This fall, we’re seeing no less than three games centered around master assassins plying their trade: Dishonored, Assassin’s Creed III, and Hitman: Absolution. So, we thought we’d put them toe-to-toe and see who’s most likely to come out the winner.



Agent 47

Cloned from some of history’s worst killers, Agent 47 is pretty much as scary as it gets before you get into eldritch horrors.

Tools and Weapons: Agent 47 arguably has both the best and worst loadout of the assassins, with two poison syringes, two sedative syringes, a fiber wire, and a mine that can be remotely detonated. We’ll throw in his trademark Silverballers, but we will note those are optional. Granted, that’s usually all he needs, but considering what he’s up against here, he might wish he at least had a knife.

Powers: 47 has, on the other hand, what must be the most useful and effective power of the group. He can beat up some shmuck, take his pants, and walk around with his coworkers and be accepted without a second thought even though he’s a cueball with a bar code on the back of his head. It comes with a drawback, though: If he steps out of line even a little bit, like not wearing a costume into a bar where absolutely nobody else is wearing one, police and security forces seem incapable of proportionate response and start shooting.

Advantages: That blending in can be useful. Even people who should know better won’t question his wearing the outfit of a trained professional, like a therapist. Corvo and Connor might not be able to spot him until it’s way too late.

Disadvantages: He’s up against a wizard and an acrobat who aren’t as predictable as his usual targets and are just as capable of getting the drop on him as he is on them.

Corvo Attano

The wronged former bodyguard of an Empress, Corvo joins a resistance movement. For him, killing is personal.

Tools and Weapons: He’s got a handheld crossbow, a firearm, and a sword that we’ve seen, so far. It’s a good mix of tools but not exactly an ideal assassin loadout either.