Hitman: Blood Money - Australian Preview (Preview)

Chris Stead, GamePro Australia

13/09/2005 12:47:45

It's time to tux-up slap-heads for another round of clothe switching, neck snapping, Agent 47 action. The assassin with the rudest head and grittiest gameplay in the biz has already cut his way through three titles worth of numb-nut foes, but his fourth adventure is shaping up to be the most exciting yet.

The story begins with The ICA, the agency who hires Agent 47 for his judge, jury, execute and undress capabilities. It appears that there is a new agency on the scene, and rather than compete in the tight hired-gun market with competitive pricing and aggressive advertising, it's just killing off the ICA's employees. When 47 losses contact with The ICA it dawns on him that his number is up, so he heads Stateside with the goal of getting to them, before they get to him. You know, an assassinate the assassins killing the assassins kind of thing...

Once there, however, 47 needs to raise some cash and he does this the only way he knows how - as a florist. Nah, just joking: he guns down every dawg with a price on his head. This includes such far flung characters as white supremacists and child pornographers so you can expect the action to transcend the series' standard covert assassination gameplay. Further to this, 47 is now more flexible in his range of movements, able to climb up objects and utilise close-combat manoeuvres. For example, should the action get a little too touchy feely for 47's liking, he can use that polished lump on the top of his neck to head-butt his foe.

So you're probably wondering why 47 needs to raise some cash: he has never needed it before. Well, the introduction of money to the Hitman universe will play a large role in not only the gameplay, but your progression through the game. There are over 60 weapons for Agent 47 to collect and these can all be upgraded with cash, plus he can buy useful equipment such as night-vision goggles and silencers: yes, you can be silent, but deadly. Furthermore, developer IO Interactive promise that this upgrade mechanic will lead to open-ended gameplay, with the order you choose to purchase goodies affecting the story and thus ensuring a unique experience for each individual.

Alternatively, money can be used to bribe cops and pay-off witnesses, two integral components of the new notoriety system. Given his line-of-work 47 would prefer to keep out of the limelight and should his ghastly deeds attract unnecessary attention, he may need to spend a bit of cash to lower his notoriety. In fact, you may be better off making deaths look like accidents. For example, you could push your target off a balcony, walk away and just blame gravity. Indeed, after every mission your success rating will be determined by the headline on the local newspaper: try for the 'Woman falls out window' option, not 'Bald freak goes loco in female dorm room'.

But it's not simply a case of waltzing up to some kiddie fiddler and throwing them off a balcony: the AI in Blood Money is shaping up to be the toughest and smartest of the series thus far. Enemies will make intelligent use of cover, run when the odds are against them and will keep a watchful eye out for any well dressed bald dudes should your notoriety become too high. However, to help out with this increased difficulty, a small boxout window will appear whenever something important occurs outside your field of vision. For example, should a henchman open a door around the corner, it will appear in this little box and give you warning - which is similar to the style seen in XIII.

Visually, Blood Money is looking quite awesome with excellent lighting, great particle effects and impressive models. The follically-challenged have never looked so beautiful and the reflection beaming from 47's forehead is so clear, you could probably use it to pop your-zits: well, if it weren't for the knife in your guts. The animations are also looking wonderfully smooth, especially the way 47 tries to hide his weapon behind his back whenever someone walks by. Indeed, our hairless hero has far more personality this time around and not only can gamers enjoy plenty of witty quips and sarcastic remarks, but using the new camera controls, you can rotate the view so you can see the sexy man's face while he interacts common kitchen knife with henchman jugular. Not too much is known about the 13 missions yet, but confirmed settings include Paris opera, Vegas casino and Rocky Mountains mansion have been confirmed, suggested exotic locations will abound.

So it sounds like this Christmas could be a time of bald men, black suits and 'unfortunate accidents'. And with the series undergoing a gameplay revamp, IO could actually come through with their promise of delivering "the most brutal and realistic simulation of life as the world's deadliest assassin". (How do they know that, exactly?) So polish up that chrome dome lads, send the suit to the dry-cleaners and amp up for another dose of kill first, ask no questions gaming.