VERY fun for the patient gamers, but good for the impatients as well.
Hitman Contracts for the PS2 is definitely the best in the series. You play as Hitman 47 completing contracts for the company you work for. Though, this time, one of your contracts goes awry and your target ends up shooting you. As you lay there bleeding on the ground, you recall your past hits that you have made and thus begins Contracts.
The gameplay in Contracts is pretty good. Most of the controls feel solid but I think there should be some touch-ups here and there. Sometimes you'll find yourself pressing the wrong button and end up ruining the mission you were on thus restarting from the beginning or from your last save. The stealth mechanics could be fleshed out just a TAD bit more. It would be nice to hide in the shadows for your victim to walk by then stalk him from behind. After you kill a person you have the option to wear their clothes which disguises you as them thus giving you clearance to more restricted areas and even get you closer to your target. This is a GREAT mechanic I think and it is definitely fun walking around in a disguise waiting for that PERFECT hit on your target. Though, if your trying to be stealthy the whole way through the game without raising any alerts or killing anyone, it can take a LONG time to figure out how to take out your target in the most quiet and sinister way. You have to be EXTREMELY patient to play Contracts this way. Those who like to run and gun well find plenty of action here too though, because of all the weapons you can collect. The AI is not very smart though and needs to be improved on for future Hitman titles.
The Graphics are superb in my opinion. I'm not a graphics whore so pretty much anything pleases me. The light bloom effect gives Contracts and eerie feel that is just right. All actions of you and NPCs are very fluid and "fiber wiring" someone NEVER gets old. Though, first-person mode is a little awkward but everything else totally covers it up and you probably won't be playing in first-person mode anyways.
The Sound is also extremely well done. The gunfire is very loud and none of the guns feel wimpy. The soundtrack is good also, I never felt like I was hearing the same music over and over again. Hearing the screams of victims and the sound of snow crunching as you're walking on it adds all the more to great sound.
The Value of the game is very high. If you like run and gun shooting, this game will please you. If you like the stealthy sinister approach to killing your targets, this game will please. This game rewards the silent approach more than the run and gun shooting though, its still fun to play missions both ways. The game is VERY short though if you just run and gun, but there are TONS of ways to take out your targets in each missions which makes the replay value all the more higher.
This game is pretty much for anyone who likes shooters and stealthy games. If you choose not to be stealthy at all and just shoot the whole time, this game is better off for a rental. Otherwise, I consider it a definite buy (especially for Hitman fans) because of the replay value.