Rating: 
Summary: Familiar "Contracts". . .
Review: "Hitman Contracts" will appeal to two of three sets -- those who haven't played the original "Hitman" game that launched the series, and those who have but wouldn't mind revisiting a sort of special edition version. That version is "Contracts," essentially. It packs in many upgraded missions from its forebear and throws in a handful of new ones, making it a sort of director's cut. There is very little story to connect each hit in "Contracts." The star of the show, Agent 47, finds himself shot and half-dead, and as he struggles for his life he faces the kills of his past. Each mission (except for the last) is a flashback to an earlier time and place, and there's no consistent narrative to link them together. In all truth, that's just fine -- if you're a fan of the series or a rookie just wading in, all you really want to do is travel the globe and kill people. That's your job here, after all, and as usual Agent 47 delivers. The locales range from rural English manors, German biker clubs, and (haunted) French hotels, and everywhere you go there's someone just waiting to get offed. The mission design has scarcely changed since "Hitman 2," so if that game didn't float your boat neither will this spinoff. If on the other hand it was your bag, well jump on board because it's more of the same -- and despite the developers' obvious lack of ambition, that translates into more of a good thing. As in previous games, "Contracts" allows you to take a stealthy approach to its challenges, or go in guns blazing. The former method is appropriately emphasized, and is far more satisfying. On the other hand, it's entirely possible to mimic a John Woo film and kill everyone in sight with flying lead. Agent 47 is apparently quite hardy, and can take several bullet hits before he so much as breaks a sweat. Stealth actually presents more of a challenge than an open firefight, as bizarre as that sounds. This is both a flaw and a beckoning hand to novice gamers. It's a flaw because it makes next to no sense, and tempts the trigger finger more than the brain. It's a plus to less patient and tactical-minded players who would rather breeze through the missions and read the end credits as quickly and easily as possible. Whether it sits well with you depends on which class you fall into. I for one hope that future installments will make stealthy play a bit more of a necessity. You can ultimately have too much freedom, and that is the case with "Contracts." Using an updated version of the "Hitman 2" engine, "Contracts" looks good but not great, and the sound effects are essentially recycled from earlier offerings. That doesn't keep the game from being atmospheric, however. Some of the levels ooze tension. Strangely enough, one of the early missions in the game is by far the creepiest and one of the most challenging, and the "Se7en"-ish payoff simply must be experienced. The later stages are less worthy of note, and the Hong Kong missions ultimately become downright repetitive. The finale goes off like a damp squib, and took me only a couple of minutes to complete. "Contracts" is ultimately a good, solid game, and a worthy addition to a franchise I quite enjoy. Unfortunately, the asking price is too high. For repackaged material and such an uninspired implimentation, it would have been better served as an expansion pack or something along those lines. At full price, to some, it could be a bit of a tough sell. Still, I recommend it to diehard fans and newcomers looking to join in the fun. Others should wait for the price to drop before giving it a drive. Final Score: B
Rating:
Summary: Familiar "Contracts". . .
Review: "Hitman Contracts" will appeal to two of three sets -- those who haven't played the original "Hitman" game that launched the series, and those who have but wouldn't mind revisiting a sort of special edition version. That version is "Contracts," essentially. It packs in many upgraded missions from its forebear and throws in a handful of new ones, making it a sort of director's cut. There is very little story to connect each hit in "Contracts." The star of the show, Agent 47, finds himself shot and half-dead, and as he struggles for his life he faces the kills of his past. Each mission (except for the last) is a flashback to an earlier time and place, and there's no consistent narrative to link them together. In all truth, that's just fine -- if you're a fan of the series or a rookie just wading in, all you really want to do is travel the globe and kill people. That's your job here, after all, and as usual Agent 47 delivers. The locales range from rural English manors, German biker clubs, and (haunted) French hotels, and everywhere you go there's someone just waiting to get offed. The mission design has scarcely changed since "Hitman 2," so if that game didn't float your boat neither will this spinoff. If on the other hand it was your bag, well jump on board because it's more of the same -- and despite the developers' obvious lack of ambition, that translates into more of a good thing. As in previous games, "Contracts" allows you to take a stealthy approach to its challenges, or go in guns blazing. The former method is appropriately emphasized, and is far more satisfying. On the other hand, it's entirely possible to mimic a John Woo film and kill everyone in sight with flying lead. Agent 47 is apparently quite hardy, and can take several bullet hits before he so much as breaks a sweat. Stealth actually presents more of a challenge than an open firefight, as bizarre as that sounds. This is both a flaw and a beckoning hand to novice gamers. It's a flaw because it makes next to no sense, and tempts the trigger finger more than the brain. It's a plus to less patient and tactical-minded players who would rather breeze through the missions and read the end credits as quickly and easily as possible. Whether it sits well with you depends on which class you fall into. I for one hope that future installments will make stealthy play a bit more of a necessity. You can ultimately have too much freedom, and that is the case with "Contracts." Using an updated version of the "Hitman 2" engine, "Contracts" looks good but not great, and the sound effects are essentially recycled from earlier offerings. That doesn't keep the game from being atmospheric, however. Some of the levels ooze tension. Strangely enough, one of the early missions in the game is by far the creepiest and one of the most challenging, and the "Se7en"-ish payoff simply must be experienced. The later stages are less worthy of note, and the Hong Kong missions ultimately become downright repetitive. The finale goes off like a damp squib, and took me only a couple of minutes to complete. "Contracts" is ultimately a good, solid game, and a worthy addition to a franchise I quite enjoy. Unfortunately, the asking price is too high. For repackaged material and such an uninspired implimentation, it would have been better served as an expansion pack or something along those lines. At full price, to some, it could be a bit of a tough sell. Still, I recommend it to diehard fans and newcomers looking to join in the fun. Others should wait for the price to drop before giving it a drive. Final Score: B
Rating: 
Summary: RATINGS CATEGORY
Review: ADVISORY, THIS GAME CONTAINS: EXTREMLEY BRUTAL VIOLENCE, GORE, NUDITY, STRONG SEXUALITY, DISTURBING IMAGES, RAW LAUNGUAGE
Rating:
Summary: Signed in blood
Review: Edios was very dairing to realese agent 47 (The first hitman) but most people liked it. Hitman 2 silent assasin did most things right and was a big hit on Ps2 and Xbox. The third one though is fasinating and does everything right. I've played a demo and you start off pretty bad in paris but Agent 47 gets a pool stick and breaks someones windpipe and he's back in it. This game will have about a thousand ways that you can kill a person. This game is Rated Rp. right now but will most likely will be rated M. (sorry kids) I would rcamend This for all systems But the two best would be Ps2 and Xbox. For those of you who are Xbox or Ps2 fans The Xbox and Ps2 desiners are combinding the two systems!
Signed in blood
Rating:
Summary: Could Have Got Better!
Review: First of all this game did not live upto the expectations.The main reason is SOME LEVALS OF THE FIRST GAME (Codename 47) IS BEING REPEATED (WITH THE SAME OBJECTIVES).Only little differences here and there.The new missions which they have out in is good.Now Briefly- Pros- Improved movement,Artificial Intelligence,Graphics Cons- Some levals repeated from the first part,Too easy compared the other games of Hitman. I would recommend this to anyone who is a first timer or who has already played Hitman.
Rating: 
Summary: Good, but Hitman 2 still the Best!
Review: First off, parents be advised this is a review for a Mature game. While I can't claim that Hitman contracts is a remake of Hitman 1 and ignores Hitman 2, as a previous reviewer said, I think, Contracts looks too much like Hitman 1 to make Hitman 2 tower above both and be a league of its own. Pros for Contracts: 1. Agent 47 sneaks and runs faster.
2. Seemingly harmless objects like a pillow, can become a deadly weapon!
3. Hey, this is still Hitman, and the latest version at that! Cons for Contracts:
1. Is it just me or do the missions really have to be done in dark places? I often had to switch off my room light just to see Agent 47's surroundings. I literally bumped around half-a dozen times in Beldinford Manor swamp before I figured out how to get out of there. Yes, I know about the map.
2. I just can't get back to the tool shed/room where I can admire weapons I collected. It makes collecting weapons seem pointless.
3. I'm completely in the dark (pun not intended) as to Where exactly in Agent 47's timeline (life) does this flashbacks and missions fit in! It would really help if the game developer had put in an in-game info at the beginning.
4. I can no longer use the mouse wheel to zoom in on Hitman's field of view. Please indulge me for comparing Contracts with Hitman 2, the best of the lot in my opinion. Right from the start I knew what Agent 47 was all about, and why he must do the missions from the Agency. The musical scoring (full-orchestra for Hitman 2) by the Budapest Symphony Orchestra was the best game-scoring I have ever heard! Jesper Kyd the composer would be hard put to outdo himself here! The tenderness and passion of full orchestra sound will move your feelings for revenge, fear, self-pity, redemption, anger, and retribution like no other music source can. It will touch a burning desire to show your enemies that they've made the biggest mistake for messing with the best assassin around here! I have played a lot of games and none came close to giving me the shakes like Hitman 2 did when I first run down the slope of Villa Borghese to try and rescue a kidnapped friend. Nothing comes close to the feeling of walking away from a kill like nothing happened with the orchestra playing on the background! The musical variations of the orchestra was perfectly timed to reflect whatever feeling you had at a given moment in the game! Play Hitman Contracts. It's a good one. Play Hitman 2 to really enjoy a sneaky game of Silent Assassin! It's the best! I cast my vote for Christian Bale as Agent 47 (whenever a movie about Hitman be made) Parents beware! Hitman 2 like Hitman Contracts is for Mature players Only!
Rating:
Summary: Not prefect
Review: Hitman Contracts is not a prefect game by a long shot but it did offer a few improvements to the franchise. Improvements: Graphics were improved to some degree, mirrors reflected (they did not in Hitman Silent Assassin) and basically a face lift Some sound effects has improved (Rain) The Music was definitely better than the previous two, it was dark and some times exhilarating The storyline has improved also, it moved away from the science fiction of the first, and the heroic stance of the second. It was more dark and intriguing. The ending did not answer all the questions as if paving the way for a fourth installment. The mood is also more enjoyable, the dark and sadistic atmosphere was at least more enjoyable to me (a women with all her limbs cut off hanging upside down, the ability to poison some annoying horses!) There were really no filler levels like the previous installments There are more locations than any of the other installments (Romania, Russia, England, Netherlands, Hungary, China, and France). The map was improved (now it showed dead people). More weapons and reintroduction of some that were dropped by Hitman Silent Assassin (Mini Gun, and sniper rifles in suit cases) The training was better than the previous, it is now completely optional. You can come back to it to try out different weapons you acquired on missions and you can even try your skills and weapons on real people! The people are not as strict and let you run around more instead of having to annoyingly walk everywhere. There were things that have not improved: The annoying interface (I want my saved games separate from my auto saves). The AI is still quirky at best. Normally police ask you to freeze before blowing the daylights out of you. AI still does not recognize pools of blood or inconsistent races (case in point a Hong Kong triad boss will usually not be a white, blue-eyed westerner. It is still too easy to blast your way through (come on, give us some incentive to use stealth). There were steps back also: Certain sound effects are dampened or missing (fiber wire), I do have their recommended sound card (an Audigy 2 ZS). Certain sound effects are buggy if you do not update your drivers. Some missions are exact copies (about 5) and some are rather similar (about 3) out of 12 missions this makes most of the world familiar and in some cases extremely easy to accomplish your missions because you already know what to do from Hitman Codename 47. Only 12 missions, the only reason Hitman Codename 47 got away with it is because it is super hard and it did not repeat it self. Verdict Fun but the flaws cannot be overlooked for it to get a perfect score. 8/10 or 4/5 stars.
Rating:
Summary: More intense action with good ol' Agent 47!
Review: Hitman: Contracts is another solid addition to the very entertaining Hitman series. It maintains the tension, open-endedness, great graphics, and convincing atmosphere of Hitman 2 and adds a few improvements. Overall, Contracts is not as good as Hitman 2, which is one of my favorite games of all time. Contracts offers only 12 missions, has inferior music, has some minor technical issues, and a few other problems. The game is not completely open-ended, since you do have set objectives and cannot progress to the next mission without completing them. However, you do have some options regarding how you approach a mission. It's really a game that's worth playing at least twice just to take advantage of the alternative ways of completing the various missions. For anyone who is a fan of the Hitman series or likes stealth games, I recommend Contracts (but try to get it at a discounted price). However, it is best to play it after playing Hitman 2, which is the real star in this fine game series.
Gameplay: Much the same as Hitman 2. The controls (mouse and keyboard) are easy to learn, and you can play the game from 1st- or 3rd-person perspectives. The game encourages stealth and conflict avoidance and rewards you for clean kills and limiting "collateral damage." However, you can approach a mission any way you'd like: you can go in with guns blazing, use a mix of stealth and aggressive tactics, or go for the coveted rating of "silent assassin." The sneak ability is improved over Hitman 2, allowing you to move faster while in stealth mode. Also, some of the levels are rather large, and you'll have to replay them in order to just get a feel for them and to determine possible strategies. Contracts is darker than the previous games, both in regard to weather (it's always raining or snowing) and the subject matter. Curiously, some of the earlier missions are harder than later ones. I found that the SWAT missions were the most intense, and the Hong Kong missions were the easiest to achieve the "silent assassin" rating on. On expert (medium) difficulty, the game lasted about 27 hours for me, as compared to Hitman 2 which lasted over 40. You could probably finish it in less than half that time if you didn't care about your rating and went in shooting everything (which does not always work).
The game does have its flaws. My biggest problem was the fact that you couldn't bring weapons that you found in one mission (or earned through getting the "silent assassin" rating) into new missions. This was a BIG oversight on the part of the developers, and one of the reasons that Contracts is clearly inferior to Hitman 2. On the bright side, your weapons are nicely displayed in a greatly expanded training area, and you can choose to use whichever ones you'd like if you replay completed missions. Also, you can conceal a sniper rifle in a carrying case in some of the missions. Still, one of the most impressive things about Hitman 2 was the freedom to choose your instruments of death and not have to just accept the ones that the game gives you. Another problem is the AI of characters. On a few occasions, my cover was blown for no apparent reason. At other times, I could sneak by guards who appeared to be looking right at me. Overall, Contracts just didn't seem as polished a product as Hitman 2. In places, the game ran slower on my machine, even though it more than surpassed most of the recommended specs. (I think this was mostly due to some of the lighting and weather [snow] effects.) Also, the game crashed to desktop 5 times during my 27 hours of gameplay, for no apparent reason.
Graphics: The game looks quite good. All of the scenary was convincing and immersive, and the weapons looked and behaved as you would expect. Agent 47 walks as cool as ever, and his sneaking looks better too. However, I hope that Hitman 4 does a better job with the way he runs, which still looks...uncool. Cut-scenes are all nicely done and tie the various missions together. Character models are well illustrated, and weather effects create a gloomy mood. Lighting effects are great, but will slow down game performance in a few places.
Sound: Convincing for the most part. Voice acting is good and has the appropriate accents. Ambient sounds are done well, as are the sounds of weapons. The largely techno soundtrack by Jesper Kyd is not nearly as good as his excellent orchestral work for Hitman 2, but it will do. Overall, there are no notable sound issues in this game.
Rating:
Summary: Doesn't live up to the legend
Review: 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.
Rating: 
Summary: Maybe a waste of money...
Review: 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.
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