Is Hitman: Blood Money HD Worth It?
The question of whether Hitman: Blood Money HD is worth your time and money in the current gaming landscape is a complex one, and the answer isn’t a simple yes or no. It largely depends on your expectations, experience with the franchise, and what you prioritize in a gaming experience. On the one hand, the core gameplay of Blood Money remains remarkably solid and engaging, even today. The open-ended missions, creative assassination opportunities, and tense stealth mechanics provide a unique experience that still holds up well. On the other hand, the “HD” enhancements are somewhat minimal, and it doesn’t represent a radical overhaul of the original game. This begs the question: is a graphical touch-up and a few minor modern gameplay additions enough to justify revisiting or experiencing Blood Money?
Ultimately, Hitman: Blood Money HD is worth it if you’re a fan of the series, enjoy classic stealth gameplay, and are willing to accept its age and limited enhancements. However, for those expecting a complete remaster or a drastically different experience, it might fall short of expectations. It’s less about a revolution, and more about a lovingly preserved classic. If you find that interesting, then it’s certainly worth considering.
The Allure of Hitman: Blood Money
Hitman: Blood Money, originally released in 2006, is often hailed as one of the series’ best entries, if not the best. It is lauded for its intricate level design, offering players an unprecedented level of freedom in how they approach their targets. Each mission is essentially a sandbox, filled with opportunities to use disguises, environmental hazards, and carefully planned scenarios to eliminate objectives.
The game’s core loop is highly addictive. Planning your approach, meticulously executing your plan, and getting away clean provides a unique sense of satisfaction. It’s a game that rewards patience, experimentation, and attention to detail. The AI, while dated by modern standards, still provides a decent challenge, and successfully slipping through a heavily guarded area feels genuinely rewarding. This core gameplay remains as compelling and satisfying as ever, making it a strong foundation for any re-release.
What the HD Enhancement Provides
The Hitman HD Enhanced Collection, which includes Blood Money and Absolution, adds a new coat of paint and some minor adjustments. The most noticeable change is the bump in resolution, allowing you to play in 1080p, provided you configure the game files correctly as described below. This does help the game look cleaner and sharper on modern displays, especially with the original release being limited to 480p and 720p. However, the textures and models remain largely unchanged, meaning that while crisper, they still appear dated by today’s standards.
The collection also adds some minor gameplay improvements, such as an Instinct Mode and a minimap, borrowed from the later entries in the series. These additions are a welcome convenience, but they don’t dramatically alter the fundamental experience of Blood Money. While these changes are helpful, they are more quality of life improvements than transformative additions, and they don’t erase the game’s age.
The Case Against: Where the HD Falls Short
While the core of Blood Money shines brightly, it’s important to acknowledge the limitations of this HD collection. As a remaster, it lacks the ambition of a fully rebuilt game. The graphics, while crisper, still look like a product of the mid-2000s. The animation can feel stiff, and the level of environmental detail doesn’t compare to modern titles.
The fact is, if you’re looking for a visual showcase, Blood Money HD is not it. The enhancements are minimal, and the dated visuals might be off-putting to those used to current-gen graphics. It’s also a little disappointing that despite the new features, there were no significant additions to the content itself. The game is what it was, enhanced only in the most basic ways.
Is It Still Fun?
Absolutely. Despite its age, and the limited HD enhancements, Hitman: Blood Money is still incredibly fun to play. The game’s core design is timeless. The sense of freedom, the thrill of the perfect assassination, and the deep sandbox nature of each mission provides an engaging and rewarding experience.
The replayability is another major selling point. Each mission allows for so many different approaches that you can play them multiple times, discovering new strategies and ways to achieve your goals. The training mission is actually a great example of how open-ended the game is, and provides a great introduction for new players, or a refresher for those returning.
Verdict: A Worthwhile Classic, But Not a Revolution
Hitman: Blood Money HD is a solid, albeit minimal, update to a classic game. It retains all the qualities that made the original so memorable, and adds just a few modern comforts. If you’re a fan of the series, crave a solid stealth experience, or are interested in experiencing a key chapter in Hitman’s history, then it’s absolutely worth your time.
However, if you’re expecting a radical overhaul or a graphically stunning experience, then this HD collection might not be for you. It’s not a revolution, but a loving preservation of a truly great game. It’s a chance to revisit the past, but do so with a slightly higher resolution and some updated controls and gameplay additions.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Is Hitman: Blood Money worth playing in 2023?
Yes, absolutely. The core gameplay mechanics, open-ended level design, and thrilling stealth action still make it highly engaging, even in 2023. The HD enhancements do little to detract from what is already a great game, while adding some quality-of-life improvements.
2. What is the controversy surrounding Hitman: Blood Money?
The primary controversy arose from advertising campaigns that featured violent and suggestive imagery, most notably one depicting a woman seemingly dead with a bullet hole in her forehead. This led to some controversy over its violent content.
3. Is Hitman: Blood Money better than Hitman: Absolution?
Many fans consider Blood Money to be superior to Absolution. Blood Money offers more open-ended missions and a stronger emphasis on creative assassination strategies, while Absolution is more linear and story-driven, and was seen by some as less of a “Hitman” game.
4. How long does it take to beat Hitman: Blood Money?
The main story of Hitman: Blood Money takes around 12 hours to complete. Completionists aiming for 100% can expect to invest around 20½ hours.
5. Is Hitman: Blood Money replayable?
Yes, Blood Money is highly replayable due to its sandbox level design. Each mission can be approached in various ways, allowing for countless playthroughs with different strategies and outcomes.
6. Do I need to play other Hitman games before Blood Money?
No, you don’t need to play other Hitman games to enjoy Blood Money. Each game’s story is largely self-contained, though some references may exist across them.
7. Why was Hitman: Absolution disliked by some fans?
Some fans disliked Absolution due to its more linear story-driven gameplay, different disguise system, and a perceived shift away from the core gameplay principles of the series. There was a desire for something more akin to Blood Money, and some felt Absolution wasn’t it.
8. Is Hitman: Blood Money more like modern Hitman games?
Yes, Blood Money is very similar to the modern Hitman games in terms of gameplay, level design, and overall freedom of approach. Absolution deviated further from this structure.
9. What is the best rank in Hitman: Blood Money?
The best rank you can achieve at the end of a level is Silent Assassin. This requires completing all objectives, killing only your targets, and not being witnessed.
10. Is Hitman: Blood Money difficult?
Hitman: Blood Money can be challenging, but not unfairly so. It rewards patience, planning, and observation, while punishing recklessness. It’s a satisfying challenge that gets better with time and experience.
11. Are Hitman: Blood Money and Absolution connected?
While Absolution takes place between Blood Money and Hitman 2016, the storylines are not directly connected. References to Absolution appear in later games, but the overall plots are distinct.
12. Is Hitman: Absolution a sequel to Blood Money?
Yes, Absolution is a direct sequel to Blood Money, both narratively and chronologically. However, they feature different gameplay focuses.
13. What new features are in the Hitman: Blood Money HD?
The HD version features minor improvements such as Instinct Mode, a minimap, and a higher resolution. It’s not a complete overhaul, but rather a minor enhancement to gameplay and visuals.
14. How can I play Hitman: Blood Money in 1080p?
To play Hitman: Blood Money in 1080p, you’ll need to edit the configuration file (HitmanBloodMoney.ini) located in the game’s directory, changing the resolution values to 1920×1080. This is fairly simple to do by opening it with Notepad.
15. Is Hitman: Blood Money part of the Hitman Trilogy?
The term Hitman Trilogy usually refers to the recent reboot series starting with Hitman (2016), Hitman 2 (2018), and Hitman 3 (2021). Blood Money is not part of this reboot trilogy, but it was bundled into the now outdated “Hitman Trilogy” collection that included the PlayStation 2 titles.