My only thought after playing over three hours worth of Hitman preview code was wanting to go back into the game and do things differently. It’s not very often that a game presents the player with so many different ways to complete an objective, and it’s this crafty mechanic that really stood out for me, and will do the same for anyone who’s played a Hitman game before.

Stealth is all well and good, but when you’re blending in seamlessly with your location and getting mere inches from your target just to eavesdrop on them, it all gets fantastically exciting. You hunger to seek out the most elaborate yet discreet way to take out your targets, and the game will happily respond with plenty of choices to tackle.Hitman sees a shift in how the game has previously played out, instead opting to break up into various different location packs that will be released and purchasable once the game is live. The true beauty is that the game never forces you to buy a pack as soon as it’s released – each location has a healthy number of objectives and hidden targets that are sure to keep players revisiting missions over and over again.Agent 47’s story is told in greater detail this time, throwing players first into early training missions and introducing him to a familiar face from the franchise, Diana Burnwood. The first mission seems simple – infiltrate a docked boat and take out a master thief without being detected. But of course nothing is as easy as it seems, and as Agent 47 you will have to come up with some rather original methods to acquire and eliminate your target. Your second mission is a bit more challenging – eliminating a soviet spy in a very heavily guarded base. Stealth may be your friend, but there are plenty of times when blending in – as in most Hitman games – will reap the greatest reward. Again, the methods to eliminate your target are various, so I won’t spoil them too much. But let’s just say that sometimes a routine safety check can go horribly – and conveniently – wrong.

I was then whisked away to Agent 47’s first real mission, two high profile targets in Paris, set in an elaborate museum that is housing a fashion show attended by hundreds of wealthy patrons. Being on the guest list isn’t enough here – the museum is huge and is heavily patrolled, so working your way around to get to your targets is a definite challenge. The mission does have a few lighthearted moments that will surprise you, including possibly jumping onto the catwalk yourself, but only if you play your cards right.New to Hitman are Opportunities, which will regularly pop up during your missions. They are sort of side missions that you can follow and complete to potentially unlock alternative paths for your main mission, or to collect more information on your targets. Again, these unlock some interesting things for your main mission, so I highly recommend seeking them out and seeing where they take you. Contracts also make a return to Hitman, allowing players to design and share their own hits with the online community, this time with hundreds of NPCs available to mark as targets.Escalation Mode is a new feature for Hitman, and deftly targets players who want a more challenging experience after completing each scenario. Each scenario escalates in difficulty once completed, adding new obstacles and challenges to make players re-think their strategies every time. Also new to the franchise is Elusive Targets – time-limited targets that only appear for a limited time in the game. Once they escape, they’re gone forever – likewise if you manage to kill them in time. Every Elusive Target will come with their own back story, but there will be little information given on how to locate them. It’s up to players to collect whatever information they can and piece it together before they run out of time.

Whether or not Hitman players will warm up to the episodic idea remains to be seen, but regardless of this the core mechanics and beauty of Hitman remains the same. It’s a game that you’ll want to visit again just to see what you can unlock, or how you can play a mission differently. And with some interesting locales dropping after the game launches, there’s going to be a ton of things you’re going to want to kill…discreetly, of course.

Nick is an Editor at IGN Middle East. He is makes delicious good cupcakes, cookies and oh god, I am hungry now. Twitter him.