Hitman: Absolution (PC, Xbox 360) Review

This is the best-looking Hitman game to date, as it should be after six and a half years.  On the PC version you can crank up the visuals to Ultra mode, which not only uses 16x antisotropic filtering, but implements FSAA and DirectX11 tessellation.  Our Intel i7-920 with GeForce GTX 460 was able to handle this mode at around 30 frames per second in 1080p resolution.  Medium detail looks almost as good, and it is really hard to pinpoint major differences between them.  We noticed a tremendous improvement in Ultra mode by just turning tessellation off.

Each map is extremely detailed, and you can even see scars and textures on Agent 47’s skin.  There is a lot of lens flare, but it is not overly gimmicky.  The worlds are very realistic and many effects are just breathtaking, but there are a few elements that just don’t look right, like the water from a waterfall looking like puffy clouds.

One of the most noticeable aspects of the game is the sheer number of people in crowds.  There can be hundreds of characters on the screen at one time, with absolutely no slowdown.  Each person has their own agenda: some are talking on cell phones, some ordering food, and others just trying to get from A to B.  All of the characters seem organic and don’t seem to be following path rails.  Agent 47 can easily push through crowds like a Boss, much like in Assassin’s Creed.