Xbox 360 review

The Xbox One might be out there in the next generation, but the Xbox 360 has changed since its launch in 2005.

That much is transparently clear from the updated version that debuted in 2010.

The Xbox 360 S is smaller, sleeker and quieter than the previous model and designed to banish the infamous 'Red Ring of Death' hardware failure that forced Microsoft to extend its warranty on the system.

Likewise the arrival of Kinect, which has gone on to sell over 10 million units, has transformed the machine from solely the preserve of hardcore gamers to a casual gamer friendly environment.

While some of the novelty of Kinect may have worn off, if anything the games are improving – finding new ways to take advantage of what is still fascinating technology.

But Microsoft is and always has been a software company first and foremost and, fittingly, that's where the Xbox 360 has changed the most. The NXE update of 2008 binned the old 'blades' system for an interface that was more welcoming to multimedia content and 2011 has seen another major update to the console's operating system. One so substantial, we've felt it necessary to update this review to reflect what a different machine it is.

Whether it's the old model or the new one, the Xbox 360 has now comprehensively changed from a machine primarily about playing games, with a modest selection of online content attached, to a fully featured entertainment and media hub.

The majority of forms of digital entertainment are catered for, there are extensive social networking features available and a new TV tab aims to replace traditional digital boxes with IPTV and catch up services.

The new dashboard, based around the Metro design language that also features in Windows 8 and Windows Phone 7, is a far busier interface, but it's reflective of the huge amounts of content now available within the walled garden of Xbox Live.

Getting to it all has always been the challenge and Microsoft has made admirable steps towards making that a straightforward process.

You'd think that the most significant change for the new widely touted 'Xbox 360 Slim' would be its size, but surprisingly, it's not.

At 270mm in height, it's sufficiently shorter than the 310mm tall old 360. But it's only a measly half-a-centimeter slimmer (and fatter than the PS3 Slim) and, would you believe, it's actually slightly deeper than the old 360, too.

Just to make it easier at a glance, here are its dimensions beside the older model, and the PS3 slim just for some extra comparison:

Console: Height/Width/Depth/weight

• Xbox 360 250GB: 270mm x 75mm x 264mm, 2.9kg
• Xbox 360 Elite: 310mm x 80mm x 260mm, 3.5kg
• PS3 Slim: 290mm × 65mm ×290mm, 3.5kg

As you can see, its profile is not much 'slim' but more 'light'. It's the lightest of the current-gen consoles by a fair amount, although it's worth noting right now that the PS3 Slim's extra heft also counts for the system's internal power supply, which disappointingly remains external (albeit smaller than the previous power brick) in the new Xbox.

Instead, the more significant changes are in the console's aesthetics and hardware configuration. First of all, that matte plastic has been swapped for a super sexy gloss black.

Where the old console's bubble-like roundness wouldn't look too out of place on the Tomy Toys page of your Argos catalogue, the new console dons sharp edges and harsh lines that almost resemble a stealth fighter (fittingly so given its new quieter operating volume, but more on that later).

And then there's that grill on the side – a surprisingly large and aggressive opening that's more like something you'd expect from a third-party case mod than the usually reserved standard skin. Consoles usually hide away their tightly-packed insides but the new Xbox flaunts it, giving you a good look at the system's case fan.

Touch-buttons

The power and disc eject buttons are no longer the clunky things they were before. In fact you don't press them at all – they're capacitive touch buttons that respond to no more than a gentle prod.

The console makes a funky beep sound to acknowledge your touch, but it's thankfully a more calming chime and not that horrible microwave-style bleep of the PS3.

The console's cleaner appearance is also partly thanks to the omission of the proprietary memory stick ports – MS updated the 360 recently to accept any USB stick as usable memory; a move which pretty much rendered the notoriously more expensive native memory cards redundant anyway.

The two front-loading USB ports remain, tucked neatly way behind a little flap which sits in line with the new bigger and more responsive controller sync button.

The console actually now has five USB ports total instead of the previous three, but those additional ones have been tucked away on the back of the console.

The new disc drive is considerably smoother and quieter than before. Now, we know some of you will, right off the bat, question MS' decision to stick with a disc tray rather than the admittedly sleeker slot-loading drive like on PS3 and Wii. Honestly speaking we would have preferred a slot loader too.

Anyhow, the new drive has none of that Aiwa tape deck-like clunkyness to it. We always wondered what part of the old Xbox could possibly make such a loud 'ker-chunk' sound as the drive closed – that teeth-gritting sound is no longer present here.

We tried moving the console while a disc was spinning inside – something that resulted in a severely scratched disc in the old console. The result? We're certain the result was even worse!

Clearly Microsoft has been unable to find a solution the intense centrifugal forces that bend the disc and make it touch harmful nearby surfaces in the drive. The console does in fact have a sticker on the front which warns against moving it while a disc is spinning. Does this make up for the flaw in our eyes? Not a chance.

On the backside

Flip the console round and you're greeted by a few new ports, too. As we said before, there are three USB ports back here instead of one. You'll now be able to plug a digital optical audio lead directly into the console for your 5.1 surround kits, instead of having to go through external ports on the AV lead.

Most interesting though is the 'Aux' port, which is basically where Kinect, Microsoft's new motion-sensing gadget releasing in November, will be plugged in. This port will both operate and power the device. Users of the old console will plug Kinect in via a USB adapter and draw power from a wall socket.

Video is delivered to your TV either via standard HDMI or the proprietary Xbox AV port, which is the same size as before so all your old AV cables will work, which is handy for anyone upgrading from the old console because, ridiculously, the new Xbox comes with no HD video leads whatsoever.

All you get in the box is the standard composite lead, which only does SD – and poorly at that. Everyone else will otherwise have to add the cost of an HDMI lead to their bill before they can see the crisp HD resolutions this machine is capable of.

There's an Ethernet network port back here too, although we'd like to think anyone grabbing the new console will make use of the now built-in Wi-Fi capability.

Finally, Microsoft is no longer bending you over a table with its £70 proprietary Wi-Fi adapter necessary before. Just turn it on and you're wireless right out of the box.
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Sound recordings were made six inches from the front of each of the three consoles. Results should only be used by way of comparison.

White noise

Perhaps the biggest improvement over the older console is actually an intangible one – the system's operating sound. The quieter disc drive is coupled with a single larger internal cooling fan instead of three smaller ones as before, resulting in a stealthier console.

This is made possible by using a slimmer, more power efficient 45nm CPU with integrated GPU. With less power being generated by the processing chip, the console is able to run cooler, with a quieter fan. The difference is night and day.

When there's no disc in the tray the console is totally inaudible. Fire up a game and the drive's rapid read speed still inevitably makes sound, but it's more of a gliding 'whoosh' than the whirring sound of the motor.

Take a look at the video clip above to get some idea of how the noise of the new Xbox 360 compares against the original model and also the PS3 Slim.

Storage

Instead of the fat top-loading hard drive of the old console, Microsoft has now hidden a more compact hard drive case in a slot accessed on the underside of the console (underside when stood vertically, that is).

To extract it you must remove the hatch covering and pull on a flimsy tag on the top of the drive, which does not seem like a good idea to us at all. If there's one thing on this new Xbox we can see breaking, it's this tag.

New controller

As with the other Xbox 360 consoles, the new 250GB model comes with one wireless controller. Aesthetically, it's slightly different to the one that shipped with the 360 Elite.

The grey trim is replaced with glossy black, while the round silver Xbox button is now glossy silver rather than matte and the thumbsticks are black instead of grey.

Connect your Xbox 360 to Xbox Live (and with wireless now fitted as standard, you've no excuse not to) and you'll be prompted to download an update to your console, which contains 2011's sweeping dashboard refresh.

While the Metro-based design is too busy to be considered truly handsome, it's borne of necessity. There is an enormous amount of content available to connected Xbox 360 users and the new dashboard does a great job of presenting it all in a logical fashion.

We had gripes with the NXE system that debuted in 2008, because of the jargon-heavy nomenclature of the various menu options. But now you're presented with nine tabs across the top which are visible at all times and have logical titles.

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iPhone 6 review

Update: After upgrading our iPhone 6 to iOS 9 we revisited the handset to see how it was getting on. We've updated our review with the findings, and its new competition in the iPhone SE.

Why do we have the Apple iPhone 6? Well, back in 2013, despite record sales, the Cupertino brand was heading for a fall. The brand had been trading on the same phone for four years, and something big was needed to keep it current.

So with that, the iPhone 6, and its bigger brother, the iPhone 6 Plus, were born to keep Apple at the sharp end of a market that was starting to lust after powerful, big-screen smartphones with clever and premium design.

• Compare: all the best iPhone 6 deals

The iPhone 6 certainly addresses a number of the problems Apple had developed, coming with a much larger screen (although not dramatically increasing the size of the phone) a boosted processor, better camera, improved battery and, crucially, overhauled design. Much of the ground work that went into the iPhone 6S was done here, with the iPhone 6.

This is the sixth iPhone I've reviewed, and there's a distinct sense that this one is really rather different.

I wrote in 2013 that Apple was becoming more aware that the time when it could define what consumers would buy in the smartphone was ending – and with the 4.7-inch screen, it clearly had to admit defeat in the smaller screen market.

There will be some who will miss that 4-inch screen size, maintaining that they don't want a bigger display on their phone – but nearly all of those people won't have spent any appreciable time with a larger device, and I believe that a good portion of you thinking you need a smaller phone will quickly come to appreciate the power a bigger handset brings, without compromising quality.

Apple's now appeased those longing for a new 4-inch handheld though, with the launch of the iPhone SE. It sports the specs of the iPhone 6S, uses the body of the now-discontinued iPhone 5S and sports a lower price tag than the iPhone 6, giving the latter some tough new competition.

But while the iPhone 6 has answered a lot of the problems I've had with previous iterations of Apple's handsets, there are some issues that still swirled when I handled the phone for the first time – and many of them persist even now that the iPhone 6 has been superseded.

Why did Apple decide to not join the masses with a really high-res screen? Why is the iPhone 6 still one of the most expensive phones on the market? Has Apple done enough to improve the quite dire battery life of previous models, especially at a time when many high-end Android phones are easily chugging through a day's hard use without thirsting for a charger's caress?

Let's take a quick look at the price – and it's not pretty.

At launch you were looking at £539 for the 16GB version, £619 for the 64GB option and £699 for the 128GB model.

That's since dropped to US$549 (£459, AU$929) for the 16GB version and US$649 (£539, AU$1,079) for the 64GB option, with the 128GB handset having been discontinued with the arrival of the iPhone 6S.

That's about as much as you'd pay for a brand new Android flagship just a few months after launch, yet the iPhone 6 is no longer the top model in its range.

Then you've got the iPhone SE which has the same features as the newer iPhone 6S for $150 (£100, AU$250) less than the iPhone 6. You'll have to compromise on screen size, but you could get a better phone for less.

Design

Let's take a look at the first thing most people will wonder about before picking up the iPhone 6: how will it actually feel in the hand?

This is a big departure for Apple, marking a time when it's admitted that the industrial, sharp design of the last four iPhone models is a little outdated and needs to up the ergonomics to really compete.

Well, with the Apple iPhone 6 we're looking at one of the thinnest and sleekest handsets in the market – still. It's got a strong combination of metal back (which feels exceptionally premium, borrowing bucketloads of design language from the iPad Air) and the way the screen curves into the chassis gives it a slight lozenge feel.

The iPhone 6 looks the business, and at 6.9mm thin it's very nice to hold, though the Samsung Galaxy S6 has since edged it out at 6.8mm thick. I do still feel that phones that push harder on ergonomics are a better choice though – the HTC One M9 bows out at the back and fits in the palm a little better – but that's quibbling. This iPhone just feels really well made.

Apple has always favoured a flatter phone than the rest of the market though, and placed on a desk it looks great. It does feel great in the hand too, but as said others impress more if I'm being hyper-critical.

There's also the issue of the large plastic strips that flow through the top and bottom of the device. Given metal is a nightmare material to try and get radio signal to penetrate, these are clearly there to offset that.

While the plastic does seem to give good signal performance for the most part, it's nothing amazing, and to my eyes they're a little unsightly and ruin the sleek back of the iPhone 6; their presence seems at odds with Apple's design ethos.

The other big design change is to the power button, which has now been moved to the right-hand side of the phone. This makes a lot of sense and, given the phone is now a larger device at 138.1 x 67 x 6.9mm, hitting the top of the handset is a much harder task, so moving the button is the right thing to do.

Like the rest of the exterior buttons, the power key is raised and easy to hit in both left and right hand modes. It's metallic, and crucially doesn't have the same rattle that I criticised on the iPhone 5S.

However, that doesn't mean the metallic keys don't have a little wiggle to them. Running your hand up and down the sides idly will result in you noticing a very slight looseness to the power and volume buttons... I'm in danger of being too critical here, but for the price it's not the sort of thing I expect to see.

The other important design change here is the camera now protrudes slightly on the rear of the phone. It's good to see that happening, as it shows that Apple isn't willing to compromise on camera quality in order to just whack in a thinner phone.

The protrusion is a little worrying in that laying the Apple iPhone 6 down flat on a table could see scratches appearing, but the sapphire glass that covers the lens should ensure that's pretty safe.

The rest of the iPhone 6 is very similar to the iPhone 5S, with the speakers at the bottom flanking the Lightning port. Well, I say speakers: it's just the one speaker, but thanks to the slightly elongated bottom of the phone you won't cover it when holding the phone in landscape orientation.

This was irritating when trying to game or watch a movie without headphones on older iPhones – but this upgrade, combined with the lightness of the iPhone 6, means you won't have a similar problem for the most part, as the hands sit lower and free of the speaker generally.

Sadly the headphone port still resides at the bottom of the iPhone 6, meaning you'll still probably get your phone out of your pocket the wrong way around when listening to music.

Going back to the iPhone 6 after a prolonged spell using the iPhone 6S as a daily driver, it's remarkable how much lighter the older phone feels in the hand. You can feel every one of those extra 14 grams, and it's the one area in which the newer iPhone suffers by comparison.

Let me make one thing very clear though: the Apple iPhone 6 is another iconic handset in terms of design for Apple. It's not the best looking on the market (I'm still giving that title to the HTC One M9), but it's definitely right up there, and for the price I'd expect nothing less.

You can pick up the iPhone 6 in Space Gray (the colour I've had on test here), or the more standard Silver. There's no longer a Gold model available, and nor do you get access to the snazzy Rose Gold colour option that debuted with the iPhone 6S.

PES 2016 review

Available on Xbox One, PS4, Xbox 360, PS3, PC

It's time to ask that age old question once again: PES 2016 or FIFA 16?

Well, we can definitively say that 2016 is without a doubt Pro Evo's year. Konami's football sim finally plays a more exciting, faster paced game than its EA rival. It does a much better job at capturing the true flow of the beautiful game.

While quick-thinking is rewarded and clumsy play punished, it's the fact that the players feel responsive and agile.

Usually PES pails in comparison to FIFA when it comes to the graphics, but this year the game uses the same FOX Engine as Metal Gear Solid 5. That means superior detail, animation and lighting, which gives Pro Evo a substantial edge over its rival.

If you're being particularly fussy, you might complain about the flat-looking grass or some unconvincing effects for footfalls on wet turf. But the players' skin and cloth dynamics have never looked better in a PES game and the ball physics and ball animation are second to none.

All the same, the many voices acclaiming this year’s Pro Evo as a landmark football game, even the best football game ever made, might be pushing it a little. Pro Evo is this year’s champion by a margin, but it’s still not perfect. Reports that PES 2016 stomps all over FIFA or redefines the genre still need to be taken with a pinch of salt.

Why? It’s partly to do with issues that have always made life hard for Pro Evo and which come down to licensing more than anything else. Without the weight or war chest to compete with FIFA for licensed teams and tournaments, picking Pro Evo still means living with a range of made-up teams, and while fans might say that it doesn’t matter that you have to play London FC, Merseyside Red or East Dorsetshire instead of Chelsea, Liverpool and Bournemouth, we all know it does.

Licensing is one thing, but there is a lot of other stuff that Pro Evo could be doing better. The presentation, heavy on static screens, fiddly menus and dull tutorials, isn’t even close to FIFA standard. The Master League mode has seen a revamp that makes it clearer and more accessible, but the Become a Legend and MyClub modes remain slightly awkward, unatmospheric and obtuse in comparison to their FIFA equivalents. That’s a shame, because both modes have real depth and substance, and MyClub is steadily evolving into a very credible rival to FIFA’s Ultimate Team – one more related to real-world football than collectible card games and microtransactions.

And while Pro Evo is getting better on delivering real match atmosphere, it’s still behind FIFA in key areas. This year’s commentary from Peter Drury and Jim Beglin is just about adequate when you have licensed Champions League teams on the pitch, but with other sides it’s unconvincing. It won’t take you many matches before you grow tired of the generic, repetitive comments or the failure to respond to what’s unfolding. In fact, there’s something slightly depressing about getting told that your striker has a wide open space to play with when he’s being harried mercilessly by three defenders, or getting told that the match is finished when the other team is only two goals up with thirty minutes still to go.

Yet all this stuff fades into the background when things are going right on the pitch. It’s hard to pin down exactly what Pro Evo gets so right. Is it the way that ball physics, smart controls and player interactions come together to make a more believable game? Is it the way that the virtual players seem to reflect the play styles – even personalities – of the real-world players they represent? Watch Messi, Neymar or Karim Benzema at work, and you’ll be amazed at how closely the new Pro Evo replicates the real deal in terms of pace, gait, ball control and finishing power.

Is it the fantastic flow of the game, where passes build into waves of attack that either smash their way into the goal or ebb, crash or break on a fast-moving defence? Whatever it is, PES 2016 makes a beautiful version of the beautiful game.

Unrealistic player interactions were one of Pro Evo’s biggest failings last year, but Konami has transformed them into one of this year’s biggest triumphs. FIFA has been handling this stuff well for years, but PES 2016 takes it to another level. Watch players smash and stumble against each other, jostle for the ball, barge opponents or come in for a tackle, and they move with a substance and realism that’s eerily convincing and not at all pre-baked. Interactions with the ball are also more dynamic and slightly unpredictable, making each attempt to catch a fast, soaring pass or connect with a loose ball a thrilling moment. Who knows what kind of analysis and hard iteration went into making this all look so simple and so lifelike, but it’s the biggest area where Pro Evo surges ahead.

True, Pro Evo’s zoomed-out view doesn’t quite match FIFA’s for crisp detail, but the combination of that animation and the superb rendering of skin, cloth, hair and lighting in the close-up views more than makes up for it. In stills, Cristian Ronaldo, Luis Suarez or Lionel Messi might look more realistic in the EA Sports game, but in motion its Konami’s versions that are more convincing, with more human expressions and movements and less weird, uncanny valley robot stares. The weather effects are pretty good as well, with rain having a clear impact on stopping distances, slides and the pace of the ball.

All the same, Pro Evo isn’t perfect. In fact it’s weakest where the new FIFA is strongest: On defence. Sometimes the AI seems incredibly tight, while at other times its woeful. Sometimes nobody scores for 90 minutes, while other matches transform into ludicrous end-to-end goal fests. FIFA’s defence is far more consistent, its positioning and tracking of enemy strikers so much smarter. While this makes for a less flowing and sometimes more frustrating game, it also leads to fewer situations where the scoreline reaches levels that make grown Brazillians cry.

Yes, it’s possible to argue that goalkeeping takes more skill in Pro Evo, or that this is a more accurate reflection of the abilities of different goalies, that won’t make you feel much better when yours lets in cheap shot after cheap shot, losing you the match. Nor will you feel cheered up when the useless git allows shots that might be best described as speculative to roll at no great speed across the line. Sure, you won’t complain so much when you’re on the striking end, nailing goal after goal against a poor online player, or weak AI, but if PES 2016 has any serious gameplay issue, this is it.

Luckily, it’s not game-breaking. Play as the world’s top sides and the goalies are stronger, and even with weaker teams you can work around it, taking more control of your goalie rather than leaving the AI to handle things for you. And when Pro Evo is good – which is most of the time – then it’s so very, very good. At it’s best, it’s almost as brilliant and enthralling a game of football as its more fanatical fans claim.

VERDICT

Pro Evo is still struggling to match FIFA on match atmosphere, presentation, accessibility and commentary – all areas where Konami could and should be doing better. Yet it’s a fantastic football game once you hit the pitch, with brilliant close-up graphics, superb animation, convincing ball physics and player interactions and a fantastic feel for the ebb and flow of the match. It still has issues with defence and goalkeeping, but if you want guts, adrenaline and excitement in your video game footie, this year’s Pro Evo is the one to buy.

thank for reading!

Hitman: Episode 2 Review

If you thought Hitman’s first Paris location was big (see below for that review) then episode 2’s Sapienza is going to be quite the surprise. It lacks the hefty bulk of that first mission’s blocky palace which concentrated its many paths into a dense package, and instead, here, replaces it with the sprawl of a sunny coastal Italian town. 

There’s something about this idyllic scene that feels different to anything Hitman’s tried before. It’s done public places but often with a gimmick - a roaring street party for example. But this? It’s just a little holiday town and there’s a wonderfully unassuming depth as you look into shops or the local barbers; wander through cafes or pop down to the beach to watch street performers (somehow I will kill wearing that mime’s outfit). 

As a world, it’s lovely and understated which somehow makes all the little clues you uncover feel so much more rewarding. Your mission - a villa containing two scientists that need to be made not alive - is sat there right in front of you at the level’s opening, but it’s best to wander off and see what you can find before you try the front gate. Is that a new member of kitchen staff over there about to report for his first day at work? What about that private detective they mentioned in the barbers who’s due to meet with a target? And where was that florist’s van going before it had that fender bender. 

Just exploring these little sleepy streets feels like a world in itself but there are people to kill and that villa isn’t going to infiltrate itself. In many ways the holiday town preamble feels like a vacation in itself - a place to have fun with the idea of being a professional assassin without too much pressure to actually kill. Even seeing 47 wander about in a summer shirt and sunglasses feels exciting - you’ve seen films like this. Now you’re playing one. 

Get inside the villa though and it’s time to work. The building is modest compared to Paris but still full of winding corridors and a few wings to explore and mine for opportunities. This builds on the established toolkit of sinks to block and rat poison on with more environmental distractions like scooters to tamper and other ways to disrupt guard patrols or sneak past overly observant house staff. There are more unique things to play with as well like plague doctor costumes and an observatory as you research and scout for kitchen knives and keys. 

The two targets, bioterrorist scientists Silvio Caruso Francesca De Santis, aren’t that hard to reach individually but you’re also tasked with destroying their DNA-targeting virus in a really tricky underground lab (which is a brilliantly Bond-style mountain base job). This third level of challenge adds a whole new layer of difficulty and it’s hugely rewarding as a result. The three tiers mean you’re much more committed to your plan of attack. Sure you can load and reload to your heart's content, but having to get through all objectives means you’re more likely to roll with the blows and think ahead more about risks - there’s no fudging a hit and legging it to the exit here. 

As a follow up to the already impressive Paris this is a great progression. That first level showed what the game could do with a grunting scale. Sapienza, on the other hand, demonstrates a subtle ambience. The placid setting with milling tourists and locals really invigorates Hitman’s well testing mechanics while the later villa stages really test them and I've barely dipped into the challenges and side mission like additional contracts. More please. 

EPISODE 1 REVIEW: It took me about 15 minutes to finish Hitman’s main Paris level. Okay, let me just back up there a second. It took about five hours to perfect that slightly scrappy speedrun. Five hours of poking around, exploring and discovering before finding one possible route through a busy high class fashion show.

Even now, about eight hours in, I’m still finding new things, previously unrevealed options, entire areas I didn’t know about and racking up more and more ways to be the perfect assassin: to kill with stealth, style, violence. And, occasionally, a well-thrown wrench. Just because you’re a pay-as-you-go murderer doesn’t mean you can’t have a little fun every now and then.
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Hitman’s episodic structure might only contain one initial level (as well as two not insubstantial prologues) but it’s a perfectly crafted mechanism - full of patterns to find and exploit, and opportunities to create and abuse. For a single playable space, Paris is a many-layered spectacle to unravel, and a chunky piece of game to play with. A huge glitzy party in a palace packed with rich guests, staff and security. It looks fantastic as well, lush and detailed to the point where ‘just looking at stuff’ is a legitimate in-game activity. Even if I stopped playing now, I’d have got my money’s worth, but there's still so much to do.

You see, killing a target isn’t just a case of finding them and shooting them - although it’s an option if you’re heathen - no, in the world of Hitman, murder should be done with style and planning. You’re not just there to kill someone, you’re there to make sure all the ones you let live think ‘Holy shit, that guy’s good’. Closely followed by, ‘I should rethink all my life choices up until this point’.

It’s all about the setup. Do you find a lone guard, throttle them and use their uniform as a disguise to reach restricted areas? Can you cause a distraction and make your move in the chaos? Does that chandelier look like it might tragically fall on someone? Will those scissors come in handy later? (Pro-tip: Yes. Yes they will.)

There are a multitude of difficulty options to tailor depending on the kind of challenge you prefer, with the top level involving almost no onscreen tips or guidance. Playing blindfold is the only step up from that. However, on default the game guides you with a magic X-ray ‘Instinct’ and a new Opportunities system. This highlights useful… er, opportunities should they arise, laying out a breadcrumb trail to your target, built from overheard conversations and observed activities. It’s a lovely way of getting started and learning what’s possible in an initially overwhelmingly dense and impenetrable noise.

Despite the overtly murdery overtones no other game so perfectly captures the feeling of a Bond or Bourne type of character. The genetically-bred Agent 47 is trained to perfection and there are few gaming highs better than double tapping Johnny Security unseen, stashing the body, and walking calmly and unnoticed past the guards sprinting to investigate. Killing targets completes the level but the real reward comes from mastering the possibilities and honing your skills to do the character justice. Early playthroughs end in blood and screaming. So much screaming. But with practice you can glide in and out without anyone, even the targets, knowing what happened.

This is due in part just how beautifully it’s all crafted. As well as looking spectacular, systems and mechanics are tuned till they sing. The AI, usually the series’ most twitchy aspect, is almost faultless here. The new trespass system, judging where you’re meant to be, and/or if you’re wearing the right outfit, lets you slide silently through levels if you get it right. Take a few steps into the wrong place though and you’ll actually be asked to leave and escorted out before anything hits a fan. Really mess it up and guards search in realistic patterns, spreading out from the scene of the crime before radioing around to expand the circle.

The results of this can be amazing. After a botched murder involving a thrown knife at a buffet table, a swift dodge around a corner saw me escape pursuit. A few moments later, walking unnoticed through a different part of the party, I passed a guard just as he recited my outfit into a walkie talkie. Almost instinctively I punched him full in the face, stuffed the body in a crate, and walked off in his jacket, leaving everyone else chasing down ‘some guy in a suit’.

There’s a clear and understandable vocabulary of tools aside from the guns and explosives here. Wrenches and crowbars can be used as thrown weapons, as well as to tamper with fittings and valves. Flipped coins send guards obediently into corners, while rat poison can taint drinks and send people puking alone to the toilet. (Although, if I’m honest that last one feels a little OP currently as it’s so guaranteed to work.)

At this point I haven’t even mentioned the extra stuff - menus full of challenges that unlock new equipment, the ability to stash things in the level for later retrieval, or even start somewhere already undercover - in the kitchen as a chef, for instance. There are also Contracts - user made kills set up by players taking out any NPC and challenging you to match it - and Elusive Targets - victims that only appear for a limited time and can only be killed once.

It has a few issues, like weirdly unpredictable frame rates. It actually speeds up in places, although there is the option to lock it down. It’s connected nature is also a little confusing. You can play it either on or offline but the two don’t join up, and I was kicked out of a playthrough once because my internet went down.

As a debut for an episodic series it’s a confident and enjoyable start that bodes well for the subsequent levels (one a month for the next six months). I’ve played an early version of episode two which takes place in the fictional Italian setting of Sapienza, and that’s huge. An entire idyllic sunny mediterranean town to play with. Episode three jumps to Marrakech which is a city on the brink of war. If Paris’ palatial setting feels weighty and satisfying already, things can only get better.

tank for reading!