Hitman: Absolution

As a longtime Hit-man fan, I was eager to play the follow-up to 2006's "Blood Money," but as the years ticked by, I began to think it wasn't going to happen. Either that, or the programmers would take too long and we'd end up with a product like "Duke Nukem Forever." Luckily, the time spent making this latest installment of the Hit-man franchise was well worth it! The graphics are amazing, the music is haunting, and the possibilities are endless. 47 has never looked more real, and his character development is both realistic and engaging. The storyline might be more in-depth than previous Hit-man games (which some critics have scoffed at, strangely), but it just engrosses the gamer even more into this dark, awesome world.

Without giving too much away, the gameplay is basically the same as "Blood Money," but with a new focus option that allows you to see through walls and focus in on the patterns of the AI around you (think of it like Batman's sonar vision from "The Dark Knight" - it's basically the exact same thing). There's also an option to "point shoot," which is identical to the "Dead Eye" target-shooting from "Red Dead Redemption." Hey, if another game made it cool, why not put it in Hit-man? The only real complaint I have is that it's very, very difficult - even on the "normal" mode. The AI are extremely aware, and if you disguise yourself, chances are someone will notice. You can use your "instinct" to blend in and avoid detection, but it's hit-or-miss. And if you blow your cover, you're going to have a hell of a time finishing the mission. Still, it's a blast! And I can't wait to go back and complete every mission in every which way possible!