I may be the only one to feel this way, but I found that "Hitman 2" didn't live up to the quality of the original.  The first game was unique in style and execution, and scored extra points simply for the stealth/subterfuge aspects.  Both games limit the player's freedom significantly, but it's hard to see how this could be avoided in a game supposedly about stealth.
Unfortunately, I felt much more limited in the choices I could make to complete the missions during "Hitman 2".  In almost every scenario the game forced the player into a narrow variety of paths, leaving little freedom to concoct his/her own plan of attack.  Basically, to complete the mission, the player has to perform "guess-and-check" actions until he/she discovers one of the few "correct" ways to proceed.  This was more true in "Hitman 2" than in the first game.
Personally, I strongly disliked the (slightly) greater emphasis on story in the sequel.  First, in the voice-over it was a ridiculously bad decision to give #47 a Sicilian accent.  He went from sounding cold and calculating to sounding like a ridiculous parody of "Goodfellas".  The character was originally a soulless, personality-free machine of a man with no real history, and I didn't like how he was suddenly allocated a whole slew of morals.  Basically, he became a stock "hero"-character.
"Hitman" was a solid game, and "Hitman 2" delivers many of the same perks as its predecessor.  Unfortunately, nearly everything that sets this game apart from the first is a step backward.
I may be the only one to feel this way, but I found that "Hitman 2" didn't live up to the quality of the original. The first game was unique in style and execution, and scored extra points simply for the stealth/subterfuge aspects. Both games limit the player's freedom significantly, but it's hard to see how this could be avoided in a game supposedly about stealth. Unfortunately, I felt much more limited in the choices I could make to complete the missions during "Hitman 2". In almost every scenario the game forced the player into a narrow variety of paths, leaving little freedom to concoct his/her own plan of attack. Basically, to complete the mission, the player has to perform "guess-and-check" actions until he/she discovers one of the few "correct" ways to proceed. This was more true in "Hitman 2" than in the first game. Personally, I strongly disliked the (slightly) greater emphasis on story in the sequel. First, in the voice-over it was a ridiculously bad decision to give #47 a Sicilian accent. He went from sounding cold and calculating to sounding like a ridiculous parody of "Goodfellas". The character was originally a soulless, personality-free machine of a man with no real history, and I didn't like how he was suddenly allocated a whole slew of morals. Basically, he became a stock "hero"-character. "Hitman" was a solid game, and "Hitman 2" delivers many of the same perks as its predecessor. Unfortunately, nearly everything that sets this game apart from the first is a step backward.