Hitman: Contracts

I’m actually split on this game:

Good points:
More interactivity, many secret weapons, tons of disguises, nearly a dozen ways to pull any hit, very difficult, redone maps from the first game.

Bad points:
Stupid combat AI, no weapons selection, useless training mode, only twelve missions, redone maps from the first game.

In other words, while it’s a great game in its own right, it doesn’t even come close to living up to Hitman 2. Also, the PC version apparantly crashes if you’re using a Radeon 9800 or any NVidia card, so you’re screwed on that front, too.

Strange, it works fine with my GeForce 4400 ti and I’ve heard it works fine with Radeon 9800 too. The stupid AI during combats didn’t bother me, what ticked me off was the amount of missons. Really shame, though, considering the game is really good for the most parts

I heard somewhere that this series is like thief, only you assassinate instead of steal. It like that? Been thinking of giving it a spin.

I so badly want to get Hitman: 3. So, so badly. I’ve heard from other people as well that it isn’t as good as the first two, I’ve still gotta try it out myself though, just because it’s number 47.

I have my loyalties to the Hitman. I’ve played Codename: 47, and Silent Assassin, and for some reason, he just comes off as real badass. Though both games had their issues, be it impossible missions, hazy story line, or whatever, the Hitman series is good nonetheless. I mean who wouldn’t like to sneak up on an evil Triad, Yakuza leader, terrorist, or mafioso and pull the fibre wire out?

Codename 47 had TONS of problems, but was able to hold my interest because of the premise and unique method of doing things. Silent Assassin fixed nearly all of the problems with C47, and is the best game BY FAR in the series. Contracts is simply not as good as SA, but is still a great game.

I finished all of the old missions, and found out what has been changed:

Remake 1: That Rotterdam mission (I pushed the name out of my mind to save my sanity)
*The First and Second missions in the campaign have been combined. You now place the GPS device on the car, then go straight to the docks.
*You can disguise yourself as a cop or SWAT officer now, and they also happen to be the best disguises in the level.
*Once Boris gets the bomb, he AUTOMATICALLY sets it. Depending on your difficulty, you have anywhere from 5-10 minutes to disarm the bomb before it goes off.
*You can get Silent Assasin, and get some kind of gun as a reward (I don’t know what, since I screwed up and got a “Hired Gun” rating).

Remake 2: Traditions of the Trade
*The mission takes place at night now. Also, the balconies are placed outside, rather than looking over the lobby.
*The baths are now locked off. You have to sneak in to kill one of the targets, as usual, but now you must pick the lock, dodge the cops, and carefully hide the body.
*The cops are a little less paranoid: if you get caught with guns on the detector outside, they will be confiscated, and you won’t get gunned down like in the original. If you get caught with a gun INSIDE, however, you’re screwed.
*You can now kill the target in the showers while disguised as a bellhop. However, you still cannot leave with the bomb case.
*Metal detectors have been installed around the elevators, so you can’t use them in lieu of the stairs anymore.
*Number 47’s false name is no longer Tobias Reaper…unfortunately, the new one is far worse.

Remake 3: Slaying a Dragon
*The old method of doing things (using one of the elevators to reach a rooftop, then sniping) is gone. You can still reach the roofs via ladder, but they are guarded at all angles by Blue Lotus guards, and there are snipers on the roof already.
*There is some rat poison in one of the sewer areas, leading me to believe there is a new method of killing here. However, I have yet to be able to find it.
*The meeting occurs right when the stage begins. You have no time to get into position before everything goes down, and must take the target down during the actual meeting.

Remake 4: The Wan Fou Incident
*There is now a way to reach the second floor of the restaurant. Also, you do not start with the car bomb and detonator; you find them up there.
*You still have to kill every single Blue Lotus member on the map; however, they are no longer waiting on the curb to be killed. Instead, they are hiding by the limo’s exit.
*You can still disguise yourself as the limo driver; however, due to the location of the car bomb, you must be quick to silently take him out and plant the bomb before the target and his bodyguards leave the restaurant.

Remake 5: Seafood Massacre
*Right at the beginning, cops head towards the restaurant. They also surround the place, and shoo you away if you get too close.
*The bathroom is now upstairs. You can get their via a window, but when you leave, you will most certainly be spotted.
*There are fewer civilians around the area the Red Dragon negotiator emerges from. This makes killing him much easier.
*There are now multiple cooks, and you can disguise yourself as one.

Remake 6: The Lee Hong Assassination
*Saving the hooker is now much more difficult; the guards watch your every move, and if you don’t go out the way you came in, your cover will be blown. Also, it’s still required.
*You can still save that useless CIA agent in the basement; however, while he does yield the location of the safe, it is no longer required.
*I have heard of another way to kill Lee Hong (although it might be a hoax). Apparantly there’s a laxative hidden somewhere in the level. If you can get the laxative, and mix it with the soup, Tzun will run off when he drinks it. That leaves Lee Hong COMPLETELY unguarded, allowing you to kill him however you please.
*If you poison the soup, your cover WILL be blown. You cannot escape it this time.

You got a point there. Maybe Contracts does have a little more interactivity in it, but still, I have confidence #47 will pull through. He’s the most badass guy I’ve seen in any game, and I wouldn’t be surprised if another Hitman came out. I’d look forward to that than another FF series. God, the only hitmanesque character was Shadow, and he ends up a wuss in the end, while #47 still remains the unemotional man he is.