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Hitman is a video game franchise available on most modern formats. It revolves around a man known as Codename 47 (usually simply referred to as 47), an assassin for hire, whose skills place him in high demand for jobs. The games contain a considerable amount of violence and are rated Mature (17+) by the Entertainment Software Rating Board.

The games were developed by Danish developer IO Interactive, now a division of Eidos Interactive. Three games have been released in the series: Hitman: Codename 47 (2000), Hitman 2: Silent Assassin (2002), and Hitman: Contracts (2004). A fourth installment, titled Hitman: Blood Money, has been announced for an early 2006 release. A film, starring Vin Diesel as the lead character, is set to release in 2007. See Hitman (2007 film) for more details.

The games have been noted for their impressive musical scores by Jesper Kyd.

Basic gameplay

All games of the Hitman series present players with choices in carrying out the game's missions. Players can perform precise assassinations or be incredibly brutal in their own approach to achieving mission goals; however, the game rewards the more subtle approach by giving special weapon rewards when players achieve the Silent Assassin rank (usually achievable by eliminating only the mission's target, and without raising the alarm doing so).

The gameplay revolves heavily around disguises, which the player uses to fool enemies and gain access to restricted areas. The focus of the Hitman series is not hiding in the shadows from the enemy, but rather blending in amongst them (although sneaking behind guards and avoiding patrols becomes more prevalent in the gameplay of later games).

The player's character, Agent 47, is not particularly maneuverable; he cannot jump at all, let alone scale walls or mantle up ledges (there are a couple of pre-scripted places where he can jump from one balcony to another, but these are rare). This generally limits the player to a single plane of movement, although he is often presented the opportunity to move to higher or lower areas through the use of ladders, stairs, elevators, or hills.

A major feature in the game is the "alert" meter, detailing how much attention the player is receiving from the public or guards and is dependent on many things. For example, Walking around in a guard's uniform with the correct corresponding gun won't gather much notice, whereas running around in a waiter's uniform in a restricted area while carrying a giant rifle instead of an appetizer tray will generally result in a massive firefight.

In terms of action, the Hitman series runs a middle ground between shooters and stealth games. Unlike most stealth game protagonists, 47 can survive considerable damage before dying. Combined with the game's impressive arsenal, this allows for some high-action firefights. At the same time, players are unable to heal 47's health in the middle of a level, which tends to encourage the player to avoid as much damage as possible especially in later levels, where enemies begin carrying high-powered weapons such as shotguns or sniper rifles that can kill 47 in one or two hits. In fact, many levels are possible to complete without firing a single shot; this style of gameplay looks set to become more prevalent in the new Hitman game, Blood Money.

Hitman: Codename 47

The Hitman, Codename 47, wakes up strapped to a sparse bed in a padded room, in hospital garb. A disembodied voice over a loudspeaker releases him and subjects him to a series of obstacle courses where he is instructed in firearms and murder techniques. 47 is eventually led to a pair of guards, whom he murders in order to escape captivity. The story then picks up a few years later, rejoining 47 as a professional assassin in the employ of the International Contract Agency (ICA). 47 is sent around the globe on a series of missions to eliminate four global criminal masterminds, all while trying to unravel the secret behind his origin.

Unlike most shooters, where the player is thrust into a hostile world and must kill to survive, Hitman: Codename 47 generally takes place in neutral environments such as hotels, restaurants, or city streets, and the impetus is on 47 to initiate the violence. However, unlike later games in the series, violence is mandatory and there are several levels where getting into a large-scale gunfight against dozens of guards is inevitable. This is particularly true concerning a level that takes place in the Colombian jungle where the player battles South American drug soldiers, a level criticized by many players as being inconsistent with the "stealthy" tone of the game.

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