Hitman: Contracts Updated Impressions

In Hitman: Contracts, you'll once again get to play as Agent 47, the mysterious hitman who's hired to execute the riskiest of assassinations. Like with other games in the series, Hitman: Contracts will provide you with multiple solutions to the different challenges you will face. You can be bold and brazen or cunning and sneaky. No matter which of these you choose, the game and your multitalented character will accommodate your style of play. We recently had a chance to see another mission in action to see how these mechanics work out in practice.

During this new mission, 47 must assassinate a prisoner who is being tortured for information before he breaks and begins to talk. The prisoner is being held in the basement of a bar that's located in the middle of a hostile gang's compound, so getting to this target won't be easy for 47.

The first time we went through the mission, 47 was able to steal a gang member's clothing. With the hood drawn up on his newfound baggy coat, 47 was easily able to infiltrate the compound. However, when he reached the basement of the bar, he had to deal with the torturer, who was busy with his prisoner in the torture chamber. The hitman made a noise to distract the torturer, and when this enemy ventured out into the hallway, 47 dispatched him with a clean shot. With this nuisance out of the way, 47 was able to walk right into the torture chamber. The prisoner was hooked up to a device that could send powerful electrical shocks through his body. As a result, it was the easiest thing in the world for 47 to simply flick the switch so that he could watch the prisoner convulse and then die.

Another solution to the mission involves intercepting an important emissary from a criminal organization. The second time through this mission, 47 crept behind the emissary as he was approaching the compound and quietly broke his neck. He then donned the emissary's suit and hat and approached the gate. After getting the attention of the guards, he was allowed to enter--and was then patted down by the guards for weapons. 47 then walked in to the bar and told the bartender that his arrival was expected. The bartender escorted 47 to the basement and then took him past more guards, who frisked him again. Once in the torture chamber, 47 was left alone with his target. At this point, 47 pulled out a knife, which he had expertly concealed on his person, and killed his target.

There are probably other solutions to this mission, and part of the fun of Hitman: Contracts will be to replay the game to experiment with these different possible mission solutions. The game should ship later this month.