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Hitman 2: Silent Assassin is the second...first...second...(?) entry in the Hitman series. Released in 2002 as a direct sequel to the PC exclusive Hitman: Codename 47, Silent Assassin would then be retroactively made into a prequel when Hitman: Contracts, a sort-of remake...reimagining... of Codename 47, was released on consoles in 2004. And when the Hitman HD Trilogy compilation title was released, the first game included in the trilogy was Silent Assassin. So...

Okay, pardon the intentionally confusing history lesson, because there's fortunately a simple enough explanation for all of this. Hitman 2: Silent Assassin was considered by many to be an improvement to Codename 47 in practically every aspect while also introducing a lot of series staple gameplay elements. So rather than build a new game from scratch, Hitman: Contracts was released next on consoles and PCs, taking the skeleton of many missions from C47 and molding them to fit the gameplay of Silent Assassin. And, yeah, it was made into a sequel. Whatever. Let's just get on with it.

So given that Hitman 2: Silent Assassin was enough of a radical improvement that it prompted its predecessor to be remade into its sequel, it's fair to say that it was quite the impactful title. It's pretty obvious when viewing them in comparison; H2:SA introduces the mid-level save points, new disguise mechanics, and multiple avenues of approach that are all so ubiquitous with the Hitman series.

Particularly important were the mid-level save points, which give you a few chances to create a checkpoint once you've made meaningful progress—larger levels will often allow you a chance to earn an extra save when you accomplish optional tasks. This aids against frustration, sure, but it also empowers players to try a lot more options for how to approach the gameplay.

You are usually given some amount of leeway into how you decide to complete your mission, so it's nice that the game allows you to explore these options fully without feeling too punished by it. This, of course, ties in with the disguise system, which has endured as perhaps the most iconic element of the Hitman series and was refined here to create a more immersive experience. The rating system, too, was introduced with H2:SA, and on some of the better-designed levels, chasing that elusive Silent Assassin rating can feel like a fiendishly clever puzzle. It also gives you a hub world to return to every few missions or so, which allows you to store your collected weapons and use them in future missions. Not to mention the real-time map, a nice addition that helps plan your routes effectively and optimize your sneakiness.

Just as often, though, it can feel like a chore. While Silent Assassin did improve on the very large and mostly empty level design of Codename 47, in this context, it only means that the levels are now pretty evenly split between relatively tight and overly vast, as opposed to, say, a 20/80 split. The Japan levels in particular are open, empty, and not particularly enjoyable to interact with, but it's made worse by the fact that your character moves at a snail's pace and will likely be identified immediately if you decide to break into a brisk jog.

This is okay for smaller quarters, and when H2:SA is at its best, it will emulate that feeling of trying to blend in, nervously slipping past security as you hope you don't catch their attention. But a lot of this game just boils down to walking. You can't run, or you'll get found out, but you don't need to sneak past them, either. It feels like too much of this game's levels were based around what the hardware was capable of producing (at least in terms of level size) rather than focusing on what would make for a compelling stealth level.

It should also be said that the AI in this game is, at best, unpredictable, and at worst, utterly incompetent. They will stroll right up to you with a dozen bodies at your feet and decide to look around first before engaging you in combat. They may also think your disguise looks funny from a fair distance away. Sometimes they just ignore a corpse on the floor altogether. It's hard to feel like you're a successful seasoned hitman with a mastery of your craft when you can frequently skirt by based off the poor AI alone.

Perhaps all that was too much to focus on, though. Success is usually incremental, and a lot of concerns from Codename 47 were certainly addressed here. It's hard not to call Hitman 2: Silent Assassin a success by those metrics, even if it feels more like a bare-bones proof of concept rather than a fully fleshed-out game. This was, after all, the best-selling game in the original trilogy...tetralogy??? Whatever you call it, Silent Assassin is certainly an okay entry point to the series for those wanting to play from the...beginning...as long as you're willing to acknowledge that it represents the series very much on its way up the mountain, rather than at its peak.

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