Hitman 2: Silent Assassin

Agent 47 has knocked out an enemy guard and is now wearing the guard's clothes

Hitman 2 features mission-based gameplay, from a third-person perspective, which can optionally be switched to a first-person view. On each level, the main character, a contract killer named Agent 47, is given a set of objectives to complete. Most levels require the assassination of one or more people. The way through which the missions are to be completed is up to the player, and there are often a variety of ways to complete missions. Instead of taking an action-oriented, aggressive approach, one can also set traps, like poisoning a drink, to terminate the target in silence. Some missions have assassination possibilities unique to the level.

47 can find disguises or remove them from an incapacitated person to blend in with his surroundings and access restricted areas. This plays in with the "suspicion" system; a bar beside the health meter on the HUD represents how much suspicion 47 garners. There are multiple ways to blend in more effectively; for example, the player can make sure to carry an AK-47 assault rifle while disguised as a Russian soldier. Despite the usage of a uniform, being nearer to fellow guards will increase the suspicion as they would have an opportunity to more closely examine 47. Running, climbing and being in restricted places are other ways to garner concern.

47's cover can be blown if suspicion gets too high, and the disguise will no longer be of any use. It is possible to switch between multiple disguises throughout the level.

Hitman 2 uses the concept of a post-mission ranking system, in which the player is given a status based on how they completed the mission, rated along a stealthy-aggressive axis, between "Silent Assassin", a stealthy player who manages to complete the level without being noticed and only killing two non targeting people excluding the intended target(s), and "Mass Murderer", a non-stealthy player who kills everyone. The game rewards the player for critical thinking and problem solving, encouraging the player not to treat the game as a simple shooter. Achieving Silent Assassin status on multiple missions rewards the player with bonus weapons. These weapons, plus items found in previous levels, can be carried over into future ones, allowing for differing means of accomplishing the tasks. Big weapons like rifles and shotguns cannot be concealed, thus the player has to either be wearing an appropriate disguise to match the weapon, or make sure no one sees the player use it.

Following the events of Hitman: Codename 47, two men travel to Romania to visit the hidden laboratory of Dr. Ort-Meyer, a specialist in cloning. Finding the laboratory raided and everyone inside dead, the pair review a security footage recorded of the carnage, and witness a man in a suit killing everyone. One of the men recognizes the figure as Agent 47, a cloned contract killer, and decides that they must "hire" him. Meanwhile, 47, having quit his life as a contract killer after erasing all evidence of his existence, leads a new life as a humble gardener at a Sicilian church owned by Reverend Emilio Vittorio. One day, men arrive at the church and abduct Vittorio, after 47 attends confession to ask for forgiveness for his past, leaving behind a ransom note demanding $500,000.

Unable to pay such a sum, 47 contacts the International Contract Agency (ICA) - a global organisation involved in assassinations - for assistance, who agree in exchange for him performing contracts for them. Although he learns that abduction was conducted by the local Mafia and kills the person who handled it, 47 is unable to find Vittorio, and is left to repay his debt to the ICA, taking on contacts across Russia, Japan, Malaysia, Afghanistan, and India, each requiring him to collect an important item for his client. In time, he eventually gives up his search for Vittorio, whom he assumes is dead.

After eliminating his last target, 47 finds himself informed by the ICA that Vittorio's kidnapping was orchestrated by Sergei Zavorotko, the brother of one of 47's five creators, in order to lure him out of retirement. In addition, he learns that all the targets were connected to the sale of a nuclear warheads to Sergei, who needed them eliminated in order to conceal the fact that he intended to arm the warheads to missiles that possessed software that would disguise them as American-made, therefore bypassing the American missile defense system, and sell them to interested parties.

47 pursues after Sergei, who has taken Vittorio back to his church, and kills him and his men. Concerned for his soul, Vittorio begs him to renounce his path of violence and lead a good life, handing him his rosary. Unable to find inner peace, however, 47 leaves the rosary on the church's door, and formally returns to the ICA.

One of the major complaints critics made about the first game was that it was inaccessible to most players due to its unfriendly nature.[4] Despite the problems with the first game, it did show potential for the underlying technology and gameplay. Improvements were made to the game's AI and the new levels were made smaller and more focused. Additional items would be available in the second installment including chloroform for quietly taking down enemies and a crossbow which could silently kill opponents. The initial story for the game would take place after the events of the first game. After hearing the changes planned for Hitman 2, PC Gamer declared in December 2001 that "Hitman 2 should be everything we wished of its predecessor – and that gives us extremely high hopes."[4]

Hitman 2: Silent Assassin received "generally positive" reviews, according to review aggregator Metacritic.[5][6][7][8] GameSpot gave it a score of 8.6/10, saying that it "fixes virtually all of the problems of its predecessor" and is still an "outstanding" game.[10] Electronic Gaming Monthly scored Hitman 2's GameCube version 7/8/8.5: the first reviewer criticized its artificial intelligence and mission briefings, but said that "each time I circumvented the immeasurable odds and made the crucial killing blow, Hitman 2 was briefly a blast"; the third reviewer summarized it as "an engaging adventure title that rewards patient players".[9]

Despite the 7/8/8.5 scores given by Electronic Gaming Monthly, the cover of the Gamecube release says "9/10 Electronic Gaming Monthly Gold Award." This score is erroneously taken from the magazine's review of the PlayStation 2 version. When confronted with the issue by Electronic Gaming Monthly, Eidos said it would remove the score in future printings.[11]

Hitman 2 has sold more than 3.7 million copies as of 23 April 2009.[2] By July 2006, the PlayStation 2 version of Hitman 2 had sold 1.1 million copies and earned $39 million in the United States. Next Generation ranked it as the 47th highest-selling game launched for the PlayStation 2, Xbox or GameCube between January 2000 and July 2006 in that country. Combined console sales of Hitman games released in the 2000s reached 2 million units in the United States by July 2006.[12] Hitman 2's computer and Xbox releases each received a "Silver" sales award from the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA),[13] indicating sales of at least 100,000 copies per version in the United Kingdom.[14] ELSPA gave the game's PlayStation 2 release a "Platinum" certification,[15] for sales of at least 300,000 copies in the region.[14]

Hitman 2 was nominated for Computer Gaming World's 2002 "Action Game of the Year" award, which ultimately went to Medal of Honor: Allied Assault. The editors wrote, "Hitman 2 is a huge improvement over the original, and it's one of the best games of last year in any genre."[16]

• Official website via Internet Archive