outlet

Hitman should be considered a stealth game when categorizing it. Sure you can go through the game guns blazing and making all sorts of noise, killing who ever you please - but the point of the game is to take out your intended target and ONLY your intended target. When trying to run and shoot and even aim, it's difficult and I do admit, they could have done a better job there. The fact still remains, if you sneak up on your mark then you should have all the time in the world to aim at his head and squeeze that silenced round into his noggin.

Graphically the game is average for a third person game. They have added weather effects which are nice but let's face it, you don't play a game to look at snow or rain. The character models are a tad bit stiff and you feel like you're gliding more than running. Gameplay is the best part of this game making it a worthy purchase if you're a fan a stealth. Yes, you can kill who you please but you will not get the Silent Assassin rating if you do so which makes it even harder to complete missions adding more challenge to a game that would otherwise be easy to breeze through. Getting the Silent Assassin rating on a mission unlocks a secret weapon for each level you are able to achieve this supreme rating. The levels feel very open and you only have a certain amount of time to do certain things (ie. Poison a drink before it reaches the person) which makes this game a sort of trial and error. You do get some cool weapons but for the most part you'll be using an assortment of melee weapons or silenced weapons to complete the task at hand.

This game is a blast either way you try to complete it and should no be overlooked by any fan of the 3rd person shooter family or someone looking to be "sneaky sneaky." Stealth fans will definitely get more from this game as the straight through, mow down everyone in your path approach, completes levels a bit quick. The star off is basically for the character models being not up to my standards as far as they should look. Also, the fact that you have to repeat parts of the level over and over is somewhat tedious. Be that as it may, this game is enjoyable for the most part and worth a spot in your box or station library.

I'm older than the average gamer, (35), and I think this is a great game.
Although I did enjoy the last hitman game but found it frustrating at times
and I thought didn't have enough action for my taste.

The great thing about this game is the great mix of stealth, action,and puzzle solving. Unlike Hitman 2, you can complete the missions by blasting your way through if you want.
But it's much funner to try to figure out different ways to make the hit. The easy setting is easy enough that it's not overly frustrating.
The graphics are about what you'd expect, good but not stunning.
The enemy AI is very good.
Overall this a great game for any fan of the series.

Now for the bad
This game is extremely violent. Over the top in my opinion.
Bondage, mutilation, etc. One particular mission makes GTA look like Disney.
I know the teenagers will buy it just for the gore. But personally I don't think it adds to the game.
Adults who like this genre should run out right now and buy this game. But don't let young kids play.

First off, I don't play a ton of video games. My girlfriend's parents got me an XBox as a birthday present a year ago and I have since bought maybe 5 games for it.

Nonetheless, I played this game and I love it. It definitely requires a certain kind of game player, though. You'll need lots of patience as you learn how the system of sneaking around works. I played through all of Hitman 2 before I finally got comfortable with it. I then replayed Hitman 2 to get "Silent Assasin" (the highest rating) on each level.

I rented Hitman:Contracts to see what it was like. It keeps all of the good stuff from Hitman 2, plus fixes a bunch of things. For one, you now walk a lot faster, and even move faster when you "sneak". That's much nicer. The graphics are nearly the same (although Hitman 2 was pretty amazing, so thats not too bad) with a little improvement in the shadows. The levels are also incredible! The first two levels will blow you away with detail and atmosphere...so eerie and gruesome. The game is very satisfying when played "right" if you're patient, but too easy to play the "wrong way".

Okay, now the bad stuff: Too short. I rented it and beat it in about 4 days. I played a lot of hours those 4 days but its probably 15-20 hours of gaming time total. Less choices. You can't pick which weapons you want to take with you on a mission like you could in Hitman 2, until after you beat the game and replay it. Lastly, the overhead map is still real crappy, doesn't label waypoints or provide much helpful detail, but does show unrealistic information like where enemies are, which way they are facing etc.

Still, overall a great game.