The new installment of the Hitman franchise is both challenging and enjoyable, and gamers will most certainly be on the edge of their seats the entire time.

Agent 47; the most sought-out assassin in the world.

And you get to be one with him.

In Hitman: Blood Money, Agent 47 fufills his contracts over twelve new locations, each requiring a different technique to complete it. In some missions you must be dead silent; in others you can be as loud as you want. The opportunity is available to customize your weapons with the money you earn from each contract as you carry them out. The infamous Silverballers, now customizable, are back with a few new friends which can be fully customized as well; the SP12 Shotgun, SMG Tactical, M4 Assault Rifle, and the W2000 Sniper Rifle. Each have their own unique upgrades for purchase as well as some commonalities (silencers, different types of ammunition, etc).

The Xbox 360 version has 1000 achievement points to earn that span over 24 individual achievements. Six of those achievements are secrets. If you are the type of gamer that plays the game until everything that is to be unlocked is, then prepare to be there for a while. Even if you do not want to waste your time trying to figure out what the secrets are I can assure you your hands will be almost dead by the time you're finished playing the expert difficulty, let alone professional. As of July 12, I have completed and unlocked 19 of the 24 achievements, and have finished every difficulty except for professional. I can certainly tell you that it was not an easy task. A few are very easy to unlock (such as "1st mission complete" and "Tier 2 Kruger Schmidt"). Most of them, however, are not.

The graphics in Hitman: BM are simply amazing as they utilize an all new game engine which was designed for what else? Realistic gameplay and the "wow" factor (among many other things). Bodies have an awesome "rag doll" effect making it very entertaining for me, and I'm sure everybody else, to walk up behind an innocent bystander, grab him/her, then throw them into a wall and watch them bounce around. The lifelessness of the bodies when they are incapacitated or dead makes me chuckle as I literally drag them from one place to another while watching their limbs flail around like they are made of noodles. Unlike many other games, various things from bullet holes to blood pools never disappear until you finish the level; I personally enjoy that.

Ahh yes, sound. Sound, sound, sound. Only one phrase comes to mind when I think about the Bloody sound: "Holy shitake mushrooms." My experience with this game, fortunately, has been in surround sound, and because of that I have been given the ability to hear the environmental noises as well as gunshots, screams, etc, in a realistic fashion. I kid you not when I say you can hear the echo of the gunshots as you fire them into people. You even hear the little "splurt" as the bullets hit the flesh of the victims. That yells, "We, the designers, took our time to make you smile" to me. Even when you are dragging bodies across the ground to hide them you can hear your faint footsteps and the parts of the body bumping into things as you make your way to the nearest trash container to avoid detection.

If you are a fan of the Hitman franchise, or just enjoy stealthy, "I must do this for money" type of games, Hitman: Blood Money is certainly a game for you. For the price of $59.99 (plus tax), Agent 47 can be under your fingertips waiting for you to pull the trigger (or in a few cases tighten the fiber wire).

So what are you waiting for? Get off of your lazy bum and go pick up a copy!

(Xbox 360) Hitman: Blood Money review by Psycho GT