Presentation has always been the Hitman series’ strongest point and it once again comes through with Hitman: Blood Money. Visuals and sound really come together to sell the whole experience, whether you’re hunting down a suspect in a quiet neighborhood, through the streets of New Orleans during Mardi Gras or through a crowded Vegas casino. Other developers should take notice since, if nothing else, IO has done a masterful job of infusing life into each level. (Of course, a little more attention should be paid to research since missing the date of Mardi Gras by four months is kind of sloppy, especially when everything else is done so well.)

On a more technical level, Blood Money has its share of bumps. Most of the animations are smooth and run great, especially the drunken walk some characters do, yet at the same time, there is a bit of stiffness to each movement, which feels counter-productive to the “life” exhibited in each level. On top of that, collision detection is spotty and actually cramps gameplay. For example, while trying to push a mark off a railing, I had 47’s hands go through the mark. Instead of him falling over into the water, he turned around and shot me, killing my rating.

Music sticks mainly to orchestral pieces, such as a beautiful rendition of “Ave Maria” heard during the opening. As with past games, you really don’t want to hear too much of the game’s score since that usually means you’re screwing things up, unless it somehow plays into the area’s atmosphere, or even the gameplay.

Sound during story scenes is also noticeably lower than during in-game sequences. When listening to sequences, I usually had to turn the sound up to about 40 on my receiver to hear anything (most games are usually loud enough at 30). As a result, I had to quickly grab the remote before and after story sequences; otherwise I’d miss a line or have by ears blasted by in-game sounds.

The concept of killing someone isn’t new to gaming, but the act of killing someone and hiding the body is one that hasn’t been explored all that much. Blood Money sticks to the premise of delivering a different type of stealth game. You’re not a high-tech, secret agent saving the world; instead you’re a contract hitman whose ultimate concern is getting paid. The justification or any nobility to the hits is of little concern to 47, which is where Blood Money tries to shake things up.

Blood Money’s narrative is told in a scattered way, tying in past events to a current plan. Initial missions are recollections told by the leader of the Foundation giving an interview to a news reporter. The events are unrelated, except for the fact that they all seem to end like most fishing stories with 47 being the one that got away. Eventually, these stories begin to point to the bigger plot; the Foundation’s systematic killing of members of ICA, the group 47 works for, and a much larger political plot. Without giving too much away, the story picks up later and is worth playing through the game for. Also, make sure you stick around for the credits…

Gameplay is open-ended and allows a decent amount of flexibility for accomplishing goals. Your goal in each mission is to take out your appointed targets while not drawing attention to yourself. This can be done through a variety of means, including using silenced weapons for kills and multiple disguises. Some of the more ingenious mechanics involve making deaths look like accidents, such as using explosives to drop chandeliers on victim’s heads, poisoning food or drinks or even replacing prop-guns with real ones. Of course, you can always use brute force and just shoot everyone – but then you’re missing the point and making things hard on yourself. Then again, trying to perform perfect kills and achieving the “Silent Assassin” rating is pretty hard too, so there is no real easy way through the game.

Success during missions is measured through two means: tension and notoriety. Tension is measured by a small meter next to your health bar. A clear or green bar means that no one is aware of your presence while a yellow one means that someone is on to you. Red means you’ve screwed up really badly and usually means you’ll have to shoot your way out. Tension goes up whenever a body is discovered, or someone hears or sees a murder. For the most part, the system works, though there are inconsistencies. During one mission, I pushed a target into a gator-infested swamp while in plain view of one of his body guards without alarming them. But, in the same mission, I silently snuck into the kitchen to poison a cake and suddenly had 3 rednecks blasting me with shotguns. Inconsistencies like these aren’t common, but happen enough that they’ll force restarts (or reloads).

If you’re caught by someone, it is usually in your best interest to kill the witness, otherwise your notoriety goes up. The higher your notoriety, the harder it is to blend into a crowd since people know to look for you. Notoriety can be lowered between missions by paying off certain people, though this cuts into your payment for the mission and makes it less likely you’ll be able to buy the better equipment available.

Your mission rating is given via a newspaper front page that is created based on how you performed. Everything you did in the mission, from the number of people killed to the methods to the number of shots fired, is all documented in the story. One story even referenced a previous mission by stating that the poison used in this killing was linked to the poison used in a past mission. It doesn’t make the game, but the effort is neat and it sure as hell beats a bland window.

I’ve always been a big fan of Hitman’s difficulty levels. Four difficulty levels are available, each with their own gameplay twists. Rather than giving vague parameters, such as fewer or weaker enemies, each level is clearly spelled out. As you go up in difficulty, you are given fewer saves, better A.I. and less support from the home office. In addition, levels are open-ended enough that you can find your way through while going for different ratings based on how many people you kill, your methods and the number of witnesses. Getting the elusive “Silent Assassin” rating, however, becomes a bit of a puzzle and requires lots of creative thinking.

Hitman: Blood Money offers a number of tools for taking out marks, many of which can be found in your environment. You begin each job with a standard set of tools, including piano wire, poison and sedative-filled syringes and other tools. You can also choose to bring optional equipment, including health boosts, bullet-proof vests and weapons. Two weapon classes are available, upgradeable weapons, like 47’s signature dual Silverballer pistols and a sniper rifle, and standard weapons. All of the upgradeable weapons are available from the start, but upgrades need to be unlocked and purchased over the course of the game. On the other hand, unlocking standard weapons requires you to leave jobs with them, a feat that also requires some creative thinking to do properly.

As a whole, Blood Money’s mechanics are tight and work well. Most actions are context-sensitive and require a single button press to perform. Others, however, aren’t as easy to pull off – especially pushing people and using the piano wire. Both mechanics us the right trigger and work only about half the time. Pushing requires near-expert timing, and even then you’ll probably do little more than give them a shove, causing a fight to break out. Using piano wire is also dicey if the timing isn’t right and, if you aren’t able to get the timing and placement just right, you’ll usually have a gun or two pulled on you.

Hitman: Blood Money is a nice addition to the Xbox 360’s library, even if it isn’t more than a slightly improved port of the current gen and PC game. If you are a fan of the series and want the best version available, yet lack a powerful PC, this is as good a version as you’re going to find.