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Hitman Hits New Low

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 10 / 11
Date: May 28, 2004
Author: Amazon User

To a fan who greatly enjoyed "Hitman 1" and, to a somewhat lesser extent, "Hitman 2", "Contracts" was a serious disappointment. At the end of the game I found myself wondering: what exactly have IO and Eidos done to justify a new entry in the Hitman series, particularly one selling for a full-game price?

"Contracts" is, essentially, a mission pack. Most of the missions given in this game are shallow rehashes of ones seen in previous versions of "Hitman", which is a tremendous insult to the loyal fans who have followed this series for years.

As the advertising promised, there are some visual upgrades to the game but that doesn't really matter - the engine for "Hitman 2" was more than adequate to present the necessary gameplay world. The new details don't add anything to the game. There is no tall grass to hide in, the nice wavy cloth doesn't actually conceal you. Just seeing the same old surface-level textbook rendering additions found in every other engine in the market doesn't impress me.

"Hitman" just seems dated. Stealth has progressed quite a bit as a game concept in past few years. Sadly, "Hitman" has not. Everything is exactly the same as you remember it from "Hitman 1". You can garrotte with a wire, you have some pistols and machine guns, you can use a knife. Rather than improve or add to this formula, IO has simply redesigned the interface again, and even removed several of the elements previously added to deepen gameplay considered shallow years ago.

For example, "Hitman Contracts" gives you no control over your inventory. You simply start a mission with some equipment. It turns out that this isn't usually a big deal, but doesn't that set off some alarm bells? If it doesn't matter what you bring with you, how robust is your game world?

Adding to the injury is the insult of Eidos' lie about this aspect of the gameplay. Yes, there are "environmental" weapons to be found, but they aren't anything interesting. They aren't even part of the environment - they're just objects placed in a few select locations, all with the same characteristics. You find a meathook? To kill someone you slash it like a knife, they groan and turn into a floppy doll. You find a meat cleaver? Slash like knife, groan, floppy doll. Some levels contain objects that would be cool to use, but they are completely non-interactive. For example on one level there are meat grinders everywhere, but you can't feed a body into them. Most levels simply minimize or eliminate the dynamic objects available.

And killing itself is utterly boring. Run-and-gun shooting is lame because the AI dead rushes you, and you have inhuman stamina. Stealth is not only boring but astonishingly lacking in polish. All of the kill animations are just as poorly coupled as they have been since "Hitman 1", with animation partners misaligned and the distinct feeling that you're watching something canned. And the animations are the same, or very similar, for all stealth weapons available.

General navigation still remains a problem. Despite years to investigate such matters, the developers opted to not give Hitman a useful crouch attack, or even the ability to go prone. Hitting someone at your feet is impossible. Hitman does have a leaping attack, something I greatly appreciate in stealth games, so you can spring at your enemy without first becoming awkwardly familiar with their back half. But stalking people is still completely context-insensitive. If I am inches from my target and he starts to turn around, I would like to move to the opposite of his turn direction and pounce. Good luck getting that to happen in Hitman - the controls are just too imprecise, and it's still hard to tell whether or not someone can see you.

All of this is further hampered by the uncooperative gameplay experience. This game is so rigid, so irritatingly constrictive, that all joy is quickly sapped from your being. It is impossible to be ranked a "Silent Assassin" unless you do exactly what the game developers intended. You can come up with your own ways (mostly) to get from point A to point B of the pre-set plan, but coming up with your own plan is virtually impossible. Because the game arbitrarily enforces rules which it does not even tell you about. The first level of the game has a shocking example of this. The asylum you are in is raided by cops. Think you can steal a cop uniform and walk out the front door? Good luck. Even fully covered with a SWAT uniform and acting completely unsuspicious, you will be recognized and shot. This hit-and-miss rule enforcement occurs throughout the game.

There are so many other minor nitpicks. Why do I only have one passive means of disposing of people, which is itself only effective for a few minutes? What kind of knockout drug lasts five minutes anyway? Why can't Hitman kill anyone with his bare hands? Why can people see me through curtains and doors? Why does running when everyone else is running make me suspicious? Why is there no icon indicating what is in my quick-draw slot, and why does the inventory open to the wrong item when I check it that way? Why can't I pick up a dead body rather than drag it slowly behind me? Why am I considered suspicious when I get close to any NPC, even when my face is fully covered? Why is it so difficult to get the "take clothes" action to appear in the action menu?

"Hitman Contracts" is a frustrating experience. Depending upon how much you are willing to tolerate the long-existing flaws of this particular stealth game, you might enjoy it. But I definitely recommend renting it first. The fact that the game feels identical regardless of your platform indicates how shallow the game really is. Definitely a disappointment, and possibly a franchise killer.

Doesn't live up to the legend

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: June 14, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I happen to believe that the hitman series is one of the most phenominal series in existance. That said, this game was overall a dissapointment. I have played the first two games and here is what it comes down to:

When we were first introduced to "Tobias Reaper" aka 47 in the first hitman game the idea was ahead of its time in the sense that while almost every aspect of the game was great the only problem was that the graphics were mediocre at best. Even for its time. The storyline and the gamelplay were phenominal though which set up for the next two games in the series. Overall a great game with limitless potential.

In Hitman 2 the graphics had caught up with the game and it was excellent. Good storyline, improved controls and weapons. Only probelm was with this game there were too few civilian settings making the realism drop a few notches. However the game had the best replayability of the series. You can play each level a million times and not get tired of it.

Finally in this installment there were two major problems. The first was that more that half the levels from this game were taken and redone from the original hitman game. The other HUGE problem is that it is very difficult to solve any given mission in more than one way making it a game that once you beat it (which is fairly easy to do quickly) you dont really have fun replaying the levels.

It is a fun game, it just doesn't live up to the first two. If you dont already own it, buy hitman 2 instead of this game. It will keep you occupied for much longer with 8 more missions and more ways to solve each one.

Overall this game was dissappointing, but it is not a bad game, it just cant compare with its predacessors.

The biggest disappointment yet

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 2 / 4
Date: June 02, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Waiting for this game to come out was a big mistake. However, purchasing this game turned out to be a HUGE mistake. I can't believe how Eidos screwed everyone over with this piece of garbage.

--> only 12 missions - are you kidding me??
--> out of those 12, seven are the same ones from Hitman 1 (WTF??)
--> WAY too many AI bugs and glitches, if you haven't encountered them, that means you're just shooting your way through levels, instead of playing it with stealth
--> took me just a few hours to achieve Silent Assasin rating on every mission and the game was over before it started
--> controls are bad, sluggish at times, and having to pause the game to change weapons/inventory is a pain in the ASS.

There are many more where these came from, but I'm not going to waste any more of my time. This game was rushed, in order to scam the customers and get their money. Eidos has finally lost my respect.

Maybe a waste of money...

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 4 / 6
Date: April 25, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I have been a fan of Hitman ever since it came out. I own and completed 1, 2, and Contracts. Everything about Contracts is fine--graphics, gameplay are good by today's standards. As a stand-alone game, it's worthy of 4 stars...

BUT if you have played Hitman 1, then you have already played 7 of the 12 missions that Contracts contains. That's right--

CONTRACTS HAS 5 NEW MISSIONS--THATS IT!!

If you do not own any Hitman games, get Hitman 2. It has 20 missions that are long and diverse.

If you own Hitman 2 and you don't own Hitman 1, then get Contracts. You'll probably like it and it's not a bad game.

BUT if you already own Hitman 1, Contracts is a questionable buy, especially at the requested price.

Victim of its Own Hype

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: April 27, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I like the Hitman series of games. Actually, I LOVE the Hitman series. This installment, however, is an enormous letdown after playing Hitman 2. First, the game is short, only 12 missions. Beginning to end on professional mode took approx. 6 hours. There is, in my opinion, little replay value as well; most of the missions just aren't enjoyable the 4th time through after you exhaust all new routes of completion. (A few weren't enjoyable the first time.) Seven of the 12 missions VERY closely resemble missions from the first game.

For all of its shortcomings, Hitman:Contracts is a decent game. It is extremely visually appealing, and makes a number of technical improvements on Hitman 2, mainly improvements to AI. One thing I do like is that there are many more tactical actions available, i.e. Jumping between hotel rooms via the balconies.

Recommendation: Wait for it to go Greatest Hits, it really isn't worth $50. If you can't wait: rent, don't buy. A 5-day rental from Blockbuster will allow you to enjoy (and beat) this game to its fullest without spending $50.

BTW-In response to he gamer's mentioning of a possible Hitman movie, I'd like to cast my vote for Christian Bale as Agent 47. He's very adept at playing emotionless killers (American Psycho, Equilibrium) and also has the right facial contours.

Disappointing to say the least

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 1 / 4
Date: December 14, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Ok, I bought Hitman: Contracts and thought that it would be a great TPS/stealth game. Alas, it wasn't to be. For a start, the game itself doesn't play all that well, with less than adequate framerates (even though my computer specs are higher than what is recommended)

I found it extremely difficult, even on Easy, to approach a guard and kill him stealthily, without alerting the other guards and causing a bloodbath. I understand the game requires patience but I'm not going to remain hidden in the shadows for 10 minutes just so that I can assassinate a couple of guards.

The controls are also annoying and take alot of time to get used to, even if you configure them to your own liking. There also don't appear to be any health packs so that you can replenish your health. If you die, you die, and there's nothing you can do about it. It may be more realistic that way but it's also less enjoyable.

There are also a limited number of saves (7) that you can use for each mission. So, for example, if you did a quick save and suddenly lost most of your energy early on in the game, it will be almost impossible to complete the mission without starting right from the beginning, which makes it very cumbersome.

All in all, I was very disappointed and from a personal point of view, would not recommend this game.

Curse of the sequel catches up to Agent 47

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: May 31, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I won't waste your time with talk about graphics, etc. Because we know they are awesome. I am a huge fan of the cold and methodical character known as Agent 47. But on this outing the writers went with the old 'each mission is a piece of his memory' leading up to the present. This is a notch above using time travel as an easy wrap-up to the story --but it's still a tired plot device.

Someone reviewed this game and mentioned how great it was to see 47 look at himself through a glass darkly (e.g., his own memories). But really, he was far more introspective in the second Hitman game "Hitman: Silent Assassin" and in that game he shows his humanity to a greater degree.

Hitman: Contracts is 'okay' but not great --definitely not what I was hoping for after Hitman: Silent Assassin. My rating is 4.5 stars in everything EXCEPT for the story writing (which so important to immersive enjoyment) that the game overall gets a 3-star rating.

big dissapointment but still fun

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 4 / 5
Date: April 25, 2004
Author: Amazon User

There are really only two major improvements over Hitman 2 in this game. You can sneak much faster in this game. Being very slow in sneak mode in the previous two games was a frustration. The weapons are also much better. There are more of them and they are more realistic. This game is by far the most realistic of the three games. There are so many things that are worse than Hitman 2. I have so many complaints, especially after so much anticipation for this game.
The game is a series of flashbacks. Almost every mission is a slight vaiation of a mission in Hitman 1. If you started playing the hitman series from the beginning, you know what to do in most of the missions. The misssion in Budapest for example is EXACTLY the same, except a few differences in the map. But that doesnt make sense that the hotel changed!!! Also, THERE ARE ONLY 12 MISSIONS!!!! That is the worst part about the game. Only 5 of the 12 missions had no influence from Hitman 1. Also, the missions get sort of repetetive. The Missons are set in Romania, Siberia, England, Rotterdam Harbor, Budapest, and Hong Kong. The inventory is also no longer scrollable with the mouse wheel like in the previous 2 games so you have to pause to access your inventory, which is a major pain. There is so much more that I could go on about. Bottom line, if you are a Hitman fanatic you should get this game but if you are new to the hitman series, Hitman 2 is BY FAR the best game in the series and I think that 95% of people would agree with that. I'm hoping that a Hitman 4 is in the works to make up for this game. I'm talking 40 missions all in new and interesting places with more interesting ways to pull off the hits. I hear they are talking about making a Hitman movie. Hmmm who should play 47?

I give it a C+.

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: April 24, 2004
Author: Amazon User

This game was more of a sequel to the first hitman, which I wasn't much of a fan, and completely ignores Hitman 2. If you are a fan of the first, you will probably like the third. But for those like me that logged 2000+ hours playing hitman 2, this game is somewhat of a disappointment.

The negatives
If you are using an intel graphics chipset, they lack "Hardware Transform and Lighting" which prevents you from seeing the walls and floors. I ended up having to go back to my old radeon 7200 card.

Only 12 missions, which are not long at all, or complex. Most objectives are in the same area. If you go stealth you can simply walkthrough the levels, except when in professional. Even if a guard does become alert, he is isolated. You can have a shoot out on one part of the map, and move to another area like nothing happened.

The cleaner graphics makes it more cartoonish, everyone is larger than the previous 2, and the blood animation is something that you will laugh at. I am done buying sequels when a selling point is an updated engine.

Positives

Other than the intel bug, the game so far seems bug free, except for a few occasions when someone disappears into objects.

There is a cutscene between every level that is in real time, while the missions are flashbacks. Gives the game a more cinematic feel.

Even though infammo isn't listed as one of the cheats, it still works.

The environment as a whole is more complex, but is more linear than the 2nd, about the same when compared to the first.

Good But Not Extraordinary

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: May 03, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I haven't played Hitman 1 or 2, so this is the first in the series for me. So far (I'm around 50% done) the game has been fairly enjoyable. Decent graphics, decent level design, good music and sound--all the usuals from a solid PC title. I can't recommend this game at its current price, however (worthy of a purchase at around 20 or 25 USD). For those PC gamers with a less-than-stellar setup, this is a sensible purchase and should run well. Though I have a Radeon 9800, I would guess this would run fine on the budget cards of today.

Overal recommendation: If one is interested in what this game has to offer, then buy "Hitman 2" today, then "Hitman: Contracts" when it drops in price.

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