Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines

"A worthwhile RPG if your system can handle it"

I never heard of Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines until I started seeing ads for it on websites and in stores and even then I paid it no mind since vampires never really interested me. Disappointed by the PC lineup for 2004, I decided to give this action RPG a shot and not only was I impressed but it changed my view on vampires....

Gameplay: 8/10
Bloodlines is an RPG that uses an earlier version of the source engine, Half-Life 2's game engine... and it shows, but I'll save the bad for last.

You start off the game by creating your character. You can choose from seven different vampire clans each with it's own strengths, weaknesses and abilities, then you select your gender which has an effect on what people your character can seduce. After you pick those two options you then are brought to the stat screen where you can put points into certain statistics and abilities. As soon as you do this you're thrown into the game, after a movie sequences you're thrown out onto the streets where you'll learn the basics of Bloodlines in an in-character environment (your tutor won't tell you to press a certain key or remind you that you're playing a game)... which I believe Troika should be praised for.

The combat in Bloodlines involves using both firearms and melee weapons. Since the game uses the Half-Life 2 engine, you may be thinking that the combat works like any other shooter, right? Wrong. Bloodlines has certain statistics that effect how well you do with certain weapons, for example strength and melee will improve your melee weapon damage, brawl will improve your hand to hand damage and firearms will improve your gun accuracy and damage. With that said, the system isn't perfect. The firearms are clunky, even with a decent firearm stat and perfect aiming of your gun you can still miss your target, but you'll probably spend most of your time using melee and hand to hand combat anyway, most guns don't do much damage to the supernatural. The game also gives you a variety of vampire abilities, some are clan exclusive and some are used by all clans. Using one of your vampire abilities drains blood so it's generally not wise to use these special abilities all the time unless you have a chance to feed.

The dialogue system in Bloodlines works like that of Fallout, Baldur's Gate, and Knights of the Old Republic... as in you are given a list of choices and can pick which one you desire to say. Certain statistics can also open up more choices, for example if your persuasian skill is high enough you can persuade an NPC to let you pass, or if your seduction skill is high enough you can persuade someone of the opposite gender to do something for you or use them as a source of blood should you need it. You can also intimidate an NPC should you desire to.

The overall gameplay is like that of your typical RPG, you have your primary story quests along with numerous side quests that are often times interesting and fun. The game is also non-linear in the respect that you can rely on talking your way out of most situations, or shoot first and ask questions later. Bloodlines is not without its flaws in the gameplay department, and most of them come from performance issues. This game stutters way too much, I surpass the recommended requirements yet when I go to a hub area (especially Downtown L.A) the game stutters quite frequently and it does get tedious. It doesn't make the game unplayable, but my game more than meets the recommended specs so this shouldn't even be an issue.

Story: 8/10
Bloodlines features a nice storyline with a wonderful cast of memorable characters. It starts out with your character being "embraced" by a vampire of the opposite gender and before you know it you're on a stage with the ashes of your vampire lord\lady beside you. After this opening sequence you're thrown out onto the streets with orders to go to Santa Monica, but before that you get to meet an interesting character named Jack.

The storyline is unique in the respect that you go through the game ignorant as to what is really going on around you, and in the end you're left deciding who you can trust during one fateful cab ride. The storyline and characters is one of this game's highlights.

Graphics: 8/10
As I said before, Bloodlines uses an earlier version of the Half-Life 2 engine... so while the graphics aren't as good as Half-Life 2, they're still excellent by todays standards. The character models have fluid animations and you can see their facial expressions, this makes the characters and in return, the overall gameworld feel more alive. The combat effects, textures and water also are high quality. The buildings downtown are worn and covered with graffiti, you can read the writing on the graves in the Hollywood cemetary, the water reflects scenery and shines in the moonlight, etc.

Sound: 9/10
The sound in Bloodlines is excellent. You've got ambient sound effects, an atmospheric soundtrack that more than serves its purpose and superb voice acting that rivals that of the 2003's game of the year Knights of the Old Republic. The sound definitely breathes even more life into the gameworld and the believable voice acting is a plus.

Overall: 8/10
Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines is a wonderful FPS\RPG that is flawed by performance issues, but excellent none-the-less. If you're an RPG fan, a FPS fan, or better yet - both and you have a decent system then you owe it to yourself to give this game a shot. The open ended gameplay combined with the superb story and characters makes this FP RPG worthy addition to your library.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 01/03/05