Game: Hitman - Absolution

Square Enix

It's been almost seven years since Hitman's Agent 47 crept across our screens and in that time a lot has changed in the gaming world. Consoles, graphics, gameplay, trends; it takes a lot for a single-player, third-person stealth game to compete in an industry now dominated by multiplayer first-person shooters.

But damned if developers IO Interactive aren't going to try with one of the most iconic of all gaming franchises. Their latest sneaky adventure sees the titular assassin going rogue on his agency and taking contracts where he can get them, all the while trying to discover the identity of a mysterious girl dropped in his lap. It's your standard trapping for a series of high-octane adventures, but the story ultimately does little except set up the series of 20 missions.

But what missions they are, with the next-gen world giving Agent 47 enough room to flex his stealthy muscles. Players once would be sent into stimulating but ultimately limited locations - mansion, fairground, single street - but we're now given vast areas to explore. From entire city districts to mutli-storey buildings, multiple entry, exit and mission avenues are offered to better give players numerous opportunities to kill their target.