BloodRayne

"BloodRayne proves that violent, offensive games can have depth."

BloodRayne proves that violent, offensive games can have depth.

When I first saw the previews of BloodRayne, I must admit I was a bit skeptical. The gameplay seemed innovative, but something bothered me about the screenshots - past experience with games such as Turok showed that overly gory games usually focused only on being gory and generally offensive. With less gore-filled games such as Halo and Shenmue II providing that depth and inexplicable draw that grabbed hold of me and kept me involuntarily strapped to my gaming chair for hours at a time - that very feeling for which I am a gamer, that glorious immersion in a complete other world, the excitement, intensity, the loss of any sense of the passing of time, that adrenaline rush any true shooter fan is overcome with when a game which stands far above the others come about - with that key element missing in my previous experiences in more graphic shooters, I was losing faith that someday a game with as much novelty, depth and excitement as it had flying limbs and exploding bodies would come to fully satisfy both the sadistic corner of my mind that so craved the gore and the more prevalent side which yearned for that satisfaction which I had yet to find anywhere else. Yet, in BloodRayne, I found that feeling - not to the degree I was hoping it to be, but it was there. The depth is not so much in the story, although the story is most certainly part of it, as it is in that previously mentioned innovation, the well-roundedness of it all. While it certainly isn't a perfect game, it is deserving of more credit than it receives because every element for a good game is contained within it. It doesn't have Halo's graphics, nor does it have Metal Gear Solid's plot depth or true innovation that the Metal Gear series used to revolutionize the modern tactical shooter, it's not so sadistic as Turok: Evolution - but the presence of all three elements, each well-balanced and clear, forms a powerful alliance that is both compelling and, in a way, artful.

Gameplay - 8/10
The gameplay of BloodRayne is what really makes the entire game worth the time you put into it. You take control of Rayne, a girl in her mid-twenties who happens to be half-vampire - but all woman. Her breed makes her less dependent on blood for food and less sensitive to a traditional vampire's weaknesses, such as holy objects and water, and she retains most of her vampiric traits - increased speed and athletic ability, psionic skills, and the like. When it comes to combat, she's very fierce and fast on her feet - jumping, side-flipping and performing all kinds of impressive stunts to avoid bullets and other hazards. Because of this, you'll find that a quick reaction time and the ability to coordinate many button-presses in succession are essential, as is the ability to think a few steps ahead of the mob of angry Nazis surrounding you. All of this is done with relatively simplistic controls - they're intuitive and easy to learn. The wristblade weapons and guns are controlled with separate shoulder buttons, making the transition from ranged combat to melee seamless. The difficulty is well balanced too, with ''Normal'' providing a good amount of challenge without overwhelming the player. Certain enemies in the game can get annoying no matter what difficulty level you play at, though, and there tend to be a lot of them. They sometimes become repetitive too, and while boss battles are fun and challenging, taking on horde after horde of the same bad guys can get a bit tiresome after a couple hours. A few puzzles also are a bit confusing unless you already know what to do, and you might get stuck for a while in a room with no obvious way out. This shouldn't stop you from playing it through, though - it only gets better as you progress.

BloodRayne provides a vast array of gameplay styles that keep the player constantly changing the method of attack. The necessity for each method of play is constantly being altered by the current situation, and you're always learning something new - be it mastery of a new attack, how to kill these new enemies that don't seem to enjoy your company, or even learning to pilot a cumbersome but very well armored bipedal tank. The game is always giving you a different, challenging obstacle to overcome and increasing your methods of attack in the process - which keeps the monotony from getting to you too much when you're hacking up your enemies on foot.

Presentation - Graphics and Sound - 7/10
Graphics and sounds are good overall, but have a few flaws - guns just aren't loud enough, and the panic that comes from being surrounded by gunfire simply doesn't exist because of this. The graphics are competent, but not particularly stunning - you'll find a few interesting locales and enemies that have some beautiful artwork and animations, including a cathedral, and abandoned village, and even a demon-filled mansion - but for the most part things are moving too fast for you to notice. The details that you move too fast to notice are the ones that were omitted - but don't worry, because you probably wouldn't see them even if they were included because of the fact that you'll be in constant motion. Enemy dialogue is sometimes redundant, though the scripted dialogue that you occasionally find outside doors and such can be hilarious. Other than a few things such as that, though, the game really is beautiful. There's one detail in particular that most men would find interesting - female characters have jiggling breasts. This is often captivating and confusing at the same time because freely flowing motions on character models, such as the slight bounce Rayne's breasts get from her running, are something I've not seen in video games until relatively recently. Anyway, be sure you stop to smell the blood stains every once in a while, and take the time to appreciate what BloodRayne has to offer.

Story - 7/10
The plot of BloodRayne has a few short twists and an array of big turns between the mindless periods of sadistic killing, and those are more than enough to keep everything flowing well. You always know exactly where your next objective is and how to accomplish it - something most games tend not to provide very well. This sense of direction makes the interesting plot very easy to follow. You'll sometimes wonder what something is in the game - what certain rooms and objects are and their purposes - but you'll never wonder what you're doing, where you're going, or why you're going there.

Replay Value - 6/10 Replay value is BloodRayne's weak point. The game is very linear, and once you complete it there's little reason to play it again - jiggling beasts aside, of course. The plot is great the first time, but once you know what's next the driving force behind it gives way. The gameplay is still very fun, of course and you'll still look forward to the plot twists, but the monotony of mass-killing in the same manner for a few hours might get to you first.

Playing the Game - BloodRayne's Innovations
As if you needed more reasons to play the game - or just want to know more about what it's like to play the game this section takes an in-depth look into BloodRayne, and examines the gameplay elements that make it unique and fun to play.

Sword-swallowing fun - though not always through the throat.
Her main weapon is the pair of blades mounted on her forearms, which she uses to carve the enemy into a large pile of bloody soup with a great deal of efficiency - her various methods of slicing and dicing make combat a very entertaining experience. Unlike the bladed weapons in most games, these cold steel knives of death do more than just make funny sounds and splash blood everywhere - they sever, stab, and accurately decimate the body of whoever it is you touch them with. Nasty indeed.

Double Trouble
Those two wristblades aren't the only tricks Rayne has up her tight-fitting sleeves, though - another unique ability she has is the use of two firearms at once, and aiming both at different enemies. Simultaneous aiming is taken care of by the auto-aim feature, making it surprisingly easy to use; and with the tendency of enemies to gang up on you, you'll find that the ability to individually select your targets would prove useless anyway. Throughout the game, you'll come across a variety of weapons including Colt revolvers, high-powered shotguns, machine guns and submachine guns of all kinds - even rocket launchers that can be used to take out large groups of enemies from afar. While this feature is great and adds a lot to the intensity of the game, you'll find that your weapons come with small amounts of ammunition, and you'll likely run out before too long. The balance this creates between the use of guns and your wristblades is very well thought out - you have more than enough ammo to kill anything you like, but not enough that you only use your guns in battles. It forces you to rely on your wristblades as your main weapons and use the guns only for support fire and long-distance combat instead of just waltzing around with your Thompson and blasting everything away. However, even this isn't the end of the novelty that makes this game so fun to play.

No Medkits Here
The idea of a modern shooter without medkits - or any other similar form of health recovery items - is both stunning and confusing at the same time. Naturally, it would be impossible to survive the swarms of enemies that encircle you from time to time without some method of health restoration. The system BloodRayne uses to keep your health up is similar to that of Legacy of Kain: Blood Omen 2 - with a slight twist. Instead of killing the enemy then taking his HP, you must actually latch onto the enemy from close range while he's alive, then drink his blood to regain your health - and, since that health is drained from the enemy's own health meter, latching makes a surprisingly effective way of dispatching those poor humans who think they can actually kill you. While Rayne is digging in - and making some rather pleasing moans while doing so - you'll find that you can actually turn your enemy's back toward any oncoming gunfire, using your lunch as a shield at the cost of some of his ability to heal you. If you don't care for getting so close before feeding, you'll also have a harpoon that will allow you to pull yourself to the enemy and knock him over. It works in a way similar to the Hookshot in Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time - except it tends to spurt blood and kill people. This makes the game's various gunbattles very interesting, as you'll often have to feed and kill at the same time.

More powerful than Miss Cleo on steroids.
Miss Rayne's psionic abilities are something you'll find yourself relying on to survive the day-to-day assault by demons and Nazis of all shapes and sizes. While her ability to sense objectives and enemies via Aura Vision and her skill at slowing time down in a way similar to the Combat Boost in Perfect Dark are both impressive and useful tools, the trait that really makes her the combat-worthy gothic soldier of sexiness that she is is something called BloodRage. As Rayne uses her wristblades to attack, she fills a meter that can be activated when it is full. BloodRage speeds Rayne up, slows everyone else down, and lets her use special moves that deal amazing amounts of damage at blinding speed. This is one of the key elements to the game, essential for boss battles, and yet another innovation that more than makes it worth playing.

Before You Play - Things to Know
What should you know about the game before even renting BloodRayne? This section features the various elements that may ward off some gamers, and serves to eliminate any unwanted surprises.

Gore Galore - BloodRayne contains huge amounts of blood and gore - it's right on the level of most Turok games. Exploding bodies and gallons of blood make it so this isn't a game for the weak-stomached.

In the Navy - Curses flood BloodRayne's dialogue, including frequent use of nearly every one in the English language; you'll find no ''darns'' here. If you don't care to hear the f-word frequently, I suggest you avoid this game.

Zeus, King of the Gods! - Although it won't really matter to most gamers, BloodRayne has an amount of Paganism, as well as some cult/ paranormal ties in the plot that strict religious gamers may find offensive.

A Virtual Cabaret - BloodRayne is loaded with sex appeal - from jiggling breasts to Rayne's deep moans as she sucks the life from her enemies. There's even a code that can make her breasts larger and jigglier. Those who are strongly opposed to the degradation of women shouldn't be too offended, but the sex appeal is present.

Rent or Buy?
Rent and play it through once, then decide whether or not to buy based on how many times you think you'll want to play it again.

Final Judgment - Putting it all together
The various elements of a good game come together nicely in BloodRayne. They together deliver a strong package that any shooter fan would deem to be worth playing.
Score - 8/10

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 04/15/03, Updated 04/16/03