Hitman: Contracts (2004 Video Game) User Reviews

Dark, intricate, and re-playable. Good stuff.

[BroadswordCallinDannyBoy · 9/10 · 6 December 2007]

Once again you take control of Agent 47, the infamous Silent Assassin. This time his world is amazingly intricate and incredibly dark. Something that I say really reflects the overall motif that the previous two games were trying to achieve. In "Contracts" there are no daytime missions like in the previous two games. The second game had a few, but this time, it's all about rainy nights with plenty of dark corners to lurk in as you hone in on your target. It is a slightly unrealistic touch as it seems to conveniently rain whenever Agent 47 is given an assignment, but no matter, because it supplies a great atmosphere to your surroundings. Also in an interesting touch the game is shown in flashback. The opening sequence is actually Agent 47 stumbling into a hotel room in an as of yet undisclosed city with a bullet in his gut. As he passes in an out of consciousness during the painful surgery he remembers his previous contracts.

The levels, aside from being remarkably ambient visually and aurally, are filled with possibilities. If "Silent Assassin" had many, there is a multitude here. You can even use a pillow to smother someone in their sleep. A truly sneaky and merciless way to get at a target who doesn't even know you're there, but like I said, this is probably the first game that reflects the very dark nature of Agent 47 himself. There are no rules, only the completion of the contract. There are, however, ramifications. For instance in one level you can either poison your target's drink or throw a gas can down the chimney and into the fireplace by which he is sitting. Result is the same: contract complete. However one way will leave you with collateral damage as well as everyone in the mansion scouring for you. I'll leave you to figure it out.

The flashback structure also has a potential letdown, in that many levels are remakes of levels from the first game. The levels are redone very well with a serious boost in design, but something totally different would have been nicer. Also, you start each mission with a preset gear set. Unlike the first two games you can't choose anything for any mission until you complete the game. Then you're finally awarded a level select as well as weapon select for each level and this is where you can finally use all of your bonus weapons that you receive with the "Silent Assassin" rating. Each level has it's own bonus weapon and even if you don't first complete the game with Silent Assassin on each level, you can go back level by level and get your rating to the high enough until you have all the bonuses. There are also several secret weapons (like the infamous MiniGun from the first game!) which can only be found through this process. This also provides room for replaying past levels and enables you to try different approaches to for them. Or it lets you go on a rampage with that MiniGun once you find it.

Intricate, tense, and very re-playable this is Agent 47's best outing yet. I have yet to play "Bloody Money" and I am really looking forward to it. --- 9/10

Rated "Mature" for violence.

A real psychological trip, don't be put off my the disjointed missions

[killer3000ad · 9/10 · 28 October 2006]

What can I say? Been a fan of the Hit-man games since Codename 47. The greatest aspect of this series is that it requires more thinking than FPS shooters, but doesn't bog the player down with non-sensical rules of engagement like the Splinter Cell series. Additionally, there are a multitude of ways to complete each mission, which unfortunately itself may be problem which I'll mention more later on in detail.

Well, first of, Contracts starts of confusingly with the end of the first game after Mr. 47 has broken Dr. Ortomeyer's neck. After evading/slaughtering the SWAT teams storming the sanitarium, we next find Mr. 47 stumbling in a room, bleeding. And before you know it, you are of on the second mission, a rather disturbing one at that, replete with S&M leather freaks in a slaughterhouse club run by a horribly obese, bedridden man whose disturbed brother has tortured and killed a young girl while listening to oldies on vinyl records. The missions from here on are all generally dark, always taking place at night and on more than one occasion in stormy weather.

Some people have complained about the disjointed missions which seems to lack cohesion and relation. But therein lies the beauty of Contracts. In between each mission as we see more glimpses of the wounded 47, it becomes apparent that he's recalling past missions in his mind and it is from his point of view that we are playing the missions. Some of the missions are remakes from the first game while a select number are original in Contracts. Some aspects of the remade missions are different and may require a different solution than what was used in the first game, that's if you've played Codename 47.

Which brings me to the next aspect which I mentioned earlier, the multiple methods of getting the job done. Unlike Splinter Cell's generally one track solutions, you have the freedom to do what so ever in the game to get the job done. If all-out assault is your cake then so be it, you just won't be able to achieve Silent Assassin ranking to unlock other weapons in the game.(which itself might be pointless due to the lack of an equip option prior to missions) Then again the game was made to beaten while achieving Silent Assassin ranking in all missions. Unfortunately, some solutions are not obvious without a bit of trial and error as well as curious exploration. For example in the mission, "Meat King's Party", the obvious solution was to gain entry to the target's room disguised as either a guard, waiter or chef. However later with a bit of exploration, I discovered an open roof window above the target's room, from which I could also have easily used a silenced weapon to shoot from.

It's also worth mentioning that obvious solutions that work on Normal difficulty, might not work on Expert and Professional. As an example, donning a SWAT officer's outfit in the "Asylum Aftermath" mission worked on normal difficulty setting but when I attempted to use this same method on Professional, the enemy easily saw through the disguise. Ultimately, it would take dedicated fans to beat the game on higher settings. So if you blasted through the game on normal and thought nothing much of the game then I suggest you do so again on the higher settings.

In the graphics department, the game has seen some major overhauling with the addition of reflective surfaces and lighting effects which only help to accentuate the dark nature of the missions.

Enter the mind of the professional

[TBJCSKCNRRQTreviews · 7/10 · 15 October 2008]

Right from the get-go, this sets the tone as a darker, bleaker entry. Atmospheric. Psychological. There is also strong violence and sexuality, and in larger quantities than before. Cronenberg and Fincher would probably love this. Some of these attributes remained in these, beyond this one. This is the first... and thus far, only... sequel to have a stand-out concept. Granted, it is potentially gimmicky... and seems to run out of steam about a third from the finish... but it is interesting. This also makes the most sense as far as playing missions again goes... though about half of the original Hit-man is remade in some of them. That would be less unimpressive if there was a higher number in this. A dozen. Also, you can't pick what to bring on your initial run through them. Now, what does make that better is the fact that, once again, this is the one released where you can always earn Silent Assassin, the greatest rating to attain. Every single one is a "hit", and all can be executed with expertise and planning. They're all gloomy, as well. The level design leaves little to be desired, almost invariably. On doing well... getting SA is actually worthwhile here. Not just a handful, if that, of times, as the second one. If there is an exception to that here, I didn't see it. How, you ask? Two words: Bonus guns. We're talking, dual and/or silenced versions of ones easily found. In general, the weapons here look and work well, and are remarkably well-chosen. Heck, they honestly went all-out on that. The firearms in this are just plain awesome. There also may be more pistols in this than at least the earlier in the series. The interface is modified somewhat, and will take a little bit of practice to get used to, for those having tried the rest of these. The plot of this is good, and can be intriguing. This is where it starts getting so confusing, in the way of overarching story, that there, among us fans, are several reasonable and credible theories as to what exactly the time-line and such is. The next one adds to that. One can't help but wonder if this was rushed, and possibly half-hearted. I have heard that this was to tide us over, until Blood Money came out. I can see why, that one definitely had rather a lot of new features that were worked, and thought, through. The loading screens, while purdy and all, tend to be nondescript. And this doesn't have that much that wasn't already there. I've heard this described as basically a polished version of HM2. That would be the proverbial nail on the head, with bullseye precision. About all that was in that has been altered, usually for the better. Stealth is made more attractive, apart from the incentive I mentioned before, sneaking is also faster, by a considerable degree. That nifty jump from Codename: 47 makes a comeback, and is used more, if it could still be more frequent, especially considering the length of this, but nevertheless, a welcome return. Back to it not all being positive... a thing or two are made worse in this, or even disappear. In the latter category, there is the compass. Or, rather, there isn't. Why was it removed? Navigating is now way harder than it ought to be, and you now have to stop moving, check the map, and go by what direction our dear agent is pointed in on there, and use that to determine which direction to turn in to, you know, be headed the right way. The different setup for the map doesn't aid in that area. It's nice that they now actually made deceased characters be reflected as such there, but for crying out loud, in a game so complex in detail, with tons of rooms and such, you need to be able to tell where, you know, the doors are and where they lead, which isn't always true in this, and all obstacles in the way would be pleasant to see, also. Yes, I realize that they're, apparently, supposedly, satellite, and that even showing the indoors is a fallacy, if we're talking about realism, but that's how it's always been, and this is not the way to change them. Thankfully, both of those were back to the way they should be in the next one. This doesn't introduce any enemies that we haven't gone up against before, group, people or type. Not particularly, anyway. As far as I could tell, at least. There are some well-written lines in this. The finale is spot-on, and a successful homage. It's all quite fun. This poses a solid challenge, as well, in part because there is almost not even one of the 12 efforts to off that hold no more than one target. Yup. Several to take out, mostly. The difficulty settings assist in ensuring that all get an experience fitting their skill. The saving system is the same as the previous one. The sophistication of this is seldom threatened, although there are a couple of crude things in it. This is where the camera begun to get less constricted, and it was taken further in BM. The graphics are magnificent, if they do hold several glitches. The lighting is improved again, rendering it excellent. The cut-scenes are incredible. Almost exclusively full animation, supplemented with a few in engine, and they're smooth, stylish, crisp and cool. They tell the majority of the goings-on, and almost sans any dialog, through the visuals, that are marvelous. They're well-directed and effective. The audio is another strength. Every sound is as it should be. The music is fantastic... Jesper Kyd has yet to disappoint me. Do note that it is more focused on the eerie nature of this, than the action. This retains the "open-ended" game-play of the preceding follow-up(so yes, you can still blast everything away). I recommend this to anyone that all this appeals to. 7/10

An atmospheric stealth game where dark, dastardly deeds pay off big time!

[practiced_bravado · 23 May 2004]

The strongest aspect of the latest Hit-man game is its visual element. Running on a new graphics engine, which seems to suggest Japanese Anime, "Hit-man: Contracts" delves deep into the mind of a professional killer. Set before the events of "Hitman 2: Silent Assassin", it opens with Agent 47 seriously wounded in a Paris hotel. He's haunted by the memories of his past killings and the game takes place almost entirely in his head.

It's the psyche of Agent 47 that brings this title to life with a surreal atmosphere and the disturbing presence of the macbre. Unlike "Manhunt", which bordered on the pornographic in its depiction of violence, this game is more of a psychological shocker. Every level is a variation on the "it was a dark and stormy night" scenario and the first mission establishes this with a very bizarro style.

It takes place in a strange European nightclub/slaughterhouse. The owner is an overly obese man who's twin brother tortures a young girl upstairs while listening to oldies on a .45 record. Agent 47's assignment is to kill the owner and his lawyer who dopes up in a private room. The whole place is a like a Halloween party gone bad where the clients dress up in S&M-like attire and get wrapped up in lapdances.

"Hitman 2" was a huge improvement over the original and proved to be a great stealth game in the vein of "Splinter Cell". However, this third installment, while it does visually impress, isn't as innovative. It merely smoothes the gameplay of its predecessor and has made the missons more open-ended. Stages now have at least two different ways of how to neutralize the "mark", but this can be either a blessing or a curse depending on the player's tolerance for self-discovery.

In fact, Hitman fans will either love or hate the programmers' decision to include only a few number of original levels for "Contracts". The bulk of the game consists of recreations of assignments from "Hitman: Codname 47". This is disappointing considering Eidos' had first said it was not interested in doing a remake of the first game. The best mission is a new one set at a British manor which the company claims was inspired by Robert Altman's "Gosford Park" (Go figure).

If I seem to be negative in this review, rest assure, I am giving "Contracts" a thumbs up. This is a good game, I did like stepping into Agent 47's shoes once again and its strenghts certainly do outweigh its weaknesses. I only wished the title had been a complete original, then it would've been a great game. 3 stars out of 4. Grade: B

good game

[asim34522-1 · 8/10 · 31 March 2008]

When I first played this game I found it hard and didn't want to play it but then a friend helped and I completed it in a number of weeks. It is a complicated game i can assure you of that. Very good game though. Enough violence to satisfy me. Could use more language though. Excellent graphics with the blood to make it look almost real. The first level is intense, picks up after the end of Hit-man Codename 47. Dead clone agents everywhere. 8/10 is a definite. 9/10 for the blood. Great game you should play it. The plot was the thing I din't get but it was a hard game. Buy and play it, the second level is really confusing.

One of the best Hitman games ever made

[eslam4330 · 9/10 · 2 August 2020]

Pretty decent game considering it was released in 2004. The story links up a lot with some missions from hitman 2 and blood money, which is always good and gives a sense of continuity to it. Surprisingly i didn't run into any crashes or any major bugs that could ruin the experience, exept for some weird bug that made the camera shake a little during dialogues with npcs. Overall a good game

Fever Dreams of a Silent Assassin

[sibulelemvayo · 8/10 · 30 May 2023]

Technically a standalone expansion to Silent Assassin, Contracts is a dark follow up to the former game and easily the darkest game in the series.

The story is disjointed and weirdly presented. It feels abrupt but still ideologically works within the game's themes of fever Dreams. It's a chopped up narrative that takes us into the mind of Agent 47. The overall writing is pretty good. The dialogue is well written, but the underwhelming and bad voice acting from foreign characters brings down the quality and impact of the overall dialogue.

The atmosphere, sound design and soundtrack is by far the best part of this game. For a 2004 game, Contracts has some of the most impressive sound design you can find in a game. It's punchy and adds to the grim and suspenseful atmosphere. The soundtrack is grimy and haunting. Far ahead of its time for a videogame soundtrack.

The gameplay and level design is similar to Silent Assassin with a few helpful improvements. Some unpolished game mechanics from Silent Assassin feel SO much more useful this time around. The AI has been vastly improved and the overall gameplay feels authentic and feels like what Silent Assassin should've been as a game. (Although, Silent Assassin still has the much better story)

A bit disappointing - but still "Hitman"

[Targetius · 7/10 · 12 May 2007]

"Hitman: Contracts" must be the weakest one in the "Hitman" series. Second one was a bit disappointing in my opinion too. It didn't improve much from the original one and the missions weren't that good. "Hitman Blood Money" however, was exactly what I hoped from a sequel.

There's not much new in Contracts and the missions are not that special in any way. Those remade missions from the first one could have been nice, even though replayed, but they missed exactly those points that made them so good in the first one. They were too different to be as good as the original ones, and too much like the old ones to be good on their own. New missions were very much mediocre. None of them stood high above others. They had some nice parts too, though.

The game happens almost completely in Agent 47's head, in form of flashbacks, and therefore you don't really get any money nor do you need to select any weapons. It's also missing other interesting parts and actually even a story. The "story" isn't very long or wide or anything like that, but I can tell (without giving any spoilers), that it has a lot to do with "Hitman: Blood Money".

In the end, I'd label this one as the weakest of "Hitmans", but still worth playing through. And by the way, I found it extremely easy at normal to beat this game and also kinda easy to get the silent assassin rank in many missions.

A darker sequel, but far from an evolution

[CuriosityKilledShawn · 6/10 · 29 April 2013]

Coming 2 years after Hit-man 2 it's hard to believe that a game from 2004 could look and feel so 1998. The story has Agent 47 collapse in a Paris hotel room where he has flashbacks to previous missions (including 4 remakes from the first game) while an unseen doctor helps him recover. The tone is darker and more personal, and it feels tighter, I just wish the lazy programming didn't spoil it.

There are 12 levels in total, and if you're just in it for the 'thrill' of mass murdering then you'll whisk though the entire game in a single day. If you're going for the 'Silent Assassin' rankings then you'll get a bit more mileage out of it. Your efforts might be spoiled by security guards and cops seeing through your disguise FOR NO REASON! You better be rock solid on your controller with no twitchy fingers if you want those rankings, and be prepared to scream at the monitor until your larynx disintegrates.

Hit-man: Contracts came in at the tail-end of the Sixth Generation of console video gaming and thus became dated very quickly. It's a lot tighter than the expansive, and slightly overwrought, Hit-man 2, but IO Interactive really should have refined the programming.

Graphics C Sound B Gameplay B- Lasting Apppeal C

Not the best in the series but still great

[dylankielman · 17 May 2004]

I had very high expectations for this game and it delivers 75% of what I was expecting. The graphics are great, but when you enter 1st person mode they just look ugly. Second the computer controlled enemies are unpredictable, they just open fire on you for no absolute reason which leads to major frustration. Though the voice acting is still stupendous, the music sounds like it's out of a cheesy 60's spy film. One thing the series is still good at is allowing the player to kill the target in numerous ways, either by poison, a bomb, the old sniper rifle, going in John Woo style, the list goes on. Finally the controls have been redone and finally their is a training mission.

Final Score 7.1/10

A good sequel with a mix of old and new

[NightBlade40 · 28 May 2004]

Once again, we are in the shoes of 47 as he makes a living off death. Hit-man: Contracts is the third game in the Hit-man series from Eidos Interactive.

In the opening sequence of the game, we see 47 wounded in a hotel room fading in and out of consciousness. The various in-game missions are played as flashbacks in 47's mind.

If you have played the original Hit-man: Codename 47 game, you will no doubt recognise some of the missions such as Traditions of the Trade or Deadly Cargo. Thankfully, most of these mission levels have been redesigned to give them a fresh feel.

There are some great new missions as well, such as Beldingford Manor and the Meat King Party. These take place over a variety of locations and cover a variety of different environments, from slaughter houses to biker hideouts.

Most of the missions are very open ended, giving numerous ways for the player to take out the target. This adds to the replay value of the game, trying to discover interesting ways to make the hits.

Another great feature of Hit-man: Contracts is the score by Jesper Kyd. He manages to make a good and dynamic score that fits a variety of gameplay situations, and he makes it different from the previous games while still giving it that Hit-man feel.

The most noticeable improvements over the previous two games is in the graphics department. Graphics have been improved with the inclusion of reflections (including in pools of liquid), post-processing effects and excellent use of real-time shadows and lighting.

Beyond that not much has been changed save the inclusion of some new hand weapons, and the return of the minigun. While this is good as it keeps true to the Hit-man lineage, there could've been more innovation to keep gameplay elements fresh.

This is a definite purchase for fans of the other games, but players new to the series will enjoy it just as much.