Hitman: Contracts

In this captivating outing, 47 revisits the past while modernizing the nagging flaws of his previous games, making for his best trail of assassinations yet.

The third time's the charm as Hitman irons out the flaws of his past contracts in this riveting game. In this captivating outing, 47 revisits the past while modernizing the nagging flaws of his previous games, making for his best trail of assassinations yet.

Welcome Agent 47..........We're glad to see you back in action. And I see you still don't know the meaning of the word toupee. Just joking Agent 47, please put the gun down. You're here for business and nothing more. Do your job well and you get paid well. But if you don't, and you are killed, we have never heard of you. That is the way the agency works Agent 47. So off you go. And by the way............it's good to see you again.

I took him with piano wire. Like a hawk, swooping down to engulf my prey. You cannot find me, you cannot trace me. I am Agent 47. Reality suddenly steps in, its laundry day! Unfortunately, nobody can live the life of the Hitman; his day job (err…night job) just doesn’t offer the benefits of career advancement, paid vacations, and a solid 401k plan. So stepping into the shoes of everyone’s favorite antihero from home just doesn’t get any better with all the gun blazing action and none of the side effects like risking brutal death. Hitman: Contracts continues the tradition while putting a different spin on the gameplay than its two predecessors.

The missions in Contracts are both diverse and interesting. You have plenty of opportunities to experiment, since the game provides you with seven saves per level. Levels will have the soon-to-be-killed request things, such as drinks. This gives you the opportunity to poison them, instead of using your gun. Weapons range from a syringe, pool stick, pistol, shot gun, AK47, silenced pistol, sniper, and more. The settings are often drenched in rain or snow, which helps you keep a low key.

After playing Contracts, I can easily say that looking into Silent Assassin is worth it. I tend to play series backwards, which might seem strange to many, but reviewing so many games, well, it happens that way sometimes. Timing in at about ten hours isn't much for a game that isn't budget, but for a rent, your money won't be missed, but instead Contracts will, once you return it.

After playing Contracts, I can easily say that looking into Silent Assassin is worth it. I tend to play series backwards, which might seem strange to many, but reviewing so many games, well, it happens that way sometimes. Timing in at about ten hours isn't much for a game that isn't budget, but for a rent, your money won't be missed, but instead Contracts will, once you return it.

Stealth games are a dime a dozen nowadays. Between Metal Gear, Splinter Cell, Manhunt, and everything else, almost every action/adventure game nowadays has to have some stealth elements (at the very least) or it’s just not a finished product. Few, however, take the more direct route that the Hitman series takes. Instead of hiding in shadows, avoiding guards & cameras, Hitman instead makes you be stealthy out in the open, using disguises and other forms of open-daylight tactics to achieve your goal – that goal, of course, being to prematurely end the life of a very mean individual who’s got what’s coming to them.

Insidious. Deadly. Stealthy. Hmm… How about stealthy and deadly? While the plot borders insidious, the defining characteristics of Eidos Interactive and IO Interactive’s latest excursion into the universe of Agent 47 is stealth. You cannot gun your way through everything you see. Strangling the lone foe is one thing (if he or she is not moving; if they are moving, forget the garrote), but when they are coming at you in droves, discretion can be the key to survival.

Der skrupelose Auftragsmörder „Nummer 47“ ist zurück. Mit dem neuesten Teil der Hitman-Serie „Hitman: Contracts“ macht der Haarlose Killer zum dritten Mal Jagd auf seine Opfer. Die Entwickler versprechen bessere Grafik, mehr Waffen und eine düstere Story. In unserem Test geben wir euch Einblick in die Psyche des Hitmans und verraten euch, ob die Entwickler ihre Versprechungen einhalten konnten.

With everyone's focus on implementing online functionality and making games bigger and more movie-like, the once-burgeoning stealth sub-genre has become a little more than a footnote in today's games. Sure, it's mentioned, as in, "Uh yes, we have stealth, yes we do. You can um, sneak around stuff. Just after the flame-thrower and rocket launcher levels you can tip-toe out of the nuclear reactor-hailstorm nail-gun-cyborg monster boss throwdown. …You got the part about flame-throwers, right?"

Das Profikillergeschäft boomt. Sam Fishers letzter Auftrag ist gerade erst überstanden, da beginnt die Schicht seines Kollegen: des Hitman. Der dritte Teil des Taktik-Shooters gleicht seinen Vorgängern spielerisch fast bis aufs Bit, doch der Kontext ist ein anderer. Bislang war der Hitman ein düsterer Held, der Terroristen ausknipst und die Welt vor Schlimmem bewahrt. Das ist nun anders. Es werden keine großen, zusammenhängenden Geschichten mehr erzählt. Vielmehr steht der Killer als Person im Mittelpunkt. Rasmus Højengaard, Level-Designer bei IO Interactive, sagt dazu unmissverständlich: "Ich denke, viele Spieler scheren sich einen Dreck um die Hintergrundgeschichte." Die Zeit der Reflexion ist angebrochen.

Moody, dark and brilliantly stealthy, Contracts doesn't raise the bar, it just holds it steady.

With everyone's focus on implementing online functionality and making games bigger and more movie-like, the once-burgeoning stealth sub-genre has become a little more than a footnote in today's games. Sure, it's mentioned, as in, "Uh yes, we have stealth, yes we do. You can um, sneak around stuff. Just after the flame-thrower and rocket launcher levels you can tip-toe out of the nuclear reactor-hailstorm nail-gun-cyborg monster boss throwdown. …You got the part about flame-throwers, right?"

Wie bereits erwähnt, kommt Hitman: Contracts nicht gerade mit bahnbrechenden Innovationen daher. Das gilt sowohl für die technische als auch für die spielerische Seite. Trotzdem macht das Ganze Laune und kann den Spieler bis zum Schluss bei der Stange halten. Das liegt zum einen an der Story. Schließlich will man ja wissen, ob sich der verwundete Hauptakteur wieder erholt. Aufgrund des teils happigen Schwierigkeitsgrades ist man zudem fast schon gezwungen, immer wieder andere Lösungswege auszuprobieren, was definitiv der Langzeitmotivation dient. Zum anderen macht es wirklich Freude, sich immer wieder zu verkleiden und die solide Gegner-KI hinters Licht zu führen.

Nee, vernieuwend is het allemaal niet. Leuk wel. Want ondanks dezelfde gameplay als de voorgaande delen zorgen de kleine verbeteringen, goede graphics en sublieme muziek voor een game die prima mee kan met hedendaagse toppers als Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow en adnere stealth- en actiegames. De wapens zijn cooler dan ooit (vooral de vleeshaak blijven we een luguber wapen vinden), de missies beter uitgewerkt en de verschillende manieren van killen (we hebben bijvoorbeeld het verdrinken nog niet genoemd) bruter. Het is vooral jammer dat de game niet genoeg vernieuwend is en zo ongelofelijk kort in speeltijd. In ieder geval niet lang genoeg om #47's killerinstinct volledig tot zijn recht te laten komen.

Als Fan des zweiten Teils hat mich das Hitman-Fieber auch diesmal sofort wieder gepackt. Cooler Hauptcharakter und düstere Atmospähre ziehen mich in ihren Bann. Auch das Missionsdesign motiviert: Ich gebe nicht auf, bevor ich alle Lösungswege ausprobiert habe. Erst vergifte ich den englischen Lord, dann sprenge ich ihn per Benzinbombe und versuche schließlich, ihn als Wache verkleidet zu erledigen.

Hitman: Contracts delivers more action-packed and suspense-filled missions, with a greater variety of ways to make the perfect kill and an increased arsenal of firearms and close-combat weapons. A new graphics engine showcases your 'work' in brutal detail and brings the new locations to life. An improved control system and more gradual learning curve will ensure that the game is accessible to all aspiring hitmen.

The game shows a great deal of polish simply wonderful music, good voicework, and good if not great graphics with only occasional clipping and camera problems. IO Interactive evidently spent the majority of its time creating and orchestrating these elaborate missions. If you’re into them, are interested in taking the time to figure the intended path through them, then they flow as smoothly as a well-directed movie. But between the overly tight scripting and the split-second timing required to pull it all off, I thought it was a little difficult to play the missions out the way they wanted you to, finding Hitman: Contracts instead played like an average first person shooter with excessive stealth elements.

Meer van hetzelfde is in het geval van deze Hitman Contracts nog steeds een dijk van een actiespel.

In the end, Hitman: Contracts is a good game. It’s no award winner, but it’s still a good bit of fun, especially for guys like me, who find Sam Fisher’s constant creeping around a little too wimpy for our tastes. Every now and then, you need to draw some blood, a lot of it, and that’s just what Hitman: Contracts gives you, buckets of blood and fun. A few questionable issues with AI and replay aside, it’s a good purchase for stealth-action fans who want to see some action in with their stealth.

Hitman: Contracts is the third Hitman in the series from Eidos. This game delivers the random slaughter that we loved from the previous titles in the series. After being unable to complete Hitman 2 due to technical issues, I was quite looking forward to being able to run around with my double ballers and doing some serious slaughter again. When comparing my “Hitman style” to that of the disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa, had I executed the undertaking they would have found his body strewn across the steps of the Police station. However, the versatility of the game allows even the most gun happy maniac like me to complete these missions.

For those of you who have been in a coma for the past few years (or perhaps a political prisoner in some remote third world nation), “47” is the name of the baddest, baldest, barcode tattoo-sporting clone this pantywaist planet has ever seen. If you need some backstory, check out my review of the previous game.

Unless you've been living as a mango picker in Guatemala as part of the witness relocation program for the last six months, chances are you've been bombarded with Hitman: Contracts previews (check this out if you are one of the painfully uninformed). Thus, I'll dispense with the game summary and get to my impressions and opinions. Dig?

While the Hitman series has always been pretty dark, Hitman: Contracts, the latest title in the series, pushes that even further by upping the ante in terms of a dark and desolate aesthetic and atmosphere. In terms of presentation and visual style, Contracts is certainly the most disturbing entry to the series. However, fans of the series will find that the gameplay is simply more of the same. However, for many, this won’t be a bad thing, and if you are new to the series, then this is the one to check out.

Unless you've been living as a mango picker in Guatemala as part of the witness relocation program for the last six months, chances are you've been bombarded with Hitman: Contracts previews (check this out if you are one of the painfully uninformed). Thus, I'll dispense with the game summary and get to my impressions and opinions. Dig?

Hitman: Contracts is zeker geen slecht game, maar door de beperkte verbeteringen of innovaties is het spel toch wel aan een ingrijpendere opfrissingbeurt toe.

Hitman: Contracts doesn’t bring much in the way of innovation to the table; if you’ve played the first two games in the series, chances are you’ll find little new to pique your interest. However, to fans of Hitman 2: Silent Assassin, this can be an endearing quality, as the gameplay stays true to form. The game doesn’t last long, particularly on normal difficulty where you can blow through all would-be opponents, but while it lasts it is nothing short of a brutal action game that’s more intelligent than most. The clunky controls and underpowered graphics are reasonably counterbalanced by the impressive soundtrack and dark, captivating nature of the game. If the previous games in the series met your favor, then by all means pick Hitman: Contracts up. At any rate, it deserves no less than a rental.

Everyone's favorite bald-headed assassin is back for his third outing in Hitman: Contracts, a game that's especially recommendable to fans of 2002's Hitman 2: Silent Assassin, because the gameplay and a lot of the visuals simply haven't changed in this latest installment. Danish developer Io Interactive created a memorable character and some impressive technology with its original Hitman game, but not till the sequel did the gameplay live up to the graphics.

The third game in the Hitman series can be thought of as an expansion pack--or a supplement--to the previous game. There isn't much resolution at the end of Hitman: Contracts, so it seems safe to assume that the series is going to continue. Hopefully, then, for his next assignment, 47 will pack a few more tricks up his sleeve. For the time being, though, Hitman: Contracts delivers some time-tested and sometimes highly entertaining stealth action, which any fan of the genre might as well check out.

Hitman: Contracts delivers some time-tested and sometimes highly entertaining stealth action, which any fan of the genre might as well check out.

Contracts repose sur les bases de Hitman 2, voilà ce qui lui procure excellentes qualités, à savoir le trip tueur à gage, la très grande liberté d'action et les multiples méthodes d'assassinat de chaque cible etc. Malheureusement, nous étions en droit d'attendre de réelles améliorations de la part de IO, tant au niveau du moteur 3D que (et surtout) de l'IA. A bien y regarder, Contracts fait partie de ces suites qui font trop penser à des extensions. Il reste malgré tout un très bon titre, mais qui sera fortement concurrencé par Dark Project : Deadly Shadows (Thief 3).

Contracts repose sur les bases de Hitman 2, voilà ce qui lui procure excellentes qualités, à savoir le trip tueur à gage, la très grande liberté d'action et les multiples méthodes d'assassinat de chaque cible etc. Malheureusement, nous étions en droit d'attendre de réelles améliorations de la part de IO, tant au niveau du moteur 3D que (et surtout) de l'IA. A bien y regarder, Contracts fait partie de ces suites qui font trop penser à des extensions. Il reste malgré tout un très bon titre, mais qui sera fortement concurrencé par Dark Project : Deadly Shadows (Thief 3).

In this sequel, Hitman feels less like a great stealth title than a mediocre shooter with a few cool gadgets and abilities.

In this sequel, Hitman feels less like a great stealth title than a mediocre shooter with a few cool gadgets and abilities.

Finalement, Hitman Contracts a beau avoir changé pour le scénario et la mise en scène, sur nos points techniques, on est un peu dans le flou. Il n’innove pas vraiment avec ses défauts par ci par là un peu trop fâcheux. Hitman 3 est un jeu attirant, toujours plaisant à jouer, qui trouve dans ce nouvel opus une ambiance formidable (la tension : on aime ça), mais le jeu reste pas franchement révolutionnaire.

Que dire en conclusion ? Qu'Hitman Contracts est une déception ? Oui et non. Oui car le gameplay et les graphismes n'ont pas beaucoup bougés depuis le précédent volet. Oui encore, car l'intelligence artificielle aurait mérité d'être améliorée et que les anciens niveaux remis au goût du jour peuvent ne pas plaire à ceux qui attendaient plus de nouveautés. A l'inverse, on retrouve bien notre cher tueur à gages chauve toujours aussi charismatique. Les missions sont intéressantes car on peut les remplir de différentes manières et le scénario nous pousse à avancer pour en savoir toujours plus. Bref, nous sommes en présence d'un bon jeu qui aurait cependant pu être bien meilleur si les développeurs avaient fait un effort pour innover et améliorer les éléments perfectibles du jeu (l'IA surtout).

To sum up, Hitman Contracts does a good job on extending the series, even if it does not bring a whole lot new to the party - which is basically why we opted for a 75 mark. With its graphic violence the game is rated M for mature. This means that children should not be in the same room as the game disc, even if there is no console or computer present to play it on.

Despite having recently completed the last Tenchu game, my thirst for assassinations is still unsatiated. Lucky for me, everyone’s favorite contract killer, Codename 47, is back, once again sporting the shiniest pate in the business - complete with signature barcode.

We’ve seen a lot of games that revolve around killing people in the past. Everything from the memorable Wolfenstein 3D to Serious Sam tends to involve grabbing a select weapon, running into a specific zone, and pushing the “fire” button repeatedly until the only thing left moving in the area is the player himself. Yet there is a certain game series that takes “killing” to a much higher level. There are still lots of trigger-pulling action going on, but the focus is a much different, much more eloquent level of death, with a common focus on specific targets over a massacre.

Oh, the bald and the beautiful. I'm not talking Michael Jordan here, folks. I'm talking Agent 47 of the Hitman series. The franchise is known for its depth, stealth and sleek action. But now we have tons of those games, so does developer IO Interactive further the stealth/action genre with this iteration?

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 are'nt 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.

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.

Dans la continuité de Hitman 2 et sans vraies nouveautés, Contracts est surtout l'occasion de se faire plaisir en tuant des gens avec style dans une ambiance inimitable. Les tueurs psychotiques fans d'actions débridée n'y trouveront pas leur compte, en revanche les assassins froids et calculateurs ont là l'occasion d'exprimer chaque nuance de leur art si particulier.

So does this mean you should pass up on the opportunity to play Hitman: Contracts? I would recommend against it. A lot of what was good about the Hitman games still plays a major role in "Contracts". Your decision should also be based on how fond you are of the series and whether or not you're prepared to bump up the difficulty level to Expert. The new Hitman game does bring a lot of moodiness and great cinematic value, in addition to some of that customary gameplay that drew me to the franchise in the first place. Ultimately, however, because of some rather silly design mistakes, it fails to deliver the kind of experience I was hoping for.

Il y a un an et demi, l’agent 47 avait été forcé de laisser ses orchidées et son monastère italien pour tenter de sauver le père Vittorio, enlevé par le terroriste Sergueï Zavoratko. Nous étion alors dans Hitman 2 Silent Assassin, suite toute aussi réussie d’Hitman : Tueur à gages. Pour ce troisième épisode, c’est en bien mauvaise posture que nous retrouvons notre chauve préféré. Piégé dans une chambre d’hôtel, une bastos dans le ventre, 47 est au plus mal. La mission de trop, celle qui a mal tournée. Manque de chance pour lui, ses ennemis sont tout prêt, bien décidés à en finir avec le désormais mythique Silent Assassin. Entre fièvre et douleur, blessure et torpeur, l’agent 47 perd son sang et se met à délirer.

Why be good when you can be bad? Such is the trend in the video game industry these days, and the latest title from Eidos is no exception. "Hitman: Contracts" is the third chapter in a four-year-old series that lets gamers explore the world of a genetically engineered über-assassin, Agent 47.

Why be good when you can be bad? Such is the trend in the video game industry these days, and the latest title from Eidos is no exception.

Death becomes Eidos. How so? The company has literally made a killing in recent years with its best-selling Hitman franchise. But now, in its third rendition, the series is beginning to show its age. While Contracts corrects many problems that plagued previous entries, it also introduces several new drawbacks. Bearing this in mind, it proves a suitable fix for bloodthirsty gamers, yet hardly the remorselessly addictive diversion many had been hoping for.

Det här är varken revolution eller evolution. Det är bara mer av samma sak fast lite sämre.

Sind den Entwicklern die Ideen ausgegangen, oder warum sind mir die halben Missionen schon aus den Vorgängern bekannt? Klar, es ist ein Rückblick auf bereits erledigte Aufträge, aber es gäbe doch genügend andere Szenarien. Nichts desto Trotz hat mir auch der dritte Teil des Auftragskillerspiels wieder einmal sehr viel Spaß gemacht – bei der Handlungsfreiheit könnten sich so einige Kollegen (z.B. Sam Fisher) etwas abschauen. Für den Nachfolger würde ich mir dann aber doch 100 % neue Missionen wünschen.

Hitman: Contracts starts out with a close-up of a gunshot to the head. The victim's skull snaps against the floor and then sprays it with blood. Okay, so that's the tone it's going to take: something grim and unflinching. Winding backwards from the finale of 2000's Hitman: Codename 47, Contracts supposes itself a darker look at the greatest hits, if you will, of the assassin known only as 47. But don't be fooled. Contracts is typical sneak/shoot-'em-up action that relies too heavily on remade content and brittle gameplay. Although it was novel four years ago, games have come much farther than this.