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Hitman: The Complete First Season is an example of how good things come to those who wait as it’s the perfect title for gamers who decided to wait patiently until all of Hitman Season 1 was available in one collection.

The game perfected the episodic release but there are still gamers who are not a fan of the model. Meanwhile others would rather wait until the complete season was made available as one major release. Those who choose to wait will get to experience the best Hitman title since Blood Money along with extra features and exclusive content.

The story first introduces gamers to how Mr. 47 became an operative for the International Contracts Agency.Following his successful initiation, he grows to become one of the best operative while having a mythical status among global intelligence and law enforcement agency’s along with the criminal underworld.

Fast forward to the present and Mr. 47 is tasked to assassinate several high profile targets at the request of the Agency clients. At first it appears the targets are unrelated, but it’s uncovered that they have been used as a pawn by a shadow client who has been persuading individuals to order the hits. To make matters worst, each target was a member of an intentional organization that controls global affairs from the shadows.

Right of the bat, the story is the weakest part of the game for two reasons. First is that Hitman didn’t need a story arch that connects everything. The game would have been better had the plot just followed  Mr. 47 as he travels the world to take out high profile clients. In fact, it would have been financially profitable if a series of new mission were released every few months as a DLC.

The second reason is that this storyline has been literally used in most of the past titles in the series. Hitman: Codename 47, Silent Assassins, Contracts and the 2007 movie all followed Mr. 47 taking a series of jobs before learning that he has been used as a pawn by a single client who then tries to kill him. The only time this plot line has not been used was in Blood Money and Absolution.

On a positive note, the story is still much better than the plot of Absolution.

The development team ditches the linear gameplay of Absolution in favor of a more enhanced open world environment similar to Blood Money. Each level is a massive open world while the player has total freedom in how they perform the hit. Players are encouraged to use stealth and the environment to their advantage while having a verity of  options when it comes to completing the task. The choices range from creative accidents, old fashion sniping or just kill everyone in sight and earn the lowest score possible.

As an added bonus, Hitman: The Complete First Season also includes several bonus missions including the The Sarajevo Six. Other features include exclusive gear along with behind the scenes material and the official sound track. This is why its better to wait than to give in to your desire.

Hitman: The Complete First Season is more then a return to the series roots but also how the series should have always been. Those who waited have been rewarded with one of the best titles in the series along with extra content.

Final Score: 8/10

Disclaimer: The game used for this review was purchased at GameStop.

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