I have to say, you're not quite selling it to me yet
I wanted this to be a fantastic iteration of next-gen (new-gen, this-gen) Hitman, it sounds like a bag of spanners to be honest.
Well I wasn't trying to sell it specifically to anyone. Its just my review on the game really. Its not a pure open world environment if that is what you were looking for, then I am also a bit let down too, still I enjoy the game. But the locations are just that, locations, and they are like levels, but it depends on your personal definition of huge.
The first proper career location is Paris, set within the grounds and chambers of a Palace Sanguine where the Showstopper fashion show is held. It retains the old style combat and tool mechanics system from the old hitman games. The environment is packed with objects you can pickup, tamper with or throw, meaning you can still throw fire extinguishers, ratchets, hammers, screwdrivers, crowbars. You can climb up drain pipes and shimmy across and jump to other ledges but its basic stuff.
You can pick up and use any weapons from enemies or throw any of these tools or weapons to lure enemies, knock them out. Use them as a deadly weapon when in assassin crawl mode and use them to eliminate the target. You can kill someone with a piano, push them off a balcony, release the chandelier onto someones head, tamper with live electrical wires, or OHP, to electrocute someone. Obviously use lights to lure enemies by switching power on or off, poison people with rat poison or other deadly chemicals. Use explosives. Use Drop lights or speakers onto enemies.
Of lot of the stuff you can do is still old hitman style combat and mechanics and tools. And you really can exploit and use objects in whatever way you want to eliminate targets. You have free reign and choice to do it your style your way as long as objectives are sufficient to pas the challenge and gain trophies. But you have to unlock mastery levels to unlock new tools. Say unlock level 5 to unlock the sniper rifle and the pile driver barge becomes available so you can complete that assassination challenge to sniper two targets from a vantage point in under 10 seconds because you lure them out to their apartment balcony by setting off the fireworks.
Just thought I'd say a few more words really. I'm not really bothered that either way, I'm enjoying this game so far and its pretty good. Can't wait for all the new locations to come starting April and each month which will really show us whether hitman can show us anything we haven't been able to see or do yet.