Hitman: Blood Money

Hit-man: Blood Money (played on the PS2) creeped me out right from the start. Not in a manner quite like Contracts, the 2004 installment of the awesome series, but in a different way. The main menus consist of what appears to be the protagonist's, Agent 47's, funeral, while Schubert's Ave Maria plays softly yet hauntingly in the background. This is just one of the many ways that Blood Money twists with your mind and makes you question your morality and sanity. This is, no doubt, one of the best games of the year so far, and aside from a few glaring flaws, is the best installment yet in the Hit-man franchise.

The major flaw in Blood Money is the way it begins. The beginning is dark, melodramatic, and moody, taking place at an abandoned amusement park, but the structure isn't as smooth as levels in the other Hit-man titles, and the game leads you by the nose for the entire level, effectively removing the open-ended nature of the series. But when you are past this training level, it's Blood Money to the Big Leagues time, with 47 taking no prisoners in a dark, violent tale of conspiracy and intrigue. It's a very compelling story, combining the international appeal of Silent Assassin with the brutish, disturbing nature of Contracts.

One of the best additions to the game is the Accident system. This will change the way you play Hit-man. It allows you to place explosives, poison foods, switch items and loosen bolts to sabotage your target's lives in cunning displays of ingenuity. These 'accidents' (ranging from pushing people from balconies to fake suicide, to forcing chandeliers to fall large heights before hitting anything remotely resembling a target) play perfectly into the Notoriety system, which tracks your mission stats and compiles them into a faux newspaper clipping. These stats, including your hit ratio, number of times seen, and the amount of people killed, factor into how well the enemy will recognise you in the next mission. It's a great concept, but don't worry about this one in the lower two difficulty levels; Notoriety is barely recognizable on the Normal setting, and doesn't even exist on Rookie.

Hit-man: Blood Money is a very good game in danger of being overlooked by the average gamer this year. In 2006, we've seen the jaw-dropping Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence, a game I consider the best stealth title ever. Later this year, we'll be getting Splinter Cell: Double Agent, promising a true, next-gen experience on the Xbox 360. Hit-man: Blood Money, however, should not be overlooked; it is a near-perfect example of how to do a game right. It is, by far, the most mature game I've ever played. The story is deep, involving, and serious. The games industry has a problem with maturity, leading to many doubting the veracity of gaming as a whole. Hit-man sets the bar for maturity, and all other games strive to that mark. Jesper Kyd's orchestral-eletronica soundtrack is also phenomenal (as always), being the best thing to hit my ears this year.

If you play any games at all, and care for intelligence in your entertainment, by all means, play Hit-man: Blood Money.

Now.

I have to say that "Hitman" games (and I mean pretty much all of them) are great. The first one maybe a bit better in some ways than the second one, but that's irrelevant and everyone can decide by themselves.

Anyway, I think that "Hitman: Blood Money" is a nice upgrade to the series. It has pretty much everything good that there was before and some new things too. One of the newer things is killing the targets by making a fake accident. That's great, but basically it could make you feel a bit that "it's the only real" or "right way" to go with the mission. That might limit the freedom a little, but of course you can still kill your targets in the old fashioned way. That's still absolutely only your choice, and the accident is only one more way to eliminate your personal VIP.

One interesting thing is also the newspaper that appears to the screen right after the mission. Eventually your face can get to the front page if you're seen by too many people, or if you don't bribe anyone. The newspaper always talks about your last murder. That's one thing I noticed to be a bit annoying, since even if you don't kill anyone and make the murder look like an accident, they still magically know that it was a murder.

However, in the end, "Hitman: Blood Money" is a great game. The story might not be extremely interesting or unpredictable, but it's much more interesting to follow than nothing. And many of the missions are very great. You get a lot of money, but if you try to be as silent as possible, you don't have to use 'em that much. I'd recommend this to everyone who wants to be a virtual hit-man for a while, as well as to everyone who likes previous "Hitman" games.

I love this game so much and the music is amazing and the missions are so fun and you can do whatever you want.. but you have to complete the mission but other then that it's very fun

A bit different from the rest of the games in the series. Some things might take some getting used to for some fan boys but in the long run they make the game more fun. The best game I've played sine MGS 3 Subsistance. Well worth the price tag. The way of killing your targets is more intense and thrilling. Although I haven't beaten it yet i have a feeling that when i do I will be replaying it many times. Fans of the old series and new players will find the game-play very immersing and at some points challenging. With there being about five ways to perfectly complete one level the player gets a sense of freedom and control of Agent 47. It is in your face and sadistic at points. Hope others agree with me.

This game can have mixed results among different people. Some can't figure things out for themselves after level one and give up after dying 40 times. This game is all about having a game plan and a good strategy. If you don't you'll just be playing a very hard shooting game. The game is very rewarding when you do everything perfect. You get such a satisfied feeling when you flawlessly complete your mission and see that "Silent Assassin" rating on the screen. The reason this is different from other Hit men games is that it has many new things. Populated areas(no more dark, guard ridden areas), New guns, weapon upgrade systems, and now it is easier to hide bodies. If you know what you are doing, this game is very fun. The only major flaw is the saving system. All in game saves are wiped when you leave or even restart the level by accident.(although, I usually beat each level and then saved, making it less of a problem to me.) Even though there are many guns in the game, a "silent assassin" will never need them for more than using them to grab a human shield to knock people out. If your a patient gamer with good wits, you'll love this game. If you're a "terrorist", you'll be infuriated by the games small health bar and over active AI. (One person busts you, and everyone knows.) Games like Metal Gear Solid solved problems like this years before by simply giving guards radios. The news paper is a very clever way to show how you did. It also lets you know how accurate you are. Do bad and your a "A shooter of limited skill, and dangerous enthusiasm." Do good and your a "Talented Marksman as few shots were wasted." This game is definitely worth while. A must buy. 10/10 And now for pros and cons and etc. Good: Very satisfying when done right, lots of problems from first games fixed. Bad: Small health slot, over active AI, and bad save system. Should have: added more sniping opportunities. They put four sniper rifles in the game and no high towers to shoot target from. :(