Customer Reviews

Hitman Blood Money

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Although this is my first game in the Hitman series, I absolutely love stealth games like the Splinter Cell series. I have completed Hitman: Blood Money at all levels of difficulty and earned every Xbox 360 Achievement in the game.

If you're looking for a fun, vast and playable game, just stop right now and purchase Hitman: Blood Money. The game is so incredible in the amount of variety it offers (both in unique and interesting levels, as well as new and exciting ways to take people out) it could have almost been split up into two titles and still be worth the price. I don't want to provide any level-specific spoilers at all, but let me just say if you completely finish this game without finding one level you absolutely loved, you simply don't like this entire genre of gaming!

Although this game has absolutely no multiplayer component, I could easily see a group of people gathered around the TV with pizza and beer as you take turns trying to accomplish the best or wildest "hit."

The controls in this game are sometimes difficult. Overall, you spend most of your time picking a weapon, then using it. However, when you have to make accident kills, specifically throwing someone over the side of a building, boat railing or cliff, you'll find that it doesn't always work. This is particularly true at the higher levels, where making these accidents happen is essential for earning the coveted "Silent Assassin" rating.

Speaking of which -and mostly specific to the Xbox 360 version- the achievements for this game are somewhat ambiguous. One example is that the requirements for earning a Silent Assassin rating on the "Pro" level is different than earning it on the lower difficulty levels, but you're never informed of the differences, or how to achieve it in the first place. Likewise, the "Special Rating" achievement is only really possible to earn by accident, or after researching how to do so on the game forums. All of this is troubling, since the point of the game is to become the ultimate hitman. And when they won't tell you how to do so, you'll feel a little cheated.

Obviously, there are some adult themes in this game. In addition to the gratuitous (but fun!) violence, there are also numerous sexual scenarios. There isn't a lot of foul language (at least that I noticed, but I'm also pretty liberal on that), but parents should certainly review this title closely before purchasing it for a minor.

All said, this game easily earns a 5-star rating for the replayability, level design and massive options for interesting deaths. The only problems with this game (which lowered my "overall rating" by one star) are the sometimes troubling controls and the lack of information on how to "do your best" as a hitman. However, the casual gamer won't care about these inadequacies and the hardcore gamers will find ways around them. After all, an adaptable hitman is a good hitman!

Ok, let me start by saying, if you can't use the fiber wire, then you probably can't find your way from your bedroom to your kitchen, either. It's real simple folks.. you press the button, you walk up, then release it when you're ready. You don't just "tap" the fiber wire button and expect it to whip out and immediately work.

Now more importantly- the game review. One reviewer duly noted that the crosshairs are a bit hard to control on this game. Well, sure, maybe a little bit. But like someone else pointed out, this is a STEALTH based game-- you have to use your brain! And strategy! The only time it should be necessary to have to aim the crosshairs really quickly at multiple enemies is if you screw up, are noticed, etc. and you're ambushed. The whole idea is to AVOID ambush. If you like FPS (first person shooters) then go get one of those instead. You'll be able to blast away to your heart's content. With the Hitman games, you have to take your time... crouch, sneak, and use stealth, strategy, and skill. Can't control your joystick? Crouch behind a tree, and take the time to line up the shot PROPERLY with the silencer.

Personally, I LOVE this game. If you really need more crosshair/joystick control, buy the PC version and use a mouse, it works even better.

I'm so tired of the same old, generic, first-person perspective video games being released now, that I have to applaud Eidos for giving us a good ol, 3rd-person perspective strategy game. I love the style of gaming, it reminds me of an OLD game (I think it was called Commando) where you had a team of people (e.g. a sniper, an explosives guy, an army general, a driver) and you had to strategically infiltrate the enemy camp without being noticed. Finally, strategy and thinking instead of hack-n-slash.

I can't say enough about this game, because the review will be too long, but since my reviews are NEVER selected for spotlight reviews (despite their coherence and high level of articulation), I wanted this one to be noticed. Buy this game! It's great.

This is my first venture into a 'Hitman' game having just bought an Xbox 360 and I must say it's worth every penny. All the positive notes you've read before about the graphics, storyline, playability, etc are all true. However, there are other games with similar specs - Ghost Recon on the X360 immediately springs to mind which is also a fine game.

But what makes 'Hitman' my game of the year so far is it's flexibility, i.e. finishing a level off one way then going back and trying a totally different way of killing off the same bad guy. There are so many ways of doing the levels and all can acheive the same objective but with very different challenges.

Example? Well, without giving the game away, I had to kill a crook who was also a wine expert at his own ranch, teeming with guards. So I bumped off one of his guards, took his clothes then made my way through the house without being detected before bumping the old boy off. Great...but, there's also a wall round the back which I can also use to get in the house through the back way, or there's a side door with a fusebox to kill the lights then hide in a cupboard, or....etc,etc, get the drift?

There's so many ways to try the same assignment, some easy, some not so....it's up to you to work out the best way that suits you.

Add to that the difficulty levels that make the game as hard as you like and there's many visits back to the same assignment which increases the longevity of the game.

So buy this game....you won't be disappointed!

In hit man you take the role of agent 47 a hired profesional hitman. You utilize many weapons at your disposal like fiber wire poison sryinges to remote detonated bombs to take out your targets.

Graphics the graphics are impressive but it looks like they could have done a lot better considering that the 360 is the most powerfull console in the market. But the graphics are a bit better on the 360.

The controls in the game are not as difficult to execute just as long as you read the instruction booklet. People complaining that the can't kill someone with a fiber wire need to read it. I found that going to 3rd person help you aim.

Gameplay in this game is awesome there are so many ways in killing your targets in a sneaky gory way. You could go guns blazing and kill everyone leaving no witnesses or disguise yourself and plant some traps for your targets. This game isn't just a shoot em up game its a thinking mans game. Come up with a plan and carry it out. make your kills look like a accident.

Overall I loved this game and I will be playing it for quite a while.

... And with games costing 60 bucks these days that should be a biggie for anyone. I remember years ago owning the first Hitman for the PC and back then it was really fresh and original. In the years that have passed there have been many games that have tried to be what this game is and have failed, often miserably.
The storyline is a little bit too much on the 'trust noone' conspiracy theory side to me but they keep it on the downlow for the most part. One thing I love is learning about the characters you are sent to assasinate. They're all bad guys (Which is probably unlike a real hitman's job of bumping off jurors or witnesses etc) which makes it all the more gratifying once you've tossed a drug lord out of his mansion window or infiltrated a rehab clinic and rigged a mobster's spaghetti and meatballs to engulf him in flames.
Then a nice little touch to summarize the mission is a look into the following days headlines to see if you're mentioned - Storm through the mission like a psychopath and read about a maniac on the rampage, sneak through unnoticed and read about the police having no solid leads on a 'silent assasin'. Very Pleasing to the eye.
There isn't much that they haven't thought of in this game. There's plenty of great reviews here talking about what is great, and here is my only gripe... The sniper rifle isn't required nearly enough. It's fun to watch Agent 47 put that thing together for a big hit, but over the 8 or so levels (I forget right now how many there are) of gameplay, I only found the need for it once.
This game will stay in my library as long as my Xbox 360 does. The replay value really is immense with so many different ways of finishing the job and every one of them great fun. I'm a 25 year old gamer with a good 20yrs of gaming experience and this may be the best overall game I've ever played.

I have been playing the "hitman" games since the original PC versions, and once I switched my gaming to consoles, have played "contracts" on PS2, and now "Blood Money" on the 360. This game is a great evolution of the series, keeping a lot of the good points (you have the choice of completing the level how you wish) fixing some of the problems, (interface and inventory use), and giving us all new levels to explore and do killing on. I have only ONE complaint, which I will get to in a bit.

I know this might sound bad, but I really love killing games. They provide a great stress relief, from those days that are just so tough to get through, But be assured, I don't go roaming with my real pistol or get in my real car and try to mow people down, etc. My (fun) violence is on the TV screen only :0)

With that said, my favorite part of the hitman games is still present, i.e. the ability to choose how to complete the "contract." There are multiple ways to accomplish each kill. You can carefully sneak around for hours in real time, hiding from gaurds, slipping into where the target is when he/she is alone, poisoning a drink, strangling from behind, or, just shoot them in the face and run like hell. It's all up to you--what I usually do is sneak through the level first, to see where everyone is, then, once it's finished, play through a second time killing everybody in sight, for the "mass murderer" label, hehe. But you have to be careful, "run and gun" in the wrong spot and you WILL be killed, and one thing that gets old is the slow motion dying scene, but oh, well.

As far as a minor complaint, the "newspaper" at the end of levels is cool, but agraviting to a point; it shows what you supposedly did on the mission such as "Tycoon killed at compound; police looking for leads," etc. One thing I don't like is the paper is repetitive, including publishing things that didn't happen, for example on every mission it says something like "and 3 people were shot in the head, making authorities concerned about the viciousness of the attack," but on one level i did absoluste stealth, ONLY killed the mark, did not harm anyone else, and didn't fire a shot! Oy! So who shot those three people in the head?

Next, the only big complaint I have this time around is the save system. The way it works is, you are able to have in game saves (except for the most difficult level), for example on "normal" i think you can have six saves, anywhere you choose, BUT, the saves are in MEMORY, not to disc, so if you quit before the level is finished the saves are lost and you have to play the level from the start again. Argggghhhh! If the level is finished, it's added to the main menu to give you the choice of playing it again, and your game auto save continues from that point. I miss the way it worked in "silent assasin" where, the saves were to disc, and you could return to them whenever you wished. But, oh well.....

In short I would recommend this game. If you have played hitman before you will really like it, if you are new to the series, it's probably the best one to start with.

Awesome game. I can't wait until the next one comes out. This is a game of patience and cunning, while at the same time if you want to you can just blast your way through each level and still complete the game. The trick to the game is obtaining the rank of "Silent Assassin" for each mission. The better the score per level the more you unlock upgrades for your tools such as higher capacity magazines, rapid fire trigers, silencers, and collapsible stocks.

I know the idea of a game based on plotting murder may offend some people
however the developers have done a good job of crafting a story and making the player actually care for the main character: a one-of-a-kind clone named 47. The level objectives are all career criminals that have got away from the hammer of justice too many times. Each hit deals with leveling the playing field and picking up were justice walked off. The story follows 47 trying to uncover subterfuge within the agency while maintaining his reputation by perfecting his silent methods and remaining the last man standing.

Strengths:
-Weapons. Great detail has been put into the weapons
-Graphics
-Multiple outcomes for any given mission
-Notaritity

I recommend this game for any one over the age of 17 that feels mercy to the guilty is cruelty to the innocent, enjoys tactical intrigue, and appreciates the strong silent characters that exist just to kick you-know-what.

I had a lot of fun playing this game. It's improved over the original Hitman game since you can now purchase upgrades to your equipment.
Gameplay is really well designed without the crazy camera angles. Agent 47 is easy to control and navigate through obstacles. The only problem I had with him was when trying to use the scope on his rifle. But this ia very minor problem and is easy enough to deal with once you are used to it. The fiber wire is a bit difficult to use (as it should be), but overall, the controls are quite manageable.
The story of the game is easy to follow and doesn't interfere with the game enjoyment at all. I think it actually enhances the game, especially near the end. I don't want to give anything away, but if you pay attention to the mission objectives you should enjoy the plot. THe soundtrack is also great and enhances the game.
Missions are not too complex. Some of them are pretty straightforward, but some contain multi-layered and optional side objectives. AI is pretty well done since NPCs don't always follow the same pattern. It could be better though. Some NPCs are just plain stupid. I.E. When a bodyguard searches you and you are dressed as a waiter, as long as you surrender your weapons he will let you pass. If I were a bodyguard, I think I would have to question why a waiter would need a pair of silenced silver ballers and a sub-machine gun.
I have yet to play the game on the harder levels, so this may just be a rookie feature.
Overall, this is a fun game and has replay value to try to get a better rating on each mission. I like to replay it on each difficulty level util I've mastered the game and it hasn't gotten boring at all so far.
This is a great addition to any XBox 360 game library.

First off, and as the title and ratings might suggest, this game is excellent. I mean, it's also excellent for many more reasons other than its replay value. Let's start the real review, shall we?

I first bought this game used around eight or so months ago for PS2 at GameStop. I beat the game in a few days (The story in the game is a little short) and absolutely loved it. I decided to share the love with my friends and let them borrow it for awhile and they've also had nothing other than good to say about this game.

So I decided a few weeks ago to follow up with my original purchase and buy it for the Xbox 360. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that the Xbox version must not have sold as well as there was a small price difference ( Around $12 for the PS2 version and $20 for the Xbox 360). I will say right of the bat that both versions are excellent and, believe it or not, there is little difference between the PlayStation and Xbox 360 version.

So here's a quick breakdown:

Graphics:

Good on both versions but the award narrowly goes to the Xbox 360. I noticed in the mission "A New Life" (Which is probably one of my favorites by the way) the graphics looked a bit crisper on Xbox 360 (Which I did expect). And If I have not reinforced it enough, the game looks great on both systems

Audio:

There is not a lot of actual music in this game other than its signature tune "Ave Maria". Of course there is all the sounds of guns and screaming when you take hostages and little tracks that play when your detected and such but not a lot of real music, but who cares? You didn't buy it for music, right? You bought it so you could go and cause chaos!

Replay Value:

This is where it really hits home. This game is great in terms of replay value. There are 48 standard rankings in the game, which rank from Terrorist to Silent Assasin to Loose Cannon to Madman and everything in between. There is also 19 special ranking you can get for doing special things (Like executing in a certain way) examples of these are Needle Pumper and Russian Hare.

Silent Assasin is one of the best rankings you can get. The game rewards you for getting this ranking with various things (Weapon upgrades, Achievements (360) and so on). Silent Assasin is usually achieved if you kill no more than your "hits". For this purpose, the sedative is the Silent Assasin's best choice. Fair warning however, the people will wake up if discovered! So do your hit quick and get out!

Like I said replay value is great. When you first get it you'll probably not get Silent Assasin every time but when you beat it you'll try to go back and do it (Gasp, a game that makes you think!?). And you'll also go back to have a little fun with your weapons and go on a rampage.

So this game is almost five years old, yet still incredibly fun. So as the title suggests, if you have not picked up a copy yet, here is your formal invitation to fun.

Oh, and I was not paid in any way by IO Interactive or Eidos for this review. This is solely my opinions and in no way is biased.

S.O.

A Nearly Perfect Masterpiece
This game is like 2 games in one. In one game you sneak around undetected. You change outfits to blend in and you slowly patiently track down and stealthily kill your targets. In the other game you go on a maniacal rampage killing everyone in sight! For that reason, and the fact that there are many possible ways to complete your hits, this game is extremely fun and has very high replay-ability.

The music in this game is excellent! Ave Maria at the beginning and throughout makes a wonderful contrast to bloody evil deeds that Agent 47 carries out. Jesper Kyd is an excellent composer and his music fits perfectly with the game.

The controls are tight. The camera system works very well. Weapon upgrades are an excellent touch. Hitman has a great linear story. Since when did linear become such a bad thing? My only complaint is the lack of variety in character models. There's an athletic character and fat character for both male and female. Between these 4 body types there seems to be only 1 face for each body type. Eye color and clothing changes, but other than that everyone's the same. This is the ONLY thing keeping this game from being a Perfect Masterpiece.

Once you reach the end I'm sure you'll agree this is a satisfying, complete, well though out video game.