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Author Topic: Hitman: Blood Money  (Read 1063 times)

AwesomeNurd

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Hitman: Blood Money
« on: April 09, 2013, 05:00:00 PM »

Nice review, I finished this game 4 times.
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metalhead212

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Hitman: Blood Money
« Reply #1 on: March 06, 2007, 09:32:00 AM »

TITLE: Hitman: Blood Money
PUBLISHER: Eidos, Inc
DEVELOPER: IO Interactive
DATE RELEASED: May 30, 2006
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 1
XBOX SYSTEM LINK: No
XBOX LIVE COMPATIBLE: Yes
HDTV Support: 720p
GENRE: Action
PLATFORM: Xbox 360
ESRB: M (Mature)-for Blood, Intense Violence, Partial Nudity, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Use of Drugs
Retail Price: $59.99 USD
WEBSITE: http://www.eidosinteractive.com/gss/legacy...an_bm/main.html
(IMG:http://img46.imageshack.us/img46/8016/115548140500eu4.jpg)


I ran through this game over the weekend and I must say I was rather disappointed with the overall package. Having never played a Hitman game before I really didn’t know what to expect going into it as far as what I was going to encounter. I have never read anything about the series nor have I ever really paid it much attention. Since a friend of mine was so generous and let me borrow it for the weekend I gave it a try, hoping for something that would “kill” some time. It did just that, but looking back I must ask, was it worth it?

(IMG:http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/8674/38366635zp2.jpg)

Graphics-

Blood Money is not a great looking game. It looks good, better than average I would say, but it isn’t going to knock your socks off with its visual flair or anything like that. There is a pretty reasonable amount of detail put into the characters and the environments which is respectable. Though some sections of the game tend to look a little bland at times, for the most part the game maintains a certain visual integrity which as you progress through the game you will ignore more and more as you become more focused on the method of your killings and how you will pull them off.

(IMG:http://img128.imageshack.us/img128/614/58224793ps1.jpg)

Sound-

As anyone who has read any of my previous reviews knows, I am a rather large sound buff. I break my critique down to a few core essentials, clarity, quality, and originality. If there is one thing I can not stand when playing a game it is recycled, garbled, twanging sounds coming from my $60 software investment. For the most part the sound remains clear. At times the dialogue during the interlude movies between levels is a bit quite, but that is something that can be fixed with the adjustment of your volume knob. The music is so/so at best, but it really just drones into the background when you really get into the game. The one big thing that seemed to grab my attention over and over again was the sound affects. They just seemed to be the same old recycled noises that we have heard so many times before. I, for one, greatly appreciate it when developers take the time to go into the studio and make some fresh sounds for the game. It shows me as a consumer just how much care and effort went into the product they want me to buy. When I see, or better yet hear, something like that it gives me peace of mind when I go in and blind buy something that will be made later down the road by that same company. What I mean by that is, when the next Hitman comes out and I see it at the store I will look at it and go “I know the last game was decent, but it seemed as though they were lacking in the sound department. Being a consumer who enjoys high quality sound can I trust in the developers and buy this game without knowing what the sound quality is like, or will I waste my $60 with a product I will be disappointed in?” In an optimal setting I would go “The last game in the series was quality all around, given that information and experience I can safely say that this would be a good well rounded investment on my part. I think I will purchase it.”

(IMG:http://img128.imageshack.us/img128/3544/73894060ka0.jpg)

Game Play-

So as I got into the game my first time around I didn’t know what to expect so I choose the easiest difficulty and started. The first level is your “tutorial” stage where you are shown the basics of how the game works. Though I found that the controls are rather sluggish and unresponsive at times, the button mapping they used is quite handy. Everything you need is quickly accessed and easily sorted and maintained. Getting into your inventory in the heat of the moment is a bit of a pain as you have to hold down the X button for a second or two. I say it is a pain because tapping the X button also unholsters whatever weapon you may have equipped so if you get into trouble and things heat up and you need a new weapon from your inventory you sometimes end up just pulling out the weapon you have equipped and getting shot to death because you couldn’t get to your gun or something right away. Aside from having to adjust your strategy a little bit to accommodate that little annoyance the game play is pretty good. . . once you figure out what you need to do.

For anyone who is like me and doesn’t, or didn’t, know what this game really was about it is quite simple. You are a Hitman being paid to do what a Hitman does, kill. How you kill and what you do to accomplish that kill can vary. During one play through on a level I found myself setting up a good position to snipe my targets from a distance and did just that. A second run through that same level I found myself discovering a way to have someone else do my dirty work for me without them realizing it and then I dropped a chandelier on my secondary target and walked right out the front door with no one any wiser.

Now you are probably saying to yourself “COOL I have to try this game!”. Well be forewarned. You are going to play through each and every single level in this game, until you get the gist of what is going on, many many many times over. Nothing in the game is simple. I was playing on easy and it still took me almost an hour of playing the same level over and over again for each level before I figured out what I need to do and where I need to go to accomplish my task. That may seem fun . . . for a while. But after about an hour of going “WHAT THE HELL DO I DO NEXT!” and pulling your hair out you tend to loose heart in the game and want to shut the console off. When you do figure out what to do and you end up pulling off the kill, the satisfaction is good, but in my opinion the end result does not give you as much satisfaction as trying to find out what to do gave you frustration.  The harder the difficulty you play on, the harder it is to accomplish your kills. Stealth, anonymity, timing and patience, especially patience, play huge roles in this game so if you do not have a high quantity of those qualities be weary if you decide to play this game. This is not a run and gun type shooter. Even on easy trying to run and gun through it will get you no where but to the restart screen. On the upside though, if you do manage to gun down all the guards that are in whatever level you are playing, they do not re-spawn so if you manage to kill everyone who can kill you, you basically can run willey-nilley through the level as you please without any interference. I wouldn’t recommend that though as your end level results will suffer, resulting in you being paid less.

Now it is unfair of me to do nothing but harp on the negative side of the game because really the game does have a fair amount of depth in the game play. You can go into missions with weapons from the start or you can go in unarmed and pick them up as you go. Sometimes it is smart to go in with nothing as guards will sometimes run metal detectors over you and if they find anything you are busted. Other times it is smart to go fully loaded and ready for action. Another big aspect of this game is blending in. By that I mean drawing as little attention to yourself as possible so that no one can identify you. You can knock people out or kill them, hide their bodies, and take their clothing. Why would you want to take their clothes you may ask? Well it seems rather odd to see someone in a nice suit running around a hospital when everyone is wearing gowns and doctors scrubs right? As each level progress’s you may need to do multiple clothing changes, or if you choose, you may just run through the game in your suit, but this will raise suspicion and make it just a bit harder for you to accomplish your goals.

(IMG:http://img124.imageshack.us/img124/1010/16405247ew3.jpg)

Story-

I really don’t want to give away too much of the story for anyone who is interested in playing so I will keep this section rather broad. The game is basically a story about a reporter getting the “scoop of the century” on 47 (47 is the Hitman) from an ex-head of the FBI, Director, Alexander Leland Cayne. They are basically discussing 47’s hits over the past two years (2004-2005) leading up to present day. From there the game takes a crazy twist and I will leave it at that for anyone who is curious to play as it is a serious twist that may or may not have detrimental affects on the story line for the next game in the series.

(IMG:http://img260.imageshack.us/img260/9761/91200697va7.jpg)

Xbox Live-

I really didn’t see too much that this game has to offer with Xbox Live. It is Live aware, but I didn’t poke to much further into it to see what it had to offer.

Bottom Line-

I am just going to cut right to the chase on this. I say, at best, unless you are a die hard series fan of the game rent this one before you buy it. If you find that you like it, and don’t mind spending large quantities of time wandering aimlessly around a level grumbling to yourself about how tired of doing the same level over and over again you are then by all means get it. The game is just not something that, once finished, you will look at and get the urge to play through over again. Once you figure out a few decently orchestrated kills for each level, the fun factor just dissipates and you are left with nothing more than the memories of all the annoyance the game caused you. A big saving throw for the game is the depth and the story line. I enjoyed both. Even without playing any of the other Hitman games I dived right in and could follow along very easily without having any kind of back story from the other games. Though I did not really enjoy the game as much as I was hoping I would, I am still on the fence when it comes to a numerical score for the game. It has high points, but the low points far outweigh them. I give the game an unsteady 5. For me it could really go both ways. The frustration factor in the game could make me rate it far lower than 5, but the story line, depth, and atmosphere of the game could make me push it just a bit higher than 5. It is a good game for the fans of the series, but if you are looking to 100% a game in a single weekend . . . look elsewhere.  
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twistedsymphony

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Hitman: Blood Money
« Reply #2 on: March 06, 2007, 10:37:00 AM »

Good review and I agree with most of your points.

While I'm not a fan of the series either, and this was my first Hitman game as well, I found a whole lot to love about it.

the bland graphics and music were acceptable because I had so much damn fun playing though. After playing through on Normal I went back and beat it on the harder difficulties and had a great time doing so.

My only regret is that the game ended because I was itching for more once I finished.

While I did rent it and 100% it over the course of a couple weeks I borrowed it from a friend some time later and replayed all of the missions on the highest difficulty...

I'll be sure to pickup the next hitman game for the sheer enjoyment of cracking the best way to make hits.

Though maybe your opinion differs I'm not afraid to peek at an online guide when I start reaching a point of frustration where the game stops being fun.

For this game I was able to get through the levels but then going for Silent Assassins I gathered advice from various sources and compiled my own best method for getting through each level.

you seem a bit heavy handed with your scoring though, for me I'd give this game a mid to high 7 per the scoring guidelines http://forums.xbox-scene.com/index.php?showtopic=506483

This post has been edited by twistedsymphony: Mar 6 2007, 06:44 PM
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metalhead212

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Hitman: Blood Money
« Reply #3 on: March 06, 2007, 11:40:00 AM »

You know, reading through that review again I think you may be correct in saying that I am being a bit harsh on the game. It is a decent game. Aside from the fact that you are dumped into the game having to seriously figure every little thing out for yourself, and the small issues I found with the visuals and the sound it is an under par game. Some of the game was very enjoyable, but the consistency of that fun factor varies so greatly.It seemed that once the game started picking up and getting fun something would come along and really throw a wrench into things. By all means go out and try this game if you are even the slightest bit curious in it, but remember that if you do not have access to any type of guide be prepared for a very hard and frustrating learning experience.

 Aside from that, when I give a game a numerical score I always tend to be harsher than what the normal person would be. To me a 10 is perfection and so on down the line. To get the higher scores a game really has to work for it. If you are going to dump 50-90 dollars on a game you should be well prepared and knowledgeable of what you are getting. If someone reviews a game as a 9 and in all reality it is more like a 4 you feel really screwed and pissed off. I think an informed buyer / gamer is a more well rounded buyer / gamer. If the player still interested in a game after a hard review then I think the player will be pleasently suprised with the game they play if they go into it expecting a game just a bit lower in quality, but find that it is actually a bit better than what they were expecting. It just adds that much more enjoyment.
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metalhead212

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Hitman: Blood Money
« Reply #4 on: March 14, 2007, 11:29:00 AM »

Finally finished getting all the achievements for the game.

*WARNING: ACHIEVEMENT INFORMATION*

    
  Fully Customized SP12 Shotgun    25pts
All custom Shotgun components purchased.
   
  Fully Customized W2000 Sniper    25pts
All custom W2000 components purchased
   
 1st mission complete    25pts
"Death of a Show man" completed on any difficulty.
   
 47 kills in a mission    20pts
A mission has been completed with precisely 47 kills.
   
 5 Expert Silent Assassins    50pts
5 Silent Assassin ratings awarded on the Expert difficulty
   
 5 Normal Silent Assassins    25pts
5 Silent Assassin ratings awarded on the Normal difficulty
   
 5 Professional Silent Assassins    100pts
5 Silent Assassin ratings awarded on the Professional difficulty
   
 Accidents do happen...    20pts
A successful accident kill has been performed.
   
 All firearms collected    100pts
All firearms collected and displayed in Hideout
   
 Expert mode complete    75pts
Completed Expert difficulty
   
 Fully Customized M4    25pts
All custom M4 components purchased
   
 Fully customized Silverballers    25pts
All custom Silverballer components purchased
   
 Fully Customized SMG Tactical    25pts
All custom SMG Tactical components purchased
   
 High Roller    50pts
$5,000,000 have been accumulated.
   
 Normal mode complete    50pts
Completed Normal difficulty
   
 Notorious    20pts
47 is the world's most wanted.
   
 Professional mode complete    150pts
Completed Professional difficulty
   
 Redemption    50pts
You can't keep a good man down.
   
 Rookie mode complete    25pts
Completed Rookie difficulty
   
 Silent Assassin    25pts
A Silent Assassin rating has been awarded
   
 Special Rating    50pts
A Special Rating has been awarded.
   
 Tier 2 Kruger Schmidt    5pts
Tier 2 of the Kruger Schmidt upgrade shop unlocked
   
 Tier 3 Kruger Schmidt    15pts
Tier 3 of the Kruger Schmidt upgrade shop unlocked
   
 Tier 4 Kruger Schmidt    20pts
Tier 4 of the Kruger Schmidt upgrade shop unlocked
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ToBbErT

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Hitman: Blood Money
« Reply #5 on: June 14, 2007, 12:15:00 PM »

I had a great time playing this game.Specially sneaking up your enemies and killing them tongue.gif I loved the story only the controls were bugging me. sleeping.gif
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bbagnall

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Hitman: Blood Money
« Reply #6 on: September 02, 2007, 06:16:00 PM »

I've played Hitman 2 and now I'm about half way through Hitman: Blood Money (aka Hitman 4). It's a decent game, but the point made in the review is essentially correct: You have to play each level through a few times to figure out what is happening. I suppose if you were really meticulous and spent a lot of time doing recon you could play through a level once and only once without dying over and over again. But sometimes the game makes it impossible even to do that. For example, with the chandelier thing in one level, how the hell are you supposed to know the guy is going to run down from the 2nd level and trip right below the chandelier?

Anyway, I really like the game but I think they could somehow design their sequels so it's a little more life-like, in that there aren't so many guards everywhere and they aren't so touchy.
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fred333

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Hitman: Blood Money
« Reply #7 on: November 13, 2007, 01:50:00 PM »

I have really enjoyed this series... looking forward to the movie. Hopefully it is not horrible.
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Rodiks

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Hitman: Blood Money
« Reply #8 on: December 15, 2007, 10:34:00 PM »

all i want to share is that i enjoyed the movie HITMAN... an action packed film... but i don't know if the storyline was on the right track... still i love a game of HITMAN... always go for the absolute perfect kill... dry.gif
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fntoy.com

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Hitman: Blood Money
« Reply #9 on: July 28, 2008, 05:06:00 PM »

QUOTE(Rodiks @ Dec 16 2007, 07:10 AM) *

all i want to share is that i enjoyed the movie HITMAN... an action packed film... but i don't know if the storyline was on the right track... still i love a game of HITMAN... always go for the absolute perfect kill... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/dry.gif)


yeah.. this very good game..

--------------------------------
support @ fntoy.com

This post has been edited by fntoy.com: Jul 29 2008, 12:07 AM
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afcdesign.net

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Hitman: Blood Money
« Reply #10 on: March 31, 2009, 08:23:00 AM »

OMG! My favourite game!  pop.gif
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matson45

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Hitman: Blood Money
« Reply #11 on: September 15, 2011, 07:11:00 AM »

Gore Money is not a outstanding hunting gallinacean. It looks right, punter than statistic I would say, but it isn't going to belt your socks off with its visible form or anything equal that. There is a pretty intelligent become of portion put into the characters and the environments which is worthy. Though few sections of the scheme tend to countenance a short flavourless at times, for the most object the gritty maintains a destined visible unity which as you procession through the courageous you present treat solon and author as you prettify much focused
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Rogerwagyu

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Hitman: Blood Money
« Reply #12 on: July 10, 2012, 12:19:00 AM »

Try Gold Fever today - and strike it rich!
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gronkowski

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Hitman: Blood Money
« Reply #13 on: August 08, 2012, 11:06:00 PM »

It show some different angle , sound good !
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