Next Hitman Update Detailed, Episode 3 Trailer & Release Details

When Hitman Episode 3: Marrakesh goes live tomorrow, May 31, there will also be a new game update to download on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.

First up, at 1am PT/4am ET/10am CEST on May 31, the Hitman servers will be down for approximately three hours of maintenance. Then, at 4am PT/7am ET/1pm CEST, both the new Hitman update and Episode 3 will be available on PS4 and Xbox One, with PC following about five hours later.

You can get a look at the Marrakesh location in the new 360 degree video above (click and drag to look around, or move your mobile device), with full details on what’s included below:

New Destination: Marrakesh

New Story mission: A Gilded Cage

8 new Opportunities for ‘A Gilded Cage’

20 levels of Marrakesh Mastery, with the following unlocks: 7 new Marrakesh Starting Locations; 8 new Marrakesh Agency Pickup locations; 6 new weapon/gear unlocks

New suit for Marrakesh: Summer Suit

70+ Marrakesh-specific challenges

7 new trophies/achievements

New ‘The Sarajevo Six’ Contract. Target 3: The Extractor. (PS4 Exclusive)

Live Content will include: New Escalation Contracts, Elusive Targets, and New Featured Contracts (Contracts Mode)

Io-Interactive also detailed tomorrow’s Hitman update (likely 1.06), which includes bug fixes, weapon balancing, improved leaderboards, and more:

New Gameplay Options

Weapon Balancing

Firearms

Re-balanced headshot damage for all pistols. Pistols should now be more lethal at longer ranges, when performing headshots.

Minor re-balancing and bug fixing of several firearms, including damage models and recoil patterns.

Shotguns

Re-balanced Enram HV shotguns. Fire rates, ammo carrying capacity and recoil patterns have been adjusted. The Enram HV rewarded in Sapienza Location Mastery now comes with extra ammunition.

Fixed an issue regarding gunshot audio synchronization.

NPC and Target Information

Instinct Mode now displays the name of NPC’s.

In Contracts Mode, kill conditions (weapon / disguise) are shown.

This option can be turned off in the Gameplay Options.

Inventory Wheel Perks

The perks associated with each weapon are now displayed on the in-game inventory wheel, allowing players a better overview of the weapon they are choosing to equip.

Mini Map NPC Indicators

Added an option to allow players to turn off the NPC indicators on the Mini Map. Targets are still shown. This option is set to “on” by default and can be toggled in the Gameplay Options.

Game Menu Improvements

Improved Leaderboards

The Top 100 scores are now loaded immediately in a scrollable list and each leaderboard entry shows the detailed score associated with it, meaning all players can see the score awarded to all leaderboard entries.

A player’s own leaderboard position is always shown on the leaderboard screen, allowing them to easily see how they rank against other players.

Featured Contracts Tile Update

The Featured Contracts tile now displays the location of the mission and the most recent Featured Contracts are shown as the first in the list.

Save Games

Manual and Auto saves are now shown on a single menu screen. Previously, players would need to tab between two separate screens.

Challenge Saturation

When viewing challenges in the menu, those that have not been completed are now displayed in greyscale to clearly show the completed and not-completed challenges at a glance.

Game and server version display

The game and server version are now displayed in the ‘Options’ Menu.

Fixed Issues

Fixed an issue where subduing NPC’s could result in a non-target kill.

This was mostly occurring in small/tight spaces.

Fixed an issue where the use of savegames could result in incorrect calculation of the time bonus.

Fixed an issue where the “Escalating the Situation” challenge would not unlock after completing the requirements. Players may be required to complete one more Escalation Contract for this to unlock.

Changed the unlock requirements of the ‘Master of Disguise’ challenge, specifically removing the requirement to equip the location-specific Italian Suit.

Fixed an issue where the “Rock On” challenge in ‘The Enforcer’ Sarajevo Six mission would not unlock, despite completing the requirements. (PS4 only)

Fixed an issue that would allow items in Agency Pickups to be duplicated.

Fixed an issue where the non-target penalty would not be applied in some Escalation Contracts where the “No Pacifications” complication was enabled.

Fixed an issue where the ‘Body Found’ score penalty would not be applied if the body is found at the same time as the player enters the ‘combat’ state.

Fixed a rare issue that would cause a framerate drop in Paris when equipping a weapon inside the palace.

Fixed an issue where the information about being recorded by a security camera would not be shown in languages other than English.

Fixed an issue where the ‘Over Here…’ challenge in the ICA Facility would not unlock if a guard finds a coin on his way to the generator.

Fixed an infinite loading bug that was occurring when players would sign out of the game during a mission and then sign back in with the same account.

Are you excited for Hitman Episode 3 tomorrow?

[Source: Hitman]

10 PS4 Sequels That Could Fulfill Untapped Potential

PS4 Sequels That Could Fulfill Untapped Potential
Knack

Knack's not a bad game. No, seriously. Knack was a heavily flawed attempt at an action platformer that leaned way too much into a brawler (as its gameplay is almost scarily similar to God of War). Focus more on jumping and traversal, and there really could be something great here. I'm not ready to give up on Knack, and neither should you!
Destiny

It definitely seems like Bungie has learned a lot from Destiny, as The Taken King was a huge step forward. It's still not all the way there, though. The gunplay is so sensational, and the world is so interesting, that it's hard not to be frustrated with the rest of the experience. It'd be impossible to completely fix the current game, but it could definitely be done in a sequel. One that is certainly inevitable considering what a success Destiny has been.
The Wolf Among Us

Telltale Games did such a great job with The Wolf Among Us, but they really only scratched the surface of what they could do with the Fables license. There's a lot of different characters yet to be explored, and Bigby's adventure is one the developer should go back to. They would have to make sure episodes are released regularly, as the infrequent release schedule of the original really hurt the overall interest in it.
Watch Dogs

While some gamers may have a sour taste left in their mouths from Watch Dogs, there's no denying that Ubisoft had a great idea for a game. The core concept of being able to hack different pieces of technology is awesome, and it's why the game drummed up so much interest in the first place. A sequel could keep that same premise, while also introducing a likable protagonist (although Ubisoft seems to have a hard time creating those lately), and refined hacking that feels fun and not a chore. Oh, and get rid of the open-world towers. Please.
Evolve

A terrible eSports focused marketing strategy and a shocking amount of day-one DLC really put a bullet into Evolve right when it came out. That's a real shame, as when you're playing with a full team that is communicating and working together there's really nothing else quite as satisfying. A sequel, if advertised properly, could build upon great gameplay, and maybe copy a bit more of what made Turtle Rock's Left 4 Dead such a success.
Doki-Doki Universe

Don't panic, HumaNature Studios' Doki-Doki Universe is one of the most unique games on PlayStation 4. Blending together an adventure game and an interactive personality test, the game is brimming with charm and general weirdness. A few things kept it from maximizing its potential, though, including a poor sense of progression, and repetition.
The Evil Within

Director Shinji Mikami is a living legend, and has been instrumental in creating some of the greatest games ever made. He's also the mind behind The Evil Within which ended up being a huge disappointment. If anything, it did show that there's still fans looking for a great survival horror game, and one misstep can't undo the decades of great games from Mikami. A sequel could be something special now that Tango Gameworks has more experience under their belt.
The Swindle

The Swindle is a really good game that's a few tweaks away from being amazing. Basically a stealth version of Spelunky, it has all of the hooks that make other roguelikes so addictive. Unfortunately, the game had some issues early on with procedurally generated levels, and later levels almost felt unfair. There's plenty of small things that could be enhanced in a sequel, and I'd love to see Size Five wow gamers with it.
Unravel

Unravel won over the hearts of many gamers immediately upon its unveil. The EA-published title is amazingly gorgeous, and it's a shame that the gameplay didn't match its visual prowess. Thankfully, a sequel is in the works and hopefully the second time around will let Yarny truly shine.
The Order 1886

If one game on this list needs a sequel, it's The Order 1886. Not only does it end just as its plot is getting interesting, there's also a solid framework to build off of. While the original game wasn't anything more than a really pretty third-person shooter with average gunplay, there's still a chance for this series to be something special. It'd also be nice if the sequel could even run full-screen, but beggars can't be choosers.