‘Hitman: Game of the Year Edition’ comes with new campaign missions

By Gabe Gurwin October 24, 2017

HITMAN - Game of the Year Edition (Available 7 November)

The recent Hitman game has had a bit of a rough year. Though it continued to receive content updates and was praised by players, publisher Square Enix ultimately decided to break away from developer IO Interactive, leaving the fate of the game in jeopardy. But after IO purchased the rights to the series and began operating independently, Hitman has been able to thrive once again, and the new Game of the Year Edition is the perfect way for newcomers to start playing.

Hitman: Game of the Year Edition contains all of the content included in the game’s first season, as well as all-new Escalation contracts, weapons, outfits, challenges, and even graphical enhancements. If you’ve ever wanted to assassinate targets as a raven or a cowboy, now is your chance. You can also murder innocent victims as a clown, if you’re a creepy weirdo.

The online “Elusive Targets” that ran for the length of the first season will also be returning, but these will be limited to first-time players. If you already completed or failed one of the targets, you won’t be able to try it again.

The biggest addition to the new version of the game, however, is the “Patient Zero” campaign. Taking place on the Bangkok, Sapienza, Colorado, and Hokkaido maps, the new campaign tasks Agent 47 with stopping the spread of a virus. The maps include a “new time of day” as well as brand-new music.

While Hitman: Game of the Year Edition will cost $60 for newcomers, it will be available as a $20 upgrade to anyone who owns all episodes from the first season. A number of other free features will be added to all versions of the game, including a new user interface, new features for the Contracts mode, and native 4K resolution on Xbox One X. The game will also support Tobii Eye Tracking, allowing you to aim at your targets without even using your keyboard or controller.

Hitman: Game of the Year Edition will launch on November 7 for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC. It will only be available digitally, so the “Complete First Season” package is still the only choice for collectors.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Gabe Gurwin has been playing games since 1997, beginning with the N64 and the Super Nintendo. He began his journalism career…

Gaming

A busy 2023 wasn’t enough to pull me away from my go-to mobile game

Ms. Marvel listening to lo-fi in Marvel Snap.

I play lots of games across every platform for work, but my most-played game in 2023 was one I primarily engaged with for personal enjoyment. While I sunk dozens and dozens of hours into games like Baldur’s Gate 3, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Fire Emblem Engage, Fortnite, Starfield, and more, my most played game was something that didn’t even come out in 2023.

That honor goes to Marvel Snap, a collectible card game from Second Dinner for PC and mobile

Gaming

Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom isn’t our Game of the Year, but it’s the strongest No. 2 ever

Link giving a thumbs-up with a smile.

When we asked our writers to give us a list of their favorite games of 2023, everyone had a different game in the top spot. We saw votes for Super Mario Bros. Wonder, Alan Wake 2, Hi-Fi Rush, and even Sonic Superstars. Baldur's Gate 3 ultimately won out, but what stuck out to me the most following that process was how, on almost everyone's list, the same game was in that No. 2 slot: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.

Released by Nintendo in May after a long wait, Tears of the Kingdom would have been the industry's unequivocal game of the year in any other year. Although its competition was too stiff in this packed year for that to be the case, that doesn't make Tears of the Kingdom any less of an experience. In fact, I think that earning a spot near the top on almost everyone's personal list at Digital Trends demonstrates how widely appealing Nintendo's latest Zelda game is and that end-of-year gaming conversations should be about uplifting great games, not nitpicking their flaws to determine which one's the best.
Recognizing great games
Tears of the Kingdom is a monumental achievement in open-world game design. It essentially has three worlds stacked on top of each other. From almost any point in Hyrule, it's possible to stop, look around, and find several points of interest around, above, and below yourself. That alone makes it a game that consistently delivers a sense of awe and discovery, even after dozens of hours of playtime.

Gaming

Staff picks: How Baldur’s Gate 3 beat the odds to become our 2023 Game of the Year

Baldur's Gate 3's Karlach appears on an image that says Game of the Year 2023.

When I first started playing Baldur’s Gate 3, I was immediately hooked by its engrossing (and gross) story, meaty CRPG systems, and the most personable cast of companions I’ve seen in the genre in quite some time. I knew I was about to sink months of my life into the 100-hour adventure. Things didn’t go according to plan.

The nature of my job meant that I had to move on to Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon at the height of my obsession. Though I wouldn’t have much time to put in long play sessions, I resolved to pick away at it throughout the year on Steam Deck. It was a critical error on my part, as I’d quickly learn that the enormous RPG is perhaps the worst commute game on the planet. It felt like I could barely accomplish anything in 30 minutes. Long, turn-based battles would often take up an entire train ride and sometimes I’d simply lose any progress I made to an untimely death. I grew frustrated, wondering why I was having so much trouble finding my way back to a game I loved.