Alekhine's Gun: The Video Game That Ripped Off Hitman
2. Hitman... Without A Difference
At the very least, Alekhine's gun should be commended for trying something new with its setting and story. Gaming as a medium has done wonders with history, as Assassin's Creed (glitches aside) has demonstrated so thoroughly since 2007. There's value in telling stories in the past, and with the spy genre having come into its own on the big screen during the Cold War, with the likes of James Bond, the Man from U.N.C.L.E. and the works of John le Carré then dominating popular culture, making an espionage tale set in that period is really quite fitting.
The problem that faced Alekhine, however, was that it didn't really do much with history. There's a Black Ops-esque backdrop surrounding JFK's assassination, and some WW2 flashbacks thrown in for good measure, but the game never ends up saying much. Not that Hitman did either, but 47 did have a kind of steely, reticent personality to him. Alekhine, on the other hand, is a vessel of failed expectations - an avatar for nothing.
He's not a compelling lead by any stretch, but he's not the cause of the game's problems. He is, however, emblematic of the title's banality, with the story itself serving little purpose other than to transport the player from locale to locale.
And, much like the famous franchise of old, Alekhine's Gun rips its levels straight from the Hitman playbook. You're given targets to assassinate, disguises to assume, and the same array of garrotes, pistols and knives 47 packed when he was on the job. The only difference here, however, is the distinct lack of polish; enemies possess the same peripheral vision of your average deep-sea fish, an amnesia that would make Jason Bourne blush, and the accuracy of a stormtrooper who'd knocked their head against a low-hanging archway.
Gameplay is almost laughably tragic as a result, and with the stealth genre having made a name for itself on account of its challenging nature, the only challenge players will find here, will be navigating a level without getting sucked into the floor.