Watch an assassination spin out of control in the new Hitman 101 trailer

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With Hitman: The Complete First Season, the disc-based release of IO Interactive's successfully-rejuvenated stealth/assassination/goat rodeo game, now just two weeks away, the studio has released a new "Hitman 101" gameplay trailer examining some of the many ways you can get your dirty work done—and how easily it can all go a bit wrong.

What I like most about this trailer is the way it immediately acknowledges how Agent 47, especially in the hands of a newbie, isn't especially good at his job. He's dangerous as hell, but more in the way of an out-of-control Greyhound bus than a deadly ninja hiding in the shadows: It gets the job done, but it's not exactly professional, and certainly not worthy of an intimidating, bar-coded man dressed in a fine suit.

Of course, it's not a start-to-finish gong show, and 47 does demonstrate some elegance in the trailer, such as when he snipes a man through the telescope he's looking into. As a player, I'm sure that sort of skilled kill is much more satisfying than, say, setting up a toilet-bomb and hoping the right person sits on it. But as a spectator, I'm all about the shenanigans, and the uglier, the better.

Hitman: The Compete First Season will come with everything released during the game's episodic first season including new content and updates, plus three bonus missions, the original soundtrack, a "making of" documentary, and the Requiem: Blood Money Pack. First season elusive targets won't be accessible (they have eluded you), but a new batch are on the way for season two, so you can try your luck with them instead. It will be out on January 31.

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Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.