Retiax
07-16-2006, 03:22 AM
Well, I must say. I've never been a fan of Third-Person Shooters. I guess you could say the clunky mechanics of GTA and Tomb Raider games has left me with a distaste for them in general. Fortunately, Hitman: Blood Money is not a Third-Person Shooter. I don't know what genre to place it in. Stealth, with the Thief series, is the closest match I can find.
If you're new the Hitman series, don't worry. The story still makes sense thanks to flashbacks, but you're still missing out on a lot of back story, especially from Hitman: Contracts - since their plot lines interweave by dates. It's not a thrilling or deep plot, but the unbelievable ending more than makes up for it. There's a small amount of character development for Agent 47 - not enough to assume he's anything more than a heartless killer, though.
Going straight into game play mechanics, it's pretty much flawless. If you're new the Hitman series, it boils down to this: You are given one or more targets per mission that must be executed by any means necessary. Of course, it's not as simple as just barging in guns blazing... you could try it, sure, but unless you're a real crackshot, odds are you'll be taken down in only two or three hits yourself. Agent 47, our bald headed killer has an uncanny talent for being able to change his clothes at inhuman speeds. Isolating a guard and taking him down - lethally or otherwise - gives you a chance to steal his uniform. As a guard, you gain access to new areas. But no single outfit will grant you access to everywhere. You may find yourself changing clothes two or three times a mission to reach your mark without suspicion.
Speaking of suspicion, the guards on duty aren't stupid - a giant baldy seems to stand out. Given time around the guards, they'll see through your little disguise. You are given a tension gage, showing the amount of attention you're pulling to yourself. Attracting attention to yourself is a surefire way to be caught - running, for example, generates more suspicion than walking. Usually. 47 is forced to play his role somewhat carefully. A guard without a gun is pretty suspicious, as is a gardener without tools or a caterer without food.
Once you've finally reached your target, how will he/she be disposed of? The good hitman will make it appear to be an accident - and there's no shortage of ways to do that. Nearby ledge? Push them over. Standing under a chandelier? Make it fall. Using a stove? Sabotage!
Sometimes making it appear to be an accident just isn't an option. There's still a few other ways to do it. One clever and discreet way is poison. Study your target, find some food/drink they're interested in and get them away from it long enough to contaminate. You can be far away from the target by the time they finally die - much easier on your tension gage. Of course, if you've got the target alone, simply injecting the target directly works as well. 47's Fibre Wire is still an option, still incredibly useful as always - a perfectly silent kill every time.
Things do go wrong eventually and 47 is no pushover when it comes to gunfighting. The mechanics from human shields to aiming and damage is nothing short of poetry. Unfortunately, it's crippled by poor AI. Basic cover and narrow entrances will baffle Blood Money's AI. Each character fights independently, there's absolutely no interaction between the AIs when they're fighting, something we're starting to take for granted thanks to the slew of Tom Clancy games.
Blood Money took the time to throw in some RPG elements - the good kind! After each mission, you are given a statistics sheet showing your performance and a rating from Amateur to Silent Assassin. Each rating carries some sort of invisible value that's added up in the background, unlocking new equipment and modifications for your custom weapons, including: silencers, clip extenders, AP rounds, low velocity rounds, scopes, lock picks, body armor, health boosts and more. As if this didn't provide enough incentive to perform your hits quietly, quickly, and cleanly - there's another statistic you should be aware of.
Notoriety. 47's greatest strength is his secrecy. He's an urban legend and would prefer to stay that way. For every witness and piece of evidence left at the scene, including your customer weapons, original suit and video tapes - your notoriety will increase, making it more difficult to blend in with disguises. After each mission, you can use your funds to lower notoriety through bribes - but it's certainly better to just receive none in the first place.
All in all, Hitman: Blood Money was one of the most enjoyable games I've played this year. Absolutely amazing level design and atmosphere generated numerous moments of tension so dense, words cannot describe it. I highly recommend adding Hitman: Blood Money to your game collection. That means, buy it asshats.
If you're new the Hitman series, don't worry. The story still makes sense thanks to flashbacks, but you're still missing out on a lot of back story, especially from Hitman: Contracts - since their plot lines interweave by dates. It's not a thrilling or deep plot, but the unbelievable ending more than makes up for it. There's a small amount of character development for Agent 47 - not enough to assume he's anything more than a heartless killer, though.
Going straight into game play mechanics, it's pretty much flawless. If you're new the Hitman series, it boils down to this: You are given one or more targets per mission that must be executed by any means necessary. Of course, it's not as simple as just barging in guns blazing... you could try it, sure, but unless you're a real crackshot, odds are you'll be taken down in only two or three hits yourself. Agent 47, our bald headed killer has an uncanny talent for being able to change his clothes at inhuman speeds. Isolating a guard and taking him down - lethally or otherwise - gives you a chance to steal his uniform. As a guard, you gain access to new areas. But no single outfit will grant you access to everywhere. You may find yourself changing clothes two or three times a mission to reach your mark without suspicion.
Speaking of suspicion, the guards on duty aren't stupid - a giant baldy seems to stand out. Given time around the guards, they'll see through your little disguise. You are given a tension gage, showing the amount of attention you're pulling to yourself. Attracting attention to yourself is a surefire way to be caught - running, for example, generates more suspicion than walking. Usually. 47 is forced to play his role somewhat carefully. A guard without a gun is pretty suspicious, as is a gardener without tools or a caterer without food.
Once you've finally reached your target, how will he/she be disposed of? The good hitman will make it appear to be an accident - and there's no shortage of ways to do that. Nearby ledge? Push them over. Standing under a chandelier? Make it fall. Using a stove? Sabotage!
Sometimes making it appear to be an accident just isn't an option. There's still a few other ways to do it. One clever and discreet way is poison. Study your target, find some food/drink they're interested in and get them away from it long enough to contaminate. You can be far away from the target by the time they finally die - much easier on your tension gage. Of course, if you've got the target alone, simply injecting the target directly works as well. 47's Fibre Wire is still an option, still incredibly useful as always - a perfectly silent kill every time.
Things do go wrong eventually and 47 is no pushover when it comes to gunfighting. The mechanics from human shields to aiming and damage is nothing short of poetry. Unfortunately, it's crippled by poor AI. Basic cover and narrow entrances will baffle Blood Money's AI. Each character fights independently, there's absolutely no interaction between the AIs when they're fighting, something we're starting to take for granted thanks to the slew of Tom Clancy games.
Blood Money took the time to throw in some RPG elements - the good kind! After each mission, you are given a statistics sheet showing your performance and a rating from Amateur to Silent Assassin. Each rating carries some sort of invisible value that's added up in the background, unlocking new equipment and modifications for your custom weapons, including: silencers, clip extenders, AP rounds, low velocity rounds, scopes, lock picks, body armor, health boosts and more. As if this didn't provide enough incentive to perform your hits quietly, quickly, and cleanly - there's another statistic you should be aware of.
Notoriety. 47's greatest strength is his secrecy. He's an urban legend and would prefer to stay that way. For every witness and piece of evidence left at the scene, including your customer weapons, original suit and video tapes - your notoriety will increase, making it more difficult to blend in with disguises. After each mission, you can use your funds to lower notoriety through bribes - but it's certainly better to just receive none in the first place.
All in all, Hitman: Blood Money was one of the most enjoyable games I've played this year. Absolutely amazing level design and atmosphere generated numerous moments of tension so dense, words cannot describe it. I highly recommend adding Hitman: Blood Money to your game collection. That means, buy it asshats.