When the first Hitman game, hitman : Codename 47, was released in 2000, it was pretty mediocre, but nonetheless a revolutionary installment in the stealth genre of video games. Two sequels followed both introducing new elements to the series. Then, hitman : Blood Money was released. The game either introduced or improved mechanics that were or became staples of the series. Many fans and critics consider it not just the best game in the series, but the best game of the genre. But I’m done with history and reception; let's take a look at the game!

Story: 10/10
The game is told primarily in flashback form, similar to its predecessor, hitman : Contracts. In the prologue, notorious hit man, Agent 47, has been tasked with eliminating a former American amusement park owner, who neglected to maintain many of his park's rides, resulting in a Ferris wheel accident that killed many. After that hit, 47 is tasked by many other American clients with eliminating many other targets. While carrying out these hits, Employees of 47's employer, the Agency, start turning up dead. The deaths are pinned on assassins employed by the Agency’s business rival, The Franchise. 47 must now preform hits not just for clients, but for the Agency and for himself.

I give the story 10 out of 10. Blood money is another hitman game that seems to have a mundane story of "kill people, make lots of cash", but has more twists and turns than a formula one race track. The tale of 47 doing jobs in on a new continent with new threats to his life and to the people around him is a refreshing departure from the remake nature of Contracts.

Gameplay: 9/10
The game plays like most of its predecessors. 47 must find a way to assassinate his target(s) that is quiet, creative, and cool. Just like every game in the series, stealth is vital in making sure you kill your target without someone else, or even the target, killing YOU first.
To help you out, you have a map of each part of each level, intel that you can buy from the agency, and customizable weapons that can be used to eliminate certain targets with less difficulty. A problem i have with firearms, however, is that using them against multiple enemies can be a bit awkward because there is no cover system, meaning you will have to strafe from left to right constantly just to get a shot. Besides ranged weapons, you also have 47's signature garrote as well as his fists, which are completely useless if you plan on getting the highest rank in every level. This game has introduced the notoriety system. If you do any funny stuff during a level while in view of a camera, your notoriety will increase. If your notoriety gets too high, certain levels will be almost impossible to do perfectly because NPC's will run from you screaming "OMG IT'S THE BALD KILLER!", and will alert nearby security guards.

I give the gameplay 9 out of 10. The game play is all around solid, with welcome additions like the notoriety system and human shields helping to keep the game interesting the whole way through. My only problem is that battle can be a bit awkward, seeing as how there's no cover system.

Graphics: 9/10
The graphics of the Hitman series have certainly come a long way since the featurelessness of Codename 47. Items are detailed and sharp, NPC's all have unique, detailed looks, and stage designs, be it dark or bright, stand out in more words than i feel like typing. But there are a few too many tiny graphical issues that keep the game from being eye candy. For one, NPC's are all the same size as 47. Unusual, especially considering that 47 is 6'2. In addition, some textures for minor objects like crates are either blocky or just flat out unfinished. One crate in one level even says "Allan, please add details". Looks like IO had a forgetful developer.

I give the graphics 9 out of 10. Obviously, a lot of work into the graphics, and it mostly paid off. There does, however, need to be some ironing done on some of the graphical bugs and inconsistencies.

Sound: 10/10
Like the graphics, the sound of the Hitman series has improved vastly since the stunningly generic soundtrack of Codename 47. The soundtrack is mostly orchestral, with quite a few "remixes" of classical pieces. Beautifully ambient and calm, these pieces perfectly capture and frames what goes through the mind of a cloned assassin blowing a targets brains out. The other tracks also capture their situation perfectly, with death metal playing at a satanic-themed party, for example.

I give the sound 10 out of 10. Hauntingly ambient and depressing, the sound flawlessly captures what goes through 47's mind when he pulls off hits.

Difficulty: 7/10
There are 4 difficulty levels in Blood money. Besides affecting behaviour of NPC's and how much health you have, the difficulty also increases how many times you can save mid-level, whether or not notoriety is in effect, whether or not evidence will impact your rating, and how much help you can receive from the agency. For example, on rookie, the lowest difficulty, you will receive full agency assistance, very high health, unlimited saves, notoriety won't be in effect, and the AI will be unsuspecting. On pro, the highest difficulty however, you have almost no health, almost no help from the agency, and the AI will be VERY suspicious of the weird bald guy. Even on the highest difficulty, however, you can usually plan out how you're going to go through a level and execute it flawlessly. The only way it could go wrong if you're careful is through a glitch. You can also reduce the challenge by buying weapons from the agency, like silenced sniper rifles.

Addictiveness: 10/10
This is one of the most addictive games I’ve ever played. There are dozens of ways you can assassinate the targets scattered throughout the 13 stages. They include things like poisoning, shooting, stabbing, bombing, choking, setting aflame, electrocuting, dropping a chandelier on their heads, throwing coins at them until they die...... Ok maybe not that last one, but you get the idea. There's also a lot of fun to be had with the NPC's. Buy a machine gun from the agency, upgrade it fully, bring it into a level with a lot NPC's, and go to town.

Depth: 6/10
This is not an open-world game, and there's not much to do other than to kill the targets. But again, the stages are big enough for you to get lost if you forget you have a map, and you might stumble upon an eater egg or two. As for exterminating your target or human's in general, you'll find there are enough hidden or out-of-the open weapons or items for you to kill all of the NPC's in the level. You might also find a secret way to kill a target that doesn’t involve weapons.

Overall: 9/10
hitman : Blood Money is a game that i can play for hours on end. It boasts great gameplay, graphics, music, and sheer addictiveness. However, it does have quite a few flaws in terms of graphics and gameplay that need ironing out.

Boxia : great job on this review it was very good and you put all the description and detail it needed i;m glad you made this