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| | Title:
Hitman: Blood Money
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System:
Xbox 360
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Genre:
Action
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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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Everyone remembers when they first encountered Agent 47 from the third-person stealth action franchise Hitman. The game not only looked great and had a compelling soundtrack, but played very smoothly. Well Eidos is back at it again with Hitman: Blood Money, the fourth game of the unique series.
Two of the popular characters from the Hitman series are returning along with a healthy dose of new and exciting ones. Accompanying Agent 47 is his mysterious female companion known only as Diane. She is his connection to retrieving new hits and is the only person he trusts. Beyond that - thanks to the nature of the game - there are no other past characters returning. Gamers shouldn’t worry though, because the new ones are very distinctive. Characters worth noting are two other assassins: one known as The Albino and another group known as The Crows. Seems The Albino and The Crows (yes they actually wear crow suits) are out to rid the world of Agent 47. Whether this is a personal vendetta or a hired job, the people at Eidos aren’t saying.
The Hitman series has always taken gamers to exotic locales all over the globe. Hitman: Blood Money is no different. While progressing through the game, gamers will travel to Paris, Las Vegas, Mississippi and even the Rocky Mountains. Since this game is coming to both the Xbox and Xbox 360, the problem of dated graphics may affect the Xbox 360 title. Although previous Hitman titles have always provided rather impressive visuals for the Xbox, Eidos might fall into the trap of making the graphics only look slightly better for the Xbox 360. Its a trend far too many gaming companies are falling into. Here’s hoping Eidos’s first foray into the next-gen world avoids this problem.
Being that this is Hitman, the core gameplay will probably not change. Players will be dropped into a level, told who they need to eliminate and then be given free reign on how to do the hit. Past Hitman games have been among the few games that actually allow the players to use different ways to accomplish an objective, no matter what said mission is. For example, in missions the player could choose between going all out and just killing his way to the target, or blending into the environment with a disguise and then silently eliminating the hit. These disguises could come from anywhere and at times players even find themselves dressed as produce delivery man, just so they could get close to their objective. It created really tense situations where the player was mere feet away from his target that was surrounded by armed bodyguards! But Agent 47 isn't without his own share of weapons. Available to Hitman 47 will be, as always, a variety of firearms. Choking cord, sniper rifles, pistols, rifles and sub machine guns, just to name a few. You name it; it will probably be in this game.
In a new twist to the Hitman franchise, players are now going to be given the chance to save a botched hit. This new gameplay mechanic is called Notoriety. Let’s say Agent 47 gets caught on a security camera, or someone spots him as he is making his hit. Players will now be able to retrieve that tape, or eliminate the witness who spotted them. Hiding objects or evidence against Agent 47 is also a key part of the gameplay in this Notoriety system and it is looking to add some more realism to the Hitman gameplay. What is especially cool about this is that if players are not careful, the NPCs and enemies will slowly begin to recognize Agent 47 in later missions. At the end of every mission, depending on whether the player was spotted and took the appropriate measures to “fix” those problems, the newspapers will begin to release stories about the hits. The more careful one is, the fuzzier the picture will be in the newspaper. The clumsier one is, the clearer the picture gets. This effect stacks from mission to mission, so while it may be easier and less time consuming to just let the witness go, but it may come back to haunt players when all of the guards on one of the final levels can instantly recognize Agent 47! Those who are careful and thorough will reap the rewards and keep their Notoriety down.
Hitman Blood Money has a few things going for it. The franchise has always been known for crafting unique assassination scenarios, and with the Notoriety system now being implemented, the Hitman series may feel fresh once again. Hopefully, missions will be more varied than they have been previously and we hope Eidos truly takes advantage of the Xbox 360. Look for it soon on Xbox, Xbox 360, PC, and Playstation 2.
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ahnonamis
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