The Contracts mode isn't worth the cost of an online pass. I do enjoy it but would have been disappointed if I had paid extra for it.
Awesome game tho, I would recommend getting it
Hitman: Absolution drops online pass
By
Eddie Makuch, News Editor
Square Enix says it planned to launch new action game with code, but has decided to take a new approach.
This week's Hitman: Absolution will not include an online pass. Publisher Square Enix has announced that the game's Contracts mode was planned as being accessible only through a download code in the game's box, but the company has had a change of heart.
Gamers in North America will automatically see the Contracts game mode from the title's menu. Those in other regions can either redeem the code in the box or select "Buy Contracts Pass" where it will be available for free.
It is not clear what Square Enix had originally intended to charge for the Contracts game mode, though similar offers from other publishers run around $10.
Hitman: Absolution's Contracts mode has players creating their own customized assassinations and challenging friends to beat them. For more on Hitman Absolution, check out GameSpot's review.
By
Eddie Makuch, News Editor
Eddie Makuch (Mack-ooh) is a News Editor at GameSpot. He works out of the company's Boston office in Somerville, Mass., and loves extra chunky peanut butter.
69 comments
I played Hitman yesterday day and didn't have access to contracts mode. Anyone else had this problem?
@blackfire This is the problem when you are dependent on someones online service. (best "recent" example, the Diablo 3 launch-weeks fiasco)
If their servers are down, overloaded or have other issues, you have no access to features that depend on them.
Give it a few days and they may or may not get it sorted out and working again.
In my opinion they should've just made the Contracts mode purely offline. (especially now where it doesn't even require a online pass)
My idea is that after creating a contract you should be able to give it a name and description, save the file containing the "contract" on your local harddisk.
If properly done, this file would be just a few kilobytes in size and could be shared through any kinds of online portals, forums, etc. or directly with friends and would be playable offline. (e.g. copy it into a "contracts" folder in the install directory and start the game, then select the imported contract and play it)
Seriously, who cares about online leaderbords anyways.
But then they wouldn't have been able to monetize it with a online pass, which now isn't required anyways and all that's left is unnecessary problems and dependency on a online service they can discontinue to their liking at any time.
@blackfire did you even read the story you've commented on...the 'Buy Contracts Pass' part?
ie. download for free from the store via a net connection? hmmm..
;)
1 Like thank you for not following the online pass examples of other game companies. hopefully thxs to square-enix online pass will hopefully be scraped for it is a bad business since it makes a gamer feel like that the game has lost some value of the game which we actually paid for but need to pay extra all because of a code that might not work when you take it out of the box.
@SanjuroGT edit: F*** you Square Enix for considering being totally evil, but thankyou for not going through with it!
2 Like Glad SE had the change of heart, although it was a bit late to change some minds. Better late than never. Online Passes are part of a bigger problem of DRM that has been causing a real problem with gaming lately.
1 Like I was going to get the game but for them just having the intention of giving me a online pass they can go burn for all i care, i'm no longer interested in your game even though u have done away with the online pass.
1 Like @jayjay444 You're mad over intent of having an online pass (even though it doesn't have one)?
@96augment It's pretty clear, yes he's mad and I don't blame him. These companies no longer think about giving us value for money, and jayjay444 is making a point of it. He won't buy it because when it comes to getting support from your loyal customers, considering pinching their pennies is hardly an ethical thing to do. If you want to please the people who've been supporting you by buying your products all along do the right thing by them...always.
@jayjay444 - I'd like to commend you for taking this stance. If we all become as strong minded as you to boycott these products, paid DLC, season passes/online passes could soon become a thing of the past.
The marketing departments of these big developers should be ashamed of themselves, bravo on sticking it to them!
@LE5LO But the game doesn't have an online pass. If it had one, then he should boycott the game (if he wants to). I don't know about ethics. With an online pass, you have the choice of buying it or not. So, I don't see what's so unethical about it. Not all companies want to make you pay more than what you orginally paid for the game. For example, CD Projekt Red, Valve, Rockstar, and Irrational Games treat their customers pretty well.
2 Like Even though I buy most of my games new I'm proud to say I've never bought any game that required an online pass to play online or access necessary content, when I'm interested in a game I always check to see if it has an online pass before considering purchasing it new. The sooner online pass dies the better off gamers will be.
1 Like Good choice. One only has to look at Capcom among others for everything wrong in terms of additional content.
Hm interesting that they would pull the plug like this suddenly. Maybe they didn't want to risk alienating people who hate free pass as Square Enix probably need all the money they can get from the consumers, especially after a few major setbacks this year (Like FFXIV).
2 Like So this is new marketing? First take away what should be ours anyway, then give it back and shine like some beacon between those evil publishers? I wont forget unless publishers forget about Online Pass concept too. It was nothing more mere attempt to make us quiet.
2 Like @Pablo_Heroin Yeah, it's sort of like furniture stores that mark up the price by insane amounts and then have constant sales.
Off topic a bit but ....I'm guessing that concept art work of Agent 47 there is that of the artist Patrick Brown? Looks cool and i can spot his style almost anywhere as seen back on Deviant Art!
4 Like I'll give them props for doing this. However, they lose some cool points for attempting to rip people off at the same time. Good thing they decided to not screw us over.
8 Like ?A step in the right direction. Just make sure the content is on the disc and unlocked for all regions next time. An Online Pass for single player content is very wrong.
15 Like "Square Enix says it planned to launch new action game with code, but has decided to take a new approach." Huhhhh.... You mean they went back to when times where reasonable and extortion was not considered normal when it came to going online?
2 Like @jack00 The name of the game is being fair. If gaming companies don't treat their customers accordingly, it will eventually turn into the down fall of video games.
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1 Like This is unfair... but at least they made avaiable the game on Steam in my region.
2 Like Unfair for other regions to use online pass while NA gets free. They should provide multiple codes free of cost then.
@Gamer_4_Fun i guess you stop reading where it said "Those in other regions can either redeem the code in the box or select 'Buy Contracts Pass..."
@msfan1289 You didn't understand what I said. North American gamers can switch copies and pass it around among their friends with the online functionality intact. Same cannot be said about others. Which is not fair considering people from other regions usually end up paying more for these games.
@Gamer_4_Fun Do you understand the words "select buy contracts pass and it will be free?" So like any used game with an online pass you can DL the online pass, they decided to make it free however so no charge, just a quick free DL. So yes you can pass the game around all they have to do is DL the online pass code when they play it, again it is free. If they do not have an internet connection then they would not be able to play contracts mode anyway, so there is no problem. You and anyone you let borrow your copy can indeed play every part of it for free. Do you understand this free DLC can be played by anyone with an internet connection now?
4 Like @Gamer_4_Fun the code is in the box or clicking redeem is free. No region has to pay, but only the NA has it auto unlocked.
1 Like @Gamer_4_Fun "Those in other regions can either redeem the code in the box or select "Buy Contracts Pass" where it will be available for free"
@Gamer_4_Fun with respect, that isn't what you said :D Seriously tho, if it does indeed work differently in terms of how you describe, that's pretty bad. It shouldn't be transferable in one area and not in another.
@Flyus You didn't understand what I said. North American gamers can switch copies and pass it around among their friends with the online functionality intact. Same cannot be said about others. Which is not fair considering people from other regions usually end up paying more for these games
5 Like first there was DLCs now EVERY single fucking game comes out with that fucking BS cash grab of Season pass FUCK YOU GREEDY ASS SHIT DEVS
@GamerOuTLaWz #1. You don't have to buy it if you don't want to.
#2. They are giving you OPTIONS. Say it with me: O-P-T-I-O-N-S. You can either buy each DLC individually or pay up front for all the DLC before it arrives even if you don't know what it is. The CHOICE is yours thanks to devs giving you OPTIONS. Be grateful.
3 Like To you morons championing Square for this. Why would a game without a multiplayer mode even need an online pass for?
1 Like Because in Contracts mode you can share online your missions, and compete to see who has the best score. Not exactly multiplayer as we are used to, but an online feature none the less.
12 Like @chriskingkong And were the good old days were games were released complete and no DLC existed?
@Sohereiam @chriskingkong I would say DLC's are actually a great thing. Now hear me out.
Enslaved is a great example. A game that's totally awesome that will probably never get a sequel (I think) because of its lack of popularity. The game had everything it needed to feel complete which is what you'd expect from any game.
The DLC contains another full storyline and you play as pigsy, which in no way feels like Monkey (the main dude) and doesn't even come close to having the same moves or style or anything. It's like playing Enslaved 2.
The way DLC's are being used by incompetent power and money hungry companies makes it look like a bad idea. Heck I could come up with a solution to save the world and someone will find a way to make this a bad thing.
1 Like @buccomatic It's what I meant to say. I have only so much I can put in a comment. The only DLC's should be expansion packs minus a couple of exceptions. The exceptions being that the DLC came out much later and wasn't planned for the game but then.
I agree completely. If the DLC is a whole new chapter or story then DLC is great. Deus Ex's DLC was more than worth the money, as was undead nightmare. A couple of weapons or costumes should not be something you pay for though.
6 Like @Sohereiam @chriskingkong And where are the good old days when you unlocked in-game content by playing the game and meeting certain requirements instead of just paying for it with money?
8 Like @Superzone @Sohereiam @chriskingkong and where are the good old days when instead of DLCs the released expansion packs which had almost a whole new game in it all together with a TON of extra goodies.
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Hitman: Absolution (ANZ Limited Edition)
- Publisher(s): Square Enix
- Developer(s): Io Interactive
- Genre: Action
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- Classification Board: MA
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