Hitman: Blood Money Preview

AT A GLANCE

The Good: New levels of customisation make Blood Money your game.	"A new hitman, with an aim that's spot on."
The Bad: The hitman storylines can get a tad out of hand.
The Ugly: Intense amounts of violence might not appeal to some.

By Emily Buxton

Hitman: Blood Money is the latest installment in the notorious assassination series, developed by IO Interactive, and takes killing for money to a whole new level.

Agent 47 is back and this time he's paid in cold, hard cash. Stepping into his shoes, you’ll find yourself in the midst of a war between two rival contract agencies. When assassins from your contract agency, the ICA, are systematically eliminated in a series of hits, it seems a larger, more powerful agency has entered the fray. Suddenly, all contact is lost with the ICA. Sensing that you may be the next target, you’ll travel to America and attempt to carry on with business as usual.

How your hit money is spent will affect your passage through the game, including the weapons at your disposal, resulting in a unique gameplay experience for each player. 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 merciless assassin.

Features:

• 'Blood Money' system - the cleaner the 'hit' the more money you receive which can be spent on reducing your notoriety, weapon customisation, specialist equipment and information.
• Customisable weapons - modify Agent 47's custom weapons in a variety of ways including sound, recoil, rate of fire, damage, reload speed, accuracy and zoom.
• New engine - the world of the assassin has never been so interactive and looked so good!
• New gameplay techniques - including distraction, accidents, body disposal, human shield, decoy weapons etc.
• A fresh control and camera system - Agent 47 now moves independently of the camera.
• Extensive new moves - Agent 47 can now climb, hide, scale ledges and automatically pass low obstacles.
• Improved AI - guards will follow blood trails, investigate suspicious items and behaviour. New pathfinder engine provides improved tracking and movement with realistic enemy behaviour and interaction.
• Soundtrack by BAFTA-winning composer Jesper Kyd.

Eidos Interactive recently confirmed that Hitman: Blood Money will be released across PAL territories on 29th May 2006 for the Xbox 360, PC, PS2 and Xbox. Keep it locked to NZGamer.com for all the latest news and reviews.