www.bahrainthismonth.com 138 April 2016 games Games review What is it? Hitman is the return of the globetrotting Agent 47 during the prime of his career. The world’s most famous follically challenged assassin has been absent for a while, but he’s back to hunt down his enemies in this brutal stealth-action game. As an operative of the International Contract Agency, his job is to take out high-profile targets all over the world, supported by his long-time handler Diana Burnwood. In a first for the series, the game will be released in episodic chunks over the next six months, with a new location and a plethora of ways to complete missions coming with each release. Gameplay The game continues the series’ legacy of being a third-person stealth experience. This time around, however, players are given a large amount of room for creativity in approaching their assassinations thanks to the largest levels ever assembled in a Hitman game. For instance, you can utilise long-range rifles to snipe a target from a distance, assassinate the target at close range by using blade weapons or garrotte wire, or – and best of all – you can disguise the assassination by creating a seemingly accidental death. In terms of stealth, there is a wealth of disguises to don that allow you to blend into the environment and access restricted areas. There are also lots of reasons to replay missions, both to find new ways of assassinating targets and also to beat high scores. Mission performance is rated by factors such as the time taken, number of innocent people killed, number of witnesses or CCTV captures, or whether special equipment was left behind. Graphics The visuals are crisp and all individual nonplayable characters have their own unique appearance. Considering levels can accommodate about 300 of them, each with different routines and reactions in response to the player’s actions, this is an impressive feat. The level design is outstanding, with each one a sandbox allowing it to be explored and approached in numerous ways. The only problem with having such detail is that loading times are cripplingly slow, as much as a minute on the PlayStation 4. Tom Clancy’s The Division The Division takes place in New York three weeks after a lethal virus has swept through the city. One by one, basic services have failed and society has collapsed into chaos. The President invokes Presidential Directive 51, and The Division, a topsecret unit of self-supporting tactical agents, is activated. Players can explore the once-familiar streets and landmarks of the Big Apple, now decimated by looting and overrun by clans that will do anything to survive. From Central Park to the subway to the Statue of Liberty, nowhere is safe in this online, open-world experience where exploration, combat and RPG player-progression are vital elements. Far Cry Primal Set during the savage Stone Age, Far Cry Primal is a fully-fledged single player experience that will take gamers back in history to 10,000 BC to a time when massive beasts like the woolly mammoth and sabretooth tiger ruled the Earth. The game retains the series staple of an innovative open world sandbox but dumps the player in a time when humans were not at the top of the food chain but were fighting to climb it amongst terrifying creatures, breathtaking environments and unpredictable encounters with spears and catapults. EA Sports UFC 2 The second major MMA game on the new generation of consoles brings a ton of new features and upgrades. In terms of fighting, the game’s artificial intelligence accommodates for changes in player strategies mid-game to make the experience more realistic. The new Knockout Physics System also allows players to knock out opponents dynamically based on the momentum and strength of finishing hits. Ultimate Team mode allows players to create five different fighters, and fight to earn coins to customise and upgrade them, while female fighters like Ronda Rousey have been introduced for the first time. Game: Hitman Verdict: The unparalleled mix of stealth and action returns. Rating: ****
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