Hitman 2: Silent Assassin

This article is about the second installment in the Hitman franchise. For the 2018 game, see Hitman 2 (2018 video game).
Hitman 2: Silent Assassin
Developer(s)IO Interactive
Publisher(s)Eidos Interactive[a]
Writer(s)Morten Iversen
Composer(s)Jesper Kyd
SeriesHitman
Platform(s)
ReleasePlayStation 2, Windows, Xbox
  • NA: 1 October 2002
  • EU: 4 October 2002
  • AU: 18 October 2002[1][2]
  • JP: 3 July 2003 (Xbox)
  • KO: 22 August 2003 (PS2)
  • JP: 6 November 2003 (PS2)
GameCube
Genre(s)Stealth
Mode(s)Single-player

Hitman 2: Silent Assassin is a 2002 stealth video game developed by IO Interactive and published by Eidos Interactive for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, Xbox and GameCube. The game was re-released for Windows through the Steam online distribution service,[4] and a DRM-free version was later made available through GOG.com. It is the second installment in the Hitman video game series and the sequel to Hitman: Codename 47. The single-player story once again follows Agent 47, a genetically enhanced human clone who worked for the International Contract Agency (ICA) as an assassin. Following the events of Codename 47, the former contract killer has retired and started a peaceful life at a church, but after his only friend, Reverend Emilio Vittorio, is kidnapped by unknown assailants, 47 resumes work for the ICA in hopes of tracking him down.

Like its predecessor, gameplay focuses on eliminating targets while trying to remain undetected for as long as possible, may it be by taking disguises, avoiding suspicious enemies, or other means. The more action-focused segments from Codename 47 have been removed in favor of entirely stealth-focused missions, though players are free to choose their own style of gameplay. The game introduces the option for a first-person view, the ability to incapacitate enemies instead of killing them, and missions with multiple possible approaches.

Silent Assassin received generally positive reviews from critics, who considered it to be an improvement over its predecessor in every respect. The game was also a commercial success, having sold more than 3.7 million copies as of 23 April 2009, which makes it the best-selling Hitman game in the original series (prior to 2016's Hitman).[5] High-definition ports of Silent Assassin and its successors, Contracts and Blood Money, were released on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in January 2013 in the form of the Hitman HD Trilogy.[6]

  1. ^ "Hitman 2: Silent Assassin". GameNation. Archived from the original on 8 January 2003. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
  2. ^ "Hitman 2: Silent Assassin". Game Nation. Archived from the original on 15 January 2003. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
  3. ^ "Release Schedule". Game Nation. Archived from the original on 9 June 2003. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
  4. ^ "Hitman 2: Silent Assassin on Steam". Steam. Archived from the original on 26 June 2011. Retrieved 22 June 2011.
  5. ^ "Corporate Strategy Meeting" (PDF) (PDF). Square Enix. 22 April 2009. p. 16. Archived (PDF) from the original on 7 March 2012. Retrieved 3 July 2012.
  6. ^ Sarkar, Samit (28 January 2013). "Hitman: HD Trilogy trailer revisits the series' hits". Polygon. Archived from the original on 29 November 2023. Retrieved 20 January 2019.


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