iGUIDE - Hitman 3 Contracts

Rating:
Summary: mad cool
Review: first off i'd like to commend the iGuide for being the first to lead the way in utilizing technology more advanced than glossy paper for their game guide. think of the potential this idea has... instead of squinting at tiny screen captures and trying to transform words on a page into action on the screen, the DVD iGuide let's you simply watch it as it goes down. it's the difference between getting told how to do something and getting SHOWN how to do something.

now let's be fair about the reality of game guide production. i am referring to the review on this site that blasts the iguide for making a mistake or two. game guides are forced to develop based on unfinished versions of the game, of course, because at the time that they're being written, only beta versions of the game exist. as the game developer works out the bugs, things within the game will undoubtedly change and so there may be subtle differences between the game played in the guide and the game you bought at the store. let me make one thing clear: this is not just the case for the iguide... this is the case for ALL strategy guides. years ago i had an opportunity to help write a strategy guide for Command and Conquer: Tiberian Sun and the versions of the game i had to play were pretty early in development and had a lot of quirky bugs but we did the best we could.

this is why the iguide brings you continued support via their website: http://www.iguides.net/ here there are plenty of updates and corrections to supplement the iguide dvd. i like the fact that once their product got released, the iguide guys continued doing hitman research and gameplay and threw it all up on the web. this is what the web is for! this is what technology is for! the integration of digital technologies across the board to procuce one fine product.

as far as i can tell, hitman: contracts is the first iguide to be released. as i believe that this product idea has amazing potential, i can't wait to see them improve on the idea as more iguides get released.

also, speaking of bonus material... on the iguide website i found in the hitman bonus materials section a quicktime video called 'hitman gone wild.' i dont know if any of you guys have seen this yet, but if you haven't go check it out. i almost fell out of my seat laffing.

Rating:
Summary: do NOT waste your money!
Review: firstly....This guide purports to ONLY provide walkthtroughs that guarantee the coveted 'silent assassin' ranking. on this( false) claim,alone,the guide fails,miserably!

here's one example: on the 'traditions of the trade ' mission(*hotel mission) the very first move the narrator instructs the player to do: unpack the sniper case and take out a guard on a balcony. already...misison FAILED for SA ranking. you might get 'expert' or 'professional' using this guide,but on virtually every walkthrough ,
the voice over has 47 taking out enemies other than the primary targets.

during the manor walkthrough,iGuide has the stable boy fiberwired. quiet,yes,but still counts as a non-target KILL. I dunno what 'silent assassin' rankings they got while playing the game their way........it just ain't happening in
my gameplay reality,esp. if you follow this guide to a tee!

I also noticed little discrepancies(*I'm referencing the ps2 version of the game) from the iGuide walkthrough,opposed to the actual game. In that same hotel level,the guide tells you to have 47 place a 'do not disturb' sign on a bathroom door,after eliminating a target. In the ps2 game, there was NO option to do so. only on the outside of the room door,
could you post that sign.not on the bathroom door. What's that about??? I replayed the misison several times..still no way to put that sign on the outer bathroom doorknob.

The guide has very limited,but mildly amusing 'bonus' material. you can access the same stuff on the hitman.contracts or hitman HQ websites.

I'd love to hear from any other hitman fans out there that purchased this guide and came up SA on any(!) of the missons,aside from 'slaying a dragon..and maybe one other.

maybe the Xbox(?) version allows you to kill bodyguards and innocents..and still get SA?

doubt it!

if you read most hardcore articles on the hitman games...you ONLY recieve SA ranking if you (1). kill ONLY your required targets with ONE silenced head shot(or melee weapon)

and (2). have 2 or less, 'red alert' warnings. also..no 'close encounters',absolutely none, are allowed. get one CO,and you blow your SA chances to hell.

I never thought I'd be so into a series as I am with Hitman,but...these games,for all their flaws,still provide wicked entertainment.

In closing,these were my (frustrating) experiences. if anybody else swears by this guide, for SOLID SA throughout each level, I'd most definitely like to hear about it.

I either want my money back,or some edification from other players. game over,I have to say. with this IGuide!

peace-out,all you taciturn reapers!

Rating:
Summary: Trust the guy that said
Review: For goodness sake, do not waste your $$$ on this iguide! Except for two levels, it's totally worthless. I spent like a lot of $ on this guide when it came out, and I was totally disappointed.

The guide tells you to pick off enemies other than the targets, which you cannot do if you want Silent Assasin!

Also, the guide told me that I could bring the meat hook to kill the meat king, even though I was dressed as a waiter. Now do waiters carry meat hooks? Duh! 'Course not!

The game itself is way cool, so go ahead and buy it. But seriously, don't buy this iguide for full price like I did.

Rating:
Summary: way cool
Review: love this. shows you everything. some of the bonus content is freakin hilarious.

Rating:
Summary: hitman 1 nd 2 were hard, so's Contracts
Review: The HITMAN games have sooo many diffrent wayz to play but only when you are the Silent Assassin (thats expertly perfect play ya'll) do you unlock guns and do the sick mooves.

I had a book for the other games but it was tough to figure out cause the pictures were so TINY (video games Have VIDEO-duh!). This is a great way to learn to play OR after you play to go back and learn wat you didnt know.