Could Hitman 2016 have gotten away with it?
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Was it bad? I had heard from a lot of people that it was one of the best Hitman games...
Either way, I don't mind Episodic Content but then again, I never buy it in it's episodic form so I'm not sure that my opinion on it really counts. I buy games like Telltale's stuff once it all comes out (or if it goes on sale halfway through, I will buy it but then not play it until it all comes out) and I fully intended to do that with Hitman.
The only real reservation I had with Hitman versus Telltales games is that it sounds like Hitman is more of the big open sandbox and unconnected stories (so they're individual missions but unlike the previous games, there's no real overarching story). I'm not the kind of gamer who plays through things multiple times so I'm a little worried that the new Hitman game's style just might not be for me but that's something I'd research a bit more into once I see the game get cheap enough where I will pull the trigger.
Either way, I don't mind Episodic Content but then again, I never buy it in it's episodic form so I'm not sure that my opinion on it really counts. I buy games like Telltale's stuff once it all comes out (or if it goes on sale halfway through, I will buy it but then not play it until it all comes out) and I fully intended to do that with Hitman.
The only real reservation I had with Hitman versus Telltales games is that it sounds like Hitman is more of the big open sandbox and unconnected stories (so they're individual missions but unlike the previous games, there's no real overarching story). I'm not the kind of gamer who plays through things multiple times so I'm a little worried that the new Hitman game's style just might not be for me but that's something I'd research a bit more into once I see the game get cheap enough where I will pull the trigger.
That you have, yes. I'm here to demonstrate that you views and justifications are divorced from fact.Saelune said:
What you haven't done is answer my question. I'm a wee bit puzzled as to why. It's a rather straightforward question. Do you have any actual experience with the game you are criticizing, either first hand or by watching someone else's gameplay?
It doesn't matter how good it is, how good it could have been or how good it might be in the future. I will never buy an always online single player game. End of story. I can forgive episodic content. Hell, I can wait for the whole game to be released if I'm not comfortable with episodic format, but I will never pay for a game that has always online requirement. We've been through this so many times. It's not about your connection, it's about their servers. My connection is rock solid and I honestly don't remember the last time that my internet went out. Really. But I don't trust their freakin' servers. And I don't want to encourage more of that kind of crap.
Nah, it fit it pretty well, gave you a map to fuck around in and objectives with sometimes wacky ways to kill people. All you really need for a Hitman game is to give people a puzzle and then give them a file to make all the pieces fit how they want. It's just that, much like Telltale games, people forget they exist because they don't have a consistent schedule and you end up having to replay the previous episodes to remember all the things that happened.pookie101 said:
Episodic is honestly just a bad business model for both consumer and developer and I despise Telltale for popularizing it so much in the last few years.
Again a moot point by now. You can start an 'offline profile' and you can play through the entire game without connecting to Squeenix servers. The only thing you're locked out of are online missions which makes sense because they are, well, online.Adam Jensen said:
People come up with the dumbest reasons not to play this game which is fine and all but don't complain all you get is Fifa, CoD, Madden and Battlefield. And more Ubisoft.
Absolution has terrible story. it was just cinematic game that potray story well otherwise its story was crap.BabyfartsMcgeezaks said:
The new Hitman game is masterpiece compare to how dumbed down absolution but shame how the way they launch.
Only played the 2016 one, Absolution and one of the others (might've been Blood Money, don't really recall, was at a buddys house). Can't say the storys have ever really struck me as more then hokey junk to facilitate the game. 2016 does have an overarching story, anyhow.
The episodic thing doesn't end up hurting it from a gameplay standpoint. The game (and the other Hitmans I've played) were split into levels anyways. There's the concern of "Will the whole thing come out" I suppose, but from a AAA publisher/franchise, it seems doubtful they'd axe it midway through, whereas the indie studio might collapse in on itself more readily. I could see personal preference too though. Some folks just want to play a game in a solid sitting. Random 90 minute-2 hours, then wait a month or more for the next level is a bit of an odd plate to serve up. I'd actually find it more annoying if it was more story-driven like Telltale stuff, as if I'm engrossed in a story, I don't want to just jump off at some stupid cliffhanger point and/or forget elements of the story by the time the next bit rolls out.
The episodic thing doesn't end up hurting it from a gameplay standpoint. The game (and the other Hitmans I've played) were split into levels anyways. There's the concern of "Will the whole thing come out" I suppose, but from a AAA publisher/franchise, it seems doubtful they'd axe it midway through, whereas the indie studio might collapse in on itself more readily. I could see personal preference too though. Some folks just want to play a game in a solid sitting. Random 90 minute-2 hours, then wait a month or more for the next level is a bit of an odd plate to serve up. I'd actually find it more annoying if it was more story-driven like Telltale stuff, as if I'm engrossed in a story, I don't want to just jump off at some stupid cliffhanger point and/or forget elements of the story by the time the next bit rolls out.
I would say look at how people bought the Telltale series. Some people bought it per episode. Some bought the collection. Some waited longer still for it to be on discount. You're spreading your customers, which is probably fine for a small-(ish) costing game like The Walking Dead. But probably not cost effective for a Triple A game.
Telltale popularized the format for story-heavy games, but this game wasn't episodic for the reasons many people think. According to SuperBunnyHop, Hitman was originally intended to be split in two parts, with Sapienza, the "best of the entire series" according to many, being included in the initial package so people could buy the rest of the game if they wanted. Sadly, stuff like deadlines meant each half had to be split into three parts and so Sapienza, the hook of the entire game ended up in the second part out of the six.BaldursGateTemple said:
Im gonna say it, Hitman 2016 is a close tie with Blood Money and it was the best game of 2016 for me. I know its opinions, and that there were some details that could have been improved (both in gameplay like briefcases, and in packaging like DRM), but fuck me if it isnt a really great game with a lot of new features that make sense for the series.
Its true that the game got ignored a lot by its initial issues, and since its a niche title I dont think that being good could ever be enough to surpass those issues since this is a thing:
Its true that the game got ignored a lot by its initial issues, and since its a niche title I dont think that being good could ever be enough to surpass those issues since this is a thing:
Saelune said:
I think it couldn't. Maybe if the marketing department would plan it out better. Or if Squeenix's expectations weren't (again)so high. Or if they decided on selling the game split into two parts, not six- but then we'd be discussing a different sales model here.
As someone who thought that episodic release COULD be a good idea for a game structured like Hitman, i'm partially glad this particular bussiness model didn't work out.
Not a big fan of selling games in parts otherwise(and especially not a fan of always-online singleplayer), and if HITMAN would succeed, it could set a precedent that the market would follow. Seems like we're safe from that, for now.
I just feel bad for IOI.
As someone who thought that episodic release COULD be a good idea for a game structured like Hitman, i'm partially glad this particular bussiness model didn't work out.
Not a big fan of selling games in parts otherwise(and especially not a fan of always-online singleplayer), and if HITMAN would succeed, it could set a precedent that the market would follow. Seems like we're safe from that, for now.
I just feel bad for IOI.
Wait, wouldn't it be a good thing for developers? That way they can release part of the game and get paid while they make the rest of it. And maybe tweak some things based on player reaction?Redryhno said:
....portraying a story is the most important thing when it comes to making an actual story if you ask me. A games story/plot could be cliche and done millions of times before but it's the script, characters and presentation that really matters. Even if the game had a ''terrible story'', atleast it has one.B-Cell said:
Hitman 2016 was only a masterpiece if you're solely in it for the sandbox gameplay it offers, everything else is pretty terrible.
In theory, sure. But the problem is that people either forget it exists while they release and so they don't buy it, or people buy it and never play it because they don't want to have to go through it every time to know what's going on(in the case of story-based), which leads to people forgetting the company exists. In Hitman's case, people just don't like the start/stop motion of it all. Great Hitman game, don't get me wrong, but it's more fun to be able to go from sandbox to sandbox instead of doing everything in one, and then waiting and forgetting the next release.DrownedAmmet said:
And tweak it? When was the last time you remember any of these episodic releases tweaking on player feedback?
People have been ragging on Telltale for like five years now for how little their "SO AND SO WILL REMEMBER THAT" pop-ups and the choices made matter. And they still release half-baked VN's based on other people's material on an engine that was out of date quite a while back with the same file corruption bugs that can turn all that time and effort into completely wasted time.
Episodic is just a cash-grab in my opinion. Either release the game in full, or make sure that you stay on a quick schedule and keep each module self-contained as possible. Hitman failed on the first one, and was hit and miss on the second. Otherwise you're looking at people buying a season pass and waiting for the full story to come out only to not know when it's complete, or you've got people that get angry because there's a wall that falls down on them in the middle of the game they're playing. This isn't like expansion DLC or something that adds to the gameplay experience and is announced and released after the base game. This is pre-order mixed with coke and sold as "MORE". Each hit'll bring you closer to the end, but you'll never quite get there.
The idea of episodic releases is patently absurd; I don?t think it?ll ever work for traditional retail games, not as long as most developers can still manage to offer us an [arguably] complete experience at the point of sale. When I buy a new game, I don?t want to have to wait MONTHS to finish it just because it?s not done yet. That business model is a gamble on the dev?s part as well, banking on the chunks of the game they mete out being good enough to keep people?s interest throughout the course of development; what do you do if the first ?episode? is shit and you?re stuck developing for a game that?s essentially dead on the vine? So it?s a waste of time on everybody?s part.