We took on the challenge that is the Hitman Beta. Find out what we thought about it, and check out a bunch of new screenshots, after the jump.

It’s a cold and dark day as your chopper glides through the cold and snowy air, taking you to a remote location somewhere in the side of a mountain, to a top secret training facility for the International Contract Agency. You know what your abilities are, but these folks want to know if you are fully capable of assisting them with certain tasks that require a certain skillset. What they want to know is, can you eliminate targets with extreme prejudice, without anyone knowing you were there, and maybe even without anyone knowing the deceased was a target to begin with.

It doesn’t take much to point and shoot at another human being, snuffing out a life like a zippo in a snowstorm, but true assassination is an art that requires finesse, proper planning, and flawless execution. Knowing your options beforehand is a plus, but a true assassin knows that missions are fluid and ever changing and must be able to make adjustments on the fly. Keeping an ear open at all times just might let you in on some useful intel and alternate methods of extermination.

A true assassin also knows that there are many ways to conceal oneself, and hiding in plain sight and blending in within the confines of an environment has not only a tactical advantage, but can give you a front row seat to conversations as they play out around you. Wearing the right threads is also a useful tool in the life of an assassin, so knowing what disguise to borrow from someone is paramount to success. If you’re wanting to blend in at a cocktail party, becoming  a bartender is a great trick, and who really pays attention to the bartender?

Gameplay for Hitman opens up a huge array of possibilities on how to play each level by giving you multiple elimination methods to choose from and a set of challenges to complete during each mission. Completionists are going to have a field day trying to get that elusive 100% completion for each mission, and will have to eliminate targets in a variety of ways to beat all of the challenges. While a garrote is a handy tool for any assassin, rat poison might be a less revealing method that gives you a better chance at escaping without alerting anyone.

The Hitman series has been around for a long time, but it has also been MIA for a while. The beta really sold us on the game and we can’t wait to take on the full game.

Check out a whole mess of screenshots below and if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask in the comments below.