Hitman-
Contracts
review by Head Cheeze

The Hitman series of games from Eidos Interactive have been a strangely inconsistant bunch. The first release was one of the hardest computer game experiences I'd encountered to that point, and it's frustration level was amplified by the fact that there was no save feature to speak of-one would simply have to complete one of the game's sprawling levels without dying. Period. This was remedied in the second installment, the far-too-easy Hitman 2: Silent Assassin. Hitman 2 took all of the stealth and tactics of the original and replaced them with standard run-and-gun fare, endless save points, and smaller, less involved levels, resulting in a game that ends far to quickly and with little satisfaction.

So, does Hitman-Contracts find the happy medium?

The long and short of it is no, it does not. However, it's not all that far off, either.

Contracts finds Agent 47 laying in a seedy hotel room, succumbing to poisen, and reflecting on his past assignments. These recollections are actually the levels we play, as this is sort of a Greatest "Hits" (quite literally) of 47's career. From a bizarre party at a meat packing plant to a series of meetings between Triad officials, 47 treks all over the globe in search of his next targets, accompanied by a much improved graphics engine, and the usual high quality sound and orchestral score.

But sadly, it's still way too easy, and, anyone familiar with the series will beat the game in less than a couple of days.

I was one of the few players of the original game who actually LIKED the fact that their was no save option in-game. I felt that it really heightened the tension and made each mission seem that much more realistic and involving. Contracts, like Silent Assassin, lets one save as often as they like. And while this third installment offers more options for stealth gameplay, one can easily beat each mission by simply running through and killing everyone in sight.

The updated graphics engine features some nice reflective surfaces, loads of rain, and a definite enhancement in atmosphere, but, even at the hardest level, the AI of the denizens of 47's world is shaky at best. Guards will shoot at you even if you are in disguise and not carrying weapons, while bystanders will flee in horror when you enter a room. Then, if you are in a firefight, your opponents will gladly line up to be gunned down one at a time, dutifully stepping forward into your line of fire as the guard before them collapses in a bloody heap.

Sound has always been a strongpoint of this series, with the nicely done score (performed by an actual orchestra), absorbing sound effects, and the decent voice acting. Still, I find I hate the voice of the titular character who comes of sounding like a gay mafioso with a sinus infection. When he "talks smack" it's laugh-out-loud funny stuff that, in the real world, would probably be met by a kick to the neck.

The Hitman games have no multiplayer feature, so replay value is low. However, the missions are fairly non-linear, and their are a multitude of ways to complete them, so playing through again is worth it if you're one of those folks who care about "score" (Hitman doles out ratings from "Silent Assassin" to "Psychopath" depending on how many bodies pile up).

If you play the game the way it's meant to be played (and don't give in to the temptation of strafing your way through civillians and enemies alike) then Hitman-Contracts can be a solid, if a tad short, stealth adventure game. As it is, however, it simply feels like an expansion for the previous entry in the game and not like a full blown sequel.