"I grab the downed soldier's weapon and start firing on his colleagues"

HITMAN 3'S Freelancer mode taught me I'm not as good as I think

- PHIL SAVAGE

If you’d asked me at the start of the year, I’d have told you I was pretty good at Hitman. I’ve earned Silent Assassin ratings on all main missions, and even have a couple of suit-only runs under my well-tailored belt. I once competed in an ad-hoc speedrunning rivalry with some friends – pushing us all to find the fastest routes while still achieving the perfect kill. I’m far from the best player, but I’ve mastered enough of the series’ systems to at least be competent.

Then I played Freelancer, and discovered that, no, actually, I suck at this. Here’s the problem: Freelancer takes away everything that makes