As a Hitman fan I have to say: "A nice game, but it has nothing to do with a Hitman."

I have the Hitman series almost played from the beginning. Except for the first part I have every game gambled for months. Especially the 3rd and 4th installment of the series had an extremely high replay value for me. I have played every single level on any difficulty umpteen times, tried various tactics and movements of all enemies learned almost by heart, until I had mastered each level to the highest rating level "Silent Killer". As the series has done for me from game to game a big step forward, of course, I also had correspondingly great expectations for Hitman Absolution. To anticipate a: Hitman Absolution is a nice game that is sure to find his followers, but has for me with the Hitman series - except for the main character - absolutely nothing to do. Why I was disappointed by the 5th part so, I will explain briefly below.

- Level Design -
The previous Hitman parts were characterized for me by the fact that they offered many independent missions. The variety was thus very high. Time snuck one by Russian snow, took an opium-party in a slaughterhouse in part, suddenly found himself in the middle of the crowd of Mardi Gras back, visited a hillbilly wedding or wandered through the corridors of a hotel in Las Vegas. Each mission was new, different and gave the players in amazement.
Hitman Absolution even tried to offer the player different scenarios, but this is only partially successful. This is mainly due to the fact that Hitman Absolution tries to tell a coherent story. The same was done in the 2nd part of the series, in which the protagonist Agent 47, sets out to search for a kidnapped priest whom he regards as his friend. However, the whole was solved in the 2nd part better. Agent 47 here also visited various places, yet the story is driven. With Hitman Absolution one stays too often at the same or similar places. The biggest problem with this is that the individual missions consist of several levels, most of which are far too like a hose for a Hitman game in construction.
Hitman live (s) of the decision making and the urge to discover its players. The directions were not given. You could decide at what time you wanted to meet that target in a mission. There was a wide variety of ways and at certain places to get on the map. Sometimes you could find after months of playing are other ways to which you would never have thought. But Hitman Absolution breaks with this basic framework of the Hitman series. By tubular level, which are moreover is stealth passages, both of which are prohibited. There are often only a right direction - namely straight. This does not mean that each level is so structured. Hitman Absolution has its ups (eg: Chinatown, the Strip Club or wrestling level), but the bulk of the level deviates from the spirit of the Hitman series from so much that it does not really have much to do with its predecessors. Rather, it is a stealth game, such as: Thief or Metal Gear Solid they are.
The developers have tampered with my opinion on the levels so that Hitman has become a completely different genre. This is accompanied by the change of another essential gameplay mechanics of the Hitman series: the paneling.

- The panels & the Instink-mode
The panels were previously the most important tool of Agent 47. In unguarded moments could turn figures and take her disguise itself. So you could pull in earlier parts as a waiter, Fed or butcher undetected through the levels. The panels of Agent 47 could fly up in the previous parts. But only if, for example in the cladding acts were performed that did not fit (for example: if you as a waiter a gun openly carried around), or an attempt was made with an unsuitable panel to enter areas for which they had no access.
However Hitman Absolution introduces the idea of ​​cladding absurdity. Agent 47 can dress up as before, however, it is recognized and unmasked by workmates. The only way to escape is to use the newly introduced instinct function is. Per keypress concealed Agent 47 his face with his hand and so can walk unrecognized past work colleagues.
It's always nice when developers try something more realism to bring in the games and up to this point does not bother me, the new feature also. But - and here comes the big BUT: The instinct function is limited in time and no longer regenerates itself on the higher difficulty levels also. This means that a relatively short time to work colleagues - and it is teeming in the various levels - passes without being detected. Are the few seconds, so it is no longer possible to keep Agent 47 from an ominous reason his hand over his face, the work colleagues recognize him, sounding the alarm and it breaks out a huge shooting that almost always with the death of Agent 47 ends. As a player you feel at this point a little kidding. It would be the same as would introduce a new Gamplay element through which Super Mario only 3 turtles can jump on his back in a Level Nintendo. Otherwise, Greenpeace is coming and leaves Super Mario arrested for cruelty to animals. Game Over.
In addition, Agent 47 mutated by using the Instink-mode offers a sort superhero. Suddenly he can see through walls and detect where opponents and targets reside. Unfortunately, it takes the game a bit of the tension out of your sails. After all, what was more exciting than to peek in the old Hitman parts through keyholes and hope that behind the next door waiting hopefully no opponent?

- Equipment -
A core element of the old Hitman parts was that one could choose before the start of a mission, whether and what weapons you wanted to take on the next mission. This decision was quite strategically important as this certain way to eliminate the targets in the first place have been possible. Thus, depended on this decision sometimes on whether one could reach the highest rating for the mission at all. With Hitman Absolution this decision is totally gone.
Interestingly, however, must be set aside the possibility of objects and to use the distraction. Find Agent 47 for example, a bottle or a brick, so it can pick up the object and throw to distract opponents so. This diversion option was available in principle already in the previous parts. Agent 47 had (an endless supply of) coins available that he could throw the distraction. But the idea of ​​being able to use even around objects for this is absolution in my opinion one of the better ideas of the game Hitman. The coin there is not more, but has also become important with this new feature.
Whoever takes a closer look at the inventory of Agent 47 will see that not only the coin has disappeared. From the ancient splendor of the inventory is hardly anything left. In the older parts of the series there was poison syringes, with whom Agent 47 the food of the target population (or the targets themselves) could poison. The same could also be done with the anesthetic injection. With the help of the anesthetic so it was possible to carry out missions without bending even one innocent person a hair. This possibility has been completely removed from Hitman Absolution.

- Long-term motivation -
In the older parts of the series, the long-term motivation is the game achieved by the player had several opportunities to pass the missions. Creativity and the right strategy were needed. Since Hitman Absolution is composed of linear and turn the tube-like level, the developers have to let other things come up to keep the player long-term happy.
Well done is the idea, the player to provide side-quests that the player can perform in each level to earn extra points. For example, a certain number of people must be overthrown from windows or the whole level will be finished using a particular clothing in a Level. These goals are optional and may not be completed in a single pass. These targets blöderweise includes the tasks that are each subject (brick, bottle, tool cases ...) must have once canceled. This is not only extremely repetetiv but also pretty annoying when must be sought in each level by each felt 100 objects.

- FAZIT
The graphics of the new Hitman is great and some ideas are interesting from the bottom of her. However, the game - as I have described in detail - not much in common with its predecessors. Hitman was for me for a private game genre. Hitman was a rarity among video games, and has from the outset done everything right. So far, not a game to me is still under come that in its game mechanics a similar Hitman.
Hitman Absolution has however taken the most essential game mechanics of his predecessors and turned by 180 °. If you've never played a Hitman and stands on the stealth genre, which is with Hitman Absolution certainly have his joy, because it is made in principle well. But who expects what is on it and looks forward to Hitman, who will be disappointed. Would it be an x-any game, so I would give it more stars. Since I as a consumer but simply feel fooled and do not get the have what I paid (in the food industry is called something misnomer), I can give the game only 2 stars. Because everything has identified the Hitman series has been taken with this game, to the grave.