Apparently the new Hitman games have pivoted to building on the formula in Blood Money. I liked what Absolution had to offer but I think that was probably the correct decision. Blood Money's experience is a lot less limited and has endured well past its visual expiration thanks to... a lot of stuff. Every level is a light simulation where NPC's have schedules and might even do things that fundamentally change the game if you wait long enough. There's a marriage happening in one; in another the targets individually need to arrive before you can eliminate them. They're supposed to be meeting with one another, but to be honest I've never actually waited to see if that's something that happens. I've owned this game since I was prepubescent and played it for hundreds of hours; that's the beauty of Blood Money. It helps that the game cultivates a rather distinct style in everything aesthetically - the narrative, the visuals the sound design. People give Kyd's score a lot of credit but to be honest it's actually been the thing I've consistently liked about the game the least. But this is a game where Hitman's stair-walk animation is lovingly touched up so that he pitters down each individual step in his priceless leather shoes, where you strangle an angel to death in a vast penthouse overlooking a glorious Vegas sunrise, where you wait a few minutes out of respect for a intensely passionate Cellist's talent for him to finish his last song before slitting his throat with a kitchen knife. Yeah, there's a lot of unintentional humor here and there; Hitman's push of death, instadrown, bullet physics. The coin. Just... everything about the coin. But those just add to its charm. It's a timeless classic. Right now it's worth two dollars. Forego a sodiepop today, buy and enjoy it.
