Topic: PlayStation 5 --OT--

https://www.gamesradar.com/upcoming-james-bond-game-project-0...

@RogerRoger Saw this and thought of you.

@Ralizah

Okay, but seriously, thanks for thinking of me! It's been fun living in an "anything is possible" headspace, but it's good to get a few more details, so that I can start managing my expectations. I'd hate to dream up my perfect Bond game and then end up disappointed when I don't get it, because I'm sure whatever IOI do eventually deliver will be superb. My trust in them is pretty unshakeable.

Besides, I'm sure somebody'll mod it with a passable Roger Moore model someday. Then they could patch in a bunch of wholly inappropriate one-liners and map a dedicated "raise eyebrow" button.

@RogerRoger Is it bad that I had to look up IOI because I've never gotten into the Hitman series?

Given their history with Hitman though, I'd be shocked if their take on Bond didn't end up being really good. I'd definitely play that.

@RogerRoger I've been excited for this ever since they dropped the teaser two years ago.

So rarely do you get a developer and license that seem like the perfectly harmonious relationship. Huge Hitman fan, huge 007 fan. High hopes!

Thanks for the video that has definitely piqued my interest i am also a fan.

It is really weird choice from Sony that even the Disc version of the new PS5 "Slim" requires an internet connection to pair the disc drive to the console.

I am surprised because they could've paired it in the factory before putting it in the box.

I am glad that I have one of the newer models of the OG PS5

@Zuljaras I'm sure I heard somewhere that Sony are required by law to do it that way. I could be mistaken though!

@JohnnyShoulder They are outsourcing the drives? I see no reason NOT have them already paired for the Standard disc drive editions.

No, I wouldn't say so. As brilliant as the Hitman games have been (and continue to be), IOI don't have quite the same name recognition as Insomniac, Bethesda, Naughty Dog, Respawn, etc. and because they've been so laser-focused on the World of Assassination trilogy for so long, it's easier to just refer to them as "the Hitman devs" when they're known for one thing and one thing only.

What is bad is that you haven't tried the Hitman series!

Only kidding, of course. It's not for everybody, and World of Assassination would be an incredibly daunting prospect for a total newcomer. I'd still highly recommend it, though!

@Ennui Always pleased to meet a fellow fan! And you're absolutely right, it's a match made in heaven. I know a lot of folks expect them to make "Hitman in a tuxedo" but I'm glad that early reports indicate something a little different. Bond might be an assassin, but he's a totally different beast, one with a much broader legacy. I mean, it's not like Agent 47 does gadget-laden car chases!

@RogerRoger It's been one of those series I've been tempted to try off and on but always gets pushed aside or forgotten with so much else to play (new and backlog). I do remember Sony offering the original in one form or another for free at one point via PS Plus, so I believe I have that one in my library.

Is there any difficulty issues with the series? I tend to stay away from anything like that as I game to have fun or know I could end up wasting hours and hours and accomplish nothing.

@KilloWertz It's not difficult in the traditional sense, no. You can clear its story on the lowest difficulty settings, and follow each level's Mission Stories for a guided (yet still fun) experience. It can generate considerable frustration at times, but only when you leave the beaten track. You might spend ages setting up some elaborate chain reaction and then a wonky NPC will come along and break their loop, or the physics will glitch out and act with inconsistency. These instances are infrequent, though, and only really occur when you're actively trying to mess about and see what's possible (or indeed, what's not).

There are also periodic checkpoints and unlimited manual save slots on two of its three difficulty levels, so any mistakes can be easily fixed. It will try and trip you up, but not in a nasty way. Experimentation is a big part of the gameplay loop. Failure is rarely cruel.

You and I have always agreed on the fact that gaming should be fun. Hitman is fun.

@RogerRoger That sounds pretty reasonable and thanks for the write-up. You may receive your residual check from IOI at some point in the future then.

At least somebody understands. I'm guessing you don't play Souls games either then. I could look myself, but I'm not turning my PS5 on for that.

@KilloWertz I only played half of the first game, but I can corroborate what @RogerRoger said about Hitman. It is fun, although it depends what it is you like about gaming. If the sandbox elements of games, creativity, and puzzling things out is your jam, then you’ll be right at home. If you want a twitchy shooty-shooty, bang-bang, then there are other games that will fit the bill better. If you usually try to stealth it out when given the option in your games rather than go in guns blazin’, then Hitman is for you.

There is a certain amount of patience required. Not in the same way Souls games require patience, but more in the sense that tactical plans sometimes take time to set up and execute. A couple times I did eventually resort to going off script and just shooting the place up, and that can be done to an extent if you want, but it clearly feels wrong to do that and the gameplay mechanics are really not built for playing like a third person shooter.

I did struggle with the gameplay for the first few hours. It can be overwhelming the way each stage is set up. Sometimes the target seems almost impossible to get to and there’s a hundred possible ways to approach it swirling in your head. I felt pressured to be extravagant and creative but it was too difficult early on to do that and I failed a lot at first. But once I caught on to the guided “mission stories” it became less difficult. If you follow the script laid out in one of those then it’s not nearly as daunting. Once I gave in and just started using those prompts instead of creating my own plans, I started to enjoy it more. Some of those pre-scripted approaches are harder than others, though.

Also, as an aside, although the overarching narrative was surprisingly cohesive and better than I expected, be sure to set your appropriate expectations that this is not Uncharted or Metal Gear Solid, as far as storytelling goes. Perhaps the sequels amp up that aspect of the game but the in first game the gameplay was clearly the focus and the loose story threads between stages were secondary.

So there’s a little personal experience from a Hitman rookie for you. I ended up falling off the first game despite having enjoyed it once I got the hang of it. For whatever reason I got distracted and the game suffered the same fate as many others in my ‘partially completed and need to go back to’ pile.

@Th3solution Thanks for the detailed feedback. I am fine with playing games whichever way you're supposed to. Obviously some game's stealth gameplay is better than others, with some games implementing it as an option but not really designing it so it's either fair or implemented very well. Do a stealth mission, but we'll have it so somebody a mile away sees you attacking somebody else somehow. For normal games, the Arkham and Spider-Man games implemented it well enough. Obviously Hitman is specifically designed to be played that way, so I shouldn't be too concerned going in whenever that may be.

Can you save in the middle of a mission, or do you have to continue planning it out and executing it before you can? Obviously that would be an issue if I was forced to do a whole hit before I could save it.

That's fine. I know not every game can be on the level of some of the best narrative games. Obviously it would be cool to have a Hitman game like that, but not necessary. Maybe their Bond game will be closer to that, who knows, but still not a dealbreaker either way.

I try my best to finish games I start nowadays, but I'm sure the amount of unfinished games is not as bad as some people I have on my friends list where they will have hundreds of games played but only a fraction of them actually finished or played beyond an hour.

@KilloWertz Yes, unless I’m misremembering, you can save in the middle of a level. I think it’s fairly liberal with the ability to do so throughout the contract except in specific times like open combat or at narrative points. Going back to start over from a prior save is actually a big part of it, as well as replaying levels over and over to try something different.

There are incentives you’re encouraged to try which make the hit harder in certain ways, like kill them while wearing a certain disguise or with a certain object. In the few levels I played it felt like the point was to take the person out while making it look like a freak accident. Or at least in a manner where there’s just no way to trace it to you. Poisoning, having a large item fall on them, manipulating someone else to do it, etc, etc. Of course there’s also just times you can opt to snipe them or strangle them unexpectedly and whatnot. The trick is that after you kill them you have to get out of there unnoticed too.

The mission structure does lend itself to drop-in, drop-out gameplay, since it’s easy to just take a break after a contract is done. Despite being very convenient, in a way I think that’s part of why I may have dropped off because unlike a more contiguous game, the isolated missions can make it easy to lose momentum and get caught up in another game, if that makes sense.

Talking about it makes me want to revisit it though. Hitman 3 is supposed to be the pinnacle, but I have Hitman 1 & 2 in my library via PS+, so I should continue with those.