The world’s deadliest assassin has returned in epic fashion. Developed by Io Interactive, Hitman: Blood Money is the fourth game in the Hitman videogame series. It’s also available for PlayStation 2, Xbox and Xbox 360.
Agent 47 is back and is still getting paid in cold, hard cash. Blood Money (
£17.99) centres on assassinations carried out by Agent 47 (aka Mr. 47), as narrated in cutscenes by the former director of the FBI to a journalist invited to his home as they discuss 47. The wheelchair-bound ex-director recounts how his organisation tracked 47 over a 2-year period by observing his operations, each of which is played when it is mentioned in his story.
But there’s a twist. When assassins from Agent 47’s contract agency, The ICA, are systematically eliminated in a series of hits, it seems a larger, more powerful agency has entered the fray. For Agent 47 it’s business as usual, until suddenly he loses contact with The ICA. Sensing that he may be the next target, he travels to America, where he prepares to make a killing.
How money earned from contract killing is spent will affect your passage through the game and the weapons at your disposal, resulting in a unique gameplay experience for each player. Powered by a new version of Io’s impressive Glacier engine, Blood Money makes deadly stops in iconic locales such as Las Vegas, New Orleans, Los Angeles and Mississippi. Now with a number of new moves including the ability to create accidents and to dispose of bodies as well as a re-vamped NPC and AI system, the world of being an assassin has never been more realistic.
You can even use your hard-earned cash to bribe the press, keep your picture out of the morning paper. Or you can customise and upgrade your weapons to match your personal style of assassination. Another neat touch is that Agent 47 is up against a rival agency of assassins competing to take out high-priced targets, and may even become the primary target himself.
Many new features have been introduced to Blood Money. These include the capability to climb through more obstacles, improved character animations (such as face, eyes, and hands), a new game engine and the ability to upgrade weapons and equipment. However, only five of the featured weapons in the game, as well as assorted pieces of equipment such as bombs and armour, can be upgraded.
What’s so cool about Hitman is that the level of suspense is immense, reminiscent of the awesome Splinter Cell franchise. Each level also contains some sort of method to make the target’s death look like an accident - for example, tampering with someone’s grill to make it explode when they turn it on, or the target ‘accidentally’ falling off a balcony. However, the accident system is somewhat underwhelming, as the majority accidents either involved pushing someone off a height or detonating a bomb, causing a heavy object to fall on them.
Another new gameplay feature is the ‘Notoriety’ system. If, during a mission, you kill innocents or civilians, get caught on CCTV or are witnessed committing murder, Agent 47’s notoriety will rise. Conversely, if you execute the mission perfectly with none of the aforementioned events occurring, 47’s notoriety will be minimal. The higher Agent 47’s notoriety is, the easier it will be for NPCs (non-player characters) to identify him. Health boosts are available in the game, such as painkillers.
Experienced Hitman players should welcome the new contact-sensitive controls. Using a three-button system appearing on-screen, you’ll find that doorknobs, items, secret stashes in drawers, and guns all are contact-sensitive. Run by an object that’s useable and the right button is lit in the corner of your screen. This technique is done well and thankfully it makes controlling Agent 47 a little more natural without being too obvious.
When each mission has been completed, a newspaper article is displayed regarding the hit, in which the content varies depending on the investigation results and the player’s notoriety. Sketch drawings are also sometimes visible of Agent 47’s face, which grow progressively more accurate as 47’s notoriety grows. This is a really neat feature and adds an unnerving realism to the game. We also loved the way the article’s title relates to your mission rating, whether it is ‘The Eraser’, ‘Gangster’, ‘Terrorist’, or ‘The Ghost’ (among others).
Slightly oddly, regardless of whether the target was murdered by the use of weaponry or killed by accident, the article invariably implies that a murder was committed, despite claims later on in the article that no murderer was actually seen. It comes as no surprise that weapons play a big role in Blood Money. On your travels you get to use pistols, SMGs, rifles, shotguns, and sniper rifles, as well as some more creative options including fibre wire, nailgun, shovel, hedge trimmers, and syringes (of sedatives and poison). Of course, swapping outfits to remain aloof still remains a key feature of the game.
The quality of the graphics and AI surpasses most games currently available, and combined with a gripping narrative and the introduction of some really inventive characters, Blood Money is definitely the greatest Hitman title to date. The voice work and music are first rate, and the new graphics engine shows off lighting, shadows, and higher-resolution textures wonderfully. Character models are also far more detailed with bump and normal mapping. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the level design is intelligent and consistently good, and each new level requires a smart, logical approach that’s gripping to play.
And as an added bonus, the replay value is high, given the numerous ways each level can be beat and the fact that you can try to improve your notoriety level and wealth. Hitman: Blood Money hasn’t got the budget or overall class of Splinter Cell, but it’s still a great game.
[9] - Editors' Choice
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Best Videogame Pricing UK]
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Best Videogame Pricing US]
