Agent 47 is one of the most understated characters in video games. He's not endearing, cute, funny, or a misunderstood person who does bad things but deep inside has a heart of gold. 47's always worked best as a cold-blooded, icy-eyed killer, tirelessly carrying out clean, clinical hits on dangerous figures who may or may not have a personal connection to him. So, if you've been following his various exploits on the big screen from the last few years, you'll quickly realise the version of the character in 2015 is not the one gamers grew up with. Since the brilliant Hitman: Blood Money back in 2006, there have been two awful - but well publicised - Hitman movies and one weirdly misguided game, all of which have turned 47 into more of a Hollywood action figure complete with emotions, clearly-defined motives and romantic love interests (urgh, just fetch the fibre-wire immediately). While Hitman Absolution was a serviceable enough kind of game, it removed much of what defined the series to that point. For much of the game, 47 was the hunted rather than the hunter, the levels felt small and didn't encourage exploration, and the game in general felt too loud and cinematicfor a series that always encouraged clean, quiet, experimental killing. The upcoming 2016 reboot of sorts looks set to take the series back to basics, while also refining and expanding it for the current console generation. Square Enix seems to have listened to fans' calls to bring back the 47 we know and not love, but fear. The new Hitman will be bigger, more free, less story-driven than its predecessor, and there are some great reasons to believe it can reinstate Hitman as the foremost stealth assassin in video games.
Gamer, Researcher of strange things.
I'm a writer-editor hybrid whose writings on video games, technology and movies can be found across the internet. I've even ventured into the realm of current affairs on occasion but, unable to face reality, have retreated into expatiating on things on screens instead.
