Hitman: Codename 47

Hitman: Codename 47 is a difficult game. That isn't to say it's not good; it is, but it took me literally a year to beat. You play as Agent 47, a member of the International Contract Agency, or ICA. You must use all your wits and skill to perform the contracts assigned to you by the Agency (because if you don't you'll get killed off before you can say John Rambo), avoiding detection and collateral damage at all costs. It starts off fairly simple; a rooftop snipe here, a car bombing there, but quickly escalates into nightmarishly difficult tasks such as taking out a Chinese crime lord who resides in his strangely massive restaurant or even disarming a nuclear bomb, all the while uncovering a conspiracy closer to home than 47 thinks. There are a couple of missions that force you to go loud, but only a couple, one of which isn't too bad. The graphics are bad by today's standards, but the style is fantastic and they were cutting edge when the game was released. The game also features a fantastic (if a little small) soundtrack by the renowned Jesper Kyd, who now composes for the Assassin's Creed series. It's incredible value for money, particularly if you're a fan of the franchise and want to see where it started, but be warned: the difficulty even on easy is obscene. Pick it up only if you don't mind having bald patches on your head.

There are some fundamental problems with this release fixed by later hitman games. Clumsy interaction with the environment being the main one. For a stealth-based game, the controls are a bit counter-intuitive and other titles, such as thief, simply do it better and more fluidly. The premise itself is sound enough, as the sequels show, but this one doesn't quite get it right. Only worth it as part of a bundle, really.

Hitman Codename 47 is not the game it initially appears to be. This is an immersive puzzle solving game, with not super great controls. I went in expecting a game similar to Hitman 2: Silent Assassin, do not make my mistake. I had a lot of frustration and early quit moments until someone else pointed out the game is less about assassination than it about navigating mission using the fairly restrictive options. With a new perspective, I started to really enjoy how Hitman sets you up with a target and challenges you to find ways around the obstacles it throws at you.

Hitman is a great serie ; i enjoyed every single chapter of it, even Absolution. This is the beginning, the first entry in what will be one of most known videogame franchises. The game is difficult ; there is no saving in middle of the missions and so you have to complete them in a single shot. This brings the game to a "brutal" trial and error mechanism ; which is typical of the serie but here you can't save progress. Though i like Hitman, the first chapter didn't age very well ; in graphics yeah , but in gameplay too. Playing this today feels too clunky and constricted for me. for many gameplay choices. This doesn't happen , for example , with hitman 2 , which is ( obviously ) a more mature product. I think that if you liked Blood Money and want to try an early chapter of the serie, Hitman 2 is the way to go.

I own this game already but I'm still tempted to buy this on gog. I remember when Code Name 47 first came out and it was unlike anything that I had ever seen. You don't run and gun and take out everything in sight, oh no..this game was much more evil than that. You job was to take out one target. If you were good you'd only have to take out siad target but if you got sloppy and gave yourself away you'd have to take out anyone who discovered you. The best success came when you pre-meditated your kill...plan your route, kill anyone who got in the way of sucess and hide their bodies down a sewer grate. The first game where it was okay to kill someone just for their clothes or their uniform...no moral dilemmas...this game was pure cool and it still is. First thing I noticed is how up to date it still looks and feels. There is real tension as you pass henchmen on the street and hope they just think your a harmless businessman - not a hired killer who is about to execute his boss. Missions are intelligent and present multiple options to success. If you leave a trail of bodies make sure you clean them up before they are discovered. Yes this game is hard. Its not as simple as walking in and killing your mark, patience is the key here. Chose your moment. If you're lucky you'll get a clean kill with a sniper rifle but more often you will have to strangle your mark or bring out the highballers and fill him full of holes. You'll have to attempt most missions over and over until you are successful...expect that. Despite it's age it still looks great and the controls are done well....The only fault I'll give is that it's so hard that you can get very frustrated but when you finally finish that mission you'll be ecstatic. Also I'm still amazed about the depth and great gameplay you get from such a tiny download...If they gave out awards for thrills per meg of downlaod codename 47 wins hands down...for a game thats under 250megs the amount of gameplay you get is staggering. Buy. Play. Enjoy. (in that order)