Game rating: HitMan: Blood Money

[Art Blade]

Game title
HitMan: Blood Money

Category            Rating            Comments Story line 5 Nothing special. You're an agent and your agency provides you with missions. It is a sequel, so it is based on previous games but you don't need to know what was going on before. There isn't a deeply hidden story, just plainly "kill them." Graphics 6 Well, it's an old game but still nice enough to not worry :) Good because even a low-end PC will be able to handle it :) Biggest fun: changing your clothes. You can take them from other people to disguise yourself. Sound 8 Background music, sound effects, voices, ambience.. all nice and enjoyable. Nice enough that you sometimes might want to just stand there and listen while having a smoke and a drink, chilling out in front of the screen. Then resume playing. Game play 9 Simple and therefore good. Silent assassin is rewarded, avoid collateral damage. But you can kill everything that moves and blow up innocents if you're a mean guy. The means are cool: Fire arms (all allow silencers and scopes), poison, tranquiliser, bare fists, piano cord to strangle, remote explosives, or just push someone over the edge so he drops dead.. Disguise yourself to blend in is the typical aspect of hitman games which I always loved. After a mission you get to see your stats and you can read about your deeds in a local newspaper that also include your stats as part of the article (side articles are fun, too). Depending on difficulty level, you have none to three savegames (at any time) but they will be erased after the mission, so they really are just there to help you get the mission over with. Replay value 10 This game gets better every time. The more you play it, the more fun you'll have to try out different approaches. Silent or blazing guns, a single perfect hit or wipe out every soul.. different weapon loadouts.. and all the funny things of how to spice up your mission (feeding guests to alligators? sure thing. Poison the wedding cake? Of course. Blow up a swimming pool? why not. Kill dogs with poisoned sausages? Hell, yeah. Take innocents and use them as human shield? well, if you are so inclined. Move around and silently kill everyone without the rest noticing? you can do that all day..) You see, billions of possible ways to do the same missions. Each mission has its own level design, be it a steam boat or a ranch or Mardi Grass street festival.. you can move freely and have no time limit during missions. Final thoughts One of the best games I've played. I always keep a copy on my PC and keep returning to it once in a while because I can select which mission to replay and do it in peace and quiet. The game has so much dark humor in it I still giggle at times :) Absolutely recommendable. Oh, you can toggle between FPS and TPS view at any time.

[JRD]

That's truly a 10 in Replay Value!  :-X :-X :-X

[PZ]

I really like this new rating system because at a glance you can get all the details you need to help make your decision regarding a game.  Even though you and others have posted many individual thoughts about this game, the clear, concise way that you've rated the game in this single post  equals or outweighs the scattered posts throughout the forum.

Good job  :-X

Art is becoming our resident game rater, and soon people will be coming here to read his reviews  ;)

[Art Blade]

 ;D

I admit that the first ratings (when we hadn't got the explanation next to the numbers) were like, ok, let's do it quick. A final thought, alright. Then we extended the rating. The first one I re-evaluated was FC2 (of all things) and I had to do edits at least three times before I was at ease with it. A proper rating isn't done quickly. It requires thinking and putting a whole game into a few sentences. The next re-evaluation was easier (still have to do a few) but this here is the first "from scratch." Thanks for your feedback, I'll give my best and may do minor edits to my previous ratings, but I'll try to make new ones as clear and simple as this one :)

[PZ]

I agree - the new explanation for each category was key to the success of an informative review.  One other thing I appreciate is reading review of the same game by many different members - the variety of opinions gives the reader a clearer sense of what the game is about.

It is good to see both sides of the fence - those that like the game, but it is also just as important to read the opinions of those that don't like the game.

[Art Blade]

agree  :-X

[mmosu]

If any game in the history of gaming ever deserved a "10" for replay value, it's this one.  Totally agreed Art  :-X

[Art Blade]

 :-D cheers :-X

Probably the oldest game, by comparison, that is still worth a recommendation to those who haven't played it. Don't worry about graphics, the gameplay and replay value will erase any doubts  ;D

[JRD]

I got HM:BM from STEAM as a very cheap game last year... I think it goes for about US$ 5 or less! Art spoke so much about that game that influenced me for sure

I remember being between this game and Kayne and Lynch... I ended up getting this HM:BM and I never regreted a single penny spent or a second playing.

It's about time we hear from another Hitman game!!!

[mmosu]

I've been thinking the same thing JRD!  I theorized a long time ago that Kane & Lynch was an experiment by Eidos to get their next gen gaming engine rolling and start refining the AI and large-crowd dynamics for the next Hitman games.  It has definately been a long time and they definately left the door open at the end of Blood Money for another game.  Even though the Agency is essentially extinct, 47 and Diane proved at the end of the game that they don't need much of a supporting cast to do their jobs (if faking your own death in order to get all of your enemies in the same room and then "resurrecting" with guns blazing doesn't prove that, I don't know what would!).  It is certainly time for our bald, barcoded friend to come out of retirement again  >:D

[Art Blade]

It sure is. I'd love to play a sequel :)

The graphics in the first Kane&Lynch, especially faces, still are the best I've seen so far (only saw vids of the sequel). During game a close-up reveals pores and single hairs (beard) in their faces, bloody in-cre-di-ble.