HitMan: Codename 47

Yes, I know ECTS is long over, and you've all read various reports from the show. Well, I was a busy little boy, so rather than try and cram in a short writing session to get my thoughts out and about immediately, I thought I'd actually take the time to allow my thoughts and impressions to gel a little, add in a little extra research, and then put words down. So I'm going to concentrate on one of the titles (among many) that I saw at ECTS, a title that I saw alone.

There is an amazing amount of work being put into single player games at the moment, and the quest for a slightly more realistic feel to gaming has led to a lot of work being put into this area. Hitman, coming soon from publishers Eidos and developers Io Interactive is one of these games, purely single player and proud of it. I was lucky enough to be given a preview by Jens Peter Karup, the Lead Animator.

I had heard good things about Hitman before seeing the game in action, although past a couple of screenshots, I'd seen nothing. First impressions made me think of games like Tomb Raider and Heavy Metal, simply because of the third-preson viewpoint. It was when I started following what was going on that the sheer impressiveness of this game came to the fore.

The basic premise is that you play a lone hitman, sent out to complete various 'hits' on your employers enemies. Stealth is the key here. In the first demo I was shown, you have to assasinate a gang leader using whatever means you like. The most obvious thing to do is to go in all guns blazing - but if you do that, you'll fail. One really sneaky part of this particular mission is that the gang boss arrives by car, and if you're not careful, you can actually be run over... And if you try a frontal assault on the Gang's headquarters before the boss arrives, he won't stop and get out of the car, instead he'll leave the area, making it a little difficult to complete your assignment.

Giving the problem a little thought can bring enlightenment. Since one of the items you can choose to take on the mission is a car bomb, the obvious thing to do is to attach the bomb and run away. However, the gang boss's guards won't allow you near the car dressed as a civilian. If you observe the actions of the guards and attendant players in this scenario, you'll see the driver wander off down a dark alley. If you follow, you can garotte him using piano wire (you have to be quiet, remember). Now you can take his clothe and impersonate him. Civilians react to corpses and will raise the alarm if you leave bodies lying around, so you'll have to dispose of the body, which you can do by dragging it to a conveniently close sewer. Once dressed properly, you can approach the car with impunity.

You really do have to be aware of what's around you when completing this mission. If you follow the driver and kill him without looking around to make sure it's all clear, you'll be caught. If you kill him and then hang around, you could be caught in the act. The best bet is to use the garotte and them dump it in a garbage bin somewhere else before going back (if you're quick enough and it's safe) to grab the clothes and dump the body.

Of the three levels I saw, this was the one I saw in most detail as far as gameplay goes. The largest level I saw was a jungle level, not necessarily what you'd expect in a game called 'Hitman'. This level is amazingly large, and it would be very easy to get lost in. The developers have done a lot of work to ensure their graphic engine can cope with the sheer amount of detail embedded within levels like this. For example, as your avatar is walking along, if it brushes against foliage, rather than like most engines where your character walks straight through 'detail' brushes, in this engine the leaves of ferns and bushes get pushed out of the way and spring back once you're past. A small detail yes, but it adds immeasurably to the feeling of immersion in the game.

The AI behind the other characters in the game is of a level not seen before, with NPC's reacting to the environment around them. The jungle level is particularly effective this way, as NPC's will react to the sound of your character passing through the bushes and will come and investigate. As always, stealth is the key, and going in all guns blazing won't serve you well. The included map screen will help with sneaking around potential trouble spots, and in particular with this jungle level, you'll need the map screen just so you don't get lost! It really is like wandering around in the Amazon jungle, with huge trees blocking your view and bushes everywhere. I was shown a quick camera flythrough of the level, and it took a good couple of minutes to go from one side to the other, even with a fast moving camera.

From what I have seen of this game, it's highly unlikely that you will be able to complete a level on the first try. Each level will require thought and planning to ensure that you know what you're doing, where you're going and where your adversaries are. Careful study of the mission paramters and map will help, but like everything, it's knowing the lay of the land that will help most. As long as you don't wander into restricted areas or provoke a reaction (such as running around carrying a gun) most of your adversaries should quite happily ignore you. Linearity, as much as possible, has also been removed, with each mission affording multiple ways of completion.

There are not many titles on the horizon that are as ambitious as this, nor as accomplished. The version I saw was obviously still a little rough around the edges, but for all that it was still an incredibly polished game. This one I'm looking forward to.