14 DAY TRIAL // 
Opinions about the Hitman series have always been extremely disputed. Some people have blamed it for serious or superfluous reasons and some had nothing but high praise for the only killing simulator on the market. Sure, you can take virtual lives in other games as well, but the professional feeling doesn't really exist in any of them. Hitman is more about stealth and finishing the mark (you'll soon develop a specific vocabulary, especially if you watch Assassins, with Antonio Banderas and Sylvester Stallone a dozen times), it's more like watching a domino effect that you have set in motion by your actions. It's not about the finish; the journey is the most important part.
We can also argue that the Hitman franchise is an offense to women. Rarely there's a woman targeted and if it is, then it's a low grade mark. I think this is one of the game taboos that the producers are really afraid to touch, primarily because sometimes kids well below the recommended age play this kind of games. Therefore women and children are never to be touched, but in the light of the recent scandals regarding the unequal chances women get in video games, we can safely say this is on the front line. You don't get a chance to play as a woman and you get to kill almost none. This is an obvious discrimination (sarcasm).
Story: For the first time, the story commands respect. The character is much more defined by his actions and through the eyes of the ones hunting him. Even before the launch, the publicity revolved on the idea that you are hunted and have to be one step ahead of everyone. It is not entirely true, but this doesn't mean the plot is less tensed. I have to give the writers a plus for the way they had integrated some of the missions from the previous games into this one. Unfortunately it also meant you would have had to play the other games as well so you can remember certain aspects and story twists.
For the players that haven't experienced the other parts, the story has enough independence to stand on its feet. The in-game movies are well directed and are practically the foundation of Blood Money. The start is pretty much the same, with agent 47 taking different jobs that are somehow connected on a higher level. In time, more and more agents working for the agency are disappearing, eventually leaving 47 and his contact the single living people in the organization. There is a certain feeling when playing mission after mission, a constant fear that something is about to give and the whole adventure is about to explode, but it doesn't.
I promised myself I wouldn't talk about the end but I have to say that Eidos has done something really ugly by trying everything in their power to kill the franchise constructing an ending that left too little room to maneuver. For those of you that don't know, Eidos has sold the Hitman series after the semi success of Contracts, to Tigon Studios, owned by Vin Diesel, who is going to play the voice in the next edition. I'm not saying this is a bad move but I don't think they've expected such a success with the next one; the end of the game is like a revenge for this marketing move.
Gameplay: For those of you that have played the previous versions of Hitman it shouldn't be a problem to adapt to the same old gameplay. Blood Money hasn't changed too much in the way it's played and furthermore it has brought some new moves and techniques. I have to warn you that some of the new killing methods are completely useless if you want to get all professional. Sure you can now use a hammer, but it's more elegant with a fiber wire. Of course you can put a bullet in the back of the head, but isn't much more fun if a chandelier were to accidentally smash the target?
One of the most important features introduced are the accidents. Almost all of the targets can be eliminated by framing an accident and personally this is the goal I've set to achieve on every mission. The impulse of getting a high-power rifle and paint the walls red is big, but I have tried as much as possible to get it the right way, like the producers have intended.
Blood Money and the Hitman series in general shouldn't be regarded like a 3rd person shooter but more like a puzzle. The first time you enter a mission there aren't many clues of what to do. The map is very accurate and there is a possibility of buying some tips; this feature is obviously designed to make the game idiot-proof and to help the ones that aren't in the mood to find for themselves the solution, but it took some of the realism away. The core gameplay is finding the shortest and cleanest way to finish the job, but for this to be achieved some neurons have to spark.
Another useless feature that has been really well implemented is the weapons upgrade. There are menus and submenus with this cool stuff that basically a dedicated gamer will never use. The usual weapons, not the custom ones, can be refitted with scopes, bigger chambers, silencers, vidia bullets for more damage and some other stuff I can't remember, all available for unreasonable high prices. Let's imagine I'm upgrading a rifle that is too big to squeeze between my pectorals under the coat and I'm walking into a level with the weapon in one hand; I'll usually be dead in the first minute and even if I succeed in killing everyone on the map with my cool, custom gun - the purpose is lost. The only thing that I've upgraded was the Silverballers because they are the signature by which I'm recognized in the community (now I'm babbling?).
And talking about signatures we have the "notoriety system". The way you finish a mission will influence the gameplay in the next ones. For example, if you get caught on camera you're penalized 10 points; if you let live any witnesses you get 5 points and so on until you reach 100, at which point the game is lost. There is, of course, a measure to counteract this event: the bribe. After each mission, if you've scored some negative points you'll get the chance to bribe witnesses, policemen and even the chief of police. After drawing a line, this "notoriety system" is just for show and it doesn't really makes a difference.
Video: When I've started the game a wow sound slipped. I thought I was going to see the same old engine, improved of course, but nevertheless outdated. I was more than surprised to see that Eidos has outdone itself with a beautifully rendered game with almost all the new technologies implemented, even the dreaded next generation on/off option.
I have to say that is one of the most well optimized games I've seen this year. Even with all the options on high detail, anisotropic and antialiasing on reasonable levels, it runs pretty smooth on a medium machine.
Hitman: Blood Money could also appear in the Guinness Book for the level with the most characters rendered at the same time. I have no idea how they did it but I was downright impressed to see almost a thousand people walking about, talking and dancing on a demonstration. They were obviously lacking an advanced AI because they wouldn't run away when I emptied all my weapons at them, but it makes no difference. The important thing is that Eidos showed us it can be done. However, in the next level it was snowing and the game suffered a severe frame drop. How can you put 1000 people and get no performance impact, but a snow is burning the video board is beyond my comprehension.
Sound: Jesper Kidd. His name is practically synonym with the Hitman series even if he made the soundtrack for other games as well: Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory, Freedom Fighters, MDK2, Messiah, and Amok just to name a few. So if you're ever asked what the soundtrack is like in Blood Money you just say Jesper Kidd and everyone will nod their heads in approval.
There is something you'll remember from Hitman: the sound of the upgraded silencer. It's simply stunning and I will certainly put this one right next to the one from the machinegun in Unreal 2: The Awakening.
Multiplayer: None and I wish they never get the idea.
Conclusion: I was about to judge the game before I played it because rarely a franchise that's going down is able to recover and I thought I'm going to be disappointed. I am happy to say this is one of my candidates for one of the best games this year for the PC. I can only hope Tigon Studios keeps at least the same standard for the next title because if they don't I'm going to find my own Silverballer. I know where you live so don't ruin a beautiful game
