Question: So... I just got Hitman: Absolution for PS3. I have started playing a few missions, but I feel like I am missing something.

Do I feel like I am missing something because I haven't played the other Hitman games OR of my failure to understand the story due to some other reason?

**Should I play the other Hitman games to understand the story?**

Answer: 
This answer may be different for everyone but I am going to say no. After you finish absolution, a lot of your questions will be answered [ I'm not going to provide those spoilers]. If you want some Hitman Lore, check out this very short video explaining some background to Agent 47
well its good to start with hitman codename 47 to get to know the story better or watch videos on the games