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A great full walk through with commentary. Especially helpful if you're stuck on certain levels. Be sure to check out the full series on YouTube at Ashfbc's channel!
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Hitman: Codename 47Hitman: Codename 47 is the first iteration in the beloved Hitman franchise. How this game sparked such an enormous line of titles it’s hard to say. The graphics are blocky and unrefined, the controls are stiff and generally unresponsive, and the enemy AI swings between outright stupid to possessing superhuman sight and hearing as they immediately detect your supposedly stealthy ways. The game is punishing and requires an attention to detail that is so obtuse that I’m ashamed to admit I had to consult a walkthrough more than once because I had missed some small detail that was required to push the game forward. Is it even worth traversing through the slog to see the end of the game? I can’t tell. I can’t beat the damn thing and the frustration of the second to last level has caused me to walk away from this title and most likely not return. If you’re a fan of Hitman titles and have somehow missed this one it’s certainly worth a look. If you’re always late like I am you may want to skip this title and start your life with the franchise with its second installment Hitman 2: Silent Assassin. There is fun to be had in Codename 47 but the disparate game mechanics and the sudden spike in difficultly and expectation shatter the façade that through and through this is really a stealth game. If you’re a completionist looking to fill a gap in your game library go ahead and give Hitman: Codename 47 a spin. If you’re looking for deep gameplay or compelling narrative you should search elsewhere.
Score: 4/10Developer: IO Interactive
Released: 2000 Genre: Stealth, Action and Adventure Official Website: Hitman: Codename 47 |
Graphics:
Hitman: Codename 47 has not aged well graphically. The low polygon count and flat textures make the game world look drab and unconvincing. You start off the game in Hong Kong and the bustling city is decidedly void of any real character. This version of the city is filled with copy-and-pasted buildings and using sight to mark your place on the map is futile. You’ll be opening up your in-game map every few steps just to make sure you’re still heading in the right direction and with no mini map to consult the game forces you to break immersion on a frequent basis. It’s easy to get turned around in this game and instead of keeping you constantly engaged in your environment, that isn’t much to look at to begin with, you’ll be looking at a simulated green computer screen more than keeping your eye on your surroundings and target.
The game boasts a few different settings to explore as you make your way through the thin story but the transitions are jarring and unexpected. You start off in the densely packed cityscape of Hong Kong to be almost suddenly transported to the thick jungles of South America where the map opens up into a huge playground of trees and foliage. The South American maps are so full of absolutely nothing it’s strange the game would force you to play through multiple iterations of a landscape filled will nothing more than trees. When we think of assassins we believe them to be politically motivated, sneaking into buildings or homes and silently dispatching their marks and slipping out sight unseen. We typically don’t assume them to run around in the open jungle doing next to nothing. The environments are rendered well enough considering the game was released in 2000, but the short draw distance and flat textures don’t do much to make the world feel alive. One minute you’re navigating alleyways and corridors and the next you’re sprinting through a huge jungle map with no real indication of direction or purpose. The look of the game feels as if a group of young developers sat around and decided to just throw anything they could dream up at the game without really considering continuity of location or look. The low resolution character models just add to the otherwise uninspired visuals of the game.
All human models look as though they’re made of LEGOs and move just as stiffly. Every face is a flat texture map slapped over mesh work but you’re generally not looking your targets in the face as you assassinate them. You are able to pick out different enemy types form a distance based on location, posture, and clothing and this does make the game feel a little more real. Guards stand at attention and swing their heads around as they survey the area. Citizens amble around the map largely getting in the way more than blending in and looking natural, wandering down alleyways that are devoid of anything that would indicate they belong there, and in the South American campaign you’ll wonder why you have to bring a golden idol to a group of natives living in stick huts the middle of the forest. The whole game world looks nearly static and forced in its visual presentation. Groups of guards just stand around and you’re forced to track the lone wanderers and watch their stilted walking animations as you plan your attack. There are a few nice touches such as the leaves of plants moving out of your way was you walk through them and the interiors of the buildings in the Hong Kong maps are filled with little details. You’ll actually stop and look at Agent 47 the first time you pass by a mirror. It’s those small touches that are appreciated but the limits of 2000’s technology are apparent. Everything looks flat, ugly, and cheap. Even the bright red dragon emblems of a certain enemy type are pixelated and gross viewed up close and unfortunately you have to get very close to your enemies to dispatch them. The visuals certainly work and there is a small amount of cohesion in overall thematics but up close the game world is just downright dreadful to look at.
Clipping abounds in Hitman: Codename 47 so much that you’ll be convinced that Agent 47 is actually a ghost capable of passing through every wall and floor if you push him hard enough. Arms and legs break through the walls as your drag dead bodies out of sight and the rag-doll physics flings downed enemies around as if they’re filled with cotton balls. It looks absolutely absurd but it is enjoyable to watch the game fumble clumsily with the visuals. Thankfully the game world is constructed in such a way that the player never actually enters the world outside the playable arena, so even though the walls feel flimsy you’ll never actually break the game by falling through the floor or passing through the walls. Even though the game world feels solid enough in this regard it’s just so ugly and uninspired to navigate through. The low polygon count and bland textures give the game an overall cheap looking appearance and the weird transitions between environments make the game visuals feel amateurish and haphazard.
Hitman: Codename 47 has not aged well graphically. The low polygon count and flat textures make the game world look drab and unconvincing. You start off the game in Hong Kong and the bustling city is decidedly void of any real character. This version of the city is filled with copy-and-pasted buildings and using sight to mark your place on the map is futile. You’ll be opening up your in-game map every few steps just to make sure you’re still heading in the right direction and with no mini map to consult the game forces you to break immersion on a frequent basis. It’s easy to get turned around in this game and instead of keeping you constantly engaged in your environment, that isn’t much to look at to begin with, you’ll be looking at a simulated green computer screen more than keeping your eye on your surroundings and target.
The game boasts a few different settings to explore as you make your way through the thin story but the transitions are jarring and unexpected. You start off in the densely packed cityscape of Hong Kong to be almost suddenly transported to the thick jungles of South America where the map opens up into a huge playground of trees and foliage. The South American maps are so full of absolutely nothing it’s strange the game would force you to play through multiple iterations of a landscape filled will nothing more than trees. When we think of assassins we believe them to be politically motivated, sneaking into buildings or homes and silently dispatching their marks and slipping out sight unseen. We typically don’t assume them to run around in the open jungle doing next to nothing. The environments are rendered well enough considering the game was released in 2000, but the short draw distance and flat textures don’t do much to make the world feel alive. One minute you’re navigating alleyways and corridors and the next you’re sprinting through a huge jungle map with no real indication of direction or purpose. The look of the game feels as if a group of young developers sat around and decided to just throw anything they could dream up at the game without really considering continuity of location or look. The low resolution character models just add to the otherwise uninspired visuals of the game.
All human models look as though they’re made of LEGOs and move just as stiffly. Every face is a flat texture map slapped over mesh work but you’re generally not looking your targets in the face as you assassinate them. You are able to pick out different enemy types form a distance based on location, posture, and clothing and this does make the game feel a little more real. Guards stand at attention and swing their heads around as they survey the area. Citizens amble around the map largely getting in the way more than blending in and looking natural, wandering down alleyways that are devoid of anything that would indicate they belong there, and in the South American campaign you’ll wonder why you have to bring a golden idol to a group of natives living in stick huts the middle of the forest. The whole game world looks nearly static and forced in its visual presentation. Groups of guards just stand around and you’re forced to track the lone wanderers and watch their stilted walking animations as you plan your attack. There are a few nice touches such as the leaves of plants moving out of your way was you walk through them and the interiors of the buildings in the Hong Kong maps are filled with little details. You’ll actually stop and look at Agent 47 the first time you pass by a mirror. It’s those small touches that are appreciated but the limits of 2000’s technology are apparent. Everything looks flat, ugly, and cheap. Even the bright red dragon emblems of a certain enemy type are pixelated and gross viewed up close and unfortunately you have to get very close to your enemies to dispatch them. The visuals certainly work and there is a small amount of cohesion in overall thematics but up close the game world is just downright dreadful to look at.
Clipping abounds in Hitman: Codename 47 so much that you’ll be convinced that Agent 47 is actually a ghost capable of passing through every wall and floor if you push him hard enough. Arms and legs break through the walls as your drag dead bodies out of sight and the rag-doll physics flings downed enemies around as if they’re filled with cotton balls. It looks absolutely absurd but it is enjoyable to watch the game fumble clumsily with the visuals. Thankfully the game world is constructed in such a way that the player never actually enters the world outside the playable arena, so even though the walls feel flimsy you’ll never actually break the game by falling through the floor or passing through the walls. Even though the game world feels solid enough in this regard it’s just so ugly and uninspired to navigate through. The low polygon count and bland textures give the game an overall cheap looking appearance and the weird transitions between environments make the game visuals feel amateurish and haphazard.
Sound:
The sound of Hitman: Codename 47 is generally hollow as enemy grunts and groans as their life force drains from them sound unexpressive. Slitting the throat of a guard sounds more akin to their neck being snapped as opposed to flesh separating from gristle. The sound effects don’t match the onscreen action and lend an outright cartoonish feel to a game that generally takes itself seriously and promotes a darker, more gristly, image. Gunshots don’t pack much punch and the volume of the game is either inaudible or painfully loud. You will have to play around with the volume settings to get things just right as the default settings make speech inaudible but the music and sound effects overbearing. You must use the auditory cues the game doles out to get a mark on your enemies and without leveling the sound just right the game is simply unplayable. It’s needless work for the player and really detracts from the enjoyment of the game, staring at sliders in a menu as opposed to becoming a silent killer.
The voice acting in Codename 47 is so abysmal its little wonder the developers cranked up the cheap music and sound effects. Agent 47 has a voice that defies explanation as it settles somewhere between gruff and cartoonish. There is no copious amount of dialogue throughout the game so your ears won’t be assaulted much by Agent 47’s commentary. It’s also noteworthy to mention the hackneyed accents of the NPCs especially in the Hong Kong levels. The Asian accent is so goofy and overdone it’s borderline racist. Since Agent 47 is more about eliminating his target and less interested in actually speaking to anyone you won’t be forced to listen to the NPCs much, but when you have to it’s uncomfortable in a very human way. There is a sort of narrative buried in the game but it’s generally handled by text and the cut scenes are short so you won’t roll your eyes too much as you listen to the actor of Agent 47 droll through his lines.
Weapons make the main noises you’ll be subjected to in the game and while they’re decent in sound you won’t be using them as much as you may want to. If anything, as you get further in the game, you’ll probably wish you could turn the in game weapons on yourself and end the frustration. Machine guns are loud and abrasive but there’s no real bass to them and they sound more like plastic toys than harbingers of death. The only weapon that really satisfies is the silenced pistol. The subtle “pew, pew” of the bullet being muffled by the suppressor is what every would-be assassin wants to hear. Silence in this game is golden as guards will come rushing to your location if you simply open fire with a semi-automatic Uzi and even though the silenced pistol is far less noisy guards close enough can still hear it and the death cry of their fallen comrade. The game constantly requires you to keep a check on your noise levels but the distance the sound travels is never really explained so you’re left to guessing what your most appropriate move should be. The total package of both the graphics and sound is really disappointing in execution and the gameplay is unfortunately plagued by strange design choices as well.
The sound of Hitman: Codename 47 is generally hollow as enemy grunts and groans as their life force drains from them sound unexpressive. Slitting the throat of a guard sounds more akin to their neck being snapped as opposed to flesh separating from gristle. The sound effects don’t match the onscreen action and lend an outright cartoonish feel to a game that generally takes itself seriously and promotes a darker, more gristly, image. Gunshots don’t pack much punch and the volume of the game is either inaudible or painfully loud. You will have to play around with the volume settings to get things just right as the default settings make speech inaudible but the music and sound effects overbearing. You must use the auditory cues the game doles out to get a mark on your enemies and without leveling the sound just right the game is simply unplayable. It’s needless work for the player and really detracts from the enjoyment of the game, staring at sliders in a menu as opposed to becoming a silent killer.
The voice acting in Codename 47 is so abysmal its little wonder the developers cranked up the cheap music and sound effects. Agent 47 has a voice that defies explanation as it settles somewhere between gruff and cartoonish. There is no copious amount of dialogue throughout the game so your ears won’t be assaulted much by Agent 47’s commentary. It’s also noteworthy to mention the hackneyed accents of the NPCs especially in the Hong Kong levels. The Asian accent is so goofy and overdone it’s borderline racist. Since Agent 47 is more about eliminating his target and less interested in actually speaking to anyone you won’t be forced to listen to the NPCs much, but when you have to it’s uncomfortable in a very human way. There is a sort of narrative buried in the game but it’s generally handled by text and the cut scenes are short so you won’t roll your eyes too much as you listen to the actor of Agent 47 droll through his lines.
Weapons make the main noises you’ll be subjected to in the game and while they’re decent in sound you won’t be using them as much as you may want to. If anything, as you get further in the game, you’ll probably wish you could turn the in game weapons on yourself and end the frustration. Machine guns are loud and abrasive but there’s no real bass to them and they sound more like plastic toys than harbingers of death. The only weapon that really satisfies is the silenced pistol. The subtle “pew, pew” of the bullet being muffled by the suppressor is what every would-be assassin wants to hear. Silence in this game is golden as guards will come rushing to your location if you simply open fire with a semi-automatic Uzi and even though the silenced pistol is far less noisy guards close enough can still hear it and the death cry of their fallen comrade. The game constantly requires you to keep a check on your noise levels but the distance the sound travels is never really explained so you’re left to guessing what your most appropriate move should be. The total package of both the graphics and sound is really disappointing in execution and the gameplay is unfortunately plagued by strange design choices as well.
Gameplay:
Hitman: Codename 47 opens with a short tutorial level that glosses over the basics of the game but not in any way that’s actually constructive. You wake up in a hospital cell to little fanfare and the game abruptly begins. The tutorials don’t even explain the button map so if you’re playing on the PC you’ll either have to read the manual or check the options menu to see exactly what you have to press to get anything done. The controls work but they’re clumsy and there are far too many keys mapped to perform well. This is a game that smacks of being developed exclusively for the console market as you bash your keyboard and mouse around moving Agent 47 through the game world. Abrupt is probably key throughout the entire game as your dumped into locations and situations and it’s up to the player to figure out how to approach their assigned tasks. In more refined video games this mechanic is freeing and enjoyable, but in Codename 47 it’s bewildering, aggravating, and pointless as the game doesn’t even give a helpful tip or tiny bit of information to give the player that sense of freedom and choice.
Strange design choices abound that make no real sense at all. Unsheathing your knife for a silent kill while standing immediately alerts your target of your presence; enter into the crouched stealth mode and suddenly the same sound is completely undetectable. For a game that requires such attention to the sightlines of enemies and nose generation you would think the developers would take the time to record a less obvious sound effect for removing your knife to let the player know that this is the way they wanted it done. It is fun to take down enemies while they’re prone and left alone from the watchful eyes of their comrades and then drag the body out of sight of patrolling guards, but the cheap execution of the main mechanic is utterly bizarre.
The first few levels of the game are arguably the most entertaining. Strip away the disconcerting “Engrish” and Agent 47 is a panther in the halls, stalking his victims and dispatching them with relative ease and grace. You must wear the outfit of those guards you kill in order to infiltrate the deeper recesses of the enemy base unnoticed. Pull out a gun, your knife, or be caught dragging the body of your victim around and the alarm will be raised. It’s an interesting way of playing a game as you run from one target to the next, silently removing them, and then trying to find a good hiding place for your gristly murders. But the overall mechanic is handled in such a strange way that it becomes more of a chore than any actual fun and the challenge of trying to dispatch your target is nearly nonexistent. Running through the map produces no effect so guards will be nonplussed by some strange bald man with a barcode tattoo on his neck running around like a manic. Nor will a guard become suspicious if he sees you sneak up right behind him as you move into position to remove him. Even removing your crime boss main target is an effort in subterfuge that’s so difficult to understand. Your main target in Hong Kong can be killed by poisoning his food, but since the game punishes you for killing innocent people it’s not immediately clear that you have to kill an innocent waiter and steal his clothes in order to execute this. It’s in these moments where you try to play by the rules only to have them disregarded does the game really crumble under itself.
Video games don’t have to mimic reality in order to be fun, and the whole point of playing video games is to be removed from reality, to don the appearance of someone not bound by the constrains of what we know. But Hitman: Codename 47 breaks reality in such lopsided ways that the game feels contrived and almost cobbled together rather than being seamless and making the player feel stealthy and powerful. Find a lone guard and take him down, steal his clothes, and every enemy in the game suddenly believes that you belong where you are even though Agent 47 looks completely out of place. Does it matter that an enemy has seen you sneak around to his vulnerable blind side? No at all in Codename 47! Is it important to steer clear of guards even when disguised so they don’t get a good look at you and become suspicious? Nope, not in this game universe! The breaks from immersion and reality based around these shoddy game mechanics really detract from the game and make it more of a memorization game of who to take out first and last in order to progress “undetected”. The entire game play experience feels forced and most of the mechanics feel empty and not well thought out. In one situation you must infiltrate a brothel but try as you might you can’t get in nor can you kill the guards as they almost immediately shoot you to death. Why, doesn’t everyone interested in “going upstairs” talk to the bar tender to get a flyer that’s used for admission? Nearly everything in the game is strange and counterintuitive and makes most of the game downright unfair and problematic.
The first few levels of the game are difficult but with a little observation and planning you should be able to navigate through them. This is not to say they’re easy, but in comparison to the rest of the game they’re much less convoluted and more manageable. The game does very little in helping the player along and while something being difficult is generally what makes video games fun, Codename 47 literally dumps the player into the game with no real explanation as to what to do. You’re basically told to kill some guy and then it’s up to you to figure out how to do it. There are no suggestions and much of the game revolves around trial and error. You’ll be restarting levels a lot as you learn from past mistakes but without any real help from the game it’s bothersome and infuriating as you run around with no idea what you’re doing or what to do in order to get ahead.
The game is terms of content is actually quite short, spanning about 10 levels but you’ll quickly grow tired of each level as you constantly have to restart. And the selection of weapons at your disposal seems pointless since you’ll mostly rely on your knife for undetected kills and your silenced pistol to take out one or two enemies. There is no real point in opening fire as Agent 47 will die rapidly from enemy gunfire and even Kevlar body armor doesn’t do much to extend your life. While the first few levels really require the utmost stealth to complete, the second to last level demands that you subject Agent 47 to massive amount of gunfire that quickly kill him. It completely disregards the entire concept of a game that assumes you’re an infiltrator and the way the game is set up it makes it nearly impossible for you to complete the level. For a game that touts itself as a stealth game, to require the player to act as Rambo disintegrates the entirety of the game. It’s disappointing to funnel so many hours into the campaign, learning how to be a silent killer, for the game to suddenly turn around like that and become so unfair that it becomes unplayable. I’d like to know the full story of Agent 47 as seen through the lens of this game but I simply cannot and that’s a real let down.
Hitman: Codename 47 opens with a short tutorial level that glosses over the basics of the game but not in any way that’s actually constructive. You wake up in a hospital cell to little fanfare and the game abruptly begins. The tutorials don’t even explain the button map so if you’re playing on the PC you’ll either have to read the manual or check the options menu to see exactly what you have to press to get anything done. The controls work but they’re clumsy and there are far too many keys mapped to perform well. This is a game that smacks of being developed exclusively for the console market as you bash your keyboard and mouse around moving Agent 47 through the game world. Abrupt is probably key throughout the entire game as your dumped into locations and situations and it’s up to the player to figure out how to approach their assigned tasks. In more refined video games this mechanic is freeing and enjoyable, but in Codename 47 it’s bewildering, aggravating, and pointless as the game doesn’t even give a helpful tip or tiny bit of information to give the player that sense of freedom and choice.
Strange design choices abound that make no real sense at all. Unsheathing your knife for a silent kill while standing immediately alerts your target of your presence; enter into the crouched stealth mode and suddenly the same sound is completely undetectable. For a game that requires such attention to the sightlines of enemies and nose generation you would think the developers would take the time to record a less obvious sound effect for removing your knife to let the player know that this is the way they wanted it done. It is fun to take down enemies while they’re prone and left alone from the watchful eyes of their comrades and then drag the body out of sight of patrolling guards, but the cheap execution of the main mechanic is utterly bizarre.
The first few levels of the game are arguably the most entertaining. Strip away the disconcerting “Engrish” and Agent 47 is a panther in the halls, stalking his victims and dispatching them with relative ease and grace. You must wear the outfit of those guards you kill in order to infiltrate the deeper recesses of the enemy base unnoticed. Pull out a gun, your knife, or be caught dragging the body of your victim around and the alarm will be raised. It’s an interesting way of playing a game as you run from one target to the next, silently removing them, and then trying to find a good hiding place for your gristly murders. But the overall mechanic is handled in such a strange way that it becomes more of a chore than any actual fun and the challenge of trying to dispatch your target is nearly nonexistent. Running through the map produces no effect so guards will be nonplussed by some strange bald man with a barcode tattoo on his neck running around like a manic. Nor will a guard become suspicious if he sees you sneak up right behind him as you move into position to remove him. Even removing your crime boss main target is an effort in subterfuge that’s so difficult to understand. Your main target in Hong Kong can be killed by poisoning his food, but since the game punishes you for killing innocent people it’s not immediately clear that you have to kill an innocent waiter and steal his clothes in order to execute this. It’s in these moments where you try to play by the rules only to have them disregarded does the game really crumble under itself.
Video games don’t have to mimic reality in order to be fun, and the whole point of playing video games is to be removed from reality, to don the appearance of someone not bound by the constrains of what we know. But Hitman: Codename 47 breaks reality in such lopsided ways that the game feels contrived and almost cobbled together rather than being seamless and making the player feel stealthy and powerful. Find a lone guard and take him down, steal his clothes, and every enemy in the game suddenly believes that you belong where you are even though Agent 47 looks completely out of place. Does it matter that an enemy has seen you sneak around to his vulnerable blind side? No at all in Codename 47! Is it important to steer clear of guards even when disguised so they don’t get a good look at you and become suspicious? Nope, not in this game universe! The breaks from immersion and reality based around these shoddy game mechanics really detract from the game and make it more of a memorization game of who to take out first and last in order to progress “undetected”. The entire game play experience feels forced and most of the mechanics feel empty and not well thought out. In one situation you must infiltrate a brothel but try as you might you can’t get in nor can you kill the guards as they almost immediately shoot you to death. Why, doesn’t everyone interested in “going upstairs” talk to the bar tender to get a flyer that’s used for admission? Nearly everything in the game is strange and counterintuitive and makes most of the game downright unfair and problematic.
The first few levels of the game are difficult but with a little observation and planning you should be able to navigate through them. This is not to say they’re easy, but in comparison to the rest of the game they’re much less convoluted and more manageable. The game does very little in helping the player along and while something being difficult is generally what makes video games fun, Codename 47 literally dumps the player into the game with no real explanation as to what to do. You’re basically told to kill some guy and then it’s up to you to figure out how to do it. There are no suggestions and much of the game revolves around trial and error. You’ll be restarting levels a lot as you learn from past mistakes but without any real help from the game it’s bothersome and infuriating as you run around with no idea what you’re doing or what to do in order to get ahead.
The game is terms of content is actually quite short, spanning about 10 levels but you’ll quickly grow tired of each level as you constantly have to restart. And the selection of weapons at your disposal seems pointless since you’ll mostly rely on your knife for undetected kills and your silenced pistol to take out one or two enemies. There is no real point in opening fire as Agent 47 will die rapidly from enemy gunfire and even Kevlar body armor doesn’t do much to extend your life. While the first few levels really require the utmost stealth to complete, the second to last level demands that you subject Agent 47 to massive amount of gunfire that quickly kill him. It completely disregards the entire concept of a game that assumes you’re an infiltrator and the way the game is set up it makes it nearly impossible for you to complete the level. For a game that touts itself as a stealth game, to require the player to act as Rambo disintegrates the entirety of the game. It’s disappointing to funnel so many hours into the campaign, learning how to be a silent killer, for the game to suddenly turn around like that and become so unfair that it becomes unplayable. I’d like to know the full story of Agent 47 as seen through the lens of this game but I simply cannot and that’s a real let down.
Final Thoughts:
It’s difficult to understand how Hitman: Codename 47 sparked one of the most influential and successful video game franchises. The game feels more like a proof of concept than an actual game. Mechanics and environments are piece worked together and have such strange rules of engagement that you’ll be scratching your head in bewilderment more than feeling like a top assassin. The first half of the game embraces this concept more than the last half as you stalk your prey, but once the game forces you to mow down enemies and totally give up your position and get killed almost immediately, the entire game comes crashing down.
The story is paper thin and there’s no real meat or heft to the narrative and what little bit does rise to the surface is contrived, forced, and forgettable. The game is more of a playground for you romp around in, experimenting with approaches to see what works and what doesn’t, but as a game the rules and restrictions are so bizarre that it’s really something quite unenjoyable. And since there’s no real investment in the story the entire concept of eliminating these targets is lost. Sure they’re drug smugglers and generally bad people, but why go through the trouble of experiencing the game and its terrible controls and half-assed design choices when nothing is really explained or feels satisfying?
This is where the game simply falls flat on all fronts. The graphics are drab and boring, the sound is hollow with poor voice acting, and the game mechanics are so convoluted that it becomes a drudge through something so completely not fun. While forgiveness should be bestowed on the first title of any franchise as there hasn’t been enough time to really flesh out lore, place, purpose, etc., Hitman: Codename 47 is frustrating and pointless. If this was left as a proof of concept and more time was given to smooth out all the mechanics and expectations of the game Hitman: Codename 47 would be a title I would highly recommend. As it stands it’s more cumbersome than entertaining and you’ll be about as bald as Agent 47 the longer you stay with this title and continue to rip out your hair wondering why you’ve become such a masochist to keep attempting to push the lame story along. If you’re looking to fill in the story gaps that may be present in the other games in the line or simply want to see how Agent 47 got his start then pick up the least expensive copy of this game as you can find. If you’re not at all interested and want a game that’s fun to play and more fleshed out skip ahead to Hitman 2: Silent Assassin and spare yourself the torture.
It’s difficult to understand how Hitman: Codename 47 sparked one of the most influential and successful video game franchises. The game feels more like a proof of concept than an actual game. Mechanics and environments are piece worked together and have such strange rules of engagement that you’ll be scratching your head in bewilderment more than feeling like a top assassin. The first half of the game embraces this concept more than the last half as you stalk your prey, but once the game forces you to mow down enemies and totally give up your position and get killed almost immediately, the entire game comes crashing down.
The story is paper thin and there’s no real meat or heft to the narrative and what little bit does rise to the surface is contrived, forced, and forgettable. The game is more of a playground for you romp around in, experimenting with approaches to see what works and what doesn’t, but as a game the rules and restrictions are so bizarre that it’s really something quite unenjoyable. And since there’s no real investment in the story the entire concept of eliminating these targets is lost. Sure they’re drug smugglers and generally bad people, but why go through the trouble of experiencing the game and its terrible controls and half-assed design choices when nothing is really explained or feels satisfying?
This is where the game simply falls flat on all fronts. The graphics are drab and boring, the sound is hollow with poor voice acting, and the game mechanics are so convoluted that it becomes a drudge through something so completely not fun. While forgiveness should be bestowed on the first title of any franchise as there hasn’t been enough time to really flesh out lore, place, purpose, etc., Hitman: Codename 47 is frustrating and pointless. If this was left as a proof of concept and more time was given to smooth out all the mechanics and expectations of the game Hitman: Codename 47 would be a title I would highly recommend. As it stands it’s more cumbersome than entertaining and you’ll be about as bald as Agent 47 the longer you stay with this title and continue to rip out your hair wondering why you’ve become such a masochist to keep attempting to push the lame story along. If you’re looking to fill in the story gaps that may be present in the other games in the line or simply want to see how Agent 47 got his start then pick up the least expensive copy of this game as you can find. If you’re not at all interested and want a game that’s fun to play and more fleshed out skip ahead to Hitman 2: Silent Assassin and spare yourself the torture.