When I played
Hitman for the first time, I realized two things:
having so much pleasure assassinating people should be illegal, and developer
IO Interactive has a bright future ahead of it with the
Hitman series. Since its inception, there have been four installments
featuring the clone-assassin Agent 47. The latest, Blood Money, improves upon
the series with added features to boost gameplay
challenges and attention to detail while remaining true to its origin.
One of the
major new changes to the Hitman franchise is the
game interface and control system. When passing by a useable object, the game
alerts you on screen. Opening doors, jumping through windows, and picking up
items can all be done by clicking on the available button. Sometimes the
controls were a little too sensitive for their own good, forcing me to stop
what I was doing to execute the proper command. This becomes a little
frustrating when trying to evade enemies.
Agent 47 has
traveled into the United States on the hunt for new targets with high price
tags. With stops in Los Angeles, New Orleans, and Las Vegas, our bar-coded
friend must compete with rival assassins to get the contracts. Each level
offers its own unique design and planning out each “hit” based on the layout
of the area is crucial. For every successful kill, Agent 47 is rewarded with
cash to purchase new weapons, information, and bribe officials. I’m currently
working to become a Certified Public Accountant (because video games don’t pay
the bills). One of the best parts of the game was the cash management system
designed to increase performance difficulty. Every action you take effects the
amount of cash you will earn. Using your funds wisely will give you greater
abilities to kill your targets in more innovative ways (firing bullets gets
old fast).
Those players that just want to run through a level with guns
blazing and no thought of strategy might find this game too laborious. After
all, Blood Money is first and foremost a stealth title where the objective of
staying hidden is just as much important as finishing the job. Agent 47 must
stay covert to avoid suspicion. Targets have their own system of defense
including body guards and security cameras that are very sensitive to movement
(you’ll become well aware of this after the fifth or sixth attempt at sneaking
through a level).
The artificial intelligence is somewhat more advanced than its
predecessors. There were times when I killed a group of enemies and only a
rent-a-cop stopped by to investigate. But generally, the AI system is more
intuitive when handling certain situations and the reaction time associated
with events is appropriate. The “shoot first, ask questions later” mentality
that the other Hitman installments are known for
no longer holds true in most circumstances. Body guards will forcibly ask you
to leave the area before sticking a gun in your face, giving you more leeway
in how to handle each mission.
Of course, in the end, your target will be dead and
investigations and headlines will ensue. Cutscenes
with eyewitness testimonies and crude police sketches of Agent 47 (that look
strikingly similar to Mr. Clean) are all a part of a new notoriety system.
Although cool at first, you will progress through the levels with certain
characters recognizing you from the news and it will be a lot harder to
complete the jobs. One easy way of solving this is to kill any witnesses that
may see you (after all, dead men tell no tales). Dumping the bodies into
garbage cans and other hidden compartments quickly and quietly will decrease
the likelihood of suspicion. Deception is also the key when you can steal your
victim’s clothes and take on their identity for a short period while they lay
there in whitey-tighties. These facades don’t work
on everyone so don’t walk casually into a room where a target resides wearing
a chef’s hat and holstering a revolver (odds are he didn’t order room
service).
The graphics engine for Blood Money is brand-spanking new and
does a great job in lighting and textures. The character models are nicely
detailed and the environments are interactive and look pretty good. The music
is top-notch and changes depending on the action of the game. Agent 47’s voice
acting is pretty good but other characters sound weak.
I have played all four Hitman
titles and one thing remains true: Agent 47 is one of the coolest video-game
characters ever created. Blood Money continues his tradition of killing for
cash by bringing in some innovative new gameplay
features to advance the franchise. Although some of the mechanics are a little
rough around the edges, the title comes out strong.
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Gameplay: 8.4
The
control system is a little tedious to get a handle on, but Blood Money is
still a success.
Graphics: 8.7
The
character models and environments are detailed and the effects
looks great coming from IO Interactive’s new
engine.
Sound: 8.3
An
awesome soundtrack accompanied by mixed voice performances.
Difficulty: Medium/Hard
Concept: 8.5
A clone-assassin with dozens of weapons at his disposal…can it
get any cooler?
Overall: 8.5
More
of a stealth game than anything else, Hitman:
Blood Money serves up a familiar taste of assassin
gameplay with new features to spice it up.
