Ellington

"Hitman: Blood Money" is the only game in which the player can kill his enemies with a cake, Viagra, the clever use of a garbage truck and a sausage. When I review games, I generally write a short intro, possibly from the perspective of the character, to let the reader get into the feel of the game. This was not necessary for my "Hitman" review. The sentence above tells you most of what you need to know.

The story goes that Codename 47, the anti-hero from the previous "Hitman" games and greatest agent of the hitman-for-hire organization "The Agency," is in trouble. Someone, somewhere is planning the deaths of his coworkers, and it's looking like a match of Assassin vs. Assassin as he receives some of the most dangerous jobs ever.

Simply put, the amount of complexity in each level of "Blood Money" is amazing. There are no specific parts in a level, no signs pointing the player to the next checkpoint. You are put at the beginning of a stage, and from then on, it's up to you. To call the game non-linear is an understatement; there's truly no limit to the amount of ways you can kill your target. For example, I was having trouble on a certain mission because I couldn't find a way to arrange the death of a target so it looked like an accident. Finally I got fed up with subterfuge, walked into the mark's living room and shot him in the chest with a silenced pistol. No one ever suspected me.

The most important part of "Blood Money" is thinking on your feet. Especially on the higher difficulties, a single mess-up can mean a very quick, very painful death. As far as the levels go, the player is given free rein to run around as he pleases. It's up to you to decide how to kill your enemies.

The visuals are chillingly good. The level design is clean and functional, but the real triumph lies in the reactions of the characters. Strangling someone will make them grasp their neck in horror, trying to scream out but unable to take a breath to do so. People really come alive in this game, and that adds a lot to the experience. All the outfits and disguises are really well made, and 47 takes on dozens of new looks in order to reach his goals.

The sound is plain amazing. Jesper Kyd composed the music for this game, and it fits perfectly. But what makes the powerful orchestral soundtrack even better is the implementation.

You enter a room, searching for some tool that might help you out. As you scan your surroundings, you notice a bottle of Ether, and a slow, dangerous track begins to play, as if planned from the beginning. You find the perfect moment to finish your mark and strike.

But what's that? His bodyguard outside the room is getting impatient, he's coming inside, and he's accompanied by a pounding Latin chorus. The music in this game will make you feel like an assassin. I guarantee it.

Some games attempt to emulate movies in their look and feel, but few truly pull it off quite as successfully as "Hitman: Blood Money." Give this one a try; you won't regret it.