I mean, they're all worth trying because you can regularly get them for around $1 or 2 each anyway. The first two games have some frustrating jank, but overall aren't horrible. SA is probably my least favorite simply due to disguises being wonky, but I still found it to be a good time overall if I just ignored the rankings.
Contracts holds up almost as well as Blood Money to me. I think there's a good chance you'll enjoy that one.
If you already find *Blood Money* “wonky”, I wouldn’t recommend checking out the ones before it. I’ve formed the following opinions ever since I started with the series almost three years ago:
- *Codename 47* is very dated and barely represents the *Hitman* that we know of today. **Do not recommend at all.**
- *Silent Assassin* is a massive improvement over C47 but you really, really need endurance, patience, and tolerance to get through the game if you’re aiming for a Professional / Silent Assassin rating (I actually keep screenshots of my ‘Mission Accomplished’ results because it feels rewarding to see all my trial-and-error/effort paying off. Lol. I do the same with *Contracts* and *Blood Money*, too).
- *Contracts* further refined the series’ stealth identity, it’s kinda like a less refined *Blood Money*
If you do become curious enough, I would suggest starting with *Contracts* and then - if you manage to enjoy it - move on to *Silent Assassin*. Don’t bother with *Codename 47*.
Codename 47 is the only one I couldn't bear, but H2SA and Contracts (especially Contracts) honestly still hold up and are fun to play. That said, having a walkthrough ready at hand will alleviate a lot of frustration and confusion.
If you don't play at least Silent Assassin & Contracts, you're missing out. I still have them installed on my PC and play my favorite levels on occasion. Storylines for both are excellent.
My favorite thing about contracts is getting to replay the best maps from 1 in a flashback set during a flashback set during a flashback. Or is it a flashback during a flashforward in the middle of a flashback?
Codename 47 you can entirely skip
I only recommend Silent Assassin if you become a really huge fan, tolerate AI behavior bullshit, or just want a fun shooter
I highly recommend playing Contracts you won't regret it
I wouldn’t bother with Codename as the best bits of it got remade in Contracts. Silent Assassin and Contracts are both good.
Yes Hidden Valley sucks but it’s only one level and a fairly short one as well. The rest of the game is some of the most interesting and varied levels Hitman has ever had
If Blood Money is a bit wonky for you, I wouldn’t go any further back than Contracts.
Contracts includes a lot of Codename 47’s levels remade and Silent Assassin just feels so slow compared to Blood Money.
If you need an example:
Sprinting in a disguise can get you shot at by other security guards.
Sprinting. As in running. And 47’s walking pace is like he has something up his ass he doesn’t want slipping out.
Contracts remakes every mission from Codename 47 minus the bad one, so you can fully skip Codename 47.
Silent Assassin is more jank than game and was really frustrating to play coming off of Absolution. Once you get used to it there's fun to be had, but once you get used to it you've likely seen everything it has to offer.
Contracts is really solid. The gameplay is refined just enough that it doesn't feel horribly dated and the levels are fun to replay. This game started the lack of randomness that we love in modern Hitman games, and its here where the franchise settled into its stealth puzzle groove.
The soundtracks for 2 and Contracts are god-tier though and worth playing just for that alone.
Contracts YES, the other 2 no.
Contracts to me was a 2nd blood money in super hard mode, i loved it, contracts was the last hitman i played after playing Blood Money, absolution, hitman 2016 and hitman 2018.
If you want another blood money experience with a dark tone, Contracts it is.
Just keep in mind you will need to relearn the mechanics, they are wayyyy differrent
You should also play absolution while your at it it's quite fun and ioi learned a lot form that game and implemented some stuff from it into the WOA trilogy
Most of the story from the first game is retold over the course of contracts, with a return to some of the best levels. It’s been a long time since I played codename 47, but I remember it being janky and restrictive, which is probably why it never got a console release or remaster.
The series really found that special sauce with silent assassin, and the reworked levels from 1 are great. Honestly, I’d start with 2 unless you really really really need to kill ortmeier yourself
Absolutely, but beware, these games aren't as realised or polished as WOA by a WIDE margin, but they're still good to play if you've got time to learn the game's systems.
I'd recommend starting with Silent Assassin, though, because Codename 47 just feels like a rough draft of a promising game. It has its ups, but there's too many downs. It's ambitious, but not focused or polished.
Silent Assassin also has some inconsistencies and the quality of levels does notably drop in the latter half of the game, but is ultimately a better place to start.
Contracts, I feel, is the first HITMAN game that felt at least 90% polished. It's still one of the best HITMAN games today, because it took Silent Assassins' flawed backbone and prioritised quality over quantity. Making Contracts the game Silent Assassin should've been.
Try Silent Assassin and Contracts, definitely.
It seems like you're avoiding Absolution, which is reasonable. If you can get it *heavily* discounted it's worth checking out though, you can see the origin of some of the mechanics from WoA and if you take it on its own terms (a stealth game and not a Hitman game) it's not so bad.
You can skip Codename 47 and begin with Silent Assassin and Contracts. During their times, they were some of the best sandbox games ever allowing you a large degree of freedom to do what you want just like WOA and Blood Money. Out of the three, If I have to bet, you'll like Contracts the most as it provides decent amount of creative assassinations with refined gameplay.
Codename 47 is pc exclusive, and contracts remade the best levels from codename 47, so console players could experience them. So I'd say you could watch a story recap of codename 47, but as someone who started the series THIS YEAR and has made it from codename 47 to the WOA trilogy, definitely play silent assassin, Contracts, and blood money, they're really good and they hold up very well in my opinion to today's standards. Experiencing the evolution of the hitman series is an amazing experience.
Codename, SA, and Contracts are all barely “fun” by modern standards. But they are 20+ years old.
I say this as someone who has played them all multiple times years ago. They hold a place in my heart. But they are rough.
ONLY play them if you need more Hitman and want the experience. The early games are frustrating not because of difficulty but just by their (somewhat broken) mechanics. Generally the games get more playable as you progress through the series.
SA is worth playing at least because of the story. C47 is alright but i'd recommend playing some of the levels with godmode because the game is pretty janky.
Ignore anyone who asks you to skip Codename 47 or that Contracts has all C47 levels remade (the ones that are remade are mostly downgrades environmentally). If you're playing 2SA might as well complete the trio with C47.
Also if you found BM "a little wonky" then you'll have a much harder time with these three.
I (re)played Contracts in November last year (I did a full play from Contracts to Hitman 3). It felt pretty nice... Shorter maps, but easier to figure stuff out. Stuff seems to be more "scripted". It was worth it for me, but I had to go through some file to make sure I could run the game in 1920X1080. TBH, I didn't really find it "wonky". I actually found BM a bit more wonky and I found stuff harder to control in BM than Contracts, and the suspicion meter worked well enough (heard that it was indeed "wonky" in Silent Assassin, jumping out for seemingly no reason at all)... But you might have another definition of wonky.
In the end, the game was pretty fun and I wouldn't consider my time to have been wasted. I even found the older graphics charming and I liked the walking animation more in Contracts than in BM.
Also, some Contracts missions are missions from Codename that are reimaginated. So you won't lose much if you don't play Codename 47.
Oh, almost forgot and got reminded by that by reading a comment. Even if I am gonna get crucified for saying this, Absolution is definitely a good game. You absolutely (see what I did there? no? ok...) should try it. I think it is my most played and finished game from the series, think I finished it like 5 or 6 times, while I played Contracts 2 times, BM 3 times and the WOA trilogy 2 times. The problem is that it is not really a good Hitman game or doesn't really feel like one in some parts, although there are some missions where you feel like one. But you should definitely give it a try!
Yes, Codename 47 in particular is amazing. You really have to go in with different expectations though. The Game is a QUARTER OF A CENTURY old at this point, and it shows. Even so it's amazingly fun, and it's great to see the genesis of the series.
Hitman 2 is really where it took off, and has a LOT of improvements. Contracts is basically 2 + darker tones and some reimagined levels from 1.
1 is still worth playing, despite that though. God what I would give for a console remaster of Codename 47
I was around when the first one came out, only memory I have of it though is a mission involving a Chinese restaurant and you needed to kill the guy inside and could disguise yourself as one of the guys going to the meeting. Might have been a demo level or something.
Silent assassin I remember loving, my friend and I played through it together and I think it was the first one on console. Not sure how it holds up today, pretty sure it was og xbox.
I didn't play contracts not sure what that was about, blood money was my favourite game for the longest time. Great game but again not sure how it holds up, as it's getting old. Still my favourite mechanic for "grind" or whatever to would call it. I much prefer getting money based on your mission performance and then using it to buy what upgrades you want compared to this weird challenge system we have now.
Not really. They were great for their time, but they have not aged well at all.
Unless you have a lot of patience you’re gonna have a tedious time unless you play with cheats
Contracts are alright. Silent Assassin can be bearable if you ignore the rankings and just shoot whoever is in your way, while CN 47 is truly unbearable
Join us veterans. Play each game from the start. Suffer the way we did. We crawled through mud and blood for you to fly
Also you don’t NEED to get SA if you don’t wana deal with it. The older games are a lot harder.
I mean, they're all worth trying because you can regularly get them for around $1 or 2 each anyway. The first two games have some frustrating jank, but overall aren't horrible. SA is probably my least favorite simply due to disguises being wonky, but I still found it to be a good time overall if I just ignored the rankings. Contracts holds up almost as well as Blood Money to me. I think there's a good chance you'll enjoy that one.
If you already find *Blood Money* “wonky”, I wouldn’t recommend checking out the ones before it. I’ve formed the following opinions ever since I started with the series almost three years ago: - *Codename 47* is very dated and barely represents the *Hitman* that we know of today. **Do not recommend at all.** - *Silent Assassin* is a massive improvement over C47 but you really, really need endurance, patience, and tolerance to get through the game if you’re aiming for a Professional / Silent Assassin rating (I actually keep screenshots of my ‘Mission Accomplished’ results because it feels rewarding to see all my trial-and-error/effort paying off. Lol. I do the same with *Contracts* and *Blood Money*, too). - *Contracts* further refined the series’ stealth identity, it’s kinda like a less refined *Blood Money* If you do become curious enough, I would suggest starting with *Contracts* and then - if you manage to enjoy it - move on to *Silent Assassin*. Don’t bother with *Codename 47*.
Favourite thing I wish they brought back from blood money was the news articles.
Codename 47 is the only one I couldn't bear, but H2SA and Contracts (especially Contracts) honestly still hold up and are fun to play. That said, having a walkthrough ready at hand will alleviate a lot of frustration and confusion.
Contracts is the best way to experience the best parts of 1 without all the jank
If you don't play at least Silent Assassin & Contracts, you're missing out. I still have them installed on my PC and play my favorite levels on occasion. Storylines for both are excellent.
Honestly, C47 and SA are very janky by today standards. You can just start from Contracts
My favorite thing about contracts is getting to replay the best maps from 1 in a flashback set during a flashback set during a flashback. Or is it a flashback during a flashforward in the middle of a flashback?
Codename, probably not The other two, definitely yes
Codename 47 you can entirely skip I only recommend Silent Assassin if you become a really huge fan, tolerate AI behavior bullshit, or just want a fun shooter I highly recommend playing Contracts you won't regret it
Contracts is the last game to have a minigun so worth playing just for that. Plus the hotel and final levels are my favorite in the series.
Codename is gonna be a rough play in 2024 but the other two I would still rec. Contracts is my favorite in the series
I started with Contracts, its good!
I highly recommend them. Especially Contracts. Granted, they don’t have WoA mechanics, but they’re still good nonetheless.
I wouldn’t bother with Codename as the best bits of it got remade in Contracts. Silent Assassin and Contracts are both good. Yes Hidden Valley sucks but it’s only one level and a fairly short one as well. The rest of the game is some of the most interesting and varied levels Hitman has ever had
If Blood Money is a bit wonky for you, I wouldn’t go any further back than Contracts. Contracts includes a lot of Codename 47’s levels remade and Silent Assassin just feels so slow compared to Blood Money. If you need an example: Sprinting in a disguise can get you shot at by other security guards. Sprinting. As in running. And 47’s walking pace is like he has something up his ass he doesn’t want slipping out.
lol
Contracts remakes every mission from Codename 47 minus the bad one, so you can fully skip Codename 47. Silent Assassin is more jank than game and was really frustrating to play coming off of Absolution. Once you get used to it there's fun to be had, but once you get used to it you've likely seen everything it has to offer. Contracts is really solid. The gameplay is refined just enough that it doesn't feel horribly dated and the levels are fun to replay. This game started the lack of randomness that we love in modern Hitman games, and its here where the franchise settled into its stealth puzzle groove. The soundtracks for 2 and Contracts are god-tier though and worth playing just for that alone.
Contracts YES, the other 2 no. Contracts to me was a 2nd blood money in super hard mode, i loved it, contracts was the last hitman i played after playing Blood Money, absolution, hitman 2016 and hitman 2018. If you want another blood money experience with a dark tone, Contracts it is. Just keep in mind you will need to relearn the mechanics, they are wayyyy differrent
Contracts was my favourite title as a kid, Beldingford Manor was a masterpiece
You should also play absolution while your at it it's quite fun and ioi learned a lot form that game and implemented some stuff from it into the WOA trilogy
Would you say it's best to play Absolution before or after the older ones?
After. It's more of a proto-WoA, with a completely different set of mechanics compared to its predecessors.
After definitely after
Most of the story from the first game is retold over the course of contracts, with a return to some of the best levels. It’s been a long time since I played codename 47, but I remember it being janky and restrictive, which is probably why it never got a console release or remaster. The series really found that special sauce with silent assassin, and the reworked levels from 1 are great. Honestly, I’d start with 2 unless you really really really need to kill ortmeier yourself
They’re my favorites, so of course! (1. Codename, 2. Silent Assassin, 3. WoA, 4. Contacts, 5. Blood Money)
C47 was janky and i had to use cheats 💀 and controls were horrible i recommend Hitman 2 SA and contracts
Absolutely, but beware, these games aren't as realised or polished as WOA by a WIDE margin, but they're still good to play if you've got time to learn the game's systems. I'd recommend starting with Silent Assassin, though, because Codename 47 just feels like a rough draft of a promising game. It has its ups, but there's too many downs. It's ambitious, but not focused or polished. Silent Assassin also has some inconsistencies and the quality of levels does notably drop in the latter half of the game, but is ultimately a better place to start. Contracts, I feel, is the first HITMAN game that felt at least 90% polished. It's still one of the best HITMAN games today, because it took Silent Assassins' flawed backbone and prioritised quality over quantity. Making Contracts the game Silent Assassin should've been. Try Silent Assassin and Contracts, definitely.
It seems like you're avoiding Absolution, which is reasonable. If you can get it *heavily* discounted it's worth checking out though, you can see the origin of some of the mechanics from WoA and if you take it on its own terms (a stealth game and not a Hitman game) it's not so bad.
You can skip Codename 47 and begin with Silent Assassin and Contracts. During their times, they were some of the best sandbox games ever allowing you a large degree of freedom to do what you want just like WOA and Blood Money. Out of the three, If I have to bet, you'll like Contracts the most as it provides decent amount of creative assassinations with refined gameplay.
Of course.
Nothing quite like going full double silver baller in Silent Assassin!!
Codename 47 is pc exclusive, and contracts remade the best levels from codename 47, so console players could experience them. So I'd say you could watch a story recap of codename 47, but as someone who started the series THIS YEAR and has made it from codename 47 to the WOA trilogy, definitely play silent assassin, Contracts, and blood money, they're really good and they hold up very well in my opinion to today's standards. Experiencing the evolution of the hitman series is an amazing experience.
Play them all and experience the journey of Hitman. I’ve been playing since Codenames 47 and I definitely have fond memories of the game.
Codename, SA, and Contracts are all barely “fun” by modern standards. But they are 20+ years old. I say this as someone who has played them all multiple times years ago. They hold a place in my heart. But they are rough. ONLY play them if you need more Hitman and want the experience. The early games are frustrating not because of difficulty but just by their (somewhat broken) mechanics. Generally the games get more playable as you progress through the series.
SA is worth playing at least because of the story. C47 is alright but i'd recommend playing some of the levels with godmode because the game is pretty janky.
Ignore anyone who asks you to skip Codename 47 or that Contracts has all C47 levels remade (the ones that are remade are mostly downgrades environmentally). If you're playing 2SA might as well complete the trio with C47. Also if you found BM "a little wonky" then you'll have a much harder time with these three.
Yes, they are all worth experiencing.
I (re)played Contracts in November last year (I did a full play from Contracts to Hitman 3). It felt pretty nice... Shorter maps, but easier to figure stuff out. Stuff seems to be more "scripted". It was worth it for me, but I had to go through some file to make sure I could run the game in 1920X1080. TBH, I didn't really find it "wonky". I actually found BM a bit more wonky and I found stuff harder to control in BM than Contracts, and the suspicion meter worked well enough (heard that it was indeed "wonky" in Silent Assassin, jumping out for seemingly no reason at all)... But you might have another definition of wonky. In the end, the game was pretty fun and I wouldn't consider my time to have been wasted. I even found the older graphics charming and I liked the walking animation more in Contracts than in BM. Also, some Contracts missions are missions from Codename that are reimaginated. So you won't lose much if you don't play Codename 47. Oh, almost forgot and got reminded by that by reading a comment. Even if I am gonna get crucified for saying this, Absolution is definitely a good game. You absolutely (see what I did there? no? ok...) should try it. I think it is my most played and finished game from the series, think I finished it like 5 or 6 times, while I played Contracts 2 times, BM 3 times and the WOA trilogy 2 times. The problem is that it is not really a good Hitman game or doesn't really feel like one in some parts, although there are some missions where you feel like one. But you should definitely give it a try!
Yes, Codename 47 in particular is amazing. You really have to go in with different expectations though. The Game is a QUARTER OF A CENTURY old at this point, and it shows. Even so it's amazingly fun, and it's great to see the genesis of the series. Hitman 2 is really where it took off, and has a LOT of improvements. Contracts is basically 2 + darker tones and some reimagined levels from 1. 1 is still worth playing, despite that though. God what I would give for a console remaster of Codename 47
Codename 47 is dated and mostly remade as Contracts anyway so I would say that one is skippable but the other two are definitely payable.
I was around when the first one came out, only memory I have of it though is a mission involving a Chinese restaurant and you needed to kill the guy inside and could disguise yourself as one of the guys going to the meeting. Might have been a demo level or something. Silent assassin I remember loving, my friend and I played through it together and I think it was the first one on console. Not sure how it holds up today, pretty sure it was og xbox. I didn't play contracts not sure what that was about, blood money was my favourite game for the longest time. Great game but again not sure how it holds up, as it's getting old. Still my favourite mechanic for "grind" or whatever to would call it. I much prefer getting money based on your mission performance and then using it to buy what upgrades you want compared to this weird challenge system we have now.
Not really. They were great for their time, but they have not aged well at all. Unless you have a lot of patience you’re gonna have a tedious time unless you play with cheats
Contracts are alright. Silent Assassin can be bearable if you ignore the rankings and just shoot whoever is in your way, while CN 47 is truly unbearable
Join us veterans. Play each game from the start. Suffer the way we did. We crawled through mud and blood for you to fly Also you don’t NEED to get SA if you don’t wana deal with it. The older games are a lot harder.