Hitman: Codename 47

Codename 47 is less forgiving than the later games in the series. The entire Jungle section has become somewhat of an infamous thing. The bad part of any Io Interactive game, to be repeated by snowy japan in the second game in the series and more "jungly" section in Kane & Lynch. But besides that, Codename 47 also had the best missions in the series, before Blood Money got releases. The first level blew my mind in 2001, when i understood that i culd finish it in about 7 minutes without being seen by enemies. The most unforgiving part of C47 is the fact, that there are no saves at all - if you die, you have "lives" and you just respawn. Thing is, if you die, you've probably been seeing and alarm has gone off, and you respawn only to face consequences of that. Obviously, every level is supposed to be replayed until you get it right, your idea of right as in the latter games, as you can just kill everyone who stands in the way. But the lack of saves can become somewhat of the problem, whith bigger levels and it also seems to be the reason why some missions are divided in several levels unlike the more "complete" vision of them in the later Contracts game. Codename 47 may not have some of the good ideas, added to the series in later games. But it still is one of the best and you will feel incredible every time you find a way to finish the level in the cleverest way possible. P.S. It's a bit strange, that there's no soundtrack with the game. This is the game, where Jesper Kyd's music got attention it deserved.

This game was revolutionary when it was released. It was the first game where you could kill any enemy, steal his clothes, and impersonate him. The ragdoll physics in this game were incredible, and the mission design--though insanely difficult--was excellent. There were multiple ways to finish a mission, and it was always enjoyable to play a level twice--each in an entirely different way. When you pulled off a level flawlessly without being seen, it was very rewarding. The slow motion addition (pressing Scroll Lock at any time) was just icing on the cake. This was a very smart, very underrated game--and still my favorite from the series.

Just a few words describes this. Challenging, Revolutionary, Amazing. This is a game for those who LOVE a challenge, and to think, instead of just going "BANG BANG BANG! Finished!" although in some missions you CAN in fact run and gun, so if you liked the other Hitman games but missed out on this one, then keep in mind its a little bit different, and some people consider it the black sheep of the series, but buy this either if you are a HUGE fan and wanna see where it all started, OR if you want a good challenge, either way, pick it up, Highly recommended!

Yes the later games in the series certainly improved on the formula greatly, but somehow I still think this one somehow has the best 'atmosphere', maybe simply because of the no saving that made every moment so tense! It did get rather frustrating, but like any challenging game the feeling of finally beating a damn mission is amazing. Also the plot in the later games were not as intriguing as the first. And yes where is Jesper Kyd's killer soundtrack?