Hitman is a game that will anger politicians, but one thing cannot be denied. The ideas and environments are beautiful.
When Hitman: Blood Money opens up, some gamers would likely be confused. Fans would wonder, just why Mr. 47 is laying on a funeral bed. A pure white ensamble adorns his shadowy figure, complete with gloves, and an angelic requim accompanies his death. He is surrounded by some wondrous architecture, full white marble and curved glass, a priest circling him and a crucifix hovering above nearby, as candles glow around him. White roses complete the scene, bushes of them seperating the benches on which many occupants sit. The only thing one has to wonder, is just why he has so many people attentding his funeral, and just who they are.
Hitman: Blood Money covers the events of the last few events of Mr. 47's life. The cutscenes are done from the standpoint of a mysterious, wheel-chair ridden and badly disfigured male, explaining just what was going on 'behind the scenes' of various world events to a reporter. All of these, of course, involved Mr. 47. The game covers around 12 or so missions, each of varying difficulty and environment. Each level will change from one to the other. From a vineyard, to an abandonded Fun Park, the levels are very well done. You even get to disrupt a redneck wedding.
Gameplay. Gameplay isn't always straightforward (but this is common amongst Hitman games). You have a lot of options, and unless you choose the easiest setting they are not always obvious. The best or most obvious choice may not be the 'right' one for stealth or even what you're intending to do. This can be frustrating for stealth heavy gamers, as they may not know or realize what the developers intended. A redeeming trait is that you can 'buy intel' while in a level, at a cost of 3.5k (this isn't much in game dollars, you get 200K per mission typically). Intel will give you hints as to what is going on around the level. The availability of options is also a strength, however, as there are MANY options to take out a particular person and not get caught (or, get caught and have fun on the way out). The more violence you cause, the more money you'll need to shell out for cleanup crews at the end, to make all those innocent civilians and guards not on your kill list not become 'evidence' of your existance. If you leave witnesses, you gain notoriety, and must pay to bribe officials in order to have it removed. You'll have to adapt to every environment as well, as they all have different security procedures and areas where one disguise will do nothing. For example, one mission is a midnight rave-- one area of the party is in the basement, known as the "Hell" portion of the party. Another is thrown on the top floor of the building, known as the "Heaven" area. Only heaven-dressed guests are allowed in the top floor. Only hell dress guests are allowed in the bottom. You get the idea. All in all, the stealthier you are and the more accurately you kill your targets (with no 'collateral damage'), the more money you earn for weapon upgrades. Action oriented players will have a tough time. One neat effect is when you're killed, you can 'redeem' yourself. When killed you enter a bullet time effect; if you get three headshots in the slow mo time, you'll get a sliver of health to go on. If you die on that sliver of health though, you're dead for good.
Controls. Good controls to a game like this are essential. It was pulled off, but not as well as it could've been. Often times you'll press a button to do one thing, and do the one thing you didn't want to do. For example, you placed a small, undetectable bomb in a suitcase. The action button will either let you A) place it on the conveyor to let it be scanned, go undetected, and let you pick it up on the other side of the metal detector. Or, B) you'll whip out the mine from the suitcase and show everyone just what you were planning. It doesn't help that these sort of mess-ups seem to be based on the level, as the action you want to do will be exclusive to a zone, while the other action is common (the conveyer only happens once, putting bombs in the suitcase can happen anywhere there is a suitcase and you've got a bomb). They're good, once you get used to them, but some people will be put off by them. If there are multiple actions at a single point (say, an elevator button to go from the 8th floor to the lobby) you can hold the key down to select what you do. The game doesn't pause during this, leaving you to cycle through a menu of options. This is wierd, because the inventory screen pauses the game and lets you decide on things. They give you a tutorial at the beggining of the game to get you started.
Sound. Sound here is great. The music chimes in whenever you've done something important, or when you've done something stupid and started a fight with security. You can pick up on things through what music chimes in; get a disguise and the body is hidden, and some creepy, almost foreshadowing music will start to congragulate you. Even what you're wearing can make a noise; if you walk on hard wood floors in dress shoes, the typical 'clicks' of the heels will sound off. In slippers, soft footsteps. The attention to detail is scary, because you really have to listen to determine if what's going on is happening in the game or happening around you in the real world. Once you get used to certain sounds though, you naturally drown them out.
Graphics. The graphics are, honestly, one of it's strongest points. They always have been in the hitman games. Referring back to the Heaven and Hell party-- in heaven, there is a misty, white-blue light washing over the dance stage. Glowing blue-ish confetti glitters as it rains from above, looking like icy glitter. It's peppered with people, males dressed in white with odd and well rounded masks, while females are dressed in what you'd expect of a party like this (scantily clad, angel wings, etc.). Even the security got in on the party, wearing gold masks and black t-shirts to differentiate themselves. The hell area is very fitting and different, which looks like something out of Doom (the old Doom, only improved), with pyrotechnics abound (yes, you can use these pyrotechnics to your advantage to make an 'accidental' death). Even the liquor at the bar is tinted red by lights.
The only problem is it may only be worth a single playthrough for some people, as the ending is something you can see coming, and the storyline is one of the games stronger points. if you're good at stealth games, getting top ratings on your first try, this might be a little challenge for you-- if you screw up, though, you'll be on the receiving end of some hurt, in the form of a mass of guards. Stealthers may find it satisfying to go through the game using the quietest methods possible, then go back and use the most violent methods possible; it's really up to the player as to what they will want to do. Go in unarmed and try to disarm all the guards? Go in with a shotgun, steal a catering suit, and go berserk? Slip in as a waiter, poison a cake, and give the treat to your target as a gift? It's all in the players hands, especially after they've beaten the game.
Overall, if you're a sucker for pretty architecture, and the look of 'the high life,' this game will appeal to your tastes instantly. There is a level of sophistication in this game that really makes it feel like a movie of some kind, even though it's interactive. You get to see how people act-- if you have a keen eye-- when they think nobody is watching, which adds to it's realism factor. Yet, it keeps it's distance from being too real by adding some of the most unbelievable mission objectives (or methods to achieve them) that you'll find. Ever kill a party clown, then dump his naked body into a trash compactor, and infiltrate a house dressed as the deceased comedian? The action lovin' players out there will be a little dissapointed for getting penalized on the carnage they cause, though. Go in expecting a stealth game, and you can cause carnage later.
On a final note, the ending scene, Requiem, even lets players choose how they want the game to end. That is, if they figure it out. If it's one party Mr. 47 can ever claim to over-do it on, it's a good funeral...