Reviewing games can sometimes feel like an exercise in putting Andrew Ryan's famous opening speech from Bioshock to the test: " Is a man not entitled to the sweat of his brow " News that Hitman has been divided into an episodic game has given quite a few fans and reviewers pause , with fears that...

A return to classic Hitman gameplay; In-level storytelling is fantastic; Opportunities + all forms of assistance easily turned off; Challenges; contracts; massively extend the game's shelf-life

In-level storytelling is fantastic; Challenges; contracts; massively extend the game's shelf-life; Tags

A well-designed and enjoyable puzzler. However, control issues, repetitive music and a lack of tactical freedom mean it's unlikely you'd choose to play this over real Hitman on your console.

All the content from the iOS game; and no microtransactions; Brilliant puzzle design; Your parents may not disapprove for once

Sometimes the controls don't work; Annoying load screen when you hit restart; You're more or less forced to do it 'the correct way

Hitman Episode 3: Marrakesh doesn't reach the highs of the previous levels and suffers more than ever from the extremely superficial approach to voice acting. It's not a bad level, but it's definitely one that I'd be less inclined to return to than the others I've played so far.

Intelligent; patient gameplay; Replay potential remains high; Bustling city

Horrific voice acting; Map is less interesting

After three wonderful Episodes of Hitman, IO Interactive drops the ball by delivering a chunk of content that's not nearly as thoughtful as what came before. But even if this installment comes off as a little disappointing, you should still get some enjoyment out of it if you enjoyed Agent 47's...

The new Hitman makes its debut as the first episode of a complete story. It's where you train as Agent 47 during his induction into the International Contract Agency to familiarize yourself with the flow of missions.

Missions are flexible and open to a variety of strategies; Entertaining means of killing targets; Excellent replayability

Inconsistent AI thwarts immersion; Missions rely too strongly on using disguises; Technical shortcomings lend a rushed quality to the experience

Agent 47, the well-dressed, bar-coded assassin, first made an appearance on Windows PC back in the year 2000, and the game was called Hitman: Codename 47. What followed was a massive number of sequels: Hitman 2: Silent Assassin (2002), Hitman: Contracts (2004), Hitman: Blood Money (2006) Hitman:...

It's cool to see just how many ways there are to approach each situation; the game is technically solid; as is the AI

Its core mechanics are repetitive and its premise bland; not yet sure if this episodic route is the way to go

Hitman will see players perform contract hits on powerful, high-profile targets in exotic locations around the world.

When Absolution launched in 2012, it was the most mechanically solid and best-looking Hitman game to date, but it featured an atrocious story and several linear levels that went against the open-ended gameplay the series was known for.

It's only as hand-holding as players want it to be

Weird bugs destroying perfectly-planned progress

While we've generally strayed from reviewing individual episodes of games here at GameZone, Hitman's approach to the episodic format is quite different. Since there is very little story to tell, and rather a whole lot of experimental gameplay that rewards multiple playthroughs, Hitman gets a pass on...

Absolution's DNA is certainly visible almost immediately. Hitman controls just as fluidly as he did in that game, and the overall approach to completing levels remains the same; Giving players a buffet of choices of how to dispose of their target, This is evident right from the Tutorial missions,...

I only got to play Hitman on the PS4; so I'm unsure of how other consoles perform; but the loading times can be rather long; which is especially disappointing when you want to reload a save because you either messed up or want to try a different approach; The story is rather lackluster.

Hitman: Absolution was, for some, a bit hit and miss. Mostly, fans of the series didn't like the way in which the game took a linear approach to the way you assassinated targets, and although you were still able to take people out in any order, the levels felt marginally confined and players also...