As with the 2016 reboot of Hitman, Hitman 2 is one of the best games of the year and is so far my personal Game of the Year.

Hitman 2 is an absolute masterpiece of emergent, sandbox game design. Retaining all the key elements of the 2016 original, developer IO Interactive has instead restricted itself to a handful of minute but important changes. Streamlining the overall experience and producing what is, hands down, one of 2018’s most entertaining and satisfying titles.

Hitman 2 is for people who liked the episodic Hitman and wanted to see maps that were more even and consistent, have access to additional equipment for Agent 47, and generally get more of what they wanted. It does have some issues where it can feel disjointed, but this is really most noticeable in the campaign and will not be an issue for folks who want to take on contracts, hunt down Elusive Targets, complete challenges, and learn everything they need to know about each of the locations in the game. The Ghost Mode has potential for those who feel like they are going to put upwards of 30 hours into it, but I feel like it could be a while before Sniper Assassin hits its peek. If you are an Agent 47 fan, it is time to grab your briefcase and put on your suit again.

Hitman 2 is the proper evolution to the Hitman formula. It may not be a monumental step forward for the franchise, but the number of features and adjustments that are made only help create a more gratifying and highly-captivating experience.

Each mission in Hitman 2 is a treasure trove of wonderful emergent gameplay, excellent satirical writing, and lashings of delicious, jet-black humour. The targets you'll hunt are almost universally rotters which thankfully takes care of any lingering moral quandaries you may have about their imminent demise. It's better that way. We really don't want to feel bad about tinkering with an old man's oxygen tank so it blows up and kills him when he sparks up a cigarette, do we?

Suffice it to say, if all the stabbing, choking, and hippo-mauling is your kind of fun, Hitman 2 is the most Hitman there ever were, for better or worse. Its story, while plain, serves its purpose without getting in the way, and you’ll be able to stretch the murdering on for weeks to come, despite what few innovations there are being minor. There’s just nothing quite like Hitman, a series that defies everything we’ve learned about modern game business.

Hitman 2 is a disappointing follow-up. Instead of working to expand on the elements that worked in the previous entry, there's been a misguided effort to simply add bullet-points to the back of the box. A bad story, less impressive levels, and superfluous new modes leave the sequel lacking an identity, like 47 himself.