It’s time to grab the black gloves, fibre wire and controller as gaming’s favorite baldy, Agent 47, gets back into business for “Hitman: Blood Money,” the fourth title in the revered franchise.
The fundamentals are still intact: be patient, plan smart, and don’t get caught. Like in the previous “Hitman” games, 47 must rely on strategy and accuracy to make his millions. Any sudden or thoughtless moves and your cover is blown, you’re mission is in jeopardy and, before you know it, you’re riddled with bullets delivered by trigger-happy security guards/criminals/guy in a clown suit with no remorse for innocent bystanders.
“Blood Money” is more open-ended than its predecessors, making possibilities for carrying out missions practically endless. And of course, many creative options abound, whether it’s acting in disguise (always a popular option), rigging a pyroshow in Vegas or blowing up a chandelier to fall on an unsuspecting target in France.
This time around, the world is 47’s oyster, as he executes his missions and subjects across Europe, Latin America and the States to do The Agency’s bidding (for a hefty price, of course). The hitman even makes a couple of stops in the great state of Mississippi to cap a few of the worst stereotypes of Southerners ever depicted in a game (think fried chicken-lovin’, gator-shootin’, Bible-thumpin’, toothless and square-dancin’ rednecks and you’re only about halfway there).
Despite the serious misrepresentation of your typical Mississippian, the developers did a great job adding depth, strategy, humor and dark themes into the title.
In one mission, 47 must take out an opera singer and his lover, the U.S. Ambassador to France, who also happen to run a child sex ring. Yeah, pretty dark stuff. The mission itself is one of the most enjoyable in the game: simple, practical and accompanied by “Tosca.”
In a more light-hearted mission, 47 must execute a mobster on the witness protection program in his own home, which is being heavily guarded by federal agents. Players can sneak in through the back door, snipe the guy from the neighbor kid’s tree house or even strip a party clown of his costume and go in guns blazing. The latter option is not recommended, nor does it make any sense, but hey, it’s still an option.
Like 2000’s original “Codename: 47,” players must rely on earnings from successful hits to upgrade weapons and supplies. More importantly, players can now decrease notoriety through bribery, something that will save players a great amount of stress later on.
After each mission, a newspaper article pops up detailing 47’s killings. The amount of notoriety adds up depending on the success of each mission. Evidence such as the number of witnesses, leftover bullet casings and unretrieved clothing will hinder a player’s success, as a sketch-up ranging from Silent Bob-esque to spot on will give bystanders in later missions an opportunity to spot you without a second glance. It’s a very clever mechanic that adds to the overall quality of the game, which was great to start with.
Of the 13 missions, each one provides its own challenge. Killing off three conspirators in the French Quarter during Mardi Gras without detection is a feat in and of itself, and infiltrating the White House to prevent the President’s assassination is not only a bizarre juxtaposition to 47’s mindset, it’s also incredibly difficult.
That’s the world of “Hitman,” though. Bizarre, crude, bloody and unforgettable.