In a recent chat with the Ian Games Network, IO Interactive boss Hakan Abrak said the Hitman developer “absolutely feel(s) like 20 plus years of training for the agent fantasy, creating an agent that travels the world and globetrotting whatnot, has given us some know-how” on bringing James Bond to the greasy screen (“greasy screen” is my new attempt at coining a “the big/small screen” but for games. I foresee big success.)
Abrak is so confident, in fact, that he reckons their Bond project might end up mirroring the World Of Assassination’s trilogy format. “But what’s exciting about that project is that we actually got to do an original story,” Abrak says. “So it’s not a gamification of a movie. It’s completely beginning and becoming a story, hopefully for a big trilogy out there in the future.”
It’s a fine interview, worth a read. But I must ask: how are the queues, Abrak? How am I supposed to get excited about a new IO game if you don’t mention the queues?
As I’ve written about at length, no less than twice, the Hitman series’ queues are the fulcrum on which its brilliant, player-agnostic routines turn – although I am at pains to point out that the Berlin club one doesn’t actually move. I figured I was quite obviously being fanciful, but at least one online publication that shall remain nameless reported on my shitpost as if it were actually in the game, so you can’t be too careful. No shade, really. I’d report exclusively on shitposts if I could.
Anyway, the queues represent so much that is great about Hitman’s levels. They’re the most mundane inclusion imaginable, lending a shroud of humdrum routine to their respective clockwork puzzle boxes. You put someone like Ian Hitman in, say, one of Goldeneye’s military bases, and he loses his fish-out-of-water charm. So much of Hitman’s brilliance comes from the knowing conceit that 47 always looks like the most suspicious person wherever he is, evoking a sort of Ralph Wiggum-esque “I’m doing espionage!” while also looking very intimidating.
I’m a little worried, then, that IO’s Project 007 won’t want anything to do with goofy comedy, intentional or otherwise. Bond’s whole thing is his absurdly slick competence. I don’t doubt that IO’s – and I try to use this word sparingly but it’s apt here – genius level designers will make a great game no matter the subject, but I do hope they allow Bond to get a little silly with it.
Sounds like I’ll find out sooner rather than later, anyway. “I don’t have an update today, but believe me, it’s itching here as well to be talking about it soon,” Abrak told IGN. “So we are following our plans. The production’s going amazingly well and we will soon be talking more about it. I know it was a little teaser, not a lot of information, but there’s a lot of cool stuff coming up”.