Hitman: Contracts

"Only Agent 47 Could Turn a Rubber Ducky Into a Metaphor for Death"

Hitman: Contracts is a rather unusual game in the Hitman series. As it goes back and allows you to re-experience some of Agent 47's previous missions in the first two games you are also locked in a present scenario that becomes caught up in the setup for Hitman: Bloodmoney. Contracts is a seriously darker game than the previous games as well as Bloodmoney. One of the major reasons why it would feature so many flashback missions would be to get new comers to the series familiar with what has been going on in the PC versions of the Hitman games. Contracts is rather unique in how the plot plays out, but you are also given a look at more missions that Agent 47 had completed previously of which his notoriety in the world of secret organizations is fastly gaining the unwanted attention of ill-minded politicians and world conquering psychopaths alike. In this world of assassinations we see an already established Agent 47 whose job remains a necessary evil in the world of vigilante justice and secret power takeovers.

Story

After the end of Hitman: Silent Assassin, we know that Agent 47 is resolved to deal out assassinations as his way of redemption after a failed attempt to find a meaningful life outside of the world he was created for. Hitman: Contracts is much different than the previous games as we know that there are going to be some fun assassinations to do, but we do not know where the main plot is going to go for this game. Agent 47 is the ultimate success of a project to create elite clone operatives to do the bidding of any organization or government with the capital to do evil. Agent 47 ends up in the employment of the "The Agency" and uses his money to do nothing else but buy nice Italian suits, red ties, and upgrade his weapons. Agent 47 is already established as a one bad dude in Contracts and so the plot is actually very short and to the point with all of the old missions with their subplots driving most of the game. Some of these old missions are very familiar to the fans, but some missions are new and are as intriguing as the type of mission that it is.

Game Play

Hitman is still set in the third person view with the ability to switch to a first person mode. The quality of the control is simple and very similar to the controls of Silent Assassin. You do not have to worry so much about the detection meter as you did in Silent Assassin. This is one of the major improvements from when you other people would detect you even though you were disguised from head to toe. The notoriety scale is much more prevalent here as well and your success depends on how well you can perform an assassination with the levels also being much more open-ended than they previously had been. You can upgrade weapons based on what you pick up and leave with after a mission as well as use the money you earn for a mission to upgrade your weapons, although I personally like my Ballers left in their original form.

Unlike Silent Assassin, none of the missions in Contracts are dull or bland as the variety of the missions, including the Hong Kong and Russia missions are very well developed and are much more expansive. You will be immediately swept up in the new variety with the first mission which calls for you to go into a techno rave at an abbatoir and assassinate the owners who are celebrating the dismissal of a kidnapping and murder trial of a diplomat's daughter. This is by far the most wicked and bizarre experience I have ever encountered in a video game. Another mission calls for you to go take care of business inside a motorcycle gang hideout and you will run into a lot of interesting characters there.

Everything in Contracts totally improves the game play from the first two games from really open-ended and unique missions to improvements to the detection and notoriety system.

Sound

The Hitman series has a lot of things going for it from an original concept to various modes of game play, but it is also very well known for the original music that it brings. Jesper Kyd is a maestro that could spin any tune and Contracts is right where it is at from the dark electronica of the Meat King to the escape music in just about every end of a mission. By the way, I had to buy the soundtrack to this game. The voice acting is still excellent even though there is not much dialogue in the main plot, but you encounter a lot more people to talk to during the missions.

Graphics

The graphics are also improved in facial features as well as general scenery. You still get that feel of the game being a PC port, but the graphics are solid and the scenery is given much more variety due to the number of unique places you travel in this game. The disguises are also much more improved with more and different characters in the game milling about so you can try more options in certain missions by seeing how far being a pizza delivery boy goes or just for the fun of walking around in a funny outfit.

Replay Value

There are a lot of brilliantly developed missions in Contracts that make them very much worth replaying over and over just for fun. The real goal of the Hitman games is to be as discreet as possible in the game and this in turn gives you much more to do during a mission. However, you are not penalized for playing through Contracts as a mass murderer and assassinating everyone you come into contact with. You can collect plenty of ammo off of dead security guards to keep blasting away and leave no witnesses. The other fun things you can do are try different approaches to the assassinations. There is much more to a mission than simply shooting somebody. The replay value really just comes from the unique quality of the missions and this kind of replay value is what makes any game worthwhile.

Final Recommendation 9/10

Hitman: Contracts would be my first recommendation if you are new to the Hitman series. The dark mood of the game really delivers and this game is very suspenseful although it does nothing but set up for Bloodmoney. Contracts is worth every penny for the continuation of improvements to the game and making a game with such a unique concept ten times as better. The overall plot of the game explores a very interesting protagonist and the style of this particular game does not lead you off on missions to find and eliminate stereotypical or enemies that remind you of animated cartoon villains (as they appear in Hitman: Bloodmoney), but focuses on the world's most bizarre and brutal servants of the underworld. Contracts is where it is at for the series, but could Eidos really make another game to top this or Bloodmoney? I do not expect to see another Hitman game come out because it does seem that the series has met its ultimate conclusion and reached everything that was intended with the continued improvements to the series. However, Contracts remains a great game with excellent replay value and some of the craziest missions you will ever go on.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 11/13/08

Game Release: Hitman: Contracts (US, 04/20/04)