The setup is familiar if you've played Hitman's sniper missions, right down to the elaborate environment kills.

You can only tackle these long shots from a single vantage point each, and that's because the target areas (a port, communications plant, and training yard) are intimately constructed murder dioramas for the player to tinker with from afar. Don't try to run or drive out there, either.

From that distance, you can't even perceive targets unless scoped. Unlike the medium-range engagements in past Sniper games that topped out around 400 meters, all three of this mission's targets were anywhere from 1,000 to 1,400 meters out. The mission I played in my preview build was one of Contracts 2's new 'Long Shot' contracts, which are a big draw of the sequel. Correctly deducing the distance of a rival sniper lying prone by imagining him standing against the height diagram is the new highlight of my videogame sniping career.