Hitman: Codename 47

Hitman: Codename 47, released in the year 2000, is the inception and very first game in the renowned Hitman series. As someone who has played the later entries in the series, i can clearly see that this is where it all began. The core gameplay and its mechanics were created in this title. Throughout different levels and locations, you are tasked with eliminating targets, or completing different objectives, like securing documents or items. This game is branded as a game that lets you find your own way. This may be true for the later titles but for Codename 47, there really is mostly only one correct way to finish the mission. The game features big open maps, which are pretty detailed for the time, which can be a good thing, however most of the time you are just left aimlessly wandering around it trying to figure out where to go. In this game, you have no clue what actions you can and can't perform without the guards getting angry at you. If they do, they'll shoot and kill you. Which wouldn't be a problem if you could simply save at any given time. But that's not the case. If you die, you have to restart. You can choose to respawn, but since all guards will remain hostile this is not really an option.
That being said, in some missions there are clues left at manageable spots for you to find. However this is sadly only possible in a handful of levels. The levels themselves are mostly expansive and all have their own features. In this game, the levels are cohesive and based off of each other. There are multiple missions in one location, like for example the very first one in China. You are tasked with taking out a big bad criminal, but to get there you first have to do a few other missions with minor goals. The game also features a pretty cool soundtrack, which i find is often overlooked. Along with the feel of these old maps they might even create a slight feel of kenopsia, at least for me, which i like. Before actually starting a mission you can choose to buy gear for you to bring along from the money you have earned on previous missions. This is an incentive for the player to do missions silently as casualties deduct from the money you earn. However i have found that in some levels, like the famous "Traditions of the Trade", it's pretty useless since you can't bring any guns through the metal detectors. And by the last mission, i had amassed so much money that i couldn't even spend it. I'm certain it wouldn't have been a big issue either if i were to spend a little more on previous missions, basically rendering this feature a little pointless. Speaking of the last mission, it's not exactly great either. Hitman games have always wanted the player to only take out their targets without causing any casualties. It was never supposed to be a shooter, yet the last mission is. You have to painfully fight against 10 NPC's that can instantly kill you, whilst you are stuck having to deal with the clunky old controls. This finale is not exciting. It's painful and frustrating.
All of this however, is pretty manageble. Codename 47 is an old game after all, and such issues are to be expected when playing and looking at it from a modern standpoint. There is still one, big issue however and again it has to deal with the modern IOI. This game is an awful pain in the back to get to run on a modern system. I had to spend about an hour figuring out how to even start it without crashing, getting it to run in a fullscreen window, and setting the resolution to 1920x1080. That's because there was no real effort put in into making this game accesible. It was a simple re-release without putting much thought into it. I know it was never supposed to be a remake. But that was never the problem. They could've at least put some effort into making this game playable on a newer computer. There is a great guide by CyrusVonNox01 on the steam forum that helped me get it to work, i can only recommend it.
Despite all this, if you are a dedicated fan of the Hitman series i think it is worth it to take a look at where it all started. And despite all the frustration i still had some fun with this game. I actually wouldn't recommend starting out with this game if you're looking to play through the Hitman series. You don't really get that true "Hitman feeling" until the later titles. This game is basically a proof of concept with a lot of errors, that had to be improved upon before they would later become the masterpieces these games are today.
Final Score: 5/10

This game is gem, its so fun to play missions, the original hitman is worth playing
There are patches and mods available which is required to run this game on latest pc

I wholeheartedly think they need to Revision/Remake/Remaster this game. The atmosphere Codename 47 Gives out is perfect. The Eerie music with each hit being the next level to the story, it blends somewhat and makes this game much more memorable. They only thing i want out of this is ALL the missions on the HITMAN III engine.

The younger generations will most likely not connect with the visuals and gameplay, but as a childhood game, I can't pass on the opportunity to play it.

This game's lack of longevity is evident, as it suffers from numerous bugs, clunky controls, and an excessive level of difficulty that hinders its ability to provide enjoyment. Nevertheless, it is worth acknowledging that this game played a pivotal role in establishing the groundwork for the current iteration of Hitman. While it may not hold the title of the finest game ever created, I do hold a certain level of admiration for its contributions.

Play only if you're doing a completion challenge of the series, otherwise watch a long-play or story recap. This title certainly shows its age. Also, there's no checkpoint system, so if you die you've to start from the very beginning. I'm still going to recommend this title, since this is the origin of Agent 47. There're some great missions too, some of which are remade in a later title.
Now if you'll excuse me, I need to use the bathroom.

It can be a bit difficult to set up. There's a widescreen mod or fix but if you don't mind you can just play it in 800x600, only way to have the hud be readable since it doesn't scale with the resolution. Dated but perfectly playable.
The game can be decently fun but there are alot of annoyances. The maps are too big, ai can be finicky at times. The damage system makes sense but can seem really unfair without understanding it and is frustrating none the less. If you wanna go back to it, I'd recommend going as far as you can and either enabling god mode or getting a completed save to skip ahead missions. Since there are no saves, missions can take 20 minutes even if you know what you're doing.