Hitman: Blood Money - The Joys of Contract Killing

For those of you who enjoy contract killing, you have probably played the game, Hitman. Recently, the next in the popular game series has been released... Hitman: Blood Money. This game is probably the best looking in the series to date, but it does have some minor flaws.

Before we get into flaws, let us talk about the story. Agent 47 returns as the world's top assassin. Apparently, members of Agent 47's assassination firm (the ICA) have been getting knocked off. Agent 47 may be next. Travel to real world American destinations to discover who is behind this while taking on new contract killing jobs!

Each client has his or her own motives behind the hit. They don't care how you do it, just do it! Agent 47 has a whole menagerie of weapons and gadgets to perform his "jobs." Each hit has a variety of clever and dramatic options with regards to how you do the deal!

Hitman: Blood Money also features new moves and methods to perform each hit. This includes the new "accident" method where you make the victim's death look accidental. You can also now dispose of bodies, use funds to upgrade weapons and gadgets, and choose his equipment.

As Agent 47 makes a hit, the police and press are often on to him. This is where your hard earned cash can come in handy. You can pay off the press to keep your picture off the front page news. You can also pay the cops to turn their head the other way.

Now for the flaws. The AI are just annoying. The entire game is quite realistic, except with regard to the AI. You can never predict how they will react. Sometimes you can sneak around a person and they will never notice you. Other times they will spot you when you barely move a muscle. Sometimes, you can literally run in circles and jump up and down in front of your next hit and they will never be on to you! It is just a pain. You are trying to be a clever and skilled assassin but the AI never lets you! The controls are also quite sloppy and difficult to maneuver.

Aside from these flaws, Hitman: Blood Money is a gorgeous game. All of the environments are well designed and full of detail. The light and shadow effects are superb. The dramatic cut scenes are also some of the best and cleverest of any game on the market. Anyone who likes to play this sort of game will come to appreciate how awesome it looks.

Hitman: Blood Money is available on Playstation 2, XBOX 360, XBOX, and PC. It has an ESRB rating of M for mature. This is because the game features, blood, partial nudity, sexual themes, strong language, use of drugs, and intense violence. Sorry kids, you can't play it without mom and dad's permission. A strategy guide is available for any of you who like to cheat!