Shacknews Top 10 Games of the Year 2021

#8 Game of the Year 2021 - Hitman 3

If there’s one thing that the staff here at Shacknews loves, it's killing people (in video games). Naturally, we love the Hitman series and its penchant for making murder as fun as a barrel of monkeys. After two successful releases for the franchise as a part of its reimagining for eighth-generation consoles, developer IO Interactive was at a crossroads. After their previous publisher Square Enix tried to sell the studio, upper management worked out a deal that saw the studio gain its independence and the rights to the Hitman franchise.

Newly freed from the clutches of their old publisher, IO announced that they would soon be releasing the third game in its reimagined trilogy. Hitman 3 marks the biggest and baddest entry into the series. Taking lessons learned in the development of the preceding two games, the third entry in the series hits the ground running at full stride. Snapping necks or braining a poor waiter with a wine bottle never felt so right.

Hitman 3 runs on the same game engine that powered the previous two games, though it brings a host of new features and technology. The quality of the lighting and materials were upgraded from Hitman 2, allowing the sprawling environments to feel just a bit more realistic. IO also tossed longtime fans a bone by announcing plans to incorporate the missions from the first two games into Hitman 3. 

These missions and environments also received visual upgrades to bring them in line with assets created for Hitman 3. While the visual jump wasn’t all that great, it still represents an admirable boost in final image quality for the series over its run on eight-generation consoles and PC.

The recent Hitman games have also been well-known for outstanding post-launch content, including new missions. The team at IO Interactive went above and beyond the call of duty and offered up some fresh content in partnership with Shacknews. As a part of The Season of Lust update, IO delivered some custom Featured Contracts designed with Shacknews. 

Hitman 3 is available on Nintendo Switch (cloud version), PlayStation, Stadia, Xbox, and PC platforms.

Shack Staff

Shack Staff stories are a collective effort with multiple staff members contributing. Many of our lists often involve entires from several editors, and our weekly Shack Chat is something we all contribute to as a group.