Perfectly Executed
At A Glance
- Agent 47 is now the hunted.
- Earn money for upgrades.
- Stealth avoids noteriety.
Step once again into the shoes of the legendary Agent 47 and remind yourself what it's like to kill for money.
Blood money.
Hitman™: Blood Money is the fourth game in the series from Eidos, and having taken careful time and consideration, this addition to the series represents a giant step forward to the previous versions in both graphics and playability. This time out, 47's options are widely expanded so he can adapt to any given situation. Giving him more choices, of course, means more reprecussions.
The Hunter Hunted
In this latest installment of the Hitman series, Agent 47 faces a dilemma that gradually unfolds as you progress through the game. His peers at the ICA, the agency that contracts out the assassins, are dying under circumstances that would indicate they were targeted by professionals.
Agent 47 can purchase weapons and equipment
with cash. He has to budget like normal people
do, only he spends more money on ammunition.
47's investigations reveal secrets and plots that make him uncomfortable enough to flee to America. There, he sets up shop as a free agent who kills for cash only. He never knows when the killers will come for him, and that keeps him perpetually on his toes.
Agent 47 visits some of the most interesting cities in America—Vegas, New Orleans, L.A.—as he fulfills his contracts. He's a busy man. And staying ahead of the competition is never easy.
I think we all know where this is going.
One for the Money
Moolah plays an important role in Hitman: Blood Money, especially once Agent 47 has gone rogue in America. To cover his tracks, he takes only cash in payment for the hits. Where your life was simple before, just doing the jobs you were assigned, now you have a cash flow. That changes everything.
Money matters. Agent 47 can purchase weapons and equipment with cash. He has to budget like everyone else, only he spends more money on ammunition. He can purchase a precision weapon, specialty equipment, or even buy information that will help make a cleaner kill or help him in his assault on a target.
Two for the Show
In the past, you were able to blast your way through a mission withour repercussion if he wanted. That's no longer possible in Blood Money. The developers have introduced the concept of notoriety to the game. If 47 is careless, he gains notoriety. Kill everything in your path, disdain stealth and go in guns blazing, and you set him up to be recognized in the future. Not only that, but his income decreases. His marketability goes down as his recognizability goes up. So keep those silencers handy
Don't push me, or I will shoot the balloon baby!
To counterbalance this new handicap, however, the developers have built in better methods for covering 47's tracks. Where once you could only move bodies, now you can stash them in freezers, closets, and car trunks. Use your imagination. Your enemies are a bit more observant this time out. If you leave bloodstains around, you'll just be asking for trouble. So either keep it clean, or learn to tidy up after yourself.
Finally, possibly the best new addition, you can now make your hits look like accidents. And isn't that half the point of being an assassin? You can drop things on your victims, push them off edges, throw them in the path of a car. This new system means you have to use your head and play smarter not harder. Admittedly, you could still run around like a madman, guns blazing, but you'd pay for it.
Cigar smokers are never the good guys.
Three to Get Ready
When you choose a difficulty at the beginning of Blood Money, you're making more than one decision. Instead of altering body count or damage taken and given, as is the norm other elements come into play, changing your game experience based on the difficulty. Just how good a Hitman do you want to be? How much of a challenge are you really up to? The difficulties break down like this:
- Rookie: Being a rookie gets you infinite saves, an accommodating A.I., and full Agency assistance. You don't have to worry about Agent 47's notoriety at this level.
- Normal: At normal difficulty, you get seven saves per level, regular A.I. behavior, and normal Agency assistance. Agent 47's notoriety level will affect his world.
- Expert: Only three saves per level. The A.I. hits harder, and the Agency helps less. 47 is a victim of his own notoriety, and the evidence he leaves behind will start to haunt him.
- Pro: No saves. The A.I. goes to the wall, the Agency treats you like a rented mule, and your actions will come back to bite you. Leave evidence behind and you might as well wear a target.
Now you get out there and embrace your inner bald killer. A game doesn't make it to four installments unless it's kicking some ass. A lifetime of contracts has landed Agent 47 on someone else's hit list. There's nothing crazier than going after a killer. He's on his own, he's supporting himself, and nobody puts 47 in a corner. At least not for very long.
Article by Angel Leigh McCoy
