Contract Killer 2

Pros

• A nice mix of stationary shooting and map navigation
• A diverse variety of weapons to choose from
• A varied world portrayed through sharp graphics

Cons

• Progress requires replaying missions or spending real cash
• Map navigation is severely limited

Contract Killer 2 is a bloody mobile action game that asks you to prove your value as one of the world's most ruthless assassins. It's a tried and true formula that's been played out in dozens if not hundreds of games, but Contract Killer 2 gets the fundamentals right on point without necessarily doing anything new or innovative. This is an arcade shooter through and through. Practical issues like wind speed and distance are a complete non-issue. Instead, the focus is on demonstrating the accuracy of your twitch reflexes and killing wave after wave of enemy as efficiently as you can.

The controls here are intuitive enough that you can get a grip on them in a matter of minutes. The fundamentals are the same as the original Contract Killer. You tap to zoom in on your targets and then tap to fire. It's as simple as it is satisfying, but Contract Killer 2 layers on the complications to provide you with an experience that's far more rewarding than the simple core gameplay would suggest.

While sniper rifles are as tried and true as you might expect, far more satisfying is the inclusion of silent kills. You aren't forced to take down enemies from meters away. Instead, you can get up close and personal with knives and other quiet weapons. Regardless of your preferred method of play, you'll have a lot of tools at your disposal. The weapons list is exhaustive, and many of them can be customized with new scopes, ammo reserves, and other parts that can improve your lethality.

The ability to move across the map is a pretty big change from the original Contract Killer, but developer Glu is aware of the limitations of mobile devices. While it ostensibly follows the standards of a cover shooter like Gears of War, you're far more limited in your navigation than you would be in a traditional console take on the genre. Each map has limited cover points to hide behind, and getting behind one is as simple as clicking on it. But there's still strategy involved. Opponents patrol the environment, and the heads up display will let you know if a current cover position is exposed or not. Succeeding means strategically moving around the map as your enemies do and finding the right time to strike to avoid being seen.

The campaign mode is pretty generous. There are nine different chapters to work your way through, and the missions themselves mix things up between pure action gameplay and more stealth oriented missions. It's enough to break up the monotony of the relatively simplistic gameplay, and the developers do a phenomenal job with pacing. But as you might expect from a freemium game, you'll eventually need to do some grinding or spend some real money to make your way all the way through the story mode.

Pros

• A nice mix of stationary shooting and map navigation
• A diverse variety of weapons to choose from
• A varied world portrayed through sharp graphics

Cons

• Progress requires replaying missions or spending real cash
• Map navigation is severely limited