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Hitman. Best. Game. Ever.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 44 / 49
Date: November 28, 2000
Author: Amazon User

I would of given it 10 stars but, I guess that wasnt an option. This game redefines the whole "shooter" genre. Who else besides me is getting sick of the game that tests how fast you can click, rather how fast you can think? Well, I am and this game rocks the boat! I am not talking about the demo. The demo is like playing on the "paint" program compared to the full game. I used to love Half-Life, and still do! But, to play Hitman, oh my GOD, its as if Im in heaven! The graphics are so incredible, I got lost in the game. The plants move as you walk into them; the fishtanks break; you can even see yourself in the shadows, strangling a chef! Its great! However, there IS a drawback: the graphics are so incredible, if you dont have a suitable graphics card, a part might be messed up. The gameplay and lasting appeal is also great! There are numerous GIGANTIC missions that will keep you on as long as you can keep your eyes from falling out. The levels are different in their own ways and are very nice. WAIT! YOU MUST HAVE 128mb RAM! You can play with 64mb ram, but I warned you, It WILL go slow when you get into some serious gunfights. It will go sooo slow that you will be thinking that you are watching a picture show. I found out the hard way but it is such a good game that I spent $50 to get another 64mb. These are good requirements...

128mb RAM, 500 mhz, good graphics card, good sound card

the rest you should know about. This game is great. DONT forget the pluses! The minuses can be a big part of some action, but if you have the above requirements, get this game. If you dont buy this game, I will personally have a talk with the 47 himself. HAVE FUN! Oh! One last thing, this game can go both ways, you better be able to think. DO NOT load the game thinking its a gorefest run-of-the-mill shooter! You must THINK! THINK! THINK! THINK! DONT GET BOGGED DOWN BY THE THIRD LEVEL EITHER! Thats a tough one, but if you get that one, you will pretty much know what they expect. BUY! BUY! BUY THIS GAME!

About time someone perfects the 'Stealth FPS' genre!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 18 / 19
Date: May 18, 2001
Author: Amazon User

I see a lot of people complaining about 'slow-paced action' and 'increasingly difficult' missions -- well, that's a prime indicator that they did an *excellent* job! True, this game isn't for those who frequently cut their teeth on the blast-em-up FPSs a la Unreal Tournament. This is a game of patience, and a game of skill. Luckily, unlike real people in this 'profession', you have the ability to restart! That's the only thing that sets this thing apart from reality. I clock a good three hours daily with Hitman 47. The gameplay is very fluid and easy to pick up -- no holding an insane amount of key combinations to perform basic tasks (*cough* Metal Gear Solid *cough*). The artifical intelligence is amazingly realistic - I have never seen so 'human' reactions from AI. The NPCs stare at you as you walk, and you wonder if they know something...If you pull out a gun in front of them, they will run and hide, and not dance around stupidly like in most games. If they see a police officer walk by, they will run up to them and tell them what they saw. No game I have seen has this level of realism.

If you've ever wanted to be "The Professional", you'll love Hitman. Eventually you start getting 'hitman-smart', and realizing "oh, wait, I shouldn't do that because .....". While a lot of the game is stealth observation and cunning action, you also get your fill of fierce firefights and daring escapes using some of the coolest tactical weapons on the planet (sorry, no missile launchers here folks, this game takes place in a little place called 'reality')

The cold-blooded trigger happy will enjoy the fact that you are not limited to 'being nice' in this game. You are more than able to pull out a gun and blast every civilian who walks by -- although I wouldn't reccommend it! Someone's bound to catch up with you, not to mention 'The Boss' doesn't like you leaving a mess. Little things added to the game like the concept of switching clothes and stashing bodies are what make it so entertaining to replay. It makes you look before you leap, so to speak. If you very effectively take out an armed guard...no what? You're standing in a hostile building with a dead guard at your feet, and more are bound to be patrolling -- bet you wish you would've thought this through first, huh? Quickly you drag the downed guard into an empty store room nearby. Then you switch uniforms with him, and leave silently. You can now walk amongst them safely =) Just as an example.

I think what really intruiges me is you aren't spend hour after hour trying to find that ONE way to succeed -- you can accomplish each mission in a variety of ways - catered to the 'style' of the hitman. Quiet kill, or gung-ho blastfest? Your call =)

Latest in trend of the thinking-man's shooters

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 14 / 15
Date: December 11, 2000
Author: Amazon User

First and foremost, this is definitely a game you should consider buying as it is one of the most powerful contributions to the trend of taking FPSs into the realm of requiring *gasp* thought on the part of the player. There's less emphasis on the adventure/roleplaying aspects that we saw in Deus Ex, and not so much plodding strategy planning as in Rainbow Six/Rogue Spear. Instead, you take the role of a solitary character with the solitary task of infiltrating the compounds of various villians and "neutralizing" them.

What this means for gameplay is quick and easy briefings where your primary task is that of gleaning what sort of weaponry and equipment you'll need to take with you, as opposed to planning insertion points and extraction plans--these are tasks easily done during the middle of the mission itself, if you actually feel the need. You get right into the action, which is nice. Unfortunately, short briefings also mean little in the way of helpful intelligence such as estimates and locations of enemy troops and patrols, likely sniper positions, and suggested approaches. Instead, you just go into the mission (expecting to die several times) while you scout around and learn the landscape.

Here are the pluses: Good AI, great graphics, nice variety of weaponry, easy command interface, and immersive sound.

The minuses: Combat is either incredibly easy or ridiculously difficult, not enough weaponry, command interface is initially cumbersome.

The details: Like I said, the AI is very solid. There was only one mission where I was able to pick off a lot of the enemy as they ran up to keep investigating the (ever growing) pile of dead bodies. Otherwise, they're able to track you down when they realize where you're hiding, and easily navigate obstacles to reach (and kill) you. Unfortunately, you can also be standing right on top of a huge massacre with a silenced pistol in your hands and the guards will keep running up one-by-one to investigate. They'll first stare at the slaughter in a befuddled manner, then look at you in confusion, then pull their gun and start shooting--by which time you could have emptied five full clips of a M16 into them. There are only a few instances where this flaw can actually work to your advantage (and the missions are difficult enough that it's a darned good thing) but it's still a significant flaw.

The graphics and the sound are equally excellent. There's a lot of detail put into both, creating for rich textures and nerve-rattling environments as you can hear the footsteps of guards rattling on the catwalks while you garrote a sentry, praying nobody notices. Unfortunately, the music can mask necessary auditory alerts, such as approaching footsteps, and I had to turn it way down.

The list of weaponry is expansive enough to satisfy any personal preferences the player might have, while mission parameters are varied enough to require the player to experiment with new methods of threat elimination. Still, it would have been nice for a few more weapons and mods (like laser sights and scopes for the assault rifles--I guess grenade launchers aren't in style of assassins.) Also, some sort of rappelling and climbing mechanisms would have been nice, adding a vertical component too many shooters miss out on.

Finally, it should be stressed that this is not a combat game. If you're looking for the next Doom, you'll be sorely disappointed. Because combat can explode so quickly, it's easy to think you're playing Half-Life, but, if it does, it means you screwed up and you're about to die. The combat is -that- brutal. You might be able to take two or even three enemies at once, but that's if you're lucky and have enough range between you that they don't pop you off with a head shot (armor won't protect you then.) Instead, you've got to take them out one-by-one, playing the role of assassin, gradually eliminating sentries and patrols as you move closer to the target, moving bodies out of sight before they're noticed and all of hell descends upon your bald little head. Though this sounds like a negative point, I'm actually quite pleased to see the gameplay function in this manner. You ARE supposed to be an assassin, not Rambo.

This is a very solid production of Io Interactive and Eidos. The missions are engrossing and the challenge to the player is a welcome gauntlet to have had laid down. The gameplay is smooth and engrossing, with spectacular graphics and sound in which the player is immersed. There are a number of small improvements that would have turned what is already a great game into truly game-of-the-year territory (like more complete mission briefings, better AI, fuller incorporation of disguises, etc), which is why I didn't feel comfortable giving the game a full 5-stars, but it's oh-so-close and definitely worth your attention.

Will Outplay Rogue Spear genre.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 18 / 23
Date: June 23, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Having played Rogue Spear for a while, i have come to an appreciation for action games which incorporate not only violence but the ability of the player to use his 'grey matter'. In Hitman, i have come across a game which leave the player sweating, not only from the pure adrenaline rush which this game generates, but from challenge of planning and 'executing' an assination. It gives the user a chance to move away from the normal good verses evil plot into the grey area of morality. You play a professional hitman which in itself is a change from the normal swat or commando type games. You are now the bad guy. Or are you. It is very easy to say that a hitman is a criminal until you delve into the game and you realize that he is a human being (Almost). Then you look at the type of targets he has and you realize that they are the scum of the earth. so on one hand you have a gunman for hire, but on the other hand you have his targets who are low lifes. This, then leads to a very intense and captivating plot.

However before you rush out to buy the game when it is officially released, be aware that your puny little P2 300 will be hard pressed to render the superb graphics of this game. With the high octane graphics engine, any thing less that a P3 with a suitable Accelerated Graphics card,(I recomend an ATI Rage Pro with about 16 to 32MB of memory) will leave you with an inadequate gaming experience. So be prepared to fork over some extra cash to fortify your PC. Happy gaming.

A great, original game that delivers!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 8 / 8
Date: June 21, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Despite mixed reviews, i was intent on picking this title up. And i was very pleased with it.

The concept is exactly that: You are the Hitman. Your Codename is 47. You start by escaping a mental institution. How did you get there? Who is helping you get out? Questions that are answered later as you make your way out. Afterwards, the fun begins!

Know this before you play: This is a thinking man's game. It requires intelligent thought and rational planning. Don't go running in with your guns blazing. You will need to use covert tactics.

There are many different weapons to pick up, and you can change into the uniforms and clothing of most of the people you 'take-out'. Many times, the success of the mission will depend on dressing up as a member of an organization or a bodyguard to get as close as possible to your target. And remember, there is ALWAYS more than one way to success.

Many complain of the complexity of missions and having to know everything by playing the level several times. That simply is not true. It is very easy to beat the level on your first time through. You just have to be able to use your brain. Its as simple as following instincts. You are given enough information in your pre-mission briefing, and the map is clearly marked for you on where you are supposed to go. After that, you go and wait for your opportunity. There is always more than one way to complete a mission, which adds to the gameplay. Complaints about the game moving slow are nothing more but impatience. You MUST be patient in this game. If you are not in the mood to think and act, then you will NOT enjoy it.

Missions definitely do get more complex later on, but again, their is always information available to help you through, and once you get the feel for being the Hitman, it is easy enough. As far as story goes, there really isnt much. Your first few missions are pretty straightforward: You are Hitman. Go and Kill. But soon Hitman starts having flashbacks in between missions that evolve the story. Overall, the concept is very good, and the last mission finally brings sense to the story. However, as with most games these days, the ending leaves alot to be desired. Lets hope for a sequel, because this game was alot of fun.

There are quite a few problems i discovered. Namely, the 3rd person angle gets quirky. The camera has a habit of going in all directions at times, making control very difficult. Sometimes you will end up getting stuck on objects in the level, requiring either mass button mashing to get yourself out, or a restart of the level. There is no mid-level save, which is very annoying, because if you die, you can continue only twice, and once you continue, the target will most likely be aware of your presence, making the rest of the mission difficult. However, if you are very skilled, you won't die too often. There are also many graphical problems unless you are using a Voodoo 4 or higher. Anything less, you will experience many graphical problems. I recommend going with a GeForce 2, or possibly a GeForce 3. Although the game seems to be optimized for Voodoo graphics cards, the company went out of business, so now Nvidia would be the optimal choice with their GeForce chipsets.

All in all, a great game with a great concept. If you are buying a new computer and are looking for a few games to start out with, i strongly recommend picking up Hitman. IF you are patient and willing to put your mind into a game, rather than run in with guns blazing, then this is the game for you!

incredible

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 9 / 10
Date: April 12, 2001
Author: Amazon User

this game is great! perfect difficulty level, perfect ideas, just great! i've only 2 complaints about this game:

1)too short. 2)some color glitches.

that's all! it just didn't take long enough to beat.

I have a weakspot for this game, here's why:

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 7
Date: December 23, 2001
Author: Amazon User

This game does have its occasional glitches but, if you can truly appreciate good gaming, you can look past those glitches. I came back to write a review of this game, even though its already almost 2 years old. This is probably because when someone asks me some of my favorite action games, I usually always list Hitman as one of the elite. I've tried to figure out why that is, and I've come to the conclusion that it's all about the concept of this game. The graphics are excellent, don't get me wrong, but I can't think of any other game where you have the sole mission of assassinating people for money. In this sense, Hitman goes above and beyond most other games. The people at Eidos also did a fantastic job to ensure that when you're playing Hitman, you actually FEEL like a hitman, which is a key element of any game. Think about it: if you can't slip into the role of the character you're playing as, it's difficult to enjoy the game. Part of gaming is escaping reality, and Hitman enables the gamer to do this, providing hours of evil fun. The first time you use the piano wire to choke someone, you'll know what I mean! Hitman takes you all around the globe, from Hong Kong where you're in the middle of a gang war, to Colombia to assassinate a drug lord. Completing these missions is also extremely open-ended, which is something that I absolutely loved about the game. One mission in Hong Kong requires you to whack the leader of a gang. The question is, do you storm into his restaurant with guns blazing?! OR, do you do as I did and acquire a vile of poison to poison his soup? Now if that doesn't entice you, I don't know what will! This game isn't getting any younger, so pick it up while it's still available!

Excellent idea loaded with flaws

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: December 18, 2002
Author: Amazon User

To begin this review I would like to state that I became aware of this game when I purchased Hitman 2: Silent Assassin. I asked the Best Buy staff to show me the prequel which I immediately bought. I decided to play Hitman: Codename 47 first and here's my take on this game.

The difficulty is intense through most of the game. Even the training which is required might take the average gamer several attempts to complete it. Top this with a no save feature and a game that crashes for seemingly no good reason and you might annoy the average gamer. I'm proud to say that I used no cheat or hint Manuel to complete this game. Though there were times when I actually went searching for one and luckily did not find one (right now in 2002 the Manuals are out of print). I believe a save feature (limited) should have been added, at least when the game crashes you will not have to re-start. There are thirteen levels (training, plus three parts(each part contains four levels)) which might seem kind of short but not when you have to repeat each level a horrendous amount of times. Eidos and IO Interactive also added a lot of puzzle solving in Part three which will lengthen playing time a lot. I found that you can beat most levels in one try by referring to the briefing. The information in the briefing is quite good, providing list of objectives, map, and other useful information. On average the briefing contains two-thirds of the information needed to beat the level; the rest can be done by simply playing the level and making quick decisions. (4.5/5 We all have been asking for tougher games - 0.5 for no limited save feature)

The level design is both genius and flawed throughout the game. You encounter a lot of exotic locations (Hong Kong, Columbia, Budapest, Rotterdam Harbor, and an Insane Asylum) with the ultimate task to kill these six bosses: Lee Hong, Pablo Belisario Ochoa, Arkadij Jegorov AKA "Boris", Dr. Odon Kovacs, and Professor Ort-Meyer. Obviously not every level will give you the task of whacking the boss but usually these levels do a good job by tying in with the story. For all you sharp shooters out there I saw only one level where using the sniper rifle was really beneficial (big disappointment) but the use of car bombs, poison, and other cool odd ways to kill your mark make up for that short coming. Not every level can be accomplished stealthy (I thought this game was about a Hitman?) some you have to go Doom style to succeed, or maybe I just didn't see another option. The levels that I witnessed that can be accomplished stealthy are one, two, three, eight, nine, and eleven. Four and ten can be done mostly by using stealth but in some instances you have to resort to Doom style. While five, seven, and thirteen are pure Doom levels. Six in my opinion was a filler all you had to do was run from point A to B, this can be done without firing a single shot and this is by far the easiest level in the game. (3.75/5 could have been easily a perfect 5 but the Doom style missions brought it down)

Storyline is weak; throughout most of the game you pay very little attention to the story until it turns totally bizarre and spoils the Hitman motif. Turns out you're a clone among 48 (you're the 47th) and the bar code on the back of you're head is a quick way to identify you. This conclusion left a sour taste in my mouth. At least while the story was weak it went with the Hitman motif but the last two levels turned this into a Sci-Fi game. (3/5 I took two off for the terrible concluding storyline and the weak storyline at the beginning)

Game play is very addictive. The designers actually make you feel like a Hitman. The suit the atmosphere is one of the best you will see in a game of its kind. The bugs though quickly overshadow this wonderful aspect of the game. A game that crashed more times on my PC ( 3 GHZ, Radeon 128mb DDR 9700 Pro, and 1034 DDR Ram, and Windows XP). I do not usually see problems, no game but this has even crashed on my PC. Other bugs included elevators that make your body disappear, small leaves from plotted plants that prevent you from going forward, and other glitches. To enjoy and successfully finish this game you got to not pay attention to the abundant flaws but work at the good aspects of the game. (4.5/5 took 0.5 for the bugs this was very generous of me)

The music is mediocre, several good songs are present but the rest is just ordinary. All the songs though do a nice job contributing to the theme of Hitman. (4/5 the songs did a good job of setting an atmosphere of being a Hitman top this off with two good songs and you get an okay rating; the rest of the songs were okay)

Final Verdict:
3.95/5 Stars
B -

I would not recommend this to everyone, only to a gamer looking for a challenge, a gamer who is patient and is willing to dedicate his time to this project. Also a gamer who has always dreamed of becoming a Hitman.

Look forward for Hitman 2: Silent Assassin. :)

Hitman is a HIT!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 8 / 11
Date: January 09, 2001
Author: Amazon User

This is a great game! This is a first person/3rd person strategic type game. Basically you are a Hitman hired to perform different assasinations using various tools of death, ranging from piano wire (strangle your victims),sniper rifles, AK47's, and Beretta's with silencers! Million ways to die, choose one! This is not a typical shoot em up, try shooting in a room filled with Triad mobsters and you'll be swiss cheese! You have to use stealth and disguise (you can take clothes off of your victims and wear them to sneak in) to get close enough to your target to eliminate him and collect your cash. The AI is pretty good, If you shoot someone, the guards or passerbys will hear the shots and be alarmed, if you kill someone in broad day light witnesses will alarm the guards, if you leave dead bodies in the street, your cover will be blown. Unfortunately, I am one of the gamers that gets nauseated with first person games, but the whole concept, graphics, plot, layout of this game keep me on the computer to the edge of tears and vomit, it's that addicting. Bottom Line: Challenging, great graphics, and game play, sounds are realistic, AI is smart. Go and grab this title for your PC you won't be dissapointed. Warning to youngsters, extremely graphic and violent content, so let your parents know, so they don't trip when they see you cutting peoples throats in the game. Gamer247 is OUT! Game on!

PERFECTION IN GAMEPLAY

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 10
Date: December 04, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Let me just say that this game has set a new standard for all games and all genres. I can't stress enough how important replayability is. In this game you run through sets of missions and normaly you would think to yourself, well once I finish it It will lay on my shelf indefinatly...WRONG!!.. There are so many ways to finish each mission that everytime I played it through it felt like I was playing a new game. This game gets a A+++ in replayability.

I put this game through the test it terms of graphics and gameplay. The one thing many game companies do to us gamers is create a game with awsome graphics but make it impossible for the average computer to run the game at those incredible graphics. In which case we reduce the graphics setting and end up playing a great game in crappy DOS like graphics. This game had that problem unfortunatly. Unless you have a screamer of a PC with an awsome Video card don't bother with this game. You won't be able to enjoy it. I have a 866 PIII with a 64 MEG Gforce 2 graphics card and 128 MEG ram and the game would still ocassionaly get sluggish. I ran it in reduced modes and it just wasn't the same game. The graphics really make this game. This game gets a A++ for gameplay and graphics but only if you have an awsome PC. In reduced graphics modes for which you will have to run if your PC is an older generation I rate the Gameplay and Graphics at a C- at best.

In conclusion however EIDOS INTERACTIVE has done a bang up job creating what will for sure end up on my favorite game shelf. You'll be comming back to this one again and again.

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