Hitman: Contracts

Hitman: Contracts is a 2004 stealth video game developed by IO Interactive and published by Eidos Interactive for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2 and Xbox.

Why It Rocks

 * 1) Great graphics for its time.
 * 2) The game is much darker compared to its predecessors. In a series built primarily around offing colourful villains in exotic locales, Contracts sticks out like a sore thumb. Every mission takes place at night and/or in foul weather, is filled with unusually-nasty characters, with vague hints of supernatural elements and a tone which borders on surreal horror.
 * 3) * It also stands out in terms of depicting just how far down the rabbit hole of mankind's depravity that 47 has had to go for his job. The first target kidnapped and murdered your client's daughter. The third target kidnapped your client's son...to literally hunt him down in the forest, as a hobby. Your fourth target isn't really evil, he might even be a good guy — just a gumshoe who got in over his head.
 * 4) Great soundtrack that embraces the darker, more edgier tone. The Latin chorus and trombones are out; no longer do we hear sweeping music in the background as 47 mows down a diplomat. It's been replaced with
 * 5) Many things from the previous game have been fixed or improved.
 * 6) *The suspicion meter is improved and is a lot more accurate to NPCs suspicions.
 * 7) *You can now run near enemies and not have your cover blown.
 * 8) *The enemies will not head to your exact location when someone wakes up like before.
 * 9) *47 moves at a substantial speed when crouch walking.
 * 10) *Instead of chloroform, you now have a syringe, which knocks people out much faster.
 * 11) The game offers even more ways to assassinate your target compared to its predecessor.
 * 12) Great voice acting.
 * 13) Instead of three awards for getting silent assassin in certain missions, you now get an award per mission. These rewards include:
 * 14) * Dual CZ2000 Pistols
 * 15) * Dual Micro Uzis
 * 16) * Dual Suppressed Silverballers
 * 17) * Dual Magnum 500 Revolvers
 * 18) * Dual Sawn-off Shotguns
 * 19) * Silenced M4 Rifle
 * 20) * Dual Suppressed SG220 Pistols
 * 21) * Silenced MP5 SMG
 * 22) * Silenced AK-74 Rifle
 * 23) * Dual GK-17 Pistols
 * 24) * Dual Suppressed Micro Uzis
 * 25) * Suppressed PGM Sniper Rifle
 * 26) There's a Training mode, which allows you practice many of your skills.
 * 27) *Sniper Range: The sniping range is a very long room, where the player can practice using sniper rifles they've collected throughout the game. The targets vary in distance, and will drop down when shot. After a period of time, they will prop back up. Along with the main hall, a copy of the sniper rifles collected throughout the game will appear here.
 * 28) *Target Range: The target range is a simple course consisting of forty-four targets, and is highly reminiscent of the original target range from Hitman: Codename 47 's Training. The player can control Agent 47 as he moves through tunnels marked with arrows, aiming and shooting targets as they appear. At the end, the player gets a message at the top left displaying the targets hit.
 * 29) *Stealth Range: The stealth range is the final location within the area. The range is full of SWAT members which will aim and shoot at Agent 47 on sight. The player must use sneaking mechanics to kill, disguise, and maneuver throughout the zone.
 * 30) While half of the missions are original, the other half are missions remade from Codename 47 which look amazing and were redesigned making them a lot easier and allowing for more than one method of assassination. It's also a great way for people to first experience these missions since Codename 47 was a PC exclusive.
 * 31) * Both Codename 47 Rotterdam missions (the nudie bar and the docks) have been condensed into one.
 * 32) ** Ivan (the clown gangster) doesn't appear at any point.
 * 33) ** There are no gas masked enemies and no dogs guarding the docks. Workers, cops, SWAT teams and the like populate the harbor instead.
 * 34) ** Boris doesn't use an escape limo and doesn't immediately activate the bomb with a 3-minute countdown. Instead, he threatens to detonate the bomb if he doesn't get a helicopter to escape in.
 * 35) * "Traditions of the Trade":
 * 36) ** The hotel is slightly-bigger despite having more closed-off rooms, and the dentist cabinet is bigger, as well.
 * 37) ** Cut content includes the roulette table and the kitchen; Fritz doesn't gamble, and you can't escape out the back of the hotel this time. The Nazi sympathizer is gone, and he doesn't give you a SPAS-12 to kill the diplomats with. Instead, Diana leaves you the shotgun to kill the bombers.
 * 38) ** The hotel is full of Hungarian cops and there aren't civilians walking everywhere this time around; the ground floor is closed since a murder has been committed in one of its wings.
 * 39) * The Hong Kong missions play much the same, albeit at nighttime. There are cosmetic changes:
 * 40) ** The Cheung Chau fish restaurant is much bigger, and there are more ways to deal with the targets: sniping, poisoning food, and so on.
 * 41) ** The brothel is a separate building with a bridge linking it to the restaurant instead of being situated on its upper floor. 47 doesn't need to bother with it unless the safe containing the jade figure isn't there: Lee Hong has the combination on his person, so there's no need to help the prostitute to get it.
 * 42) ** 47 must take the jade statue with him instead of delivering it to the old shopkeeper. (Speaking of which, the herbal shop has disappeared.)
 * 43) *On top of that, they didn't remake the Colombian missions nor "Meet Your Brother".

Bad Qualities

 * 1) You can't customize your loadout like before. Although, it does make sense since every mission is suppose to be a flashback.
 * 2) While half of the missions are original, the other half are missions from Codename 47, which caused a portion of the fanbase to find the game to be among the weaker entries in the series, due to its status as a mission-pack sequel and a semi-remake. In fact some dislike the remade levels entirely, as some of them barely resemble the original ones, and thus play very differently. Defenders note that they give console users the chance to play the original levels, they now require different strategies and that if they were identical, the missions would suddenly play even more differently to match Codename 47 's gameplay.
 * 3) *There is a reason why this game is like this. Contracts originally was Blood Money; Las Vegas being a location was even being teased as something that would appear in Contracts. Contracts exists because Blood Money was under a deadline which IO couldn’t meet, and they didn’t want to botch their next-gen Hitman title, so they carved out some select content from Blood Money, reworked some old levels, and fleshed out a minor plot point to create Contracts.
 * 4) There is no real story and the game doesn't reveal how the police officer knew who 47 is. Fortunately, the next entry, Hitman: Blood Money, explains that he was educated by the rival agency, The Franchise, as to who 47 is and was sent to kill him. In fact, the events of Contracts take place immediately after the mission "Curtains Down" from Blood Money.

Reception
Hitman: Contracts received mostly positive reviews, with praise aimed at the improved gameplay elements, graphics, soundtrack, darker tone and atmosphere, while criticism was directed towards the familiarity and the lack of significant changes and additions from the previous game.

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