Hitman: Contracts

Written by Adam Woolcott  on June 08, 2004

Review: Why does 47 even bother with the suit and tie, seeing as he's in disguise 99% of the time?

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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 Ц that goal, of course, being to prematurely end the life of a very mean individual who's got what's coming to them. The latest in the Hitman series, Hitman: Contracts, is no different Ц only in this case, it's just the right balance; fine tuning to make the disguises actually effective, open-ended levels that give seemingly dozens of different ways to complete your objectives, and a much gentler difficulty curve that lets new players get into the game without getting frustrated at the methodical pace. It's a bit darker and more disturbing entry into the series, but Contracts is a fine PS2 action/stealth game that breaks little ground in creativity, but instead feels like the Hitman product that I/O Interactive has been trying to create since the franchise began.

Hitman's story begins in a dubious way, as Agent 47, the bad dude assassin extraordinaire with a UPC code on the back of his head, is shot and left for dead in his Paris hotel room, the result of a botched hit. 47 is dying, slowly, and his mind is racing, hallucinating events that have taken place in 47's life of contract killing. This makes up the entire premise of Contracts Ц as 47 is going in and out of consciousness in his hotel room, you're playing out the memories of his most legendary kills. The game begins you directly at the end of the original Hitman: Codename 47 (a PC only release), and you progress through the life of the assassin from there. While a majority of the missions in Contracts are brand new, a good selection are actually Сremixes' of original missions (Traditions of the Trade, the whole Lee Hong assassination mission set from Codename 47 to name a couple), only brought into this era of technology with more open-ended ways to polish off the evil bastards of the world Ц PC players will find this a copout, but PS2 players who never played the original won't know any better anyway). Meanwhile, as you play, the events in the present time, involving a dying 47, begin to take shape. It's an interesting narrative that obviously has been done before (flashback games are not uncommon), but in this format, it's a unique angle for a stealth action game.

Contracts is undoubtedly the darkest, most sinister chapter in the series thus far. All the missions take place under the veil of dark, clouds, rain, and whatnot Ц no sunny days for 47's shiny, bald head. They can range from a disturbing Goth rave party in a meatpacking factory (actually, it looks like a Manhunt reunion party in some ways), to a biker gang headquarters with a strip club and a guy being electrocuted to deathЕslowly. Each one has numerous objectives and ways to handle those objectives Ц you can go all out and assault everything to reach targets, or you can be sneaky, find a disguise, and slowly creep around each area and quietly doing your business without tipping off guards or blowing your cover. Unfortunately, Contracts is not a game for the impatient, as the best results (Silent Assassin rating) require lots of trial and error to complete with minimal casualties and/or collateral damage. Thankfully, the various means to reach the end means it can be done pretty much any way you see fit. It's not always about killing, however Ц while there's hits that have to be done, there's always another less violent goal to achieve, though it's usually accomplished by actually doing the hit.

As said, trial and error is the main way of progress through the open-ended levels. 47 is given his objectives, and he must find the way to accomplish them, whatever way that is. Finding the best path is a constant game of learning, as numerous plays through each area will reveal a good way Ц or not. Many of the absolute best paths to the end result are extremely well hidden, requiring lots of exploration to find them, while not getting the attention of various nasties looking for trouble. That's where disguises come in Ц you'll want to find a disguise right away in each level. What's great about Contracts is disguises actually work if you know how to make themЕin past entries into the franchise, guards could spot you from miles away like you were naked or had a sign that said Сhey, I'm really 47 in disguise looking to kill a bunch of people who need their ticket to hell punched early!' on his chest. In Contracts, disguises are more effective, as long as you don't lounge around and give guards a chance to see your face well enough. Sometimes you even need multiple outfits, depending on where you're at and what mission it is. The trial and error aspects of Hitman: Contracts will infuriate some, but entertain others, merely because it rocks extremely hard when you find the right tricks, and you can laugh at guards while you head up to smother their boss to death with a pillow. Yes, the disguises can render Contracts a one-trick pony (but hell, Splinter Cell is just about the same, and nobody complained about that), but it's executed so well, and it's such a blast fooling guards, that it never feels like it.

Open-ended levels are the name of the game. Other than blowing the crap out of anything that moves, you have different ways to accomplish tasks. Be it poisoning booze, smothering with a pillow, even dropping gasoline down a chimney that's currently hosting a fire, the options are staggering, and you can actually beat a whole level without firing a single shot at all (of course, killing someone with a pool cue, a meat hook, or a shovel to the head isn't exactly pretty either). Granted, doing this is a very tough task, requiring lots of thought and knowledge of the levels, but it's a great goal, and Silent Assassin rating on each mission unlocks special weapons to use in that respective area. As said, this is not a game for the impatient, as the best methods of eliminating your targets are silent, deadly, and completely invisible to other people who perhaps wouldn't be pleased at the execution. Of course, use of massive force is allowable, and with enemies dropping weapons, your ammo doesn't deplete Ц at the cost of the joyous Mass Murderer ranking. The only thing is, 47 has no way of recovering health, so you have to avoid being hit too much or he'll be the one executed (and if someone gets a headshot on 47, it's insta-game over). There's no rations, no med packs, no hitting the Mario doll on top of a computer for a full health rechargeЕnothing. Thus, you're better off in disguise. There's no hiding in shadows, as the guards aren't dumb enough to not look in the dark (seriously, what kind of dumb terrorists wouldn't check dark places in Splinter Cell? In reality, Fisher is dead and thrown into the sea or something), but instead just smart use of disguises and having the balls to casually walk by a guard. It's very unnerving, especially if you're in an area with lots of guards, to waltz by in disguise, not knowing what could possibly blow your cover.

The main thing that makes Contracts stand out above its predecessors is the much better balance. The first Hitman game was ridiculously tough, with no saving anywhere, and Сdo or die' objectives that, if failed, made you repeat the entire process again until you nailed it (even the training level, you can Сdie' in it and be forced to do the whole thing again). Hitman 2 was a bit easier, letting you save a few times on easier levels, but none on the hardest, but the aforementioned troubles with the disguises failing from miles away really hurt it. Contracts is the best of both worlds Ц the missions can be very challenging if you're gunning for Silent Assassin ratings, and yet with 7 saves per level on normal, 2 on hard, and none on professional, any skill level of gamer can get by and learn how the game works at their own pace. It creates a more satisfying experience that perhaps isn't revolutionary, but instead the best fine tuning of the franchise yet. The later missions are still challenging (procuring proper disguises can require a lot of trial and error figuring out how), but the earlier levels allow for newer players (and lesser skilled ones) to at least learn the ropes in what's easily a complicated, tricky game to get a grip on.

It's not completely perfect, unfortunately. A lot of the time, you'll be referring to your maps, fiddling with it and finding targets, points of interest, and whatever you'll need to know. This is a bit of a tedious practice and because the game doesn't actually pause while you check the maps, you can have your cover blown and killed while you mess around. An on-screen radar would be a real nice advancement for this series, if you can have a detailed map like this, what's the big idea not having a simple radar to identify threats, innocents, and whatnot? Also, the controls still need some work in one important area. As 47 needs to walk, not run when in disguise (running will make others suspicious of you), you'll have to learn how to perfectly master holding the left analog stick in the right position to not actually run. A Сwalk' button would have been a lifesaver, preventing a mistake while you run around in disguise. The rest of the controls are fine, as they borrow from typical FPS/3rd person shooter setups, but the walking/running issue can be a pain in the shorts from time to time. Otherwise, whatever else is a flaw with Contracts isn't worth mentioning (other than perhaps it being a bit short with Сjust' a dozen levels that last about 20-30 minutes apieceЕbut with the replay value of doing the missions again for Silent Assassin ranking, I don't really think it's all that brief) because it's such an immersive, intense experience if you get into the right mindset, and have the patience and/or wherewithal to handle a game that is about as methodical as they come in terms of pace. You can play it like Max Payne, but you'll find yourself dead by going at it Rambo. Better to play it like Bogart, as Max might say. Nothing is gutsier than pacing by 5 other guards in disguise, hoping and praying they won't find out you're not one of them and mercilessly attack you. Yet, there's no better thrill than executing that perfect hit, wiping out a bad guy in a silent, yet deadly wayЕit's always fun to just shoot something in the face, sure, but the silent kill is just more fun.

Hitman's visual presentation lives up to the theme Ц dark, dingy, and pretty depressing. There's nothing but nighttime or crappy weather missions, so prepare for dark skies, rainstorms, and blizzards to interfere in your progress. Details in these areas are sharp Ц not mindblowing, but sharp. The meatpacking facility is probably one of the best levels in the game for graphics quality Ц meat hanging on the hooks, blood all over, not to mention the hordes of weirdos raving around all this (one area has about 30 of them on the screen at once dancing). The character designs are not bad, but they're extremely repetitive, as you'll see lots of the same looking enemies all over a mission area. Even the hits are not really identified well, as they look to much like normal NPC's (though the dude that looks like a human version of Jabba the Hutt is mad disturbing).

47 himself still maintains his silly way of running around, and since you can never tilt the camera to look directly at him, it's a bit stranger still. His sideways running and other movements are the same as the original PC game, which means laughs abound for 47 fans. On the other hand, he looks hilarious most of the time in disguise, whether he's dressed as a biker gang dude, a nuclear researcher (with one of those huge costumes like you'd see on The Simpsons or something at the Springfield Power PlantЕimagine 47 in one, carrying a sniper rifle and firing at people), and whatnotЕhe blends in well, despite, you know, having a freaking UPC code on the back of his head. Apparently in the Hitman world, everyone has a UPC on their head. Overall, Hitman: Contracts is sharp, albeit dark and dreary Ц not a PS2 standout, but still easy on the eyes, especially if you like dark games like this.

As always in any game by I/O, the audio presentation is top notch. There's not a whole lot of music this time around (there's a bit of what I call techno-opera in various places, and rave music in the goth rave mission) but it has a Splinter Cell like arrangement to when and how music plays), instead, the sound effects like guards, weather, and what not stand out. There's not a whole lot of emphasis on sound effects, as the disguises are the stars of the show, but what's there is pretty good. The voice acting is superb, using various languages and dialects to make an area feel authentic. 47 in particular is outstandingly voiced Ц the same guy has done all 3 games, and by God, he's a good one. He plays the part exceptionally well (wish I knew who he was, I'm too lazy to go back into the credits and find out).