One line review summary: Hitman is still playable even today, but mostly for nostalgic reasons. When this game was released, oh boy. It was so different, a game that finally challenged the player to think differently regarding the way of killing. No more was it only about running in with guns blazing, but you actually had to think strategically. The AI for its time was awesome, it was groundbreaking, and missions were heavily influenced by what the computer would do, and how it would react to the players actions. Back then, that was something completely new and just unheard of and totally awesome. NOW... today, its a totally different ball game. The genre has been extended and various mutations have spawned from the original Hitman formula. There are too many to tell, but Dishonored feels as close a comparison as can get in terms of gameplay (IMHO). Hitman however only gets a weak 2 star rating today. I don't think can't play it much more than the 3,5 hours I have already put in. Lets start with the most important and obvious one, the controls, really do suck, considering today's standards it just doesn't really hold up well anymore. It's very annoying to try and control 47 and trying to do anything is a real hassle. I fail missions because of bad controls. For example trying to choke someone? Good luck 4/10 times you will fail just because of bad controls:/ Graphics, as expected are super outdated, but it doesn't really bother me, im more into game and game mechanics. The sounds in the game are nice, and enriches the game with "realistic" sounds that makes the world a little more lively. Atmosphere is something that really lifts the game, as even today, the game sucks you right in when starting it. WOW, how I love that, 99% of the gaming companies, are you reading this? This is the way a game should be told and played.
I had the opportunity to play this game at the height of gaming innovation on the N64, so I am bit biased here. Back then, I could appreciate what the game makers were trying to do, but standing the test of time and as a game of today, with the clumsy controls and the outdated graphics, I really can't see the point of the game anymore. You most likely will not appreciate this game at all and just get frustrated and ask yourself, how the he*k did "old" people like these type of games at all? The only good this game had going on in all honesty was that it was released during the Star Wars episode 1 theatrical release (if I'm not mistaken) and in that context it was a great chance to play a game like this and being a player of the force, and not even that actually ^___^ Ultimate verdict: The force is not strong with this one, more Star Wars game there are!
