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Hitman: Blood Money Review for Xbox |
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| Friday, July 28, 2006 |
| | Title:
Hitman: Blood Money
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System:
Xbox
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Genre:
Action/Stealth
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Publisher:
Eidos Interactive
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Developer:
IO Interactive
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Release:
05/30/2006
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Online:
No
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ESRB:
Mature (M)
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Almost six years ago, the gaming world fell in love with a new game developed by IO Interactive called Hitman. At first, the game remained relatively unknown amongst the casual gamers. But that wouldn't last long. Soon, word of the game which let you take control of an unknown hitman with only two numbers to identify him spread. Gamers everywhere began to pick up the game, and parents began to worry even more about the violence in video games.
Fast forward to 2006. Now, Agent 47 is a name familiar with most gamers, and the Hitman franchise has become one of the most popular to date. Like many popular series, though, Hitman began to lose its wow factor and appeal after a few games; the third game (Contracts) was poorly received compared to the previous titles. Part of this is because of IO's split focus while making Contracts. During the developmental stage for the third Hitman game, IO simultaneously began working on a brand new engine for the fourth Hitman game, Blood Money. Did the third game suffer because of this? Yes. But was Blood Money a success? Well, you'll have to read on to find out.
Hitman: Blood money marks the first time Agent 47 will appear on a next-gen platform (Xbox 360). Of course, older consoles weren't left out with the PS2, PC and original Xbox also getting versions of Blood Money. Between the different versions, the only differences are improved graphics for the PC and 360 versions as well as the 360 version's Achievements.
If you're familiar with the previous Hitman games, you'll most likely feel right at home in Blood Money. But don't let that discourage you; IO made a few changes in the gameplay and added some new elements. The controls are vastly improved upon the previous Hitman games. In Blood Money, IO has gone to a contact-based system. In the top left corner is a small diagram with three buttons. If you get near something you can use or are holding an object, you can manipulate it with one of those buttons. This creates a much faster and smoother game than the previous incarnations.
At the same time, controls have been revamped to allow more action-oriented gameplay. While Hitman is a stealth game at heart, many gamers have been upset that the game was so poorly designed for those who wished to fight. IO fixed that, adding much better ways for players to attack the AI, and revamping the close combat. In fact, they did such a good job that if it weren't for the big addition to the Hitman franchise in this game, you could play the entire thing like an action game.
What is that addition, you may ask? The notoriety system. As you play through the game, if you play poorly people will see you. As people spot you, your notoriety goes up. As it rises, rival hitmen may be on your trail, and security and police forces in levels will be on the lookout for someone matching your description. The only way to lower your notoriety is to pay off the witnesses. This encourages stealth gameplay for two reasons. First, if you aren't seen you won't have to worry about notoriety in the first place. Secondly, the more professional you beat a level, the more money you receive as a reward. If you go through blasting everyone away, you'll get very little money and your notoriety will skyrocket. At the same time, if you kill only your mark and no one sees you, your notoriety remains low and you have some cash to stow away for the future.
Besides paying off witnesses, the other use for your money will come in the form of upgrading weapons; this is especially important at the higher difficulties. The upgrades themselves do a wide variety of things. For example, standard bullets can be upgraded until they're almost as vicious as shotgun blasts. Nifty things such as the ability for a bullet to travel through walls are also available. On the two easiest difficulties, it's entirely possible to play the entire game without spending a dime on weapon upgrades. On the higher difficulties, though, it would be a true challenge.
.Like the past games, Blood Money allows you to play on a variety of difficulty levels. On the lower difficulties, the enemy AI is incredibly simplistic and notoriety doesn't matter much, while on higher difficulties enemies remember. What do I mean? Well, on normal you can literally go crazy and wipe out an entire floor of a building with a shotgun, put on a costume, walk down the stairs and no one will attempt to stop you. On higher difficulties, doing so will result in security personnel impeding your progress and demanding you halt to be searched. If you want a true challenge (and more realistic gameplay) the only option is to play Blood Money on the harder difficulties; the lower ones are good for unlocking achievements, though.
No matter what difficulty you play on, though, the missions in Blood Money are the best I've seen yet in a Hitman game. They're much bigger than in the past, and the new control scheme makes it much easier to manipulate the environment. As advertised, how you fulfill almost all of the missions is completely open to how you want to play the game; there's no right or wrong way to do anything. In the end, all that matters is that you fulfill the objectives.
Another neat aspect IO worked on was the sounds. In Blood Money, it's much more important to pay attention to what the NPCs are saying as you walk through levels. Sometimes you'll hear a random person mention something which can help you, and sometimes you'll hear things which can act as warnings. Of course, you'll also have to be careful with your own noise emissions; be too loud or bang around too much, and people get suspicious.
In the end, Hitman: Blood Money is easily the best Hitman game yet, and boasts a last level which may be one of my favorite levels in any video game. Ever. After a very subpar effort in Contracts, it's nice to see IO take a step in the right direction and start trying new things. Thanks to the new engine, the game looks great on the PS2 and Xbox (while it looks better on the 360 and PC, it doesn't look as good as some other modern games) and the lightning is superb. With the wide level of difficulties (and achievements on the 360) the replay value is great, and it's always fun to take over Agent 47 and run through a level. Sadly, fans didn't get the multiplayer mode they craved after Metal Gear added an online mode. Hopefully that's something IO will think about adding in the future. Imagine playing through a mission competing against rival hitmen...
If you're a fan of the Hitman series and were disappointed by the previous installment, pick Blood Money up. If you've never played a Hitman game but are intrigued by the premise, pick it up. Really, the only reason I can allow to cause you to not at least try Blood Money is if you can't stand stealth-related games.
| The Core Score |
Overall
8.5 |
| Fun |
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9.5 |
| Gameplay |
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8.5 |
| Graphics |
|
8.5 |
| Audio |
|
8 |
| Replay |
|
7.5 |
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