- Shoryuken
- Tiger Uppercut
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I didn’t mean that alone makes Contracts the game that it is, but imagine Contracts without things like the body, it simply would not be the same. It would become boring without those touches.
In my opinion it adds to the darker, more horror-like theme Contracts goes for. Either way whether it adds to the experience or not depends on the person playing, though at the very least I don’t think it degrades the experience.
Me personally in my gameplay experiences never really saw it as unsettling on top of already unsettling (and therefore excessive/over-wrought), it all felt like a connected sense of horror that simply changes pace depending on where you are (as with all horror genre games).
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i can see that. personally, i don’t think the body was nearly as bad as what i had in my head. the christmas tree air fresheners, the altar, and the music are all the touches that made the scene for me.
contracts wears everything on its sleeve, which is fine and all, but i find leaving certain things to the imagination can be more effective, especially when it comes to horror. then again, i saw contracts as more surreal noir than anything.
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That’s fair, but those objects essentially set the stage for the center piece that is meant to really sell the scene, the body. Without it, it’d be like a frame with no painting inside.
The body has to be shown for a few other reasons relating to story, clarity etc, anyway. They could have done some subtle alternatives, of course, but IO made the most out of the opportunity.
edit: also, I think it’s worth pointing out that Contracts does have some more subtle not-so-in-your-face details. In TMKP for example, you can see trails of blood and some headlights out-of-bounds when you peek your camera around the fence. they aren’t very common but they are there.
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yeah, maybe. i think there are alternatives that would’ve sold it better, at least to me. i dunno, i’m not a writer or developer, i just found it a bit gaudy rather than horrifying, and i’m not sure that’s what they were going for. then again, it is set around a bdsm party in a slaughterhouse 
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when i say “in-your-face” i don’t so much mean the details but the overall atmosphere; it telegraphs how to feel on a platter rather than obfuscating anything. nothing inherently wrong with that, of course.
Oh I know, I was just mentioning. Details can add to atmosphere of course though.
Tbf, alongside the things I’ve already mentioned, there isn’t really much to obfuscate in the game. I personally disagree but that’s just my opinion.
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sure. something like, i dunno, beldingford manor or whatever screams ‘something is wrong in this spooky country house’ as soon as you see it.
again, nothing inherently wrong with that and it was obviously what they were going for, i just prefer stuff that makes the player do a bit of work. still love contracts tho. 
of course! just shooting the breeze. wouldn’t be much of a conversation if we agreed all the time. 
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I would actually disagree.It is true that the atmosphere makes the horror very obvious,but there is more hidden in the game than what is clearly shown( blood on the walls,ghosts,rain ,creepy voices,music etc.) and that’s exactly one of the aspects which make me think that Contracts is the best classic hitman game.
This is especially noticeable at the targets.Generally speaking,in the older hitman games there isn’t too much characterization for the targets and most of them feel kind of bland(or maybe the WOA influences me to think that),but Contracts is great in this regard because there are so many details related to the targets which can be easily overlooked,but which help you to create a better image of their personalities and to make the game’s world look even more ruthless than it looks on the surface.
To make you understand better,I will give you two examples:
Winston Beldingford
This psychopath kidnaps humans and then he uses them for his hunting parties,clearly showing how crazy his wealth made him.However,the interesting part is how his “hobby” makes him feel.During the mission,he goes to sleep but after a relatively short period of time he wakes up and goes to the bathroom.Afterwards,he goes back to sleep,but after a bit more time he wakes up again and goes to the bathroom one more time and then back to sleep,the cycle continuing.Of course,his route might be so repetitive just for gameplay reasons…or maybe it tries to tell us something else?Maybe some thoughts bother the target and don’t let him sleep,so he feels the necessity to go the bathroom very often?He also drinks milk each time he goes to bed…maybe in order to calm down?Whenever he enters his bedroom,if I recall correctly,he turns the light on when he’s in the doorway,stands there for a second or two,turns the light off and only then he goes to sleep.Is he afraid of something?He also drinks milk each time…maybe in order to calm down?He even carries a shotgun with him,even in his sleep.Why?I mean he already has a lot of protection from the guards and the whole map is fully hostile.
My assumption would be that all of his questionable actions led him to make some enemies and he is afraid of them and maybe that’s why he acts so nervously,yet he still continues to do his “hobby” even when he knows he isn’t the only hunter.
(Also,another interesting detail is that one-way mirror.I wonder what the target does with it even though that’s a different story… 
)
Rutgert Van Leuven
This target has a quite intimidating look in my opinion and his personality lives up to the exceptions.I mean,he is alone on the last floor of the building with absolutely no protection around him(ok,well,there is a guard,but his sole purpose is to create a tattoo,so that’s unrelated).The idea is that he has so much self confidence that he doesn’t need anybody to watch his back.In fact, most of the bikers aren’t even allowed to go upstairs because they need a special keycard which could mean that the target doesn’t like to be disturbed and that he is really narcissist,preferring to spend most of his time alone.The encounter with him as a reporter is especially interesting because when you give him the envelope with the money and you tell him that he can count it,he starts laughing and he tells that “If it’s not all there,we’ll find you and collect the rest-with interest.”
That clearly shows how arrogant he is and at the same time,how much power he has.After all,you aren’t tasked to kill Klaas Teller as well without a good reason,because dealing with these guys isn’t a joke at all and the “Immortal” song portrays the bikers very well.
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@Urben - sorry, i feel like im dominating this way too much. should i move this elsewhere…?
those are great details about rutgert, but don’t they support what we already know going in: that he’s a badass biker? and while that reading of winston adds an interesting layer, doesn’t he keep getting up to pee a lot because he’s old…? 
i really love contracts (honestly) but its atmosphere - the mood the player should feel - is on a plate, and it feels a little superficial and a bit overbaked to me. that doesn’t make it any less accomplished or make me enjoy it any less. it does what it does really well.
yeah, i don’t disagree. every game gives us progressively more interesting and involved targets. that’s my favourite part of the game, story-wise.
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Depends on if this is about to go on for some days. 
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When you’re so insecure you copied your opponent’s move after losing to him once.
Insert relevant picture.
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Story?
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Oh come on! The story that moves 1 inch. He gets shot and fixed up by a doc and goes in and out of consciousness which facilitates the flashbacks. 
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The story of the first time they join the Mile High Club. Duh.
I know, I know, back to my cell 
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That isn’t a story, hell it is barely a mere synopsis. Contracts has a story the same way Hemmingway could establish an event in six words. That six word story is a better story than Contracts.
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ahhh, cut it some slack; it’s a clip show episode.
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Followed by the best episode of the original series. Also that is what the networks want you to say, they were just padding out the season.
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i guess it counts as a bottle episode too. cheap as chips on the ol’ budget.
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Also a flashback episode as well. They had to shoot the original parts in day-for-night to hide the shitty sets.
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