Hitman: Blood Money
The bald-headed badass is back, and yes, he's better than ever.
Published: June 6, 2006
But really, the level design is the star here, as it should be. IO did an incredible job making things feel like they're sandbox-like, even if they're still constrained by the same test-the-boundaries systems. Multiple entrances to areas, more environmental interaction, tons more people in a level (a significant portion of which aren't even targets.) and of course a handful of diabolical ways to off someone (poison their food, crush them with a 1000 pound chandelier, toss them off a cliff, etc.) All these bits and pieces add up to an experience that's quickly approaching the vision IO has for the series, but it's not quite there.
Many of the issues I have with the game are also what saves it from becoming too difficult or needlessly tedious. Though you can draw tons of heat by gunning down everyone in your path, it's possible to just go up a floor or run away for a while and everything sort of resets. It's not too much to think there would be some headset wearing guards (and there are -- Secret Service and all), but then again, that would mean you're forced to reset your game rather than encouraged. The controls, for as refined as they've gotten, are still a little clunky, particularly in the area of collision, which is where you'd hope they improved given how many silent kills you need to make.
Though Blood Money was conceived as a next-gen PC offering, there's still a couple of oohs and ahhs that can be gleaned from the PS2 version. For starters, the levels you'll drop into can be huge, not only in terms of size but how densely packed some of the interiors are. They're peppered with passages and locked doors, with alternate routes and patrolling guards on every level, and through it all, the game manages to display everything with a nice, even clip -- even in progressive scan if you opt for it when the game first starts.
Texture detail is great, animations are varied (it's particularly cool to see just how many ways 47 garrotes a poor sap), and there are times when the game overcomes the limitations of the PS2 hardware to deliver a "wow" inspiring moment. A lot of this comes from the lighting, which is understandably muted, but there's plenty done with color and tone that helps sell each level, which is usually quite varied from the previous or following ones.
The audio is a little more varied, though. Jesper Kyd is, as he will probably always be, amazing at what he does, mixing terse, high-tension moments with more relaxed, downright moving ones, and all pulled off with the same strings-meet-synth approach that has made his stuff some of the best in video games. The sound libraries offer plenty of effects with pop, and hearing more subtle stuff, like the zip of the fibrewire before it meets an unsuspecting neck is great.
All of the main voices are also pulled off with enough emotion and nuance that you find yourself getting sucked into the cutscenes -- even though you realize they're well beyond what the PS2 is capable of (then again, the CG has always been a step above the main game graphics). The other actors, however, are more hit-or-miss, with a lot of the general grunt chatter just coming off as second-rate.
So the game isn't without faults. That's fine, because for all the problems that it has, the overall experience continues to inch closer to that magical sandbox where everyone reacts realistically and the boundaries of the game are a little more clear. For as much as has changed, the familiar issue of save-and-repeat cycle (which isn't an option on the hardest difficulty level) can feel a little too familiar. Still, there's no denying that the sadistic playground that IO has designed is a blast to goof around in. Just make sure you know the rules before you jump in -- the penalty is death by impromptu firing squad.
