High dynamic range (HDR) is not only the newest buzzword that all sorts of hardware makers are using to sell their latest and greatest, but it’s one of the biggest visual upgrades to games and media in recent memory. With that in mind, Hitman is getting that lighting upgrade by the end of this month, and a new difficulty mode, too.
Hitman, the classic third-person assassination simulator, changed things up by switching from one big release to an episodic system of content launches. That didn’t mean the game looked any worse — in fact, the latest Hitman game collection has been the best-looking in the series yet, from the armaments to the hitman’s shiny head.
All of that should look a little nicer following the upcoming HDR update, which is set to land at the end of the month. It will bring with it the much touted HDR addition, but will also be adding a newly announced harder difficulty mode, called “Professional.” It adds new restrictions on what items can be used, and improves the AI enemies and security cameras, as well as limiting saves, as per Polygon.
To play it, you will need to have reached a “Mastery Level” of 20 for the location you want to play on, but beating the levels at that difficulty will net new rewards, so it should be worth the challenge for the best Hitman players.
Even if those don’t tempt you, showing off might, as there will be a new Professional Difficulty leaderboard to rank yourself against. All levels other than the prologue and live content are applicable.
Of course we mustn’t forget the addition of HDR though. It will affect the game in a few different ways, like adding the ability to see details outside while inside a dark room. The sun will also be blinding if you have Agent 47 look directly at it, rather than simply simulated glare — HDR will literally make the sun hard to look at.
https://twitter.com/Hitman/status/822074672846110720
The announcement for the update came via IO Interactive’s official Hitman Twitter account, where it also broke down where the update will be applicable. The PC, Xbox One S, PS4, and PS4 Pro are all getting the upgrade. The original Xbox One does not support high-dynamic range.
Owners of the upgraded platforms will also need a compatible display. If you’re looking into purchasing a console and/or TV for HDR gaming, check out our lists of PS4 and Xbox One games with HDR support.
Updated on 01-25-2017 by Jon Martindale: Added info on new “professional” difficulty mode.
