Hitman Contracts

by Eidos

Product Features

• The thrill of the original Hitman missions return - multiple objectives and multiple ways of achieving them
• Play out each of Agent 47's nightmarish flashbacks as a mission -- each one holds a piece of the story, explaining what happened to him
• New attacks for stealth killing and more alert enemies make the action more challenging than ever
• Sneak into a Russian base to destroy a submarine, or murder a prominent Asian politician - and other dangerous missions that challenge your ability to think fast & improvise
• Amazing new weapons, from a fiberwire(for strangling) to meat hooks, syringes, Chinese swords, even new sniper rifles and twin Uzis

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B0001AVSGY
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches ; 5.1 ounces
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: April 21, 2004
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (47 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,848 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
  • #93 in Video Games > PlayStation 2 > Adventure

Product Description

Game Informer Review

With a body count that doubles on each passing day, it was only a matter of time before Agent 47 cracked. In this third installment in the Hitman series, IO Interactive is inviting players to step into the mind of this ruthless contract killer and experience his mental anguish firsthand. Within the first few seconds the game, players bear witness to Agent 47 collapsing to the floor and losing consciousness. This spurs an interactive dream sequence set within a mental institution (which may seem familiar to those of you who played through the previous two titles). As Agent 47 fades in and out of consciousness, many of the stages that you will traverse represent a different memory in his tormented mind. Taking a stroll down memory lane, you'll perform the hits that shaped him into the hard-hearted killing machine that he is today.

Invading Agent 47's brain is a clever idea that does help flesh out the character to a certain degree, but I had an incredibly difficult time following the plotline. As clichéd as the previous two stories were, you couldn't help but fall in love with the events at hand. In this game, each passing second brought greater disinterest and a longing for the game to lose the artistic storytelling and get back to a hackneyed motion picture plot.

The delivery of Agent 47's exploits is just the tip of the iceberg concerning material that doesn't sit well. Regarding gameplay, IO has made significant strides to open it up and grant players greater freedom of choice. No longer are you railroaded into using just one technique to perform a hit. You can usually find two or three methods that will work. While I did get a kick out of watching Agent 47 put someone down with a syringe to the neck or a pillow to the face, I mostly relied on running and gunning to clear out areas. The first-person element works much better this time around (although the gun graphics are still quite appalling), and your foes usually don't show the greatest of intelligence when they lay down an assault. You can usually lead them into a trap, and within seconds, have a pile of six or seven guards at your feet. Of course, the option to sneak through every stage undetected is still there, but you are rarely forced to duck out of sight.

Without being coerced into using a specific technique, you just feel lost in Contracts' massive levels. You'll often find yourself wandering aimlessly looking for the needle in the haystack that will complete the next objective. There really aren't any tense situations, calculated hits, or elements of surprise this time around.

Making the gameplay less linear really threw a kink in the chemistry that worked so well in the first two games. All told, Contracts is an ambitious release for IO, but the end result is a garbled mess of a game that has lost its way.

Concept:
Learn how Agent 47 became a contract killer through slightly confusing storytelling, and missions that are not nearly as taxing

Graphics:
The environment detailing and realism in the character models is outstanding, but the first-person gun graphics are downright appalling

Sound:
The soundtrack and ambient noises are implemented brilliantly and add punch to the experience

Playability:
Not nearly as demanding of skill. Running and gunning usually works best

Entertainment:
Easily the worst entry in the series. It no longer has that killer hook

Replay:
Moderately Low

Rated: 7.25 out of 10
Editor: Andrew Reiner
Issue: June 2004

2nd Opinion:
Hitman 2 was a refreshing addition to the stealth game canon, and a wildly popular console hit. However, it was a fairly linear adventure, forcing you to use a ton of trial-and-error and quick saving as you deliberately made your way through the levels laden with soon-to-be-deceased enemies. Hitman: Contracts seeks to give you more freedom, and in doing so largely loses what made the game compelling in the first place. In the opening level, you'll quickly learn that even if you blow your cover and alert the guards, it's easier to shoot your way out of a tight spot in the improved first-person view than it is to be stealthy. Also, given that it's hard to discern where you have to go to complete certain level goals, you often end up wandering around, randomly picking off enemies instead of plotting a devious course to success. In this sequel, Hitman feels less like a great stealth title than a mediocre shooter with a few cool gadgets and abilities.

Rated: 7.5 out of 10
Editor: Matt Helgeson


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Product Description

Hitman: Contracts takes players back into the world of Agent 47, genetically engineered assassin. In this new game, we find him in a hotel room in Paris. Shot up and full of painkillers, he begins hallucinating. As his mind wanders, we'll travel to the missions that left him in this sorry state. Amazing locations, from a realistic slaughterhouse to incredible recreations of Holland, France, China, England & more Incredible all-new graphics and advanced AI pull you into the world of the assassin

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hitman Contracts--Bigger, Badder, Bloodier, April 26, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Hitman Contracts (Video Game)

Thank you, IO Interactive! You've kept everything that worked in "Hitman 2" and improved what didn't.

1) BIGGER MISSIONS. While there are only 12 missions in "Contracts", compared to the 20 in the previous game, we are rewarded with huge-and I mean HUGE!-levels. Sure, "Hitman 2" may contain more missions, but some of them are extremely thin, like "Murder At The Bazaar" and "The Graveyard Shift". Even if you take your time and use stealth, those jobs barely last five minutes. Not so with "Contracts". Each mission is a labyrinth, filled with wrong turns, dead ends, heavily armed bad guys and trigger-happy cops. Finding your way in and out undetected won't be easy.

2) NEW WEAPONS. All of your favorites are back (Silverballers, automatic shotguns, sniper rifles) plus some new toys. Stun-guns, syringes, meat hooks gold-plated Desert Eagles, Micro-Uzis, SILECENCED Micro-Uzis (oh baby!), plus, brace yourselves, a mini-gun. That's right-a mini-gun! If you don't know what a mini-gun is, it's an electric powered version of the Gatlin Gun, made famous in several Arnold Schwarzenegger movies. It holds four thousand rounds and fires fifty shots a second! Perfect for getting into those hard to reach areas.

3) IMPROVED VOICE-ACTING AND DIALOGUE. With the exception of
47's voice, most of the acting in "Hitman 2" made me wince. Remember the drunk Agent Smith? Awful. It was all you could do not to shoot him. But the acting in "Contracts" is much, much better. And the actors are given more intelligent things to say.

4) BETTER DEATH EFFECTS. When you killed somebody in "Hitman 2", their bodies just dropped, which was appropriate when you shot them in the head or the heart, but not when you shot them in the leg. In "Contracts", you can actually wound people without killing them. They'll squirm and moan while you go on about your business. And when you do kill someone, a pool of blood spreads beneath their bodies. Nice.

4) A DARKER, GRITTIER STORY. One of the problems that I had with "Hitman 2" was that 47 didn't seem to have any personal interest in his assignments. It was just do the job and go home, and that's fine. He's a hitman-that's what he's paid to do. But he's not a robot, much as his creator hoped he would be. In my opinion, the best missions in "Hitman 2" were the
first ("Anathema") and the last ("Redemption At Gontranno"), because both revolved around the three basic traits of all great stories: Rescue, Revenge and Survival. All except Love, and you could argue that that was present, too. ("You have been a friend to me," said 47 to Father Vittorio, deeply moving words from a man who was taught to kill without emotion.) "Contracts" picks up on this theme, offering us a more internal view of 47 than we've had before. We find him near death, floating in and out of consciousness while a doctor digs a bullet out of his gut. It's in this state that 47 flashes back to the jobs that haunt him the most, and you'll notice that all of these jobs have a nightmare quality to them, especially "The Meat King's Party", which I won't go into here, but YUCK! It all ends with a bang, though, not a whimper, as 47 wakes in the present to find himself surrounded by half-a-dozen SWAT teams. Sounds like a job for the mini-gun.

Before I go, I want to warn the squeamish that "Hitman Contracts" is rated M for Mature and it wears that M proudly. This is absolutely not a game for kids or impressionable adults. There is strong sexual content-no nudity or porn or bad language, but still highly suggestive behavior, stuff that you don't want to explain to a wide-eyed eight year old. Plus, some of the gorier aspects of the game may be too much for some to handle. But if you loved "Hitman 2", like I did, then you won't have any complaints with "Contracts".

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pretty Bad-Ass, July 17, 2005

By 

Ice Cream Man "Neighborhood Dope Dealer" (DC) - See all my reviews

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Hitman Contracts (Video Game)

I really liked Hitman 2 (PS2), so i decided to check out "Contracts". They definitely made a lot of improvements in the gameplay. There's more freedom and more attack options. Also the realism and detail is noticably better. My only complaint is that some of the levels are pretty lame. Infact, 2 of them are nearly identicle. However, there are still a few really awesome levels. "The Meat King's Party" is a good example of a decent one....you pretty much ambush this drug party with all these people strung out on Opium...pretty cool. So if you're into shooters and esspecially if you liked Hitman 2, check out "Contracts".

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thrilling game!, April 22, 2006

A Kid's Review

= Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Hitman Contracts (Video Game)

Hitman:Contracts is wayyy underated-why,its actually the BEST Hitman game yet.
Its a lot more violent than the previous titles-which is how an "Assaination" game is meant to be,Just look at Manhunt for example that game is quite cool-yet its bloodie and violent as its a game about "Killing".
These games are rated M for reasons-GTA is rated M,Metal Gear Solid is rated M and so on.
The games quite cheap too,so if you are looking for a fun thrilling,stealthy killing game than try the Hitman games-Hitman:Contracts being the best!
Hitman comes 2nd in my faverite stealth series after Metal Gear Solid.
bye.