BloodRayne

"Creatures of the night…"

Vampires and sex content go hand in hand. Bloodrayne is no different. Going with tradition, Majesco acted conservatively, too conservatively. They didn't try anything new, they didn't try to impress, and they certainly did not try to outdo other developers. When you are a C-list developer, you tend to stick to what works. But sadly, there is a flaw to this ideology. For one, C-list developers aren't very good developers in the first place, hence the name, so when they try to stick to the traditional formulas, they tend to under perform compared to others. Second, when they don't try anything new, they end up with a recycle formula, which is fine, but with that, the better developers simply have a better foundation set with this white and black formula.

Being a half vampire, our protagonist must do battle with the Nazi. Being an action title, stories aren't necessary important, although it would be great if one was coherent. Bloodrayne's story is generic and incoherent. Most of the plot is just an excuse to put you into an area to slice and dice through enemies.

One thing that is immediately apparent is the combat system's lack of polish. Controls certainly felt sluggish. Not to mention, the combat system in itself felt lacking. It was made worst when you can drain the energy out of your enemies to replenish yours. With the lack of character A.I, it was easy to forego any other move and just use the drain maneuver constantly. This made the system a broken mess. The problem worsens when the control layout was not a suitable one for action titles. When control problems are mixed with button mashing and an overpowering move, you get a combat system that neither has depth or the concept of fun.

The leveling designs weren't all that better either.

The level designs felt like any generic action title. Most levels just threw you into a large area for you to find enemies to eliminate, while trying to complete the objective. Bloodrayne's lack of variation in missions negated the large areas for you to explore. Perhaps, level designs didn't feel right because the game is just plain boring. Slicing through countless enemies with button mashing doesn't allow you to enjoy the levels very much.

Being an action fan myself, I can honestly say Bloodrayne fails on many counts. It doesn't contain a fast flowing combat system, instead it comes with a sluggish and misplace control scheme. To make matters worst, one of the moves is so overpowering that it negates any little depth that the combat system has.

On a bright side, the graphics are fairly good. With attacks that flowed well. The character models, while not the best around, certainly sufficed. The soundtrack was substandard though. It simply did not match the tone of the game. The indecent moans did not help either. You would figure that such an overpowering move would mean that people would abuse it, so the moaning is a constant reminder of the low quality of the game.

As action titles go, Bloodrayne certainly isn't very good. It has good graphics, and that is about it. The combat system was sluggish and the control scheme didn't work too well either. By sucking on the blood of enemies, she can drain their energy and replenish hers, all in the meanwhile of being far too overpowering. The poor A.I doesn't help its cause either. At least the game isn't very long, so you don't have to suffer through the pain and suffering caused by the game. Definitely pick up far better action titles like Ninja Gaiden or either of the Max Payne games for the Xbox.

Graphics - 8/10
Gameplay - 2/10
Sound - 3/10
Replay Value - 3/10
Overall - 3.3/10

Reviewer's Score: 3/10, Originally Posted: 08/21/06