Quite Impressive...But Could've Been Better
Hitman: Codename 47 lets you dive into the mind of a character only known as Mr. 47, a bald-headed assassin rumored to have been created by an experiment conducted by an unknown organization. You quest begins in a room which looks like an asylum cell where 47, strapped in his bed, was awakened by a mysterious voice which claims to be his mentor and guardian. The anonymous speaker released 47 from his binds and from there 47 followed his instructions in which 47 will be taught to handle weaponry's as well as performing some obstacles. This will be your tutorial. But during the course of his daily routine, 47 killed an asylum employee, changed his clothing and escaped from that hellhole. Instead of sounding the alarm, the mysterious man, who was monitoring 47 at that period of time, chuckled murderously and deliberately let him go.
About a month later, 47 found employment into yet another unknown organization called International Contract Agency aka ICA. It's a dark syndicate where clients would willingly pay the Agency to assassinate a certain person or persons with no questions asked. From there, the Agency gets someone else to do the dirty job, which are called Hitmen, and that someone is 47. As he travels around the world fulfilling his assignments, he realize his targets have some sort of connection with his past in which 47 doesn't remember anymore.
Hitman: C47 has 20 over missions altogether and it takes you to all sorts of places like Hong Kong, Colombia's Tropical Rainforest, Budapest's 5 Star Hotel, etc. Each mission involves you assassinating targets and the method of killing is entirely up to you. You can do it quietly using the fibre wire, knives or silencers without anyone witnessing your actions; or you can pack up your heaviest and best arsenals and start blasting everyone within range.
Like any other good assassin, 47 is equipped with lots of weapons such as silencers, handguns, shotguns, rifles, car bombs and more...even a minigun! In the beginning of each mission you are to select and purchase the weapon of your choice and use them to kill your target by whatever means necessary. You collect more money by successfully completing your objectives but will be deducted if you harm any innocent victims.
The level of difficulty of Hitman is really hard even if you put in easy mode because the enemy AI's are so unpredictable. They are extremely powerful and they intend to perform headshots on you and to make matters worse, there aren't any health packs or first aid kits in the game! It's really brutal, and the most annoying thing is the fact that you can't save your game! After each mission you complete will be saved into your profile page and can be selected back anytime, but it's really crazy the fact you can't save your game during the mission. So my tip is: every step counts! Kill quietly and wisely. There are two ways you can continue after you get killed: either by pressing the space bar which entitles you to resume in a safer spot (But the guards are still on a lookout for you so it's not really convenient). You might else well restart the mission back from the beginning (Which is the second choice).
The control scheme is yet another problematic feature because it's not feasible for users to play. Instead of using the standard WSAD keypads, we have to use the numpad option or WXZC to maneuver around. The A and D keys are not for strafing left or right but for turning around. The Z and C keys are for strafing, S is for walking, X is for walking backwards and W is for running. It's really screwy and terrible.
Hitman Codename 47 may be a torturing experience but overall it's a blast for all RPG lovers. The graphics is really great and the music and sound effects are awesome. The voice acting is a bit cheesy here and there but good enough. Some mission really involves you restarting them again and again, so once you manage to complete a stage, it's satisfying.
I admit I got slaughtered by it's poor gameplay and the hard difficulty it gave me but as weird as it sounds, I quite enjoyed it. If you're an RPG fan who's looking for a stealth-based game, chances are you'll be playing Hitman: Codename 47 in no time but if you lack patience and want everything done the easy way, then this game is definitely not for you.