We’ve seen plenty of great previews of the upcoming IO Interactive and Square Enix title Hitman: Absolution, but, as it turns out, the game will offer a lot more than just a great single-player campaign for fans of the series.

Absolution will also have online gameplay options, but not the kind you’re used to. You won’t be jumping into a map with 14 other Agent 47s running around trying to kill each other. Instead, you’ll get to compete with friends and others online in something called Contracts Mode.

Continue reading to learn more and to see an 18-minute video showing off how it works.

Basically, multiple contracts custom created by IO Interactive will come as part of the game, with specific targets set, methods of eliminating these targets (specific weapons and such), and other stipulations like completing your tasks completely unseen or remaining in Agent 47′s attire the whole time. The more clean and professionally you accomplish these tasks, the higher your score, allowing you to prove you’re better than the rest.

Even better, the game will allow players to create their own contracts to challenge friends with or put online for others to try out. The contracts will be set in levels from the campaign, but any character or characters you bump in to or interact with or walk past without a second thought can be made a target.

And how will you create these contracts, you might ask? It’s quite simple, really. Much like a game of H.O.R.S.E., you’ll simply pick the level you want and play it yourself. As you make your way through, you can set 1-3 targets, take them out however you want to, and do it all as straightfoward or creatively as you want to. When done, your contract will be created and whoever chooses to take it on will have to do it as similarly to yours as possible to get the best score.

I was out of this world excited for Hitman: Absolution (pre-order here: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC) before I saw anything from it. Since then that excitement has grown exponentially after seeing the various walkthroughs and gameplay demos and trailers. And now this only adds to that excitement. After checking out the Hitman Sniper Challenge not too long ago it occurred to me that a full game or DLC of just sniper challenges would be bloody fantastic. Contracts mode is not that, but it sounds close enough to be thrilled about. It sounds like the replayability will be at a maximum with this bad boy.

If you want to check out the Hitman Sniper Challenge to hold you over until Absolution arrives, you still can by heading here.

What do you think of Contracts Mode?

Video