stealth and little narrative investment.

Smooth stealth mechanics; Fully-realized set pieces

Deplorable characters

But, unlike the other best selling FPS hits of 2012, such as Call of Duty: Black Op's 2 and Battlefield 3 , Absolution injects a welcome twist on the classic gun game. Its biggest achievement is its ability to grant the player choice.

The gaming world has been waiting a long time to slip on a sleek black suit and dust off its piano wire. A wait so long, in fact, that it stretches way back into the previous console generation.

It's been a long time since we got to step into the shoes of the big, bald, barcoded assassin known only as Agent 47. Thankfully, Hitman: Absolution was worth the wait, providing the biggest game ever with a myriad of environments that will test would-be assassins on all levels, and rate their...