Hitman Contracts

List Price: $19.99 Discount Price: $5.74

Features:

• Action game set in shady underworld
• Eliminate bad guys all over the world
• Use stealth and firepower to achieve objectives
• Interactive environments include improvised weapons
• For 1 player

Accessories:
PC Gamer (1-year)	Games for Windows: The Official Magazine

Customer Reviews:

Well done but definitely not for everyone [Posted on 2006-01-16]
I'm reminded of a quote from the movie Grosse Point Blank. Marty Blank has become a hitman and returns to his high school for his ten year reunion. He's explaining his career to his old girlfriend who he still loves:

Marty: "Seriously, when I left, I joined the Army and took the service exam. They found my psych results fit a certain profile. A certain "Moral flexibility" would be the best way to describe it... I was loaned out to a CIA-sponsored program. It's called "mechanical operations." We sort of found each other...

I'd be very careful in allowing teenagers to play this game. It is a nice change of pace as far as not having to shoot at *everything* and actually being rewarded for allowing innocent bystanders to live even if you do end up disabling them at the time. I also like the idea that bodies just don't 'vanish' and other characters will notice them and raise the alarm if you don't hide them, or if they regain consciousness and go ratting on you. I appreciate the stealth aspect and having to interact with the characters, doing the social engineering bit.

The only problems I had with it was the level in the BDSM party at the meat processing plant. Pretty gory, didn't bother me, but I had to play it when my kids weren't around. It was mostly just the things going on giving that particular level 'ambience' which would actually make me laugh out loud. It is sad to realize that people really do that kind of stuff, and so I'm not criticizing it for its realism, just saying it's something you have to keep in mind as not being a *good* thing to practice, in real life. It's especially something to keep in mind when considering teenagers who are forming their sexual identity and morals and how that kind of imagery will affect them.

But other than that, the strategy involved is definitely different. I did end up needing a walkthrough on the last level, as it then turns into a major shootout (for which you are not equipped!) if you don't think incredibly fast, and know just what to do. Almost all the time I can figure out how to beat it without a walkthrough, but I was pretty much helpless on that last level.

Hitman Contracts great game [Posted on 2006-03-24]
Hitman Contracts is a great game! The graphics are excellent. You are an assassin wit an arsenal of weapons at your disposal. The mission of the game is that you work for an agency and receive different murder contracts to preform. (On the side of good!) The action is none stop, and the interactivity is great. The key board functions on this game are not to complicated ether.

Hitman revisited [Posted on 2007-01-10]
This game is a big improvement over its predecessor. You have more options on how to complete your mission. No more alerts going off when simply walking past people. For gamers who like stealth games, this is one of the few high-rollers.

Not a Legal Resource [Posted on 2007-01-27]
Wow! This was definitely not a "do it yourself" contract kit for wanna-be hitmen - it was a game. There are no copies of contracts, nor any direction on how to draw up and notorize contracts on either disk. The game itself was insanely fun, and I couldn't believe how many different ways there were to complete each mission. After finishing this game I replayed the entire thing using different methods - I should be able to replay each mission about 100 times before I run out of creative options - that makes this a super value.

A blast from 47's past [Posted on 2007-07-19]
Contracts begins where the original Hitman ends: Agent 47 must break out of the asylum, aka cloning facility, he was created in. Yes, the original Hitman's wonky controls and camera are history, and you can actually save limited times during missions, just like Hitman 2 Silent Assassin.

There are multiple ways to play out missions, but the stealthiest choices require precise timing. Among the scenarios are revamped versions of five levels seen in the first game in the series.

The AI has been beefed up, making these sprawling levels very challenging: enemies are as watchful as cobras. Furthermore, you cannot disappear by simply stepping in the shadows (like Manhunt), and any unnecessary movements will get you lined up in somebody's crosshairs.

Yet even with these good points, I can't help but be disappointed with the game. I still felt like I was playing nothing more than a glorified expansion pack.

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