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After receiving a vocal negative regarding the trailer that featured Agent 47 systematically murdering an assassin squad posing as nuns decked out in latex and PVC, developer IO Interactive has decided to make some changes to Hitman Absolution . "We learned from the trailer that we really needed to give these characters some context and some backstory," Hitman Absolution director Tore Blystad told Eurogamer during Gamescom. "We're working within the game – within that level – to build these characters up before you meet them. That way you know what you're getting and you aren't put off by them." Known as "The Saints" within the game, Blystad says the female team of killers fits within a franchise that has often been "colourful and cartoony." The description is apt, considering Agent 47's previous experience dressing up as a clown and visiting bondage bars. Blystad also promised that the all-out-war approach taken by Agent 47 in t...

  Here's the clip from Gamescom detailing Hitman: Absolution 's recently revealed asynchronous multiplayer mode, "Contracts." Playable at the German mega show, Contracts allows players to make their own scenario of Agent 47 marks and challenge their friends to do better.  

Hitman: Absolution will feature an asynchronous multiplayer mode known as "Contracts," IO Interactive revealed at a Gamescom event. Players make their own scenarios, targeting any three characters on a given level with any weapons, and challenging other players to complete the contract in less time (and for more money). For example, in the oft-seen library scene where Agent 47 is trying to get away from a group of cops, it is now possible to make an original kill scenario. Players take out a target, choosing a specific weapon. Then they can do that to two other characters, then escape the scenario – and upload that to the contracts server. Developer IO Interactive says there will be weekly contracts. Earned money can be used to start scenarios with weapons and disguises. For example, if you know a specific costume helps you blend in a certain level, you'll be able to start the level wearing it to reduce time. The mode will be playable at Gamescom.

Despite Agent 47 having dispatched the various gogo nuns from Hitman: Absolution 's recent trailer, Vivica A. Fox's "head nun" character may have lived. Or they all did! What a twist! See if you can figure it out from the trailer above.    

There's a man – not a very good man – standing in the center of a pagoda-topped gazebo in the middle of Chicago's Chinatown. He's hired police officers to guard him from all angles, but his armor's not without weak points: He likes to eat at a food stand half a block away, he gets drugs from a personal dealer in a nearby apartment, and he drives a luxury car, parked in a side alley. Kill him. The car might be his most obvious weakness, so you, as Agent 47, go exploring around that side alley. There is one off-duty cop guarding the car itself, so with a few stealth moves, you take the cop out silently with a stolen knife and stash his body in a dumpster. For a few extra points on your score, you might also take his uniform, just in case you need it later. With the way clear and your disguise in place, you plant a bomb underneath the car, and once it's all set to blow, bang the hood just hard enough to set the car alarm off. Moving out into the crowds of China...

This time it's personal. It may be one of the worst taglines ever, but for Hitman: Absolution , it's an apt summary of a demo given to me in San Francisco last week. This time around, Agent 47 isn't accepting contract kills -- he's on his own mission. Hitman: Absolution (1/11/2012) This decision gives IO Interactive a unique opportunity not afforded to the developer before, lead producer Hakan Abrak said. "Agent 47 makes the call," Abrak said. "He decides what the next step is. The mission and the story was progressing through the contracts before, but in Absolution there are no contracts. He needs to figure out what the next steps are and that really gives us an interesting way of progressing story. Also it gives us an opportunity to get you guys closer to Agent 47." While that's the goal, I wasn't able to get much of a sense of that in my demo, which focused mainly on 47's new skill set. For how long Agent 47 has been in the murder ga...

Square Enix Europe has filed a trademark for Hitman: Profession . Siliconera dug up the paperwork, which gives us very little information beyond a name and the potential for hours of speculation on what it means. The most obvious guess would be it's the name of the new Hitman game, in production under IO supervision at the Square Enix studio in Montreal . Considering Hitman: Absolution won't be ready until sometime in 2012, it'd be surprising if Square had already filed trademarks on the next installment. Hitman: Profession could also be some kind of transmedia tie-in, mimicing Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed model and creating experiences -- loosely tied to the core game -- covering comics , iOS and Facebook . Like we said: speculation!

  Turns out yesterday's Hitman Absolution tease , which featured a bunch of Kasumi Goto silhouettes, was actually showing off the naughty nuns from the clip above. Using only a minuscule amount of his silent assassin repertoire, Agent 47 takes out an ICA (his former employer) hit squad, known as "The Saints," in brutal fashion. Those looking for something a little less up-close-and-personal can pre-order Hitman: Absolution now from GameStop and obtain the Hitman: Sniper Challenge as a bonus. Agent 47 runs (and kills) for his life once again on November 20 .

Gameplay It has been confirmed that the game will take place in the United States, [ 3 ] and will feature an online option. [ 4 ] In addition, the game will feature "instinct mode" which will allow 47 to predict enemy patrol routes, much like the 'visor mode' that was featured in Splinter Cell: Conviction . [ 5 ]     Plot Hitman: Blood Money ended with Diana helping Agent 47 fake his death, in order for him to escape The Franchise. 47 killed their leader, former FBI director Alexander Leland Cayne, though he was part of a larger secret society called Alpha Zerox. Diana and the rest of ICA do not know 47's whereabouts, nor does the player for certain - though the last scene shows 47 entering an Asian establishment, asking suspiciously what they have to offer, "preferably in the back". The first in-depth trailer for the game shows Agent 47 storming a safehouse, and confronting Diana while she is showering. 47 is "betrayed by those he once trusted ...

Hitman: Absolution Info Description The fifth game in the multi-million selling franchise showcasing IO’s new Glacier 2 game engine, Hitman: Absolution follows Agent 47, a cold blooded assassin, who takes on his most dangerous contract to date. Betrayed by those he trusted and hunted by the police, he finds himself at the centre of a dark conspiracy and must embark on a personal journey through a corrupt and twisted world, in his search for the truth. Show more MSRP 49.99 USD Release Date Nov 20, 2012 Genre Action, Stealth Developer IO Interactive Publisher Eidos, Square Enix Rating M (Mature) UPDATE Agent 47 isn't doing a very good job with that whole sneaking around thing, as we found out pretty easily this morning that his next game, Hitman: Absolution , launches November 20. Publisher Square Enix announced the date this morning alongside news that pre-orders will get access to a ... whole other Hitman title . Not too shabby!  

'Hitman: Sniper Challenge' spotted in magazine ad; spinoff game is Absolution pre-order bonus A scan of a magazine ad reportedly from Game Informer reveals "Hitman: Sniper Challenge," a downloadable game featuring one "replayable sniper mission," with an emphasis on score. Those scores will likely tie into a contest, as the ad touts "Awesome Prize Packages for Top Snipers." The game is advertised as a pre-order bonus for Hitman: Absolution at GameStop, where it will be handed out when you pre-order. It comes with a sniper rifle item for Absolution as well, the code for which will be given out when you pick up the retail game.

      The bald and bar-coded Agent 47 isn't the only character in Hitman: Absolution , you know. The latest trailers introduce us to Benjamin Travis and Jade – members of 47's employer, "The Agency" – and the actors who play them.

Hitman: Absolution gets a well-dressed 'Professional Edition' [update: EU and NA Don't get too excited – we thought the image above revealed some kind of replica gun in a cool briefcase as part of the Hitman: Absolution "Professional Edition," but it's actually bonus in-game DLC. Oh well, no toy guns for us! Said DLC, the "Agency Gun Pack," comprises a Jagd P22G pistol, a UMP SMG and an SPS 12 semi-automatic shotgun. The Professional Edition, announced for Europe today, also includes an art book, a making-of DVD, and a fancy clamshell box. We're due to get some kind of special edition in North America as well, but details haven't been announced yet. Update: the North American release will have the same "Professional Edition." In addition, Square Enix announced retail-exclusive bonuses for Amazon (the "Bartoli Custom Pistol"), Best Buy (the "Bronson 1928M SMG"), GameStop (the "Agency Kazo TRG" sniper...

  Diana Burnwood is the female lead of the Hitman series, despite us rarely seeing her face. As Agent 47's handler, she's gone to great lengths to protect the hitman, going so far as to bring him back from the dead in a climactic act of vengeance. Now, she's the target. That's gratitude for you.

Square Enix Europe continues its Hitman trademark spree with Hitman Sniper Challenge . Siliconera dug up the latest trademark, which comes a month after the site found a Hitman: Profession trademark lurking in the European database. What is Hitman Sniper Challenge ? Much like Hitman: Profession , any guess is purely speculative. What we do know is that a new Hitman game is under production (with IO supervision ) at the Square Enix studio in Montreal . IO is currently finishing up Hitman: Absolution for its 2012 launch. Square certainly has plenty of transmedia opportunities for Agent 47 that could cover angles beyond games.