Hitman: Codename 47

The Good
A garrote may not be the best way to a man's heart, but at least it's clean and quiet.

The Bad
How do I save this thing? Oh, wait... I don't.

The Bottom Line
Hitman: Codename 47 is a game that created a bit of a controversy when it first arrived on the scene. While the idea of killing people had been part of the computer game experience for a very long time, HC47 went a step further than your average man-shooter. Here was a game where you weren't just killing people because they were your enemies, in kill or be killed scenarios. No, you were performing carefully planned assassinations because that was your job. It was a distinction that struck a chord with some gamers.

I'm not about to start arguing whether this was indeed a step too far in the wrong direction, but I am going to say that, personally, I don't have any moral qualms regarding this game. Partly it's because I simply don't let works of fiction, regardless of the medium they're in, get to me in such a way. More importantly, it's because, as far as I recall, the game doesn't actually reward you for killing civilians or police officers. In fact it penalizes you for it. What's more, your targets are very much of the criminal variety.

The missions you're presented with as 47, the titular character, aren't just individual set-pieces that you have to figure out and then perform to a certain degree of excellence in order to succeed in killing your target. They also form a narrative that slowly unfolds, shedding light on 47's mysterious past and origins. Without spoiling anything, it's enough to say that, while the story isn't terribly original, it proves to be mildly satisfying. And, hey, you get to visit quite a few countries not often portrayed in games.

Speaking of visiting... while good for the time, the graphics haven't exactly aged well. However I find that this to be true for most 3D games of this era, late 90s - early 00s, so you can't really fault the game for being a product of its era. The sound design is pretty good overall, though the voice acting is pretty insipid.

The levels themselves are well thought out, for the most part, and present all sorts of challenges for you to overcome. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately... more on this below) most levels aren't exactly long. As you might expect, as a hitman, it's best to kill your targets as quietly as possible, so the gameplay rewards being able to accomplish the task with as few "incidents" as possible. Any sort of extended firefight is counterproductive in this game.

The AI is good: civilians alert guards if they see something suspicious, enemies react to gunshots or to dead bodies, they call for backup etc. The game combines scripted sequences with reactive elements quite well. In it's day the AI would've been all the more impressive.

Unfortunately there is one major downside to this game and it pretty much ruined my enjoyment of the game: there are no saves in this game during missions. Not even checkpoints! You go in, you screw up... you start over. Slowly finding your way through a level, making a mistake near the end and having to repeat the whole thing... that to me is frustrating. I'm sure there are some gamers out there that enjoy this sort of challenge, but to me it quickly becomes an exercise in tediousness and repetitiousness. It's not a good sign when you start hoping that the next level will be a short one (they usually are). Even though this was obviously an intentional design decision, it's hard to forgive a PC game that doesn't have any sort of in world save.

The problem is compounded by the control scheme and the inventory system which often feel like they're forcing mistakes on you. One particular thing that irks me is that the game treats walking and running as two different things; in most games you use a key to alternate between walking and running. In HC47 there are two separate keys for walking/running, so if you're walking and you want to run, you must first release the walk button and then switch to the run button.

Worse than this is the inventory system which uses scrolling exclusively. There are no hotkeys for different weapons/items. This makes access to your inventory both slow and imprecise. You can get used to it, but it's still a bad system in a game where you have to be quick to react to changing situations.

If you can look beyond these problems, there's a good game underneath that can be very rewarding to people with plenty of patience. However, if you can't get past these things or if you're not a patient sort, you'll probably just quickly get frustrated with the game.

The Good
Graphics: They are outstanding. Despite some walkthrough (bodies' going through walls and/or floors) they are great. The Hitman looks good, and with high enough graphics settings, you can actually see the numbers of the barcode imprinted on his head. The smoke effects from fire are good, and the world the Hitman operates in looks like a real world. Stuff flows with the wind, mirrors cast accurate reflections, water reacts realistically to your walking, walls look good with no sign of jaggies (usually on edges of objects which look like stairs), and overall good quality.

Presentation: The game is presented great. It has a fairly easy learning curve, lots of missions that aren't repetitive, a good selection of real-world weapons (no alien shrinkray here), stealth and action combined in a seamless transition.

Controls: Excellent. Hitman responds accurately to your input and without delay. Moving is as simple as pressing a key and using your mouse. Inventory, binoculars, sniper scope...everything is easily reached from the regular "WASD" setup.

Atmosphere: Creepy, yet real. Walk too close to a person and they will track your movements with their head, giving you a sense of being watched. This actually has some value, because if you kill someone or pull out a gun, they will always recognize you, even if you change your clothes. Speaking of clothes, when you kill someone, you have the opportunity to change into their clothes, thereby allowing you to blend it, which lets you walk around with more freedom.

Physics: Hitman has a great physics engine. Kill a guy sitting on a chair, and his body will slump over in the chair, just like you'd expect it to. Kill someone on top of a staircase and they will tumble down the stairs, laying correctly on top of the bottom steps and floor. In most games, you'd expect the body to just lay flat; well, not here. Here's another great example. You're dragging a body to a sewer grate to dispose of it. Let the body sit on the side of the grate with one leg hanging over the opening. The physics engine, combined with the weight engine, will let the body gradually seep into the opening until most of it's mass (depending on the bodyfat of the victim) gives and drops the body into the grate. It is amazing and must be seen to fully understand it's addition to the game.

The Bad
Almost nothing. The camera is awful, and tracks you in a over-the-top, third-person perspective. Not that there's anything wrong with that camera position (Tomb Raider anyone?), but it just doesn't suit the game.

The Bottom Line
The first game in the so-called "murder simulation" genre, Hitman: Codename 47 is an excellent game well worth your cash. It'll satisfy all your needs.

The Good
Hitman: Codename 47 is one of the best games I've ever played. I loved everything about this game. The storyline was excellent, as was the level design. Also, there were many costumes you could steal, complete freedom!

The Bad
The graphics were a little too blocky for my liking. They could have improved them a bit, since this game was released in 2000. Also, the engine was not optimised enough, and sometimes, you couldnt talk to mission critical characters. Other than these little gripes, great game!

The Bottom Line
Buy and play this game. It's only $20. Then buy Hitman 2!