Agent 47 is back and he's definitely gone through a few changes since we last saw him in Blood Money. Hitman: Absolution will mark the return to the bald-headed, bar-coded assassin after a five year hiatus.

A five year disappearance is something to account for, and what better way to see Agent 47 back at work than in this trailer for his latest job in Hitman: Absolution? In recent months, there were several stories coming up regarding the series' return to consoles and how it would be adapted for a broader audience. Not just limited to gameplay changes, Absolution will also be bringing motion-capture technology and a darker storyline to the franchise.

The trailer shown at E3 2011 demonstrates how dramatic these changes are to the franchise. In comparison to the older games in the series, Absolution has taken a turn toward a more action-based approach to the situations at hand. Hitman fans might bemoan this change, but considering how difficult the games could be sometimes, IO Interactive may have opted to give 47 some more tools at his disposal. What's a world class assassin without some knowledge of martial arts?

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KU1Zkj2wNWk

Admittedly, the trailer doesn't do anything to show any gameplay whatsoever. It does, however, do a good job showing players that 47 is still out doing what he does best, with the change of being able to be a capable melee combatant and opting out of the stealth approach this time around.

While the lack of stealth is perturbing, it shouldn't be outright eliminated in the final product. Going back to the "adapting to a broader audience" theory, giving players the ability to be a bit faster and mobile -- and not have to rely on 47's fiber wire for silent kills -- could be both fun and convenient.

Unfortunately, the trailer doesn't admit any kind of release window, but the game is rumored to come out around Christmas of this year. It wouldn't be entirely surprising for IO to deliver a finished product by the end of the year, unless they choose to heavily market the game like they did with Kane & Lynch 2.

Hitman: Absolution has no official release date, but given the series' history will likely be available on Xbox 360, PS3, and PC.

Stay tuned to Game Rant for more news and updates as E3 2011 continues through the week.

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