Hitman: Blood Money Review
15 June 2006 | By Bruno Roussel
I would recommend the game to those who wish to feel immersed in a game, but not to those that were hoping for an action-oriented shooter
The fourth Hitman game (titled Hitman: Blood Money) has recently hit the shelves and the words uttered by every gamers who followed the series are the same: "Is 47 truly back?". The answer is simple: "Oh he’s back, and he’ll make you smile".
For those who are new to this installment, do not fear, as you will not feel lost or out of place; after all, if you are aware that you incarnate a hired killer, then you’re all set to go.
What will please a vast majority is the simple fact that missions can be completed based on your desires. If you wish to play as a silent assassin, you can do just so; with the use of sharp objects, sniper rifles, and our trustworthy piano wire, you will be able to finish a mission without anyone suspecting that you have been there in the first place. However, if you would rather love to make sure that no one saw you (and by that, I mean senselessly killing everyone on sight), then you can do that as well. However, If you decide the select the last option, you should know that not only will you be faced by moderately easy opposition, but you will also undoubtedly ruin the charm of playing alongside Agent 47. If you are wondering why, then the next paragraph will make my point clear.
The Artificial Intelligence, the blood and life of your friend, is quite good, but for a game that requires you to closely monitor your victims as well as carefully watch every step they take, and then proceed by making decisions and assumptions based on what you’ve seen, it is simply not enough. The problem does not lie within the realm of a cheating A.I and your adversaries cannot see through walls and are not granted super-human capabilities, the problem lies deeper than the scripts and code. The A.I. fails in Blood Money due to the fact that it is the center of the show and ends up making you feel like you’re making your way through pre-processed robots rather than humans. I may be setting the bar too high, so it is adequate to point out that these robots will walk around, talk to each other, accomplish tasks and even go to the bathroom, but this is what they are meant to do; yet, disturb their routine, and you will see a different façade emerge, one that doesn’t calculate the threat of bullets flying around nor will they really access how important the threat really is. Apparently, it seems to them that getting closer to you (by running toward Agent 47) is more important than staying alive. With that said, if you wish to blaze through missions and cause as much havoc as you wish, you should then simply wait, and they’ll come rushing to you. Perhaps this entire imbalance is a clue from Eidos, telling us to play the game using a stealthier approach.
Having explained the inhabitants, let’s move on to their land or the levels so to speak. There will not be any sad faces here, the levels are downright great. Not only are they well crafted, they have tons of routes, path, and opportunities that will allow you to either revise a failed infiltration or simply boost the replay value of the game. If the A.I. doesn’t feel human enough, then the levels surely feel real. You will not be walking thorough badly designed levels; rather you will make your way through a breathing, realistic and inspired environment. If there is one point in the game to shield from bad criticism, I would select the Level Design.
Levels and NPCs (Non-Playable Characters) do make for a good portion of the game, but you’ll be drawn in by the feel of the game rather than its visual counterparts. Agent 47, albeit making a living via unlawful methods, has his own charisma, and like teenagers would say: “47’s cool.” He’s not a role model, but like most games, Blood Money allows you to live an alternate life, where consequences are not as strong. One of the most distinguishable feature is the return of Agent 47’s addiction of getting guys naked and stealing their clothes. On paper, this may sound uninteresting, but wearing disguises and fooling people, thus allowing you to travel at ease without raising any flags, sets the game’s mood quite well. If you are not the close combat kind of guy, then you may be interested in our friend, the Sniper Rifle. If breathing through the rifle’s scope, watching your subject walk unaware of his soon-to-be demise is not enough to make you feel like an assassin, then this may be the wrong game for you.
With all that said, Hitman: Blood Money is a very good addition to the franchise, and as far as I am concerned, easily outranks its predecessors. I would recommend the game to those who wish to feel immersed in a game, but not to those that were hoping for an action-oriented shooter.
Top Game Moment:
 |
 |
|
| Oh he's back, and he'll make you smile | Nothing says assassin like getting rid of pimples with a sniper rifle |
For those who are new to this installment, do not fear, as you will not feel lost or out of place; after all, if you are aware that you incarnate a hired killer, then you’re all set to go.
What will please a vast majority is the simple fact that missions can be completed based on your desires. If you wish to play as a silent assassin, you can do just so; with the use of sharp objects, sniper rifles, and our trustworthy piano wire, you will be able to finish a mission without anyone suspecting that you have been there in the first place. However, if you would rather love to make sure that no one saw you (and by that, I mean senselessly killing everyone on sight), then you can do that as well. However, If you decide the select the last option, you should know that not only will you be faced by moderately easy opposition, but you will also undoubtedly ruin the charm of playing alongside Agent 47. If you are wondering why, then the next paragraph will make my point clear.
The Artificial Intelligence, the blood and life of your friend, is quite good, but for a game that requires you to closely monitor your victims as well as carefully watch every step they take, and then proceed by making decisions and assumptions based on what you’ve seen, it is simply not enough. The problem does not lie within the realm of a cheating A.I and your adversaries cannot see through walls and are not granted super-human capabilities, the problem lies deeper than the scripts and code. The A.I. fails in Blood Money due to the fact that it is the center of the show and ends up making you feel like you’re making your way through pre-processed robots rather than humans. I may be setting the bar too high, so it is adequate to point out that these robots will walk around, talk to each other, accomplish tasks and even go to the bathroom, but this is what they are meant to do; yet, disturb their routine, and you will see a different façade emerge, one that doesn’t calculate the threat of bullets flying around nor will they really access how important the threat really is. Apparently, it seems to them that getting closer to you (by running toward Agent 47) is more important than staying alive. With that said, if you wish to blaze through missions and cause as much havoc as you wish, you should then simply wait, and they’ll come rushing to you. Perhaps this entire imbalance is a clue from Eidos, telling us to play the game using a stealthier approach.
 |
 |
|
| This time around, being found or seen doesn't compromise the mission as much |
Simply wait, and they’ll come rushing to you |
Having explained the inhabitants, let’s move on to their land or the levels so to speak. There will not be any sad faces here, the levels are downright great. Not only are they well crafted, they have tons of routes, path, and opportunities that will allow you to either revise a failed infiltration or simply boost the replay value of the game. If the A.I. doesn’t feel human enough, then the levels surely feel real. You will not be walking thorough badly designed levels; rather you will make your way through a breathing, realistic and inspired environment. If there is one point in the game to shield from bad criticism, I would select the Level Design.
Levels and NPCs (Non-Playable Characters) do make for a good portion of the game, but you’ll be drawn in by the feel of the game rather than its visual counterparts. Agent 47, albeit making a living via unlawful methods, has his own charisma, and like teenagers would say: “47’s cool.” He’s not a role model, but like most games, Blood Money allows you to live an alternate life, where consequences are not as strong. One of the most distinguishable feature is the return of Agent 47’s addiction of getting guys naked and stealing their clothes. On paper, this may sound uninteresting, but wearing disguises and fooling people, thus allowing you to travel at ease without raising any flags, sets the game’s mood quite well. If you are not the close combat kind of guy, then you may be interested in our friend, the Sniper Rifle. If breathing through the rifle’s scope, watching your subject walk unaware of his soon-to-be demise is not enough to make you feel like an assassin, then this may be the wrong game for you.
 |
 |
|
| The levels are downright great | Like teenagers would say "47’s cool" |
With all that said, Hitman: Blood Money is a very good addition to the franchise, and as far as I am concerned, easily outranks its predecessors. I would recommend the game to those who wish to feel immersed in a game, but not to those that were hoping for an action-oriented shooter.
Top Game Moment:
TOP GAME MOMENT
Having Agent 47 wear disguises and fool soon-to-be victims; there’s nothing like stealth kill to make you feel like an assassin.
