19. Finding The Ghost Easter Egg - Hitman Contracts
Right out of the gate, the third iteration of the Hitman series establishes an entirely different tone to it's predecessors with the opening level which places you in the aftermath of a gruesome massacre. As you pass through the blood-painted corridors of the asylum, the scattered bodies of 47's clones stare up at you with lifeless eyes, cementing the opening moments of the game as one of the most disturbing sequences in gaming. Whereas Hitman 2 was arguably the biggest game in the series in terms of sheer scope, the third instalment was a more personal, psychologically-driven affair. Contracts is almost nightmarish in spots, and IO Interactive seemed to have relished playing with the horror undertones as they even went so far as to work in a good ol' fashioned ghost haunting in "Traditions Of The Trade", the seventh mission. The initial sighting occurs as it briefly appears in a closed-off section of the hotel, prompting a proper "WTF was that?!"-type reaction, and after following the hall to a room with a corpse, a quick glimpse in the mirror offers a closer look at the poltergeist in all its glory.
