<s>
Hitman	B-Application
2	I-Application
:	I-Application
Silent	I-Application
Assassin	I-Application
is	O
a	O
2002	O
stealth	O
video	O
game	O
developed	O
by	O
IO	O
Interactive	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Eidos	O
Interactive	O
for	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
,	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
,	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
and	O
GameCube	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
re-released	O
for	O
Windows	O
through	O
the	O
Steam	B-Application
online	O
distribution	O
service	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
DRM-free	O
version	O
was	O
later	O
made	O
available	O
through	O
GOG.com	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
the	O
second	O
installment	O
in	O
the	O
Hitman	B-Application
video	O
game	O
series	O
and	O
the	O
sequel	O
to	O
Hitman	B-Application
:	I-Application
Codename	I-Application
47	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
single-player	O
story	O
once	O
again	O
follows	O
Agent	O
47	O
,	O
a	O
genetically	O
enhanced	O
human	O
clone	B-Application
who	O
worked	O
for	O
the	O
International	O
Contract	O
Agency	O
(	O
ICA	O
)	O
as	O
an	O
assassin	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Following	O
the	O
events	O
of	O
Codename	B-Application
47	I-Application
,	O
the	O
former	O
contract	O
killer	O
has	O
retired	O
and	O
started	O
a	O
peaceful	O
life	O
at	O
a	O
church	O
,	O
but	O
after	O
his	O
only	O
friend	O
,	O
Reverend	O
Emilio	O
Vittorio	O
,	O
is	O
kidnapped	O
by	O
unknown	O
assailants	O
,	O
47	O
resumes	O
work	O
for	O
the	O
ICA	O
in	O
hopes	O
of	O
tracking	O
him	O
down	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
more	O
action-focused	O
segments	O
from	O
Codename	B-Application
47	I-Application
have	O
been	O
removed	O
in	O
favor	O
of	O
entirely	O
stealth-focused	O
missions	O
,	O
though	O
players	O
are	O
free	O
to	O
choose	O
their	O
own	O
style	O
of	O
gameplay	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
also	O
a	O
commercial	O
success	O
,	O
having	O
sold	O
more	O
than	O
3.7	O
million	O
copies	O
as	O
of	O
23	O
April	O
2009	O
,	O
which	O
makes	O
it	O
the	O
best-selling	O
Hitman	B-Application
game	O
in	O
the	O
original	O
series	O
(	O
prior	O
to	O
2016	O
's	O
Hitman	B-Application
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
High-definition	O
ports	O
of	O
Silent	O
Assassin	O
and	O
its	O
successors	O
,	O
Contracts	B-Application
and	O
Blood	B-Application
Money	I-Application
,	O
were	O
released	O
on	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
3	I-Operating_System
and	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
in	O
January	O
2013	O
in	O
the	O
form	O
of	O
the	O
Hitman	B-Application
HD	O
Trilogy	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Hitman	B-Application
2	O
features	O
mission-based	O
gameplay	O
and	O
is	O
presented	O
from	O
the	O
third-person	O
perspective	O
,	O
which	O
can	O
optionally	O
be	O
switched	O
to	O
a	O
first-person	O
view	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
plays	O
in	O
with	O
the	O
"	O
suspicion	O
"	O
system	O
;	O
a	O
bar	O
beside	O
the	O
health	O
meter	O
on	O
the	O
HUD	B-Application
represents	O
how	O
much	O
suspicion	O
the	O
player	O
garners	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Hitman	B-Application
2	O
uses	O
the	O
concept	O
of	O
a	O
post-mission	O
ranking	O
system	O
,	O
in	O
which	O
the	O
player	O
is	O
given	O
a	O
status	O
based	O
on	O
how	O
they	O
completed	O
the	O
mission	O
,	O
rated	O
along	O
a	O
stealthy-aggressive	O
axis	O
,	O
between	O
"	O
Silent	O
Assassin	O
"	O
,	O
a	O
stealthy	O
player	O
who	O
manages	O
to	O
complete	O
the	O
level	O
without	O
being	O
noticed	O
and	O
only	O
killing	O
two	O
non-targeting	O
people	O
excluding	O
the	O
intended	O
target(s )	O
,	O
and	O
"	O
Mass	O
Murderer	O
"	O
,	O
a	O
non-stealthy	O
player	O
who	O
kills	O
everyone	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Following	O
the	O
events	O
of	O
Hitman	B-Application
:	I-Application
Codename	I-Application
47	I-Application
,	O
two	O
men	O
investigate	O
the	O
massacre	O
left	O
by	O
Agent	O
47	O
at	O
the	O
facility	O
of	O
his	O
creator	O
,	O
Dr.	O
Ort-Meyer	O
,	O
in	O
Romania	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
organisation	O
agrees	O
to	O
help	O
in	O
exchange	O
for	O
47	O
returning	O
to	O
complete	O
several	O
contracts	B-Application
for	O
them	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Improvements	O
were	O
made	O
to	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
AI	B-Application
and	O
many	O
levels	O
were	O
made	O
smaller	O
and	O
more	O
focused	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
hearing	O
the	O
changes	O
planned	O
for	O
Hitman	B-Application
2	O
,	O
PC	O
Gamer	O
declared	O
in	O
December	O
2001	O
that	O
"	O
Hitman	B-Application
2	O
should	O
be	O
everything	O
we	O
wished	O
of	O
its	O
predecessor	O
–	O
and	O
that	O
gives	O
us	O
extremely	O
high	O
hopes.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Hitman	B-Application
2	I-Application
:	I-Application
Silent	I-Application
Assassin	I-Application
received	O
"	O
generally	O
positive	O
"	O
reviews	O
,	O
according	O
to	O
review	B-Application
aggregator	I-Application
Metacritic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Electronic	O
Gaming	O
Monthly	O
scored	O
Hitman	B-Application
2s	O
GameCube	B-Application
version	O
7/8/8.5	O
:	O
the	O
first	O
reviewer	O
criticized	O
its	O
artificial	B-Application
intelligence	I-Application
and	O
mission	O
briefings	O
,	O
but	O
said	O
that	O
"	O
each	O
time	O
I	O
circumvented	O
the	O
immeasurable	O
odds	O
and	O
made	O
the	O
crucial	O
killing	O
blow	O
,	O
Hitman	B-Application
2	O
was	O
briefly	O
a	O
blast	O
"	O
;	O
the	O
third	O
reviewer	O
summarized	O
it	O
as	O
"	O
an	O
engaging	O
adventure	O
title	O
that	O
rewards	O
patient	O
players	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Despite	O
the	O
7/8/8.5	O
scores	O
given	O
by	O
Electronic	O
Gaming	O
Monthly	O
,	O
the	O
cover	O
of	O
the	O
GameCube	B-Application
release	O
says	O
"	O
9/10	O
Electronic	O
Gaming	O
Monthly	O
Gold	O
Award	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
score	O
is	O
erroneously	O
taken	O
from	O
the	O
magazine	O
's	O
review	O
of	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
version	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Hitman	B-Application
2	O
has	O
sold	O
more	O
than	O
3.7	O
million	O
copies	O
as	O
of	O
23	O
April	O
2009	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
July	O
2006	O
,	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
version	O
of	O
Hitman	B-Application
2	O
had	O
sold	O
1.1	O
million	O
copies	O
and	O
earned	O
$39	O
million	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Next	O
Generation	O
ranked	O
it	O
as	O
the	O
47th-highest-selling	O
game	O
launched	O
for	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
,	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
or	O
GameCube	B-Application
between	O
January	O
2000	O
and	O
July	O
2006	O
in	O
that	O
country	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Combined	O
console	O
sales	O
of	O
Hitman	B-Application
games	O
released	O
in	O
the	O
2000s	O
reached	O
2	O
million	O
units	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
by	O
July	O
2006	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Hitman	B-Application
2s	O
PC	O
and	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
releases	O
each	O
received	O
a	O
"	O
Silver	O
"	O
sales	O
award	O
from	O
the	O
Entertainment	O
and	O
Leisure	O
Software	O
Publishers	O
Association	O
(	O
ELSPA	O
)	O
,	O
indicating	O
sales	O
of	O
at	O
least	O
100,000	O
copies	O
per	O
version	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
Kingdom	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
ELSPA	O
gave	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
release	O
a	O
"	O
Platinum	O
"	O
certification	O
for	O
sales	O
of	O
at	O
least	O
300,000	O
copies	O
in	O
the	O
region	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Hitman	B-Application
2	O
was	O
nominated	O
for	O
Computer	O
Gaming	O
Worlds	O
2002	O
"	O
Action	O
Game	O
of	O
the	O
Year	O
"	O
award	O
,	O
which	O
ultimately	O
went	O
to	O
Medal	B-Application
of	I-Application
Honor	I-Application
:	I-Application
Allied	I-Application
Assault	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
editors	O
wrote	O
,	O
"	O
Hitman	B-Application
2	O
is	O
a	O
huge	O
improvement	O
over	O
the	O
original	O
,	O
and	O
it	O
's	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
best	O
games	O
of	O
last	O
year	O
in	O
any	O
genre.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
also	O
nominated	O
for	O
GameSpot	O
's	O
"	O
Best	O
Music	O
on	O
PC	O
"	O
,	O
"	O
Best	O
Single-Player	O
Action	O
Game	O
on	O
PC	O
"	O
,	O
"	O
Best	O
Music	O
on	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
"	O
,	O
"	O
Best	O
Sound	O
on	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
"	O
,	O
"	O
Best	O
Music	O
on	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
"	O
and	O
"	O
Best	O
Action	O
Adventure	O
Game	O
on	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
"	O
prizes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
response	O
,	O
the	O
level	O
was	O
edited	O
from	O
the	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
and	O
GameCube	B-Application
versions	O
of	O
Silent	O
Assassin	O
,	O
removing	O
all	O
Sikh-related	O
references	O
.	O
</s>
