Hitman Series - Video Game reviews

Hitman: Blood Money

Hitman: Blood Money is the fourth installment of the critically acclaimed Hitman series. Powered by a new version of IO Interactive’s stunning Glacier engine, Hitman: Blood Money will deliver the most brutal and realistic simulation of the life of a cold-blooded assassin.

Many new features were introduced to Hitman: Blood Money. These include the capability to climb through more obstacles, improved character animations (example-face, eyes, etc), a new game engine and the ability to upgrade weapons and equipment. However, only five of the featured weapons in the game, as well as assorted pieces of equipment such as bombs and armor, can be upgraded. Every level contains some sort of method to make the target's death look like an accident; for example, tampering with someone's grill to make it explode when they turn it on, or the target 'accidentally' falling off a balcony. There are also improvised weapons, like a nailgun or a pair of hedge clippers.

A gameplay feature new to the Hitman series was also added, the "Notoriety" system. If the player, during a mission, kills innocents or civilians, gets caught on CCTV or is witnessed committing murder, Agent 47's notoriety will rise. Conversely, if the player executes the mission perfectly with none of the aforementioned events occurring, 47's notoriety will be minimal. The higher Agent 47's notoriety is, the easier it will be for NPCs to identify him. Players may use the bribery system to negate accumulated notoriety. The notoriety system is not enabled in "Rookie" mode, which also allows unlimited saves and a lower level of general difficulty. Health boosts are available in the game, namely Painkillers and Adrenaline shots.

When each mission has been completed, a newspaper article is displayed regarding the hit, in which the content varies depending on the investigation results and the player's notoriety. Sketch drawings are also sometimes visible of Agent 47's face, which grow progressively more accurate as 47's notoriety grows. The article's title relates to the player's mission rating. "Silent Assassin", in which you assassinate the targets as cleanly and quietly as possible, and draw no unnecessary attention to yourself (blow covers, leave no extra bodies, etc.), is the best rating possible on all missions.
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Hitman: Contracts

The suspicion meter has been improved and is less sensitive and unpredictable when compared to that of Hitman 2: Silent Assassin. Enemies will generally not recognize 47 while in disguise unless an obvious action is taken, such as standing directly in front of them for an extended period of time or wielding a firearm. Enemies are also less likely to open fire for minor actions such as running indoors. The graphics have undergone major upgrades as well, with the addition of reflective surfaces and new shading techniques that contribute to the dark nature of the story. Most levels also contain strong sexual themes. Also, many hits in this game allow for methods of murder approaching accidents; for example, in Beldingford Manor it is possible to smother one of the targets to death making it appear as though he died of suffocation. Also in general opportunities to poison targets' food or drink are much more common than in the previous games. Almost every level happens either at night or in the midst of foul weather. However, other elements contribute to the overall macabre, gloomy tone of the game. Several levels include disturbing imagery beyond what has been seen in the series' previous entries. The best example would be the second level called "The Meat King's Party", an S&M party taking place in a slaughterhouse. One scene in particular features the mutilated corpse of a teenage girl hanging upside down from a ceiling, wrapped in plastic, her bloody severed arm on the floor beneath her for you to collect. This same level features disturbing depiction of strong perverse and morbid sexual behaviors between people wearing leather masks and bondage outfits, and mating next to gory animal corpses and carcasses. All this adult material makes Contracts the darkest and most violent Hitman to date. Although, this nightmarish style of the flashbacks in the game are considered to depict 47s actual feeling of the world around him. This gives the player more understanding of who he is in a more spiritual way. The fact that the psychopathic behavior of his targets is so clearly put into play, shows how 47 in some light sees each of his enemies indifferently, and where as the villains of the game are portrayed in a darker light, the hitman himself appears as a kind of hero. Without this aspect, the series without a doubt might make the player less and less sympathetic with 47, therein causing a decline in specific fan base. "Contracts" becomes more of an overview or a guide in this way than anything else. Although it might begin as very confusing for a player new to the series, after having completed the game it will allow for the player to enter the series at any point and understand exactly what is going on.
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Hitman 2: Silent Assassin

Download free - limited offer in celebration of the HITMAN movie release.

Silent Assassin addressed many of the criticisms concerning the gameplay of the original game: The control scheme has been streamlined to better mirror that of a standard shooter: an optional first-person perspective was added, and a visual meter was added to give the player the ability to gauge enemies' suspicion level for stealth purposes. While the "suspicion meter" generally reacts appropriately (such as when the player enters a restricted area or draws a weapon in public), there were some sensitivity issues, possibly bug-related, which caused enemies to react adversely to the player for seemingly innocuous actions, such as running indoors or close proximity. This feature was improved upon in the subsequent games of the series. Also introduced in the game was the concept of a post-mission ranking system, in which the player is given a status based on how they completed the mission, rated along a stealthy-aggressive axis, between "Mass Murderer", a non-stealthy player who kills everyone, and "Silent Assassin", a stealthy player who manages to complete the level without being noticed and only killing the intended target. The game rewards the player for critical thinking and problem solving, encouraging the player not to treat the game as a simple shooter; achieving Silent Assassin status rewards the player with bonus weapons.
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Hitman: Codename 47

Download free - limited offer in celebration of the HITMAN movie release.

Codename 47 places an emphasis on stealth rather than recklessness in completing missions. Killing innocents results in penalty fees deducted from 47's mission rewards, and total depletion of 47's account balance results in the termination of 47's employment. Thus, the player is encouraged to discover better and less obvious ways of completing the missions. In addition to assassinate his targets, 47 must also complete other assignments, such as leading others to safety and recovering certain items, in order to complete the missions. The "penalty fee" system also returns in the most recent installment, Blood Money.Compared to later games in the series, Hitman: Codename 47's gameplay is more simplistic. There is no "suspicion" meter, so guards will always leave 47 alone as long as he's wearing the right disguise, and not openly wielding a weapon which does not suit his attire. Indeed, the obviously white 47 attracts no suspicion even when disguised as a black or mexican guy, something that is not true of later games in the franchise. On a technological note, Hitman: Codename 47 was one of the first games to use the now popular ragdoll physics. Unlike most shooters, where the player is thrust into a hostile world and must kill to survive, Hitman: Codename 47 generally takes place in neutral environments such as hotels, restaurants, or city streets, and the impetus is on 47 to initiate the violence.
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