With a fresh console generation around the corner, many large publishers have been hesitant to release new properties, especially those that lack mass appeal, but Bethesda's gamble on Arkane Studios' first-person stealth action title seems to have paid off...

Hitman: Absolution is a wickedly smart, darkly enjoyable video game, one that's as generous to players as its protagonist is merciless to his victims. You'll stab, strangle and shoot your way through level after level, sometimes grimacing, sometimes scowling, sometimes laughing.

Absolution picks up the Hitman story where the last game in the series, 2006's Blood Money, left off. That's a long time between sequels, even in the relatively slow-moving video game world. But that extended time in development likely accounts for a lot of what makes Hitman such a sprawling, interesting game.

Sam Fisher will slink back into action next year, with a sixth Splinter Cell title scheduled for early 2013 (we've seen "spring" and the "first quarter" bandied about, but no specific release date yet). Dubbed Splinter Cell: Blacklist, the title will ship for the PC, Xbox 360 and PS3...

After watching a near 17-minute gameplay video of Hitman: Absolution, it's apparent that Agent 47 has undergone a transformation. He has a new voice actor (so does Diana), he's thinner than previous games, he's wearing a tie clip and he's adopted new stealth tactics...