The man who likes to hit - Hitman series in review

Today a trailer for the upcoming Hitman film has appeared on the internet, so in light of this I thought I'd share my dealing with the series and how I hope that films is going to be good.

Hitman: Codename 47

Hmmm, where to start? I remember seeing previews and reading up on an upcoming game based around an assassin thinking how cool an idea it was, previews touting the amazing game engine with realistic foliage, more realistic death animations in the of rag doll animations (which hadn't been heard of before), so the game had a lot going for it.

The demo hit coming in at a whopping 50Mb meaning I had to wait for it to appear on the front of a magazine before I could play it. Eventually it arrived on the front of my favourite PC mag back in the day PC Zone, first thing I did was install the demo off the disc and ignored the rest of magazine.

This game looked good, not amazing, but good, it was a year after Quake 3 came out, but it didn't look too much better. I didn't mind the game play was what was important, which this had tons of. I remember the first play though I wasn't too sure what was going on so ended up blowing up everything and getting killed in a hail of gunfire, same in the second, and the third, but by the fourth I managed to complete the demo level with pure brute force, next came the fun bit.

I decided to try and be a bit more sneaky, since that was the idea of the game after all, I wandered around the level to watch the patrol routes to see what happened, left things too late to complete the mission this time, but had worked out a plan for the next. Right, lets get to it... the drive of the hit's car takes a walk to relive himself behind some dumpster, with nobody watching I decide to dispatch him, I quickly change into his clothes and the proceed to the car, where a guard stares at me suspiciously so I edge away from him. Once at the car I plant some C4, a quick cut scene later and the hit is in his car and I'm around the corner, with a smirk I press the detonator to blow the C4, not only taking out the hit, but his 4 guards in one go, the remaining street thugs then look at me and start firing, quickly I bolt to the escape point making it with minimal health and complete sense of satisfaction.

Ok so we had seen stealth and planning in Theif which was released a couple of year prior, but this was something else! A real life setting, guns and big explosions, I was hooked.

I played through the demo numerous times, to find all of the ins and outs the level had to offer, like the hidden sniper rifle, the best place to blow the C4, how to take out everybody in the map with out anyone being suspicious, all the usual. I couldn't wait for the full game if this one level was anything to go by.

Next came the reviews, the game received lukewarm reviews overall, with the game being too short, too difficult in some places, some of the levels being out of place, but that didn't put me off I still wanted this game. I went to the local game store as soon as it came out and bought a copy straight away.

So I played through the game on medium skill, a few levels were a bit on the shit side, but there were a few amazing gems in there, so I played it through again on hard, and again, and again, and.... well you get the picture.

I've played this game through so much I could complete all the levels only armed with a knife, I even played this game so much that I got a screen shot featured on planet hitman (the only real site dedicated to the game at the time). This game had it all, action stealth, slow-mo mode (with the 1a service pack update), dual welding pistols, multiple ways to complete the missions and a great story (to me anyway).

After spending countless hours playing through this fantastic game, replaying my favourite levels, I eventually found out there was going to be a sequel; immediately my imagination went into overdrive thinking about all the cool things they could possibly put into the game, all the cool guns they could add, the types of missions they could do. So I waited, read all the previews and bits of information I could find, and waited some more.

Hitman 2: Silent Assassin

Eventually as expected, a demo came out 50Mb again, but being on a faster net connection I could download this one, which I did straight away.

Upon playing the game I noticed something straight away.... this has been made with consoles in mind.... not only had the interface been twisted into something that was more suitable for a controller, but the controls too, something just felt missing. I could still complete the demo in several different ways, so one of the main things for me was still there.

The full game soon came out, which again I bought straight away, expecting a another game I could play through countless times to get my money's worth.

Yes and no....

It didn't play the same, having a PS2 version developed along side it some how removed some of the complexities of the original that I loved, such as the dual wielding any pistols, the slow-motion button, the sense of freedom in a level to discover your own path to complete the mission, the fantastic 3rd person control system, and so many more little things.... all now sadly gone.

I mourned for the game, so many possibilities gone, I did the honourable thing and completed the game through all the difficulty settings, but alas apart from the first mission (from the demo) there was no sense of stalking an enemy, you felt rail-roaded to your target, lead down a set path, lead by the neck... so soulless, so disappointing.

Hitman: Contracts

Time passed and a 3rd game was announced, I was immediately interested, hoping that the developers had learned from their mistakes and would make this game great. Upon reading more about the game, I found out that they were going to be re-making a few levels from the original including my favourite from the original "traditions of the trade".

Why was I suckered in by this?

I don't particularly remember a demo for this game, but I do remember buying it, again hoping that the spirit of the original game would be present with the redone levels. The game's story was told through a flash back explaining the previously completed missions from the first game, ok fair enough.... but it was just so wrong.

There was more freedom in this game, but not only did the controls seem more restricted for the consoles, but choices seemed obvious and pre-planned for any mission, there was no scope for a good bit of improvising in a mission, working out a completely un-thought of way through a mission, it felt like I was cheated.

I still progressed through the game hoping that the "traditions of the trade" mission would still be amazing as it was in the first game.

I was so, so wrong.

Exploring the level i found a ghost, a fucking ghost!!!?!?!?! this isn't a supernatural game, it's thriller, with a slight twist of sci-fi (the hole Agent 47 being a clone thing....), why the fuck is a ghost in there? it wasn't an easter egg or anything, it was just there where a place in the map had been cordoned off due to a murder.... please give me a break.

Enfuriated the the design choice of the game i finished as quickly as possible and then un-installed it never to be played again. (Jesus Christ, a fucking ghost? what the hell were they thinking!?!?!?)

Hitman: Blood Money

So a 4th game gets announced, and I'm very cautious about it, I'm not expecting anything but I'll give the demo a whirl.

I get the demo, and I'm blow away at how boring it is. Even more than the previous games it's removed all choice about what you have to do telling you where to go and what to do, leaving no room for exploration or experimentation.

So I don't buy it.

Maybe I was harsh on the game from the demo, considering it got half decent reviews from the gaming press, maybe I'll go an buy the game when I find it in the £5 bargain bin.

Hitman: The film

Considering how crumby the series got, the story was always a strong point in games which means we've got the following points going for it:

• It's not directed by Uwe Boll
• The game's story is a bit more engaging that the usual game story
• The game was always trying to be an action film
• The trailer seems pretty cool

So I'm looking forward to the film adaptation, I just hope they don't dwell on the 'clone' origins of the protagonist, but they we'll just have to wait and see.

Conclusion

The first game will always be a favourite of mine, you might even see a retro review here at some point (which will obviously be completely biased). It's got one of my favourite scenes in a video game, where you can re-create the scene from Terminator 2 where the Arnie pulls out a shotgun from a box of roses and starts shooting everything all in slow motion. I think I'll have to dig out the install disc to play it again :)

The sequels? they went downhill fast, while the direct sequel was playable the 3rd disappointed in a big way, maybe I thought too much of the first game, and the sequels could never live up to them, but I still think they could have been so much more. I do feel that after writing this I owe it to the series to try and play through the 4th game, but I think I will still wait until I see it and highly reduced price.