Hitman: Codename 47
| Hitman: Codename 47 | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Developer(s) | IO Interactive |
| Publisher(s) | Eidos Interactive |
| Distributor(s) | Eidos Interactive, Valve Corporation, GameTap |
| Composer(s) | Jesper Kyd |
| Series | Hitman |
| Engine | Glacier |
| Version | 1.92 (December 26, 2000) |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows |
| Release date(s) | NA November 19, 2000 AU September 20, 2002 EU September 23, 2003 |
| Genre(s) | Stealth, third-person shooter |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
| Rating(s) | |
| Media/distribution | Optical disc, download |
| System requirements
Microsoft Windows
|
|
Hitman: Codename 47 is a stealth game developed by IO Interactive and published by Eidos Interactive. It is the first entry in the Hitman series, followed by Hitman 2: Silent Assassin.
The story centers around Agent 47, a bald test subject branded with a barcode tattooed on the back of his head, who is rigorously trained in methods of murder. Upon escaping from a test facility, 47 is hired by the Agency, a European contract killing organization. His mission takes him to several locations in Asia and Europe to assassinate wealthy and decadent criminals.
Contents |
[edit] Gameplay
The game takes place from a third-person perspective, but the control setup is similar to a first-person shooter as 47's movements are restricted to turning, strafing and moving forward. Each level of Hitman: Codename 47 takes place in an open environment which is populated with non-player civilians and armed guards. Although mission criteria may vary, the goal is generally to find 47's assigned target and kill them by any means possible. Though the path may appear linear, it is possible through various ways to accomplish the mission and approach a target directly without eliciting a violent reprisal. The game essentially emphasises stealth and silent kills without raising alerts, giving the player a higher financial reward for doing so. Penalties in the form of financial deductments are given, for example if the player kills civilians, but none if guards are slain. As the money is used to purchase weapons and ammo during the course of the game, this pressures the player to utilise stealth, disguise and melee based mechanics for the most cost effective method to take out targets.
The player can peek around corners by using the lean function, which prompts 47 to tilt slightly to one side. 47 is able to climb ladders, but cannot defend himself with a weapon while doing so. In addition, he is only able to jump from one balcony to another. There is an on-screen cursor to indicate in which direction 47 will attack. The heads-up display includes a life bar which measures 47's health, ammo capacity, kevlar durability, and the current item selected. Alert messages sometimes appear next to the health readout. These occur whenever enemies discover a body on the map, or if 47 falls under suspicion. 47's weaponry consists of various short and long-range firearms, a garrote wire, and a knife. Pistols generally have excellent range, while automatic rifles and machine guns decrease in accuracy the farther away 47 is from his target. 47 can also equip himself with a sniper rifle, concealed in a special suitcase, which must be reassembled before he may use it. Once he is finished with the rifle, 47 can take it apart and place it the suitcase once more.
Disguise plays a large role in Hitman's gameplay. Any time a non-player character is killed, 47 may take their clothes and impersonate them. This is necessary to access restricted areas where only guards may enter. At the start of each level, 47 begins in a default costume. This costume is his trademark suit and red tie which is folded and left on the ground whenever 47 changes clothes. The player may replace 47's outfit with a previous one by simply approaching them and selecting the option to change. In the event that 47 adopted the clothes of someone he has slain, his disguise will be compromised as soon as the body is discovered. 47 creates sound while walking which will alert any hostile characters in the facility. To move without being detected, the player can use the sneak function, which causes 47 to crouch and move in a stalking manner. Sneaking also allows 47 to retrieve a weapon from his inventory without anyone hearing it; if 47 is standing upright when the player pulls out a weapon, it will alert nearby characters. Characters who are dead may be dragged at any time. If anyone on the map spots a body lying on the ground, it will create unwanted attention for 47. When dragging, 47 lifts up the closest available leg or arm and begins to hoist it away as movement is directed by the player.
[edit] Story
Agent 47 awakens in his sanatorium to a voice from a loudspeaker which instructs him to train in tasks such as scaling obstacles and using firearms, which culminates in killing a guard and escaping. The loudspeaker man watches the surveillance satisfied. A year later, 47 is a professional assassin of the International Contract Agency (ICA), briefed by controller Diana Burnwood and is sent around the globe to eliminate four criminal masterminds. In Hong Kong, 47 must eliminate Red Dragon triad leader Lee Hong, but must first weaken him by orchestrating a gang war between his and a rival triad. 47 is then sent to Columbia where he tracks down and kills drug lord Pablo Belisario Ochoa. In Budapest, 47 assassinates Franz Fuchs, an Austrian terrorist. 47 then infiltrates Rotterdam, Netherlands to kill notorious weapons smuggler Arkadij "Boris" Jegorov and his affiliates.
Throughout his missions 47 collects letters written to his targets by the other targets, suggesting that these four are well connected. All four were once part of the French Foreign Legion at about the same time and seem to contact each other regarding an experimental human. The letters also mention a mutual friend among the men, Professor Ort-Meyer. 47 is then alerted by Diana that the same client ordered all of the assassinations, and that the client has ordered one final assassination. 47 is to kill Odon Kovacs, a doctor at a sanatorium in Satu Mare, Romania, the same one from which 47 escaped. When 47 checks in, Ort-Meyer is revealed to be the client, as well as the original person which instructed 47 in his escape, and calls the police. Romanian special forces raid the building while 47 kills Kovacs, who is revealed to be a doctor that administered injections to 47.
47 then learns the truth behind his existence. He is the result of a cloning experiment which combined the genetic material of each of his four previous targets, with the addition of Ort-Meyer. The experiments were in the pursuit of creating a flawless human being.[1] Ort-Meyer engineered 47's escape from the asylum in order to test his performance in the outside world and ordered his associates's deaths because they wanted to use the clones for their own purposes, which Ort-Meyer was unwilling to allow. With the help of fellow ICA Agent Smith, who is being held captive and drugged in the building, 47 uncovers a sophisticated lab beneath the hospital. In response, Ort-Meyer unleashes a squad of Mr. 48s, an improved, mindlessly loyal series of clones.[2] 47 defeats the clones and confronts Ort-Meyer, who at first mistakes him for another 48. Before Ort-Meyer is able to attack 47, 47 shoots him. As Ort-Meyer lays dieing, mentioning how he could not even recognize his own son, 47 kneels down and forcefully breaks his neck.
[edit] Production
![[icon]](/wiki/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg){kind=small} |
This section requires expansion. |
[edit] Development
47 travels to areas such as Hong Kong, Colombia, Romania, Hungary, and the Netherlands.
On a technological note, Hitman: Codename 47 was one of the first games to use the now popular ragdoll physics.
When 47 awakens in his asylum and instructed to use various options and weaponry, this serves as the training level of the game.
Pablo Ochoa is a Colombian drug lord heavily based on Tony Montana from Scarface.
The player has the option of killing Ort-Meyer right away or hesitating, a choice which will determine the game ending. When 47 bursts into the Doctor's lab, Ort-Meyer first mistakes him for another 48. If the player fails to subdue Ort-Meyer in time, he will attack 47 with a stungun and place him back under confinement. If the player shoots Ort-Meyer, the Doctor will stumble to the floor and mutter, "I didn't even recognize my own son."
[edit] Music
[edit] Soundtrack
The soundtrack is composed by Jesper Kyd but was never released until it came in a dual disk pack in 2005 detailed in the above article.
[edit] References
- ^ Ort-Meyer: Man was made at the end of the week's work, when God was tired. I quickly improved on all of the built-in flaws. I'll show the whole world who's right - and decide who will be left! Eidos Interactive Hitman: Codename 47 (US) 2000-12-25.
- ^ Ort-Meyer: You little ingrate! I should have known you would rebel against your old man - not at all like No. 48. Now there's a loyal and trusting clone. Eidos Interactive Hitman: Codename 47 (US) 2000-12-25.
[edit] External links
|
||||||||||||||
