Hitman: Blood Money

Hitman: Blood Money
Game: Hitman: Blood Money
Platform: Xbox 360
Studio: EIDOS
Rating: 8/10

GAME DESCRIPTION: Hitman: Blood Money places gamers once again in the role of the world’s greatest assassin, Agent 47. When assassins from Agent 47’s contract killing firm, The ICA, are systematically eliminated in a series of hits, it seems a larger more powerful agency has entered the fray. Sensing that he may be the next target, Agent 47 travels to America, where he prepares to Make a Killing.

Features:

Money Talks, Silence Pays – This time you not only get paid for your jobs but you get to make a decision on what you do with your hard earned cash. Do you spend money on getting the latest weapon upgrade or do you bribe the police to clean up the last job so none knows you did it?

Competition Heats Up – Agent 47 is up against a rival agency of deadly assassins, who are not only competing to take out high-priced targets, but may even be targeting Agent 47 himself.

New U.S. Locations – yes that’s right folks 47 is heading for the US and as part of his tour de force he will be making his presence felt in such iconic American cities, such as the gambling world of Las Vegas, the bright lights of Los Angeles, and mysteries of New Orleans.

Prepare to Make a Killing – New to the world of getting paid for killing? Then don’t worry, just like Leon in the Professional, we will not only give you a hand in how to play, but have introduced a new game play mode to make sure the Rookies amongst us can get in and play the game as we want.

Accidents Happen – What better way to make sure that latest kill doesn’t come back to haunt you than to make your hits look like an accident? The all new accident system allows you even more freedom in your choice of how take a target out – drop a priceless chandelier, use a remote bomb, create a nasty slip into a turning paddle wheel – all designed to terminate your targets without creating alarm or suspicion.

All-new Glacier Game Engine – Since his last outing 47 has found himself in an all new gaming engine, now with a number of new moves and a revamped NPC and AI system the world of being an assassin has never been more realistic.

Sick of getting caught? – 47 now has the ability to hide bodies in boxes and enclosed spaces.
PLAY: In all actuality Hitman: Blood Money isn’t much different than playing any of the previous Hitman releases on various platforms. A tweak here and a tweak there is all the franchise really needed and the 360 version got just what it needed.

The positives are a great storyline and quick action sequences. The dialogue plays out like a movie and never comes off as quickly thrown together to cash in on the next generation spending sprees. Another strong aspect is that most of the first level is set up to learn how to play as 47.

The controls are wonderful. 47 moves like a feather, rather than a rock, and is able to make moves in motion. It’s very fluid and a nice addition to this version of Hitman. The weapons are bigger and better and now they don’t disappear when you arrive at the next level. Using the weapons are exactly the same as in previous Hitman releases.

Although the stealth mode hasn’t been upgraded and perfected, 47 can now climb objects, such as boxes and fire escapes, in order to sneak around. It’s nicely done and makes up for the other areas that lack in Hitman’s stealth mode. This becomes important when you are trying to complete a mission in as clean a way possible.

GRAPHICS: The cutscene are spectacular and the lighting is amazing. This is on par with the PC version and fairs better than the PS2 and Xbox releases. With that said, Hitman Blood Money could be better. The character details could have been improved further—enough to entice those who already have a PS2 or Xbox version.

SOUND: The voice acting is very good and the music is tight with solid instrumental pieces.

FRANKLY: With the focus on earning money, Hitman: Blood Money has upped the ante over every one of the Hitman releases. It adds a depth that wasn’t previously there and that is welcome in a game that everyone hoped would get better. With smarter AI, Hitman: Blood Money is even harder—which leaves plenty of play time so that you don’t burn through the game in a day.

+ Richie Wright


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