"Vampire rain shows why undead are so named...."

So,why does this game show why the undead are so named... Simple, Because only the undead could take such a beating and emptying a clip of your gun and still be standing.

Story: 5
Well what can I say except that the story is very thin but does give you a reason for each mission actually being undertaken, other than that its not all that entertaining, its pretty much the same as any other shooter, take out the enemy and be done with it, although it drags it out in other directions and so even though it extends the game further it still does not really pull you in and feel the need to survive.

Graphics: 6
Mixed in every way possible, the detail in the surroundings are what you would expect from the earlier generation consoles, for instance the details on buildings are simply a texture, window sills are flat, frames are flat, same with the walls, then you have the character models which are not all that bad, I was quite impressed by the majority of them considering I had low expectations for the game, especially the effect as the rain hits the sneaking suit you wear, although close up you can tell its not all too complex. Then you have the effect such as the smoky aura the vampire's give off, whilst nothing new it is nice and well presented. Unfortunately the overall detail of the levels simply drags this game down.

Sound: 6
Basically the same as the graphics, mixed, some are very nice and some are just plain ok, the music is nothing to write home about and the voice acting whilst not the worst I have ever seen, can be quite boring and badly done, but given the bad scripting I suppose it could not be viewed any other way, listening to your guy say yes sir repeatedly is not pleasing.

Game play/Controls: 6
Controls first, these are very easy and I can not imagine anyone really having to adjust to them unless you have never played a game before in your life, It feature's some of the common moves you would expect from a sneaking game such as crouching, wall hugging and the ability to go prone. Also your gun is holstered un till you need it and when you switch it into play get a targeting reticule. They are simple and easy to get to grips with so I have no complaint's here what so ever.

Now, the game play can be a little frustrating, especially when you first start out and may have to repeat area's constantly as you adapt to how the game runs, walking, running and so on are quite fluid and seem to be handled well then you come to climbing ledges, when your character pulls up or steps up onto a ledge they have to climb and it just feels so stale and restricting, it is as though all the pace and tension that was vital for survival has been forgotten in place of some one who now does not care for their life and moves sluggishly as they pull themselves up and over objects, wall hugging is a very slow process indeed. Some of the game play is very well done, (stealth is probably the best part) some of it has been executed badly but can be coped with.

Multi player: 7
This is the best part of the game in my opinion if you can find people to play, You can find player matches in certain game types often but in others you may need to start up a game and invite people you have already met. It is a shame really as the multi player is really quite fun with a full house except that the development team only saw fit to have four maps at launch. Whilst not great support three of the maps in my opinion are well suited to the game and one just seems to have been rushed, repetitive and boring in theme. If you can find someone to play there are 8 types of games to play such as death match, team death match, capture the flame(capture the flag basically) and team capture the flame and a very badly done detroyer game type which the only reason I can see for playing si to get the very easy achievement. Its basically teams taking turns to destroy a set amount of objectives(wooden boxes) but due to the way the game plays and map layout becomes either too easy to destroy or to easy to defend.

Overall: 7
Well overall the game is quite entertaining, especially if you get into an on-line game, single player is not the best you could ever wish to experience but does the job and provides a very good challenge, and the stealth is well executed. Multi player is where you may wish to be with this one though, even though lacking content it is a very fun experience, just such a shame not many people play it on-line. Go to player matches as ranked matches seem to be few and far between.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 07/03/07