Blood Money Does Nothing New But Is Still Fun
However, the thing that stands out in this game is the variety of ways of performing a mission. There are other games out there that have the similar "play it your way" thing but what I like about Blood Money is that ever time I play the game I find something new. I've played it three times and I still found some twists that I missed.
Just some things that I never even thought of like putting poison on doughnuts to kill the guards instead of shooting them and making a ruckus. I wouldn't say that this game has great depth in its choices but regardless it is still very fun.
Graphics/Design: I will not be so hard on this game in terms of graphics because it was made in the time of the original Xbox and PS2 so the quality isn't next generation. This game was stuck in the mess when games were released for the Xbox AND Xbox 360. So the graphics are forgiving because it's primary release was for the previous generation consoles. Having said that Blood Money doesn't have bad graphics or character design it's just dated. The level designs still remains the greatest feature and how no one level is similar to the other.
Gameplay: The stealth action part is my favorite gameplay option and in my opinion the best designed. Despite the "play it your way" thing the game is mostly set up as a stealth game rather than a third-person shooter. Which makes sense because Hitman is regarded more as a silent assassin rather than a shoot-um-up killer. The shooting part is a little clunky because of the lack of a targeting system and sometimes the hand weapons, such as the fiber wire or kitchen knife, aren't very responsive. One significant difference between the Xbox consoles is that the blood in the Xbox disappears over time whereas in the 360 version it doesn't, and that makes me very happy.
Story: Oh dear, this isn't a game I should delve into the story that much because there isn't anything to talk about. Agent 47 is sent to various locations to assassinate a target or targets and that's pretty much how it goes. There are some interesting aspects in the cut scenes where we learn what happened after the end of the game. It left me bewildered but certainly made me more excited to play Hitman 5.
Overall: Blood Money should be a game worth buying because it is very fun and has plenty of replay value. There is nothing wrong with renting it though because it usually takes a weekend to beat, so it's really up to you. If your the kind of gamer that I am and like to explore all possibilities of performing various tasks you will certainly find something you like in this game.