The publisher announced the game for a release in November as well as giving details for the Sniper Challenge which is a stand-alone experience.
Square Enix has announced that the stealth shooter will be released in November 20 2012 for PS3, Xbox 360 and PC. The publisher also confirmed Hitman: Sniper Challenge which launches next week for PS3 and Xbox 360 and on August 1 2012 for PC.
The Sniper Challenge is only available for those that pre-order Hitman Absolution. You can get access to this stand-alone experience with a special code.
Hitman: Sniper Challenge takes place on a single rooftop level set in Chicago. Agent 47 has to assassinate a target from a building with a sniper rifle. The target, arms boss Richard Strong Jr, arrives via helicopter at a another rooftop where he’ll only be present for 15 minutes. Players must take out Strong and as many of his security guards as possible.
There will be Leaderboards that track the scores of each player. You can receive bonus points with headshots and by completing challenges. There are options to take out lone security agents unnoticed. There are also special ranks like the “Silent Assassin” rank and unlockable weapons like the “Agency Sniper Rifle” which then can be used in Hitman Absolution.
Hitman: Sniper Challenge is powered by the Glacier 2 game engine.
“Creating Hitman: Sniper Challenge has been very good for us in terms of putting the new engine through its paces as [Glacier 2] hasn’t previously shipped [anything], so it’s good to reach that milestone,” said IO Interactive producer Luke Valentine. “[Sniper Challenge] has a lot of depth, because you could complete it in one minute or you could spend weeks perfecting your score. What we’re trying to establish is that we can cater to people either with limited time or with a lot of time, both with the main game and Sniper Challenge.”
Here's a trailer for the Sniper Challenge and screenshots.
■ Jensen6
