Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Chaos Bleeds

"Slays the competiton!"

Introduction:

Based on the hit television show of the same name, BtVS: Chaos Bleeds is a 3rd person action/adventure game that incorporates everything a fan would want action, hilarious puns and great characters.

With the now legendary ''Chosen'' episode far behind us, this is our last chance to share a good time with the Scoobies (maybe except for the DVDs but that's another story).

Graphics: 7

This is the game's only weakness. The graphics are adequate but they never really rise above that level which I find sorta disappointing. The backgrounds are great but the character models seem lifeless, especially in cut scenes, where you can clearly see that they lack any facial expressions.

Sound: 9

The music is really atmospheric and moody... it plays eerily in the background and you don't really even notice it until its pace changes to warn you about nearby baddies.

The sound effects sound exactly like the ones in the show. Everything from the snarling vamps to the sounds they make when they're dusted are dead-on.

Now, for the voice overs. Sarah Michelle Gellar, Alysson Hannigan and Emma Caulfield didn't provide the V/O for their characters (Buffy, Willow and Anya respectively). I was seriously impressed with the voice actress that was brought in to do Buffy! She sounds eerily like SMG; but as Anya, she doesn't do such a great job... As for Willow, the voice actress sounded alot like her but she lacked A.H's trademark giddiness/cuteness, and THAT made me really sad. The rest of the cast sounded superb and really hit it off.

Story: 9

Penned by two BtVS comic book writers, the game's script feels on par with those of show. Although I'm not a big fan of other-dimension episodes I realized that this was the only logical way they could include all 6 of the playable characters.

Gameplay: 8

Featuring a good combat engine, tight controls, a fully controlable camera, a solid mix of action and puzzle solving and Sid the Dummy this game has it all.

I have to admit that some puzzles left me scratching my head but IMO they don't detract from the experience because to solve alot of them you have to think like the Scoobies.

The only gripe I have with the controls is that you can't cancel combos, which leads to receiving, what I like to call, ''stupid damage''. For example: if you buffered a 3-hit combo and the first hit misses, you will continue the combo while your enemy runs behind you and beats you to the ground. Not fun.

Multi-player: 4

I was really looking forward to see how this mode was going to be integrated in the game. I imagined it would at least have a mode that would play like Power Stone. Boy was I disappointed. All four modes feel extremely rushed and play almost exactly the same... Not to mention the fact that Willow and Tara have infinite mana which makes them pretty much invincible... and cheap.

No weapons, insanely unbalanced characters and a lack of variety make a mess out of what could've been hours of fun. Avoid it like cooties.

Overall:

I love this game!!! Sure, it has it's share of flaws... but which game doesn't? I don't remember a game that left me feeling this satisfied after completing it since Splinter Cell.

If you're a Buffy fan, you'll want to buy this game and if you aren't, you'll want to buy it anyways because I am convinced that it will make one out of you!

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 09/07/03