Best Level Ever: If Codename 47 laid the groundwork for future Hitman titles despite being very rough around the edges itself, "Traditions of the Trade" was the ultimate showcase of how the gameplay mechanics and atmosphere could combine to make a truly distinct and fun experience. Most of the signature stealthy gameplay of the series originated with this level.
The first two Colombia missions serve as Breather Levels for the lengthy Pablo assassination mission.
"Traditions of the Trade" is a one-mission stint in Budapest. It's a trip to the beach considering what you had to pull off in Hong Kong and Colombia. This is the very first mission in the series where you have spare clothes laying around that you can pick up for free instead of killing people for them. It is also notable for the weapons laying around, namely the knife and the cleaver, that allow you to complete this mission without any starting gear. Frantz and Fritz employ only a few guards and aren't even carrying guns themselves. A lot of the mission is optional; you can blow through it in about 10 minutes if you skip everything, but this detracts from the storyline of the game.
"The Setup" is a piss-easy walkover situated between "Plutonium Runs Loose" and the final level of the game. You only have to kill one target, who does not identify you as hostile until the syringe is in his neck, and taking his clothes afterwards allows you free run of the area to explore, collect some weapons, and make it to the next level without having to fight the approaching SWAT team.
Difficulty Spike: The Hong Kong missions will give you a thorough introduction into the intricacies of being a bona fide Hitman. These missions are stealthy and don't require much weaponry to complete (at least at the purchasing stage). Have fun... it only gets bloodier from here.
A weird thing about the Cheung Chau restaurant is bringing along the Uzi. At a certain point in the mission, you will be required to surrender all your weapons to a guard; however, for some reason he doesn't take your Uzi.
Dual-wielding a Beretta in your right hand and a Sawed-Off Shotgun in the left hand allows you to fire the latter 15 times in rapid succession and as long as you have ammos for the handgun (shotgun ammos are not needed). Enjoy the massacre.
You can run while carrying a minigun, just pull out a pistol with your right hand.
Bodies can be dragged while running by use of diagonal run-strafing.
It Was His Sled: The game doesn't mention anything about cloning until the final mission. However, the fact that 47 is a clone is common knowledge these days.
Narm Charm: Some of the voice acting is so terrible that it becomes amazing. Ort-Meyer, especially, due to his Ham and Cheese delivery.
Obvious Beta: "Gunrunners Paradise". Gotta love how the car and the dogs noclip through steel fences.
So Bad, It's Good: The game in general. The voice acting is either terrible or hilarious for the wrong reasons, the gameplay is buggy and so are the physics, and there is a hefty amount of Fake Difficulty. All of this becomes a weirdly entertaining product which is made even better when you use cheat codes. The series has evolved a lot since this game.
Underused Game Mechanic: That balcony jump you learn in the tutorial? You'll perform it in exactly one level, "Traditions of the Trade". It's not even available to use in the sequel, Silent Assassin. This was later remedied in the remake, Hitman: Contracts: The jump mechanic can be used to reach the second target (Campbell Sturrock), is necessary to rescue Mei Ling, and is a requirement for beating the final mission, which taxes all of the skills you've developed at that point.
by Jesper Kyd is pretty badass and memorable.