Hitman: Contracts

"Contracted to kill, contracted to thrill"

Hitman: Contracts is a sequel to Hitman: Silent Assassin and the original Hitman only available on PC. For those who do not know the series well, it follows the story of a clone called 47, though this game does not cover about it much, primarily a stealth game but takes a different approach to the likes of Metal Gear Solid or Splinter Cell. A very fun stealth game indeed, but for those without patience it will probably turn to another poor Shoot 'em Up games. For those who owned the original Hitman game, there are some remake levels.

Graphics:
Is quite nicely done I got to say, is not one of those that you look at it and go "wow", but certainly not one that you point and scream at because is so terrible. No, it has very decent graphics, but it could be said it is a touch dark, but fits the theme of assassination quite well. Surrounding is very nicely done, certainly it does not over do it with lots of things on the screen at once, just the things needed and thats it. Character models are the strong point perhaps, again it is nothing spectacular but the quality is very solid. There is a slight issue with skating but nothing serious. Anything underage? Well you would not see any rude images in the game, but some of which is very gruesome, just be prepared to see bodies piled everywhere with puddles of blood accompanying it. The overall score is 8/10 for it's solid graphics all round, but the score could not be higher as they are not really of anything out of the ordinary.

Sound:
Very nice, the music complements different situations well. Some of which is of danger, and some of it just makes 47 even cooler after successfully terminating the target. Verbally, there are no offensive words in English, there is some border-lining between swearing and offensive language in Chinese, but nothing else. You hear remarks from NPC(in non-English speaking cities, they would be spoken in native language) when walking past but unfortunately they all say the same thing so these gets boring and repetitive fast. Gun sound however is some of the weakest out of any game, a magnum sounds more like you bang your fist against the wall then a pistol firing. Machine gun sounds more like a wood-pecker on a tree. Gun fire don't sound deadly enough to fit in the theme of assassination. Overall, it scores an average of 7/10.

Story:
Is more like, "what story". The story is a sequel to Hitman contracts although it certainly looks like is a prequel if you are not concentrating. In the game, only the final mission is a mission in "real time" while all others are flashbacks, thats where the remakes comes in. The whole storyline time span is no more than an hour which itself tells the story of an assassination, gone wrong, finishing it and escaping. It is implanted very well in a series before each mission and is really amazing some of them, especially the one before the first mission. This game follows on the next game in line, Hitman: Blood Money very well. Story receives 7/10, although it is good, it could not go deeper due to the nature of the story.

Gameplay:
If you are wanting to be a Hitman just like 47, not sure why would you want to though, you would need to know how to change clothes fast, fast I mean in matter of seconds a full set of Tuxedo into a SWAT uniform because thats what it is all about. Unlike the likes of MGS or SC where you need to evade guards in every single opportunity, in Hitman you don't need to hide from them(well sometimes you do, but only when entering out of bounds area), but to look like one of them, all the the time without arousing suspicion. The aim of each mission is to go to the objectives using a disguise(s) to get near it and then get out without guards knowing you are an intruder. However, when your disguise are blown, is time to whip out the Silver Ballers and shoot. This is the part that lets the game down. There are no need to to go through all the disguise and just shoot every till nobody remains, then finish whats left of the objectives. The amount of health 47 has is too much for a stealth game, but is suitable for a shooting game. The game controls are not exactly designed for this and when you need to use your guns, the character is very restrictive and there is nothing more you need to do other than shoot, move and crouch.

However, if you play the game the way it is played, then it would be a top-notch stealth game. The main strength is that each objective normally have more than one way of completing, some of which you there are several ways. You can poison his drink, sneak up at him to ambush him, snipe him from a safe distance or even blow up the vehicle he uses. This wealth of variety makes the game so interesting. The good thing is a lot of times, none of them is clear cut and you have to think and plan your action as well as your get out route. To make things more interesting , there are usage of laxatives to get someone or your target out of the way or make make distractions of other sort so you can get in to plant a bomb. There are no clear cut way, achieving one thing does not mean you are finish, you have to make things work such as "how can I find a quiet spot to use my sniper rifle when there is so much civilians around here". Killing your targets may not be hard, but getting the opportunity is. In the game there is this Alert Meter which jumps when guards notice you, do odd things such as picking a lock and it jumps higher. If it is odd enough, your cover would be blown and turns to a shoot 'em up game for the probably rest of the level. Despite all this, there is also elements of stealth as well, and is very frequently used. Timing also is a great factor in some levels, so you can't wait forever. This game uses in game saves, that you choose when to use it, on highest difficulty you cannot save in level so thus making you needing to play perfectly throughout the level. The different in difficulties are the map where in easy, all guards a re shown when in hard only target locations are shown and also the level of suspicion before your covers blown. Although it is easier to kill everyone, the game gives you a rating at the end of the level, if you complete in pure stealth, you unlock weapons, although achieving the criteria of the top rating would look a bit cheesy. Controls are easy to handle so there are nothing to worry about.

Final verdict on gameplay. Good stealth game but turns into the worst shoot 'em up game when things go wrong. But the good part of the game will really give you a thrill. Overall: 7/10

Gamelength/Replayability
The game consists of 12 levels plus a training level, varies greatly in length depend on stealth, shooting and timing during the game. First playthrough some may seem an eternity to finish but once you come back, 10 minutes and the job is done. Is one of those games where you really should play on easy first so you come back to replay it. Besides that, you can try and achieve all silent assassin rating and try the different method of finishing objectives. Overall, 7/10. 12 levels are not enough and not long enough to make up for it.

Final Words:
I would recommend you rent the game if you are not too sure. A weekend is more than enough to finish the game twice and achieving the highest rating for several levels. However it would be a game that you might come back to play several months after finishing it, so buying is good. Remember to enjoy the game, be patient and play it the stealth way. Gives more sense of accomplishment, but be sure you like stealth before you even consider the game. Final Rating 7/10.

Hope this is helpful in whether to purchase this game, be sure to read other reviews to get a different view and opinion.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 09/27/05