Hitman: Contracts

"Back in black"

Note: In order to justify this game I am going to rate it not only as a person who has played the series, but as a gamer overall. The first paragraph will be as a gamer, while the second denoted by a: * will indicate my opinion as a gamer of the Hitman series. Anything else in this review is subject to the * as well so be warned.

Good evening ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to my grand and glorious second review!!! (crickets chirp)

Introduction:
Walking through my local Wal-Mart I happened across the game "Hitman Contracts." I thought to myself, "Hey I didn't know they were making a second one of these!" I proceeded to rush home and lock myself in my room for a good thirty hours and proceeded to beat the game. After 14 two-liter bottles of pepsi, 7 large pizzas, and a gallon of Pepto Bismal, I am here to report on this new installment of the Hitman series. So without any more pomp and circumstance on with the review.

Gameplay:10/10

Contracts offers you freedom. The freedom to do what ever you want to. Do you want to assasinate someone with a pool cue? Go right ahead! You might get shot in the process, but thats ok. This game revolves around assassinations. In every case, you have a silenced pistol and your trusty "Ballers" (some very sweet .45 hardballers). You can go in there guns a blazin' seeing how many people you can take out, before you get shot by that pesky sniper. Or, you can subdue one of the guards, take his outfit and poison the targets brandy. It's really up to you. Just remember that every choice has its consequences.

Story: 9/10 (*7/10)
To the newcomer, Hitman Contracts, may seem a little strange. What starts out as a bald man dying on the floor, becomes a mirror image of himself proceeding to shoot the prostrate man in the head. Wow that is one long sentence. Anywho, you are suddenly steeped into a man who goes by the name of 47's life. He has by all appearances been shot, and lies bleeding on the floor. From then on, he proceeds to have a series of flashbacks of previous jobs he has undergone. Sometimes remembering halfway through the mission, you see that your character is a hitman, who makes his living off of killing others. This is really a swing or miss thing folks. I for one loved this idea of no set story other than the bits and pieces of 47 groaning in pain before every level. Some will be absolutely disgusted by it. This game also has a flair for the grotesque so be warned, there's a hella lotta blood.

** The reason this was slightly less is because unlike Hitman 2, there is no linear plot, linking together a series of events. This can be somewhat frustrating, as we get to see glimpses of 47's origin and some of his comrades from Hitman 2. Seeing as how this is the first time to talk to you Hitman gamers, I would like to take this opportunity to say that you will see 47's weaker side in this. Not emotionally, but physically. He was shot in the stomach and spends half of the game dying on a table. This game is also alot bloodier than Hitman 2. It also is alot darker, which I will get into later.

Graphics/Sound: 8/10 (*6/10)

The graphics make up an impressive part of this score. But 47's animation is not what has impressed me. No it was the environment. The rain falling, and snow blowing, looked lifelike. Not just jagged white dots floating down. The characters animation is alright. The rag doll effects of this game are superb. People die differently when shot in the face with a shotgun, opposed to getting shocked by a stun gun.

As to sound, this game really has no major songs, just bump in the night reoccurring themes. This sets the tone for the game, providing the perfect ambiance to show that 47 is in a pain induced hallucination/flashback.

** Ok kiddies, here's the beef. I am thinking that this game is sorta like an expansion pack to Hitman 2. 47's animation really hasn't changed, and if it has it wasn't noticeable. The screen look is different as well, with a different indicator for how alert the guards are. Overall, the same graphics from Hitman 2 though. However, what really ticked me off was the music. Jesper Kyd, the musical genius who composed the Soviet Union theme from Hitman 2 is back. He unfortunately is reduced to doing as little as possible in this game. No longer is the sweeping theme in the background as 47 mows down a diplomat. Instead we hear silence. Maybe this is better, I don't know. All I know is that Kyd coulda done better.

Play Time/Replayabiltiy 7/10

There is some really neat stuff to do on your second time through any Hitman game. This one is no exception. Try going back over that level that just gave you an awful time, and see if you can't do it more stealthily. Instead of killing that guard, just incapacitate him. Despite how fun killing people is, it unfortunately can get kinda old, which is why I recommend this score for this department.

Final Thoughts:

Due to my personal bias of the game, I refused to round up the fraction that these scores equaled. However I thought I gave it a pretty fair score. I highly recommend this game. I will keep it right next to its older brother. It's a neat little romp in the gaming world. *Just look at it as an expansion pack, like Frozen Throne was to Warcraft III.

Well that's it folks. Time to hit the sack. So until next time, this is thewhitemoogle saying, "Never pee in a bidet."

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 05/10/04