There is no doubt that you’ve seen at least a dozen websites offering up reviews for Hitman 3. I am not sure I can add much to what has already been said, but maybe reiteration is a good thing. Is Hitman 3 a good game? Most definitely. If you’ve enjoyed any game in the franchise you will have no problem enjoying this game, especially if you’re a fan of the two most recent entries as Hitman 3 brings the “World of Assassination” trilogy to an end. No matter what platform you play it on, the game is a blast. As usual, you take control of everyone’s favorite, Agent 47, and you are given carte blanche (to an extent) to take out your high-value targets in any way you like. As such, there is so much replayability in the game. I had the chance to review the game on Stadia, which happens to offer some features that no other platform has. But, is it worth it?
If you’ve read any of my past Stadia reviews, you know my plight. I am still dealing with a Controller that even when right next to my router, often has connectivity issues. Currently, the only way I can play Stadia is in 1080p, and it seems like the Pro Membership is just a waste at this point. I would have loved to play this particular game in 4K. But I digress, and this blip I have to deal with only affected my enjoyment of the game in minuscule ways. Also, for full disclosure, a free copy of the game was provided to me for the purposes of this review. Also, being a single-working Dad to twins in a pandemic, I haven’t had a chance to finish the main storyline in the game. But I have put in enough time to give a solid review of the overall gameplay and Stadia features.
I’ve approached missions by the book, kill everyone, for the memes, and every which way in between. There wasn’t a run-through of a level that I didn’t enjoy, and that’s what’s great about this game. Sometimes it’s just fun to get in and explore the level without actually trying to complete the mission. Scoping out every hiding place in this beautifully sculpted world. The main gameplay features on Stadia are no different than that of the PS4 or PC, where it shines through is your ability to share your experiences with other players. Stadia’s unique State Share, allows you to play game states featuring inventory items (weapons and the like) that you may not have unlocked in the game just yet. This is a perfect way to get in an experiment on different levels, and truly find a ton of ways to take down your target. Playing a game from State Share, though, will not affect the progress in your own game, meaning you can’t go through and complete a level in State Share that you might be having trouble with. It just doesn’t work that way. What’s truly great about this the ability to share your games with friends and vice versa. When you want to share a game state, the State Share will save the following gameplay elements:
- Mission objectives;
- Player loadout;
- Starting location; and
- Mission difficulty.
Personally, this is the first game that I can actually find a use of the State Share feature with Google Stadia. It honestly makes me excited for what the feature can evolve into, and how it will be able to be more integrated with games themselves. The only bad part about it right now is the still relatively low population of Google Stadia members, though it is continuing to grow. Hitman 3 is definitely worth it on any platform you choose to get it for, but I think Google Stadia has really shone through for the second time in the last few months (see Cyberpunk 2077). Despite Google shutting down its in-house game development, it seems to be growing stronger as time passes. Now if I could just get them to listen to me about these controller issues.
4 out of 5
