I like the fact that the game originally had mid mission saves but the developers removed them because then the play testers could complete the game in 4 hours.
It's funny in hindsight how the tutorial for World of Assassination takes place before this game chronologically, so 47 just randomly got comically worse at his job for a few days.
The way you put the bathrom line to start each segment of a stage that has dialogues is perfect, makes it look like 47 just wants to find a damn bathroom but keeps having to kill people
It's like those dreams you get when you really need to pee but you're still asleep, like running through corridor after corridor, looking in all the rooms but never finding a bathroom.
I always wondered why I could barely remember any of the levels in this game. Then I realised after watching you play through the jungle missions why that was. My brain had simply blocked out all the PTSD inducing memories of frustration that would otherwise result in a stunted adulthood.
LMAO ditto. I spent HOURS sitting at my family PC playing this game when it first came out. Like I literally sunk about six to eight months of my teenage life into it. Finished the whole thing. And watching this, I apparently remember about 25% of it. The rest is total blackout.
I want to say that the bathroom this sort of a reference to the godfather which a lot of modern players might not have seen the movie. They leave him a gun in the bathroom
Yeah playing Hitman 2 SA for the first time infront of one of my childhood best friends, I'll never forget him watching me drag a body and declare "this game is cool!" :D. It looked so realistic back then, mind blowing compared to bodies glued into position for eternity.
Exactly, most of the game was mind blowing. There’s a reason it got a sequel, and it’s shortcomings come from when it was made and how new everything about it was in my opinion
I played the demo, which I think was just the one mission at the fish restaurant, over and over. I eventually got into that weird territory where you have memorized every single thing in the level and can just grief the NPCs in hilarious ways, or start experimenting with the game's logic and physics. I also started modifying game files to change gravity, slow mo, etc. That is ultimately what I ended up doing when the full game came out. I loved it back then, but it's extremely hard to go back to now. This was a joy to watch.
The worst thing about the last Colombia level is the outrageous bug at the very end of the level, freezing the game. After three or so attempts of completing the entire level I had to eventually use a cheat to unlock the rest of the game so I could continue playing.
The reason in 14:55 why they sometimes attack you and sometimes they don't because it depends from your disguise. Clothes of soldier with big hat, or simple green, brown unifrom is not allowed. But if you are wearing brown uniform with these two tinies yellow strips on your shoulder then you're allowed (it turns out that these are high command soldiers I guess). How player is supposed to figure it out? I don't know (I noticed it after years). Same problem I had with Prince of Persia: Sound of Time where you have one puzzle which require you to hear pretty unnoticable at first sound, if you never stop character to hear this sound then you have problem. I always played first hitman as a kid with solution so I am more forgiving. I love atmosphere, music and game has it charm. Of course next installments are highly more playable. I think with today's perspective that it''s worth for player to play first hitman one time, but I get how it get on people's nerve. Pretty good analysis. I wish you the best and hope to see more of your content in future.
@@HeavySandvichGuy1 Yes, I'm talking about this one puzzle. I appreciate creativity with that one, but in my youth i played game three times and always stop on this one until i look up in solution.
The main issue with Codename 47 is that playing it blind is nothing but misery, but if you play it with solution (or played it before), it is a decently fun experience with a few bumps here and there. The guy in front of the lab is shooting because you're wearing soldier's uniform. If you wear officer's uniform (the brown one) then he lets you pass without issues. My favorite piece of trivia related to this - if you pull up a detonator, and try to detonate the bomb without letting the animation of 47 pulling it out of his pocket play out completely, the game will very likely crash. As for the Plutonium Runs Loose... yeah, that mission just sucks and there is no defending it. Oh, and Ortmeyer isn't one of the 4 crime lords, he's a scientist. The crimelords in question are Lee Hong, Pablo Ochoa, Franz Fuchs and Arkadij Jegorov (aka Boris). Also, Franz Fuchs (the guy taking a shower in his room) is a target during Traditions of the Trade, it's Fritz (the guy in the sauna) that isn't, but you need a key to his lab from him and there is no way to get it without killing him.
The "lean aiming" is the intended way to play the game. There should be a setting to unlock it all the time . The way I remember it is that it was the default and the stupid locked one something you had to opt in to... maybe a later patch made it default. Anyway that is why it isn't mentioned as a feature of leaning; it isn't.
Hitman: Codename 47 suffers from a chronic case of "First Game Syndrome." It was the studio's first game, so actually being able to create and launch it was a huge achievement in and of itself. Refinements and polishing had to wait for the sequels. Two other comments: 1) Mention the music but not mention Jesper Kyd? Shame on you, he's made amazing music that's been iconic to the Hitman series and many other video games (most recently, Warhammer Darktide). 2) I know it's a retrospective point, but this game makes it unavoidable to kill armed guards and others on your way to and from the target in some levels. Since it's sequel, all Hitman games have insisted that the ideal way to complete every mission is by killing your assasination targets and ONLY your targets.
If you forget the gameplay and the voicing, the plot, the mood and the insanity of prof. Ort-Meyer are still top notch. It was good enough to grow into a monster of a franchise.
26:40 that animation is only shown if you haven't yet eliminated all the guards on the ship. Also, the aiming problem you mentioned is there because you're not aiming from your eye to the target, as with most FPS games, but from 47's body to the target, if that makes sense.
I agree, i tried giving this game a chance. But after Lee Hong mission i just gave up, and i did EVERYTHING right. But because i assumed the exit was at the beginning... eh it kinda screwed me over once the guards started randomly going ALARM when i went into the wrong room where i robbed the safe from. So i just said "Screw it, go Contracts"
There's something about small accounts like this one producing such magnificent masterpieces that never ceases to amuse me. Excellent job on this video, it is simply remarkable. I have watched it twice due to how stellar your editing is, your interesting commentary, and your insightful analysis. This is officially one of my favorite videos on YT ever.
I always wondered if the devs did originally intend to ship the game with a save system, it seems bonkers to have mission design like this without saves or at least checkpoints. Even play-testing this must have been a nightmare. Edit: Didn't realise there was some rumour that the devs removed saves. It's hard to believe they did it to extend playtime, it may have been for technical reasons.
Codename 47 will always hold a place in my heart purely due to nostalgia…but yeah for most people it’s hard to go back to. No shame to anyone that just follows a guide or uses cheats to overcome the more bullshit levels
In plutonium runs loose, you don't have to pick up the car bomb. Just wait near the stairs leading to the ship. It's the only exit and Boris comes in no time once alerted
My biggest issue with Hitman: Codename 47 (and Silent Assassin), is there is usually a singular intended way to do the missions, but the game doesn't always point you in the right direction. When I did play through the game, I did end up using a walkthrough, and when that wasn't enough (on like 2 levels, Say Hello to my Little Friend and the last third of Plutonium Runs Loose) I just turned on God mode because the game is too jank.
That criticism only hold true for Codename 47 and the Japanese snow region mission, the other level in Silent Assassin are more in-line with the later Hitman installment
Hey, just so you know, the reason why sometimes the guards shot you in the drug lab and sometimes they didn’t is because you were wearing a trespassing disguise, the only disguise allowed in there is the brown brimmed hat guard with the chevrons on his shoulders, neither of the green ones are, which seems to be a common misconception among players of this game!
First time I played Hitman codename 47 was in 2001. At that time it was like no other game in terms of open level exploration and environment interactions, there weren't many games like that maybe Thief II but wasn't at the level of Hitman. I understand that the all the next sequels were introduced on consoles, so many people have played Silent Assassin or the other sequels before Codename 47 since it was not that popular, so when they say it sucks, sure it sucks compared to the sequels because of it's old graphics, mechanics and gameplay limitations, but at it's time it was an a truly epic game with novelty and uniqueness compared to what was there at that time.
As a kid I was blown away! I didn't even mind that I had to explore and retry as much as I did. I got two games a year. One at Christmas and one on my birthday- so getting this much game, with all the variety was amazing! 😊
14:40 you actually need a specific disguise to enter the lab, the reason you didn't notice it was because it's the same as another disguise but with a slightly different shade and the guy still tells you to go away for some reason (god this level is a mess)
I played this particular Hitman with my dad since 2000, we were blown away by the size of the levels and the realism. My four-year-old eyes couldn't believe what I was seeing. It was a magical time... Then in 2002, I got Hitman 2: Silent Assassin. But Codename 47 will always be the special game that sucked me into the series. Up until Blood Money which is fantastic.
I loved Silent Assassin, Contracts and Bloodmoney. Never could get into the first game, not any of the Hitmen after Bloodmoney either. The online nonsense built into it that gameify's everything just made it awful to play IMO.
@@planescaped And then IO Interactive decided to do a 180 and remove the mandatory online nonsense with Hitman 2. Still a major screw up as the servers weren't exactly behaving well. I played through a few levels but never beat the new Hitman games, the aesthetic just doesn't do it for me, and Jesper Kyd is dearly missed (composer).
I picked this game off the shelf, spent all of my 400kr, after a long time talking my parents into spending the money. I played it with my brother and my dad. We went trough everything together and when someone completed a level or found something new it was like a party! 😅 I have fond memories of this game, it was my childhood 😅❤
@@VergilHiltsLThonestly I think codename 47 nailed the assasin vibe the most. Especially with the buy menu and actual real firearms. The newer has fallen into some kind of a wierd cliche of itself.
@@KaptajnKaffe Yeah, the main title music by Jesper Kyd even does a perfect job at reflecting 47's professionalism and even his character. It's a track that's besides being an absolute masterpiece of a banger, has some seriously epic and tragic motives (that 47 was created to be a killer), yet it is also kinda hopeful in that, there is still humanity and a deeper, "kinder" side to 47. Despite being a contract killer, he has another, rather complicated side. He is definitely a somewhat traumatized person whose only means of releasing his sadness and anger is through his killings. Remember, 47 is still very young in Codename 47. He hasn't yet fully "stomached" his trauma, and Silent Assassin confirms this, with an older Agent 47 still feeling lost in life and searching for redemption. I really really like the tone and feel of this game, it's just so unique and that's what makes these old games so special. It goes beyond nostalgia and I cringe at people who jump to that "nostalgia goggles" argument. I have always been a very observant, critical and analytical person and even in my childhood would notice peculiar details. Codename 47 is full of iconic moments, from "I need to use the bathroom", to the sounds civilians ("Have meeercy!") and enemies ("Watch out, heenie-hala!") make. Whatever the hell that latter quote means, haha. And the newer trilogy, well, it's a completely different game and tone. It's no longer about 47's character, human side as was further explored in Silent Assassin, it's a Bond-esque game with a Bond-esque soundtrack. Like you said, cliche.
I remember playing this game years ago because I loved Blood Money and wanted to see where the series got started. I also remember thinking Plutonium Runs Loose was the worst level in any game I'd ever played, and I still do. Because Codename 47 is so obscure now, I've never spoken to anyone else who'd actually played it and I can't tell you how vindicating it is to hear someone else absolutely slam the festering cesspit that is the worst level in any game ever. Plutonium Runs Loose makes literally anything else look like a walk in the park. Water Temple? Glorified puddle. Devil May Cry 3 Mission 15? Gentle stroll through some Gothic architecture. Blighttown? Charming little rustic village. I am so glad to finally have someone to say "fuck Plutonium Runs Loose" to who will actually get it.
Another thing about after planting the bomb in Say Hello To My Little Friend is if you somehow alert the guards when leaving and trigger the bomb in panic, make sure you’re at a far enough distance from the lab cause your game will crash when the bomb explodes
Very great video, agree with most of your points. Just beat the game myself today, and yeah it was rough, but I oddly feel motivated to go back and play a few missions like lee hong assassination or the hotel one
Hong Kong Themes is still one of my favorite songs ever made, for a game or otherwise. I've praised Jesper Kyd a few times in my Splinter Cell series; the man is brilliant. Great video!
I was heartbroken when I got this for Christmas but couldn't get it running properly on my PC, so had to return it I was even more heartbroken when years later, I realised all I had to do was change the renderer 😢
This game was a seminal part of my childhood gaming years. The concept of changing disguises and the AI reacting accordingly was mindblowing to me, at the time. I get that this game was released during the wild west of 3D gaming, before many design concepts became standardised but, oh boy, it's awful to play in current year. There's maybe 4 levels I would consider good, while the rest range from slightly bad to fooking awful. Luckily many of the more interesting levels were remade in Contracts (a really underrated game, btw). ANyways, great video.
The worst thing about the game is that it has insane potential, and I genuinely love all the levels that do not feel like torture. That is despite the fact that there are no saves: When the missions feel well-designed, it feels almost like a roguelite because you will make more progress every time you play the game, and there won't be "that" much wasted time doing absolutely nothing. I just wish half of the missions weren't designed to be painful.
This was such an iconic game from my childhood and it was fantastic to listen to this deep dive. As much as I want to defend this game, even rose tinted glasses can't hide some glaring flaws. But I can't help but appreciate how ahead of it's time the game with features like ragdoll physics, cloth and vegetation physics and even footsteps accurately landing on stairs and curbs.
I have a soft spot for the first game. It was infuriating but also mind blowing at the time. It was one of the first games to have cloth physics. Hell a lot of games even today don't have vegetation that reacts when you touch it, this game was ahead of the curve big time. The bullet wound detail textures were awesome too!
Play this game in his release days was like playing an unreal 5 game the first time at our time. Can you imagine what an awesome game this was...the graphics, the shooting...
@@marceloavila786 totally, it was like a hole new dimension in gaming. And acctually one of the few games I continue to play till I had an almost perfect score.
@@robertbismark347 I think codename 47 is a very underrated game. I really don't understand all the complaints about this game. Even in this video, some of problems pointed out I've never experienced in my plays. The guards in the Pablo house can be all easily killed with a knife or silenced pistol, and you can enter the lab with no problem using the right disguise. In the 'ship with nuke' level, I dont remenber of those thugs with eyes in the back. Also, the game become much more easy if you know what the knife can do.
You can cheese Dunkachino by just running behind him and one shotting him with melee after his first cut scene. That's what i've always done, never even knew he had additional lines before watching the video.
The disguises in this game are absolutely top-notch in my opinion. Dresses look classy with vibrant colors, and a lot of other disguises are also not afraid of using the vibrant colors to stand out as well. There is something about the color pallette in the newer Hitman games that stops me from finding disguises so visually appealing.
the cutscenes in cn47 are the big highlight for me, interesting style and use of colored lights, really set the tone the games still go for. edit: oh nice, you noted the cutscenes later in! as for the sound design being good, ehhh. it's all stock audio which was extremely common then to be fair.
Some other reviewer said that if you want to experience Eurojank at it's best and worst, Codename 47 is for you. If you compare it to Hitman 2: The silent assasin published two years after, the difference is so great that you'd be forgiven to think Codename 47 even exists. Codename 47 is basically IOI just throwing darts on wall and see what sticks. Hitman 2 is where it really comes together, with Contracts refining it, Blood Money perfecting it, Absolution being wacky Quentin Tarantino movie starring 47 (I personally do not consider Absolution to be a bad game: it's just a bad Hitman-game) and then finally returning what it was supposed to be in WoA-trilogy. Also I disagree with "worst level ever" about Rotterdamn: while Rotterdamn comes close, usual consesus is in favor of Columbia(me included). To the point that when Contracts was up, every old level EXCEPT columbia got remastered. Or that when Hitman 2 WoA showed Santa Fortuna, good chunk of the fandom shit themselves because they were afraid they'll get "another" Columbia. You know you have something special, when people still after 18 years later want to use privates as piranha bait than ever go anything like Codename 47 Columbia again. 33:49 There's five, actually. hitman.fandom.com/wiki/Five_Fathers The guy who you kill 17:37 "for the hell of it" actually is one of your daddies, Franz Fuchs(his younger brother was aiding him and Hitman:contracts shows there's THIRD Fuchs around).
"Codename 47 is basically IOI just throwing darts on wall and see what sticks. Hitman 2 is where it really comes together" Bah. Silent Assassin was a huge disappointment to me that ended up way more jank than its predecessor. They tried to make stealth punishing, but made it very inconsistent, while also expecting strict stealth gameplay, which just sapped all of the enjoyment from the game. At least in Codename 47 there's no rating system - if you can make it through simply shooting everyone, then it's purely up to your own skill.
i haven't even gotten past the first minute of the video, yet I applaud the fact you are extremely committed to annoying your friend so much that you made an entire hour long video in 4:3
From what I remember, HItman 2 Silent Assassin was the proper Hitman game that basically put the base mechanic how future Hitman 47 games be like. As the sequel improved, brushed up all the fault from the first game
I actually gave up on that one. Even when i got everything right. But due to the fact that i didnt go to the right place of exit... so sigh, i went in again and finicky ALARM got me and yeah.
Such an amazing video, this and the Jurassic park one are so good. (Haven't got to watch the others yet but will be binging the rest.) Thanks so much for making these videos, seriously these are fantastic. Keep doing what you're doing. Please, we need more!
Great job with this video! Got a good laugh outta me. The first Hitman game I played was Absolution, several years ago. Then I went back and played through all the games from the beginning, just as Hitman 2016 was about to come out. Codename 47 was one of the most frustrating gaming experiences I'd ever done, haha. But Jesper Kyd's fantastic score somewhat made up for it!
You made this video a while ago, but it's blowing up more recently. This was a really good retrospective, I think I did the same as you, I played some of the older games but I wanted to play them all before the 2016 game release and I had the same reaction as you, it's so janky and the other games have many quality of life improvements.
I've just discovered you through this Video. It's great & I look forward to seeing more of your work. I do hope you'll go back & cover Hitman 2: Silent Assassin & Contracts. They each have their own special unique types of Euro-Jank & terrible Save systems but are a lot more rewarding to play. When it all comes together & you nail a level its *almost* like you're playing Blood Money. Other early 3D Stealth Games are also worth a look, although they can be pretty terrible to play; even Splinter Cell, Thief 1 & 2 are *very* clunky. Only Metal Gear really nailed its brief on the first go.
@3:09 Codename 47 is a raw experience. The well known Hitman mechanics like a scoring system aren't fleshed out yet. Completing the mission and staying alive is all it requires, most of the time. @15:11 You need the officer uniform, mate or it causes you more trouble than necessary. AFAIK it is either in the house or on the lookout right before the hostage in the previous level. Don't forget to bring the sniper rifle from the lookout to eliminate "Al Cheapo." @44:31 Another option is to kill a clone in time, right after the chamber, use him to enter the final stage and kill the villain asap. @1:01:49 If you like the raw experience and can tolerate the flaws, it is actually an underrated classic. The lack of a save system doesn't make a difference for those high difficulty suit only player. The story might not be something spectacular, it is the puzzle piece that gives you the whole picture about 47.
There's actually a button you can press to switch to the free aim mode at any time. It can also be used to play the game like a point and click adventure, or even moreso, like Ultima/System Shock
One day I'd like to cover all the Hitman games but there are a bunch of other things I'd like to make videos on first. I can tell you from memory though Hidden Valley was garbage.
In the last level you're supposed to use the mini gun against all the clones, you find it in one of the rooms, that's why 47 is holding one in the level title art.
Your last sentiments that it's better to start with the later games are absolutely right. I remember in 2006 having a copy of both silent assasin and CN 47. I played CN47 first and it was too complex for my 10 year old self to figure out. I popped in Silent assasin and it was way more fun
Great comedy that doesn't take away from the video, very informative. Never heard of this game until just now watching this, yet I feel so enthralled by it all. Great video, I'm glad RUclips had me stumble upon it.
Excellent viddy! Plutonium runs loose is a special kind of torture. I’d made a story/guide playthrough series and just slammed into a massive wall of OMFG THIS IS SO BORING trying to explain the mechanics of that particular level and abandoned the project to protect my sanity. Well done for getting it through it, i feel that pain deeply! I also had the game crash several times when i’d set off the bomb in the bunker in “say hello to my little friend”. Not sure if that was just a problem on my end but that walk of shame was strutted waaaay too many times. Again, fantastic vid! Off to check out more of your stuff! 👍
16:30 Pretty sure that's a Terminator reference Also I didn't find Plutonium Runs Loose that hard and completed it in my third try, although I used a guide, Lee Hong Assassination was still harder in my opinion And the soundtrack is fantastic, in my opinion best in the series behind Contracts
I had to stay and watch the whole thing after you mentioned that you recorded the whole thing in 4:3 just to annoy your friend, because thats something i would have done to my friend aswell
40:59 "There is someone out there who has actually finished Codename 47 without lean aiming..." Me, sitting here struggling to decide if I completed it 3 times or 4 times: "It has to be that I just can't remember lean aiming, ever. That's what must have happened. The alternative... does not bear thinking about."
I like the fact that the game originally had mid mission saves but the developers removed them because then the play testers could complete the game in 4 hours.
I wonder if play tester are regretted later in today back then.
This is honestly the laziest way to add difficulty to your game in my opinion.
FOUR HOURS!!!!
No wonder the game had rather harsh mixed reviews back then. If you don't want to save during a mission, then just... don't use them?
ioi making a game that can be completed in four hours? those who forget history i guess
When 47 said his signature line “I need to use the bathroom” it sent chills down my spleen
it sent chills down my bladder
Finally some IBS representation
spleen 😭
It sent chills down my uterus
Ballz
It's funny in hindsight how the tutorial for World of Assassination takes place before this game chronologically, so 47 just randomly got comically worse at his job for a few days.
I mean, he's a clone.
The way you put the bathrom line to start each segment of a stage that has dialogues is perfect, makes it look like 47 just wants to find a damn bathroom but keeps having to kill people
Hitman codename 47 : one man's search for the ultimate bathroom!
It's like those dreams you get when you really need to pee but you're still asleep, like running through corridor after corridor, looking in all the rooms but never finding a bathroom.
Hitman 47 is the story of a man who just really needs to take a dump
@@Niobesnuppa one time i was in the bathroom in my dream but it wouldn't come out because how hard i was holding it for real
16:35 "why does a florist have a shotgun in the hotel". Terminator 2 reference had to be in.
I think they actually retconned it in Contracts, with Agency having "arranged" for the shotty to be there for 47. Still, good T2 reference.
use the shotty while he is in the bathroom taking a shower if you can get there alot of fun
I always wondered why I could barely remember any of the levels in this game. Then I realised after watching you play through the jungle missions why that was. My brain had simply blocked out all the PTSD inducing memories of frustration that would otherwise result in a stunted adulthood.
Fish restaurant , Hotel and Harbour was very memorable. In fact they are the one of the most memorable missions in the entire series.
I remember trying to be stealthy as shit in Say Hello mission, and killing everyone in the end. Every. Freaking. Time.
Minigun was helpful.
That Hitman Contracts remakes most of the missions in this game aside from the jungle levels is pretty telling.
LMAO ditto. I spent HOURS sitting at my family PC playing this game when it first came out. Like I literally sunk about six to eight months of my teenage life into it. Finished the whole thing. And watching this, I apparently remember about 25% of it. The rest is total blackout.
Stunted adult who remembers these levels here 🙋🏻♂️ can confirm.
I love the "3/3 Accomplished = Failed" screen
Right, the poison. The poison for Lee Hong. The poison specially designed to kill Lee Hong. Lee Hong's poison.
I want to say that the bathroom this sort of a reference to the godfather which a lot of modern players might not have seen the movie. They leave him a gun in the bathroom
When this first came out, the ragdoll bodies were *mind blowing*
I remember that!
Yeah playing Hitman 2 SA for the first time infront of one of my childhood best friends, I'll never forget him watching me drag a body and declare "this game is cool!" :D. It looked so realistic back then, mind blowing compared to bodies glued into position for eternity.
Exactly, most of the game was mind blowing. There’s a reason it got a sequel, and it’s shortcomings come from when it was made and how new everything about it was in my opinion
This and trespasser came with a same demo disc once. It was great times !
I played the demo, which I think was just the one mission at the fish restaurant, over and over. I eventually got into that weird territory where you have memorized every single thing in the level and can just grief the NPCs in hilarious ways, or start experimenting with the game's logic and physics. I also started modifying game files to change gravity, slow mo, etc. That is ultimately what I ended up doing when the full game came out. I loved it back then, but it's extremely hard to go back to now.
This was a joy to watch.
I did the same thing with the Hitman 2 demo, that mafia mansion in Sicily. It was mind-blowing at the time. Spent so long with that demo
Thanks! Yeah, good demos are a lost art.
haha, i did the same
Same here, it was a fun game and it took a lot of work to do most of the missions
“The draw distance is the length of Agent 47’s hair”
The worst thing about the last Colombia level is the outrageous bug at the very end of the level, freezing the game. After three or so attempts of completing the entire level I had to eventually use a cheat to unlock the rest of the game so I could continue playing.
The reason in 14:55 why they sometimes attack you and sometimes they don't because it depends from your disguise. Clothes of soldier with big hat, or simple green, brown unifrom is not allowed. But if you are wearing brown uniform with these two tinies yellow strips on your shoulder then you're allowed (it turns out that these are high command soldiers I guess). How player is supposed to figure it out? I don't know (I noticed it after years). Same problem I had with Prince of Persia: Sound of Time where you have one puzzle which require you to hear pretty unnoticable at first sound, if you never stop character to hear this sound then you have problem. I always played first hitman as a kid with solution so I am more forgiving. I love atmosphere, music and game has it charm. Of course next installments are highly more playable. I think with today's perspective that it''s worth for player to play first hitman one time, but I get how it get on people's nerve. Pretty good analysis. I wish you the best and hope to see more of your content in future.
Wait... are you talking about that teleporting puzzle in PoP?
@@HeavySandvichGuy1 Yes, I'm talking about this one puzzle. I appreciate creativity with that one, but in my youth i played game three times and always stop on this one until i look up in solution.
@@WampiroTerminator I guess it's time to replay the game then and see it for myself. Only now I found out about the sound thing
@@HeavySandvichGuy1 He's super right, that was one of the first times I ever used google in my life was to figure that one out
NOOOOO HES A PRO STEALTH PLAYER HE KNOWS WHAT HE'S DOING HE WOULD FIGURE IT OUT IF IT WERE TRUE YOURE CLEARLY LYING NOOOOOOOOOO!!!
The main issue with Codename 47 is that playing it blind is nothing but misery, but if you play it with solution (or played it before), it is a decently fun experience with a few bumps here and there.
The guy in front of the lab is shooting because you're wearing soldier's uniform. If you wear officer's uniform (the brown one) then he lets you pass without issues. My favorite piece of trivia related to this - if you pull up a detonator, and try to detonate the bomb without letting the animation of 47 pulling it out of his pocket play out completely, the game will very likely crash.
As for the Plutonium Runs Loose... yeah, that mission just sucks and there is no defending it.
Oh, and Ortmeyer isn't one of the 4 crime lords, he's a scientist. The crimelords in question are Lee Hong, Pablo Ochoa, Franz Fuchs and Arkadij Jegorov (aka Boris). Also, Franz Fuchs (the guy taking a shower in his room) is a target during Traditions of the Trade, it's Fritz (the guy in the sauna) that isn't, but you need a key to his lab from him and there is no way to get it without killing him.
I played it in widescreen and my cursor wouldn't show where bullets actually go. That was fun...
@maki3904 sorry for the late response. I only played at 1080p so the ui was fine
The "lean aiming" is the intended way to play the game.
There should be a setting to unlock it all the time . The way I remember it is that it was the default and the stupid locked one something you had to opt in to... maybe a later patch made it default.
Anyway that is why it isn't mentioned as a feature of leaning; it isn't.
Hitman: Codename 47 suffers from a chronic case of "First Game Syndrome." It was the studio's first game, so actually being able to create and launch it was a huge achievement in and of itself. Refinements and polishing had to wait for the sequels.
Two other comments: 1) Mention the music but not mention Jesper Kyd? Shame on you, he's made amazing music that's been iconic to the Hitman series and many other video games (most recently, Warhammer Darktide).
2) I know it's a retrospective point, but this game makes it unavoidable to kill armed guards and others on your way to and from the target in some levels. Since it's sequel, all Hitman games have insisted that the ideal way to complete every mission is by killing your assasination targets and ONLY your targets.
I was so surprised he didn't mention the menu theme, shit goes hard as fuck
If you forget the gameplay and the voicing, the plot, the mood and the insanity of prof. Ort-Meyer are still top notch. It was good enough to grow into a monster of a franchise.
26:40 that animation is only shown if you haven't yet eliminated all the guards on the ship.
Also, the aiming problem you mentioned is there because you're not aiming from your eye to the target, as with most FPS games, but from 47's body to the target, if that makes sense.
Honestly, the best way to experience Codename 47's best missions is just through Contracts.
I agree, i tried giving this game a chance. But after Lee Hong mission i just gave up, and i did EVERYTHING right. But because i assumed the exit was at the beginning... eh it kinda screwed me over once the guards started randomly going ALARM when i went into the wrong room where i robbed the safe from. So i just said "Screw it, go Contracts"
Contracts is great. Plus it has the meat king's party level...
CN47 was the first Hitman game I played and I still love it for all the fun cheesy awesome jank it is. Great video, deserves way more recognition.
There's something about small accounts like this one producing such magnificent masterpieces that never ceases to amuse me. Excellent job on this video, it is simply remarkable. I have watched it twice due to how stellar your editing is, your interesting commentary, and your insightful analysis. This is officially one of my favorite videos on YT ever.
Smaller channels often put great effort and pasion into their videos, it's kinda normal.
I always wondered if the devs did originally intend to ship the game with a save system, it seems bonkers to have mission design like this without saves or at least checkpoints. Even play-testing this must have been a nightmare. Edit: Didn't realise there was some rumour that the devs removed saves. It's hard to believe they did it to extend playtime, it may have been for technical reasons.
Who knows. It was a wild decision either way.
It was different back then.
It is extremely common for hotels to have florist shops.
Especially upscale ones.
I believe there needed to be arrangements for hairdressing, florists and shoeshining for a hotel to reach five stars
Codename 47 will always hold a place in my heart purely due to nostalgia…but yeah for most people it’s hard to go back to. No shame to anyone that just follows a guide or uses cheats to overcome the more bullshit levels
Your heart goes out to me then because in my Let's Play of Codename 47 (which you can find on my channel), I never used leaning at all.
In plutonium runs loose, you don't have to pick up the car bomb. Just wait near the stairs leading to the ship. It's the only exit and Boris comes in no time once alerted
My biggest issue with Hitman: Codename 47 (and Silent Assassin), is there is usually a singular intended way to do the missions, but the game doesn't always point you in the right direction.
When I did play through the game, I did end up using a walkthrough, and when that wasn't enough (on like 2 levels, Say Hello to my Little Friend and the last third of Plutonium Runs Loose) I just turned on God mode because the game is too jank.
That criticism only hold true for Codename 47 and the Japanese snow region mission, the other level in Silent Assassin are more in-line with the later Hitman installment
Schwächling
the Say hello to my little friend was my only problem cuz the guard shoots the fuck out of you for no reason.
Hey, just so you know, the reason why sometimes the guards shot you in the drug lab and sometimes they didn’t is because you were wearing a trespassing disguise, the only disguise allowed in there is the brown brimmed hat guard with the chevrons on his shoulders, neither of the green ones are, which seems to be a common misconception among players of this game!
First time I played Hitman codename 47 was in 2001. At that time it was like no other game in terms of open level exploration and environment interactions, there weren't many games like that maybe Thief II but wasn't at the level of Hitman. I understand that the all the next sequels were introduced on consoles, so many people have played Silent Assassin or the other sequels before Codename 47 since it was not that popular, so when they say it sucks, sure it sucks compared to the sequels because of it's old graphics, mechanics and gameplay limitations, but at it's time it was an a truly epic game with novelty and uniqueness compared to what was there at that time.
As a kid I was blown away!
I didn't even mind that I had to explore and retry as much as I did.
I got two games a year. One at Christmas and one on my birthday- so getting this much game, with all the variety was amazing! 😊
Man I really thought this was a big channel the edit the video I can see the care and love put into this please do more hitman videos like this
Thanks! I'd like to cover the other hitman games one day but there are other things I want to look at first.
14:40 you actually need a specific disguise to enter the lab, the reason you didn't notice it was because it's the same as another disguise but with a slightly different shade and the guy still tells you to go away for some reason (god this level is a mess)
I played this particular Hitman with my dad since 2000, we were blown away by the size of the levels and the realism. My four-year-old eyes couldn't believe what I was seeing. It was a magical time... Then in 2002, I got Hitman 2: Silent Assassin. But Codename 47 will always be the special game that sucked me into the series. Up until Blood Money which is fantastic.
I loved Silent Assassin, Contracts and Bloodmoney.
Never could get into the first game, not any of the Hitmen after Bloodmoney either. The online nonsense built into it that gameify's everything just made it awful to play IMO.
@@planescaped And then IO Interactive decided to do a 180 and remove the mandatory online nonsense with Hitman 2. Still a major screw up as the servers weren't exactly behaving well. I played through a few levels but never beat the new Hitman games, the aesthetic just doesn't do it for me, and Jesper Kyd is dearly missed (composer).
I picked this game off the shelf, spent all of my 400kr, after a long time talking my parents into spending the money.
I played it with my brother and my dad. We went trough everything together and when someone completed a level or found something new it was like a party! 😅
I have fond memories of this game, it was my childhood 😅❤
@@VergilHiltsLThonestly I think codename 47 nailed the assasin vibe the most.
Especially with the buy menu and actual real firearms.
The newer has fallen into some kind of a wierd cliche of itself.
@@KaptajnKaffe Yeah, the main title music by Jesper Kyd even does a perfect job at reflecting 47's professionalism and even his character. It's a track that's besides being an absolute masterpiece of a banger, has some seriously epic and tragic motives (that 47 was created to be a killer), yet it is also kinda hopeful in that, there is still humanity and a deeper, "kinder" side to 47. Despite being a contract killer, he has another, rather complicated side. He is definitely a somewhat traumatized person whose only means of releasing his sadness and anger is through his killings. Remember, 47 is still very young in Codename 47. He hasn't yet fully "stomached" his trauma, and Silent Assassin confirms this, with an older Agent 47 still feeling lost in life and searching for redemption.
I really really like the tone and feel of this game, it's just so unique and that's what makes these old games so special. It goes beyond nostalgia and I cringe at people who jump to that "nostalgia goggles" argument. I have always been a very observant, critical and analytical person and even in my childhood would notice peculiar details. Codename 47 is full of iconic moments, from "I need to use the bathroom", to the sounds civilians ("Have meeercy!") and enemies ("Watch out, heenie-hala!") make. Whatever the hell that latter quote means, haha.
And the newer trilogy, well, it's a completely different game and tone. It's no longer about 47's character, human side as was further explored in Silent Assassin, it's a Bond-esque game with a Bond-esque soundtrack. Like you said, cliche.
I remember playing this game years ago because I loved Blood Money and wanted to see where the series got started. I also remember thinking Plutonium Runs Loose was the worst level in any game I'd ever played, and I still do. Because Codename 47 is so obscure now, I've never spoken to anyone else who'd actually played it and I can't tell you how vindicating it is to hear someone else absolutely slam the festering cesspit that is the worst level in any game ever.
Plutonium Runs Loose makes literally anything else look like a walk in the park. Water Temple? Glorified puddle. Devil May Cry 3 Mission 15? Gentle stroll through some Gothic architecture. Blighttown? Charming little rustic village. I am so glad to finally have someone to say "fuck Plutonium Runs Loose" to who will actually get it.
The algorithm has finally figured me out and is now recommending small but good channels to me. You got a new subscriber!
Thanks!
I'm so glad some missions in this game are remade in hitman contracts cuz I actually enjoyed them. contracts is a good game
Yeah if I ever play the old Hitman games I'll just try Contracts and Blood Money.
Edit: I tried Codename 47 and Silent Assassin after and had a blast!
Another thing about after planting the bomb in Say Hello To My Little Friend is if you somehow alert the guards when leaving and trigger the bomb in panic, make sure you’re at a far enough distance from the lab cause your game will crash when the bomb explodes
Fantastic video man, keep it up!
Thanks!
Very nice. I'd love to see you do videos on Hitman 2: Silent Assassin and Hitman Contracts.
Thanks! I'd like to do videos on the other Hitman games too, but I don't think I'll have the time for a while yet.
Very great video, agree with most of your points. Just beat the game myself today, and yeah it was rough, but I oddly feel motivated to go back and play a few missions like lee hong assassination or the hotel one
Thanks! It does have that strange allure, yeah.
This is why they made Hitman Contracts. They fixed almost everything wrong with C47... and got rid of the poorly designed jungle levels.
That game taught me to be extra careful when a bald guy asks to use the bathroom on the very right time in my life.
I'm pretty sure the shotgun in the box of roses is a reference to Terminator
Omg i always thought the Budapest target was the one in the bathroom
Hong Kong Themes is still one of my favorite songs ever made, for a game or otherwise. I've praised Jesper Kyd a few times in my Splinter Cell series; the man is brilliant. Great video!
I was heartbroken when I got this for Christmas but couldn't get it running properly on my PC, so had to return it
I was even more heartbroken when years later, I realised all I had to do was change the renderer 😢
This game was a seminal part of my childhood gaming years. The concept of changing disguises and the AI reacting accordingly was mindblowing to me, at the time. I get that this game was released during the wild west of 3D gaming, before many design concepts became standardised but, oh boy, it's awful to play in current year. There's maybe 4 levels I would consider good, while the rest range from slightly bad to fooking awful. Luckily many of the more interesting levels were remade in Contracts (a really underrated game, btw). ANyways, great video.
and this game also was one of the first, with a ragdoll system for corpses
The worst thing about the game is that it has insane potential, and I genuinely love all the levels that do not feel like torture. That is despite the fact that there are no saves: When the missions feel well-designed, it feels almost like a roguelite because you will make more progress every time you play the game, and there won't be "that" much wasted time doing absolutely nothing. I just wish half of the missions weren't designed to be painful.
This was such an iconic game from my childhood and it was fantastic to listen to this deep dive. As much as I want to defend this game, even rose tinted glasses can't hide some glaring flaws. But I can't help but appreciate how ahead of it's time the game with features like ragdoll physics, cloth and vegetation physics and even footsteps accurately landing on stairs and curbs.
Insanely underrated video. I love how Hitman Contracts updated and refined the best levels from this game
Thanks!
16:04
You said it almost perfectly. It is supposed to be pronounced like "boo-duh-pesht" in Hungarian.
Ta.
@@monotonallizard
By the way, congratulations for beating the game. I gave up at The Lee Hong Assassination.
I have a soft spot for the first game. It was infuriating but also mind blowing at the time. It was one of the first games to have cloth physics. Hell a lot of games even today don't have vegetation that reacts when you touch it, this game was ahead of the curve big time. The bullet wound detail textures were awesome too!
Play this game in his release days was like playing an unreal 5 game the first time at our time. Can you imagine what an awesome game this was...the graphics, the shooting...
YES
and the ragdoll, the vegetation that moves when it was touched and the soundtrack of each level. It's amazing game.
@@marceloavila786 totally, it was like a hole new dimension in gaming. And acctually one of the few games I continue to play till I had an almost perfect score.
@@robertbismark347 I think codename 47 is a very underrated game. I really don't understand all the complaints about this game. Even in this video, some of problems pointed out I've never experienced in my plays. The guards in the Pablo house can be all easily killed with a knife or silenced pistol, and you can enter the lab with no problem using the right disguise. In the 'ship with nuke' level, I dont remenber of those thugs with eyes in the back. Also, the game become much more easy if you know what the knife can do.
@@marceloavila786 Why would a soundtrack suddenly not be good anymore?
I was always very curious about this game because in 6th grade my friend and I LOVED Hitman 2 on GameCube.
You can cheese Dunkachino by just running behind him and one shotting him with melee after his first cut scene. That's what i've always done, never even knew he had additional lines before watching the video.
it's been like 20 years and I just realized you can hide that pistol in the bathroom? DAMN! lol
The reason why they shoot at is because you have the wrong disguise you need the brown army suit not the green one or the attack you.
This is a great vid. I hope at some point you do Hitman 2(you know, the first one), if only to hear you tear apart the mess that is the Japan section
As janky as C47 is at times, it's got an atmosphere that no other Hitman game has. Just for that alone it's one of my top-3 in the series.
That old 90s atmosphere of sorts, when PC gaming was at its peak.
The disguises in this game are absolutely top-notch in my opinion. Dresses look classy with vibrant colors, and a lot of other disguises are also not afraid of using the vibrant colors to stand out as well. There is something about the color pallette in the newer Hitman games that stops me from finding disguises so visually appealing.
the cutscenes in cn47 are the big highlight for me, interesting style and use of colored lights, really set the tone the games still go for. edit: oh nice, you noted the cutscenes later in! as for the sound design being good, ehhh. it's all stock audio which was extremely common then to be fair.
Some other reviewer said that if you want to experience Eurojank at it's best and worst, Codename 47 is for you. If you compare it to Hitman 2: The silent assasin published two years after, the difference is so great that you'd be forgiven to think Codename 47 even exists.
Codename 47 is basically IOI just throwing darts on wall and see what sticks. Hitman 2 is where it really comes together, with Contracts refining it, Blood Money perfecting it, Absolution being wacky Quentin Tarantino movie starring 47 (I personally do not consider Absolution to be a bad game: it's just a bad Hitman-game) and then finally returning what it was supposed to be in WoA-trilogy.
Also I disagree with "worst level ever" about Rotterdamn: while Rotterdamn comes close, usual consesus is in favor of Columbia(me included). To the point that when Contracts was up, every old level EXCEPT columbia got remastered. Or that when Hitman 2 WoA showed Santa Fortuna, good chunk of the fandom shit themselves because they were afraid they'll get "another" Columbia.
You know you have something special, when people still after 18 years later want to use privates as piranha bait than ever go anything like Codename 47 Columbia again.
33:49 There's five, actually. hitman.fandom.com/wiki/Five_Fathers The guy who you kill 17:37 "for the hell of it" actually is one of your daddies, Franz Fuchs(his younger brother was aiding him and Hitman:contracts shows there's THIRD Fuchs around).
"Codename 47 is basically IOI just throwing darts on wall and see what sticks. Hitman 2 is where it really comes together"
Bah. Silent Assassin was a huge disappointment to me that ended up way more jank than its predecessor. They tried to make stealth punishing, but made it very inconsistent, while also expecting strict stealth gameplay, which just sapped all of the enjoyment from the game. At least in Codename 47 there's no rating system - if you can make it through simply shooting everyone, then it's purely up to your own skill.
@@roadent217lol
17:00 In Traditions of the trade you must / can exit by the kitchen not alerting the metal detectors, if my memory is good.
Best wishes.
This is deserving of way more recognition. Good job bro
Thanks!
far from it, imagine thinking the score to this game is "nothing to write home about"
Brother, it's good to see you here 🤚
@@necromech_ yeah I disagreed at that part. How can one not like the iconic theme, blasphemy! But other than that, great review :)
16:30 i think the shotgun in the flower box is supposed to be a nod to Terminator 2
i haven't even gotten past the first minute of the video, yet I applaud the fact you are extremely committed to annoying your friend so much that you made an entire hour long video in 4:3
I need to use the bathroom!
Weapon, weapon.. Watch out!
This guy is loaded.
From what I remember, HItman 2 Silent Assassin was the proper Hitman game that basically put the base mechanic how future Hitman 47 games be like. As the sequel improved, brushed up all the fault from the first game
If you want a raw experience without those mechanics, Codename 47 is the way to go.
The Lee Hong Assassination level I spent hours and hours on when I was like 10-11. So amazing and complex.
LHA is one of the best levels in the franchise history.
I actually gave up on that one. Even when i got everything right. But due to the fact that i didnt go to the right place of exit... so sigh, i went in again and finicky ALARM got me and yeah.
the Galop Infernal montage was so good, thank you
I need to use the bathroom
Here before this channel blows up cause damn this is so good
Such an amazing video, this and the Jurassic park one are so good. (Haven't got to watch the others yet but will be binging the rest.)
Thanks so much for making these videos, seriously these are fantastic. Keep doing what you're doing. Please, we need more!
amazing video, i watched completley and im glad that you could finish it.
The car glitch works all the way up to Blood Money and is actually part of many speedrun routes
Perfect. Love it.
16:30 It's an homage to Arnold Schwarzenegger having his shotgun hidden in a box of roses in Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Great job with this video! Got a good laugh outta me. The first Hitman game I played was Absolution, several years ago. Then I went back and played through all the games from the beginning, just as Hitman 2016 was about to come out. Codename 47 was one of the most frustrating gaming experiences I'd ever done, haha. But Jesper Kyd's fantastic score somewhat made up for it!
Thanks!
Shotgun in a flower box? That's an homage.
Thanks algorithm for this instant sub! Lenghty and detailed game videos that are nicely narrated are my life passion
Thanks!
You made this video a while ago, but it's blowing up more recently. This was a really good retrospective, I think I did the same as you, I played some of the older games but I wanted to play them all before the 2016 game release and I had the same reaction as you, it's so janky and the other games have many quality of life improvements.
I love your tactical approach of trying to garrote an enemy with a gun who is firing at you. Made me laugh so hard. Thanks and subscribed.
this content is already at such a high quality for such a new channel
I've just discovered you through this Video. It's great & I look forward to seeing more of your work.
I do hope you'll go back & cover Hitman 2: Silent Assassin & Contracts. They each have their own special unique types of Euro-Jank & terrible Save systems but are a lot more rewarding to play. When it all comes together & you nail a level its *almost* like you're playing Blood Money.
Other early 3D Stealth Games are also worth a look, although they can be pretty terrible to play; even Splinter Cell, Thief 1 & 2 are *very* clunky. Only Metal Gear really nailed its brief on the first go.
@3:09 Codename 47 is a raw experience. The well known Hitman mechanics like a scoring system aren't fleshed out yet. Completing the mission and staying alive is all it requires, most of the time.
@15:11 You need the officer uniform, mate or it causes you more trouble than necessary. AFAIK it is either in the house or on the lookout right before the hostage in the previous level. Don't forget to bring the sniper rifle from the lookout to eliminate "Al Cheapo."
@44:31 Another option is to kill a clone in time, right after the chamber, use him to enter the final stage and kill the villain asap.
@1:01:49 If you like the raw experience and can tolerate the flaws, it is actually an underrated classic. The lack of a save system doesn't make a difference for those high difficulty suit only player.
The story might not be something spectacular, it is the puzzle piece that gives you the whole picture about 47.
Just stumbled onto your video and I’m really impressed with the quality of your script. Very enjoyable ! Can’t wait to see more of your work
Thanks!
There's actually a button you can press to switch to the free aim mode at any time. It can also be used to play the game like a point and click adventure, or even moreso, like Ultima/System Shock
So I've since discovered, yeah. Does it make the game any easier?
Enjoyed this video so much, such a joy
Do you planning to cover Hitman 2: Silent Assassin? If you do, can't wait to see your opinion on the mission Hidden Valley
One day I'd like to cover all the Hitman games but there are a bunch of other things I'd like to make videos on first. I can tell you from memory though Hidden Valley was garbage.
In the last level you're supposed to use the mini gun against all the clones, you find it in one of the rooms, that's why 47 is holding one in the level title art.
Your last sentiments that it's better to start with the later games are absolutely right. I remember in 2006 having a copy of both silent assasin and CN 47. I played CN47 first and it was too complex for my 10 year old self to figure out. I popped in Silent assasin and it was way more fun
Great comedy that doesn't take away from the video, very informative. Never heard of this game until just now watching this, yet I feel so enthralled by it all. Great video, I'm glad RUclips had me stumble upon it.
Excellent viddy! Plutonium runs loose is a special kind of torture. I’d made a story/guide playthrough series and just slammed into a massive wall of OMFG THIS IS SO BORING trying to explain the mechanics of that particular level and abandoned the project to protect my sanity. Well done for getting it through it, i feel that pain deeply! I also had the game crash several times when i’d set off the bomb in the bunker in “say hello to my little friend”. Not sure if that was just a problem on my end but that walk of shame was strutted waaaay too many times. Again, fantastic vid! Off to check out more of your stuff! 👍
C47 did actually begin life as a tech demo for the ragdolling.
Great production, funny, witty, I want more! Review the other 3 games from the old era please! Can't wait to hear your input!
Thanks! I'd like to cover the rest of the Hitman games but there's a few other things I'd like to make videos on first.
16:30 Pretty sure that's a Terminator reference
Also I didn't find Plutonium Runs Loose that hard and completed it in my third try, although I used a guide, Lee Hong Assassination was still harder in my opinion
And the soundtrack is fantastic, in my opinion best in the series behind Contracts
The Budapest pronounciation was perfect keep going.
I had to stay and watch the whole thing after you mentioned that you recorded the whole thing in 4:3 just to annoy your friend, because thats something i would have done to my friend aswell
40:59 "There is someone out there who has actually finished Codename 47 without lean aiming..."
Me, sitting here struggling to decide if I completed it 3 times or 4 times: "It has to be that I just can't remember lean aiming, ever. That's what must have happened. The alternative... does not bear thinking about."
"It is our business doing pleasure with you" is a brilliant line.
You deserve more subs, this was great
Thanks!