This was a game when I originally played, I couldn't help but be so disappointed and aggrevated at. I played Blood Money prior to it and like many, Absolution can feel very appalling to play by comparison. However upon playing it again over a decade later, there are aspects of about the game that can be endearing. It ultimately depends on what difficulty you play on and how much you can put up with the game and level design changes from Blood Money.
One thing that is undeniable about Absolution is that the graphically from both an art and technical standpoint, it looks incredible. From the densely packed streets of Chinatown and the crowded subway later in the game to neon lit buildings and western movie style of the South Dakota levels. Every mission from the hospital being invaded by criminals to the more mechanical and industry look of Dexter Industry to the rainy, darker and brooding Blackwater Park. It's some of the best technical and art direction the 7th gen had to offer.The only gripe with visuals is how character models look when they are wet or are covered in liquid. They tend to look very oily which is the only bad thing I can say.
Speaking of the bad, the story is terrible. The voice acting and solid cutscene cinematics might fool some into thinking there is a well written story here but most if not all of the narrative consists of contrived writing, one note characters, and a poorly presented plot.
Everything involving Absolution's story almost feels like a parody of the series. The entire story proposes the idea of, "how does a bald guy with bar code on the back of his head get anywhere as a profesional killer?" The story is written in a way that wants to be tongue and check but it is presented entirely with a straight face.
You got characters like Birde who is called that because he is an informant who likes to be around birds. You got a crazy psychotic business tycoon who wants more money than already has because reasons? There is a genetically engineered teenage girl clone assassin who is very efficient at killing but take a USB drive off her and she is harmless if not outright useless. There are nun assassins who just pop up just for 47 to kill them. That is just some of the characters that are just dumb and one note for the sake of it.
It doesn't help that much of the writing is very contrived. There is of course the infamous scene of Blake Dexter killing the housemaid to frame an unconcious 47 who got incapacited seconds prior to then just blowing up the hotel building. There is a scene later in the game where Dexter doesn't give Victoria to Benjamin Travis after getting the money because if Dexter to give her to the latter, 47 would have no idea where Victoria would be since no informant and Dexter needs to die for the payoff. Dexter in general is trying to be a "love to hate" villain but he acts so illogical that he comes off as a self indulgent moron.
47 also infiltrates a courthouse just for him to get captured in a cutscene. 47 randomly hangs around and takes a relaxation break just for the assassin nuns to randomly find him.
It doesn't help that Victoria is a macguffin that 47 never speaks to or interact and spends most of the game kidnapped by Blake Dexter. The npc dialogue and conversations are decent at least.
This is what I mean. The only way for the story to go anywhere in Absolution either the villains act illogical or 47 acts incompetent in a cutscene. It sounds like a parody of Hitman but it is just played too straight to be interesting.
Gameplay however fares better but it does depend on what difficulty you play on. Before I describe that, when it comes to the controls and mechanics. Absolution is the best the series ever felt at that point. Crouch speed is faster than prior games, you can create distractions, fiber wire kill from behind can be chained into a body drag, there is a smooth cover system, swat turning and the inventory is easy to use. Shooting feels decent and fist fights are QTEs to get out of a quick jam.
If I judged Absolution entirely on this then it might be the best game in the series. However there are two things that prevent that. First is the instinct meter. Every guard in the level can see through your disguise if it's similar to yours which can be silly. The level design is a mixed bag since the game is at it's best when it's traditional open sneaking levels where it's about sightline evasion rather walking out in the open. When it tries to be like prior games, you need to use instinct more and some areas have too many guards clumped together where if you run out, the level becomes much harder to play stealth. The checkpoint system doesn't help either.
A large part in my enjoyment is that I played on easy. Meaning I had lots instinct, hardly ever died and put up with the checkpoint system, and you got away with more mistakes. Play it on higher modes and this all falls apart.
Overall, Absolution is decent but very messy.
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