There is a hard and fast rule that I as a games writer live by: Take and play every game offered. Cabela’s Scat Safari? Yes please! Unfortunately in the case of Hitman: Absolution Sniper Challenge the rule has broken down, because sniper challenge isn’t a game. It’s only a mechanism. A mechanism like an automated claw cracker/tiny fork combo designed to extract the sweetest of meats… unlockable content in the game proper.

Hitman: Absolution Sniper Challenge does manage to give the player a hint as to what the final release will be like. Questions like: What will NPCs look like through a high power scope? Will the main character be wearing a tie? Will the shooting of guns be present in the game? All these questions are answered in the Sniper Challenge.

As far as pre-order bonuses go Sniper Challenge is pretty good. Offering a spoiler free taste of the game with the opportunity, if you grind long enough, to unlock three tiers of helpful attribute buffs in the main game. A sniper rifle is also gifted to the player, and in a game about being a hitman… I guess that could come in handy.

From Press Release:
Available May 15, HITMAN: SNIPER CHALLENGE will be downloadable exclusively for customers who pre-order through GameStop for the PlayStation®Network and Xbox LIVE®. The Windows PC version will be made available through Steam on August 1, 2012. For more information, please visit: www.HitmanSniper.com

Alex Bauman (87 Posts)

ALEX BAUMAN is COIN-OP TV’s features writer/contributor. Alex is a Seattle area writer who has been covering the games industry since 2008 with three years of contributing for the Examiner.com. Alex has covered numerous events, including regular trips to PAX (Penny Arcade Expo) in Seattle. Husband, father, and life long gamer Alex embraces his unnatural Xbox 360 obsession with vigor; sometimes sacrificing food and/or sleep for that next achievement.