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    Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines

    Game » consists of 3 releases. Released Nov 16, 2004

    Bloodlines is a first person action-RPG built on Source engine and based on the World of Darkness setting from White Wolf.

    Mento's Alternative to E3 2013: Day 2

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    Mento

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    Edited By Mento  Moderator

    Day 0Day 1Day 2Day 3

    Hey all. Just a short one today since it's getting late. Well, it's getting early if I wanted to be more accurate, but it's kind of the same thing for vampires. What were we up to? Ah right, about to get the bejeezus spooked out of us.

    The Ocean House Hotel is the focus of today's venture into the world of Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines, Troika's toothsome horror RPG. And man is the horror part ever more emphasized today. If you don't want anything in this legendarily spooky sequence spoiled (or you'd rather wait until Spookin' with Scoops does it), feel free to skip this one; I'll be continuing with the rest of the Santa Monica missions tomorrow.

    The Story So Far

    Odette the Los Angeleno deadbeat got bit dead and became a new enforcer for the Camarilla sect of vampires. She's in Santa Monica doing tasks for the worse-for-wear Ghoul Mercurio and the Voerman sisters: a pair of Malkovian vamps who run the local nightclub Asylum. In order to move on with the main questline, I've been given a job pertaining to the recovery of an artifact from a haunted hotel. Sounds easy enough.

    Part 3: Tell Him About the Twinkie

    The place is locked up tight, but fortunately the keys are right here. Wait, what was that noise?
    The place is locked up tight, but fortunately the keys are right here. Wait, what was that noise?
    Oh, it was just this bulldozer that attempted to level the shack I was in all on its own. Clearly we're in one of those
    Oh, it was just this bulldozer that attempted to level the shack I was in all on its own. Clearly we're in one of those "Maximum Overdrive" scenarios.
    Well, this doesn't look foreboding. Time to do some poking around. While I couldn't capture any of it happening, almost every knick-knack will throw itself at you at great velocity whenever you pass it.
    Well, this doesn't look foreboding. Time to do some poking around. While I couldn't capture any of it happening, almost every knick-knack will throw itself at you at great velocity whenever you pass it. "Harmless spirit" my ass. I'd better avoid any static-y TV screens while I'm here.
    I took this shot because of the ghostly voice. Didn't see the guy until just now. Boy howdy, this place, lemme tell ya.
    I took this shot because of the ghostly voice. Didn't see the guy until just now. Boy howdy, this place, lemme tell ya.
    Here's the other ghost. This one's a little more helpful, though she spends most of the time screaming and running. Incidentally, I'm in the basement right now because I was too heavy for the stairs. I need to cut down on all the AB+.
    Here's the other ghost. This one's a little more helpful, though she spends most of the time screaming and running. Incidentally, I'm in the basement right now because I was too heavy for the stairs. I need to cut down on all the AB+.
    Slowly, the details of what happened here are filled in. The ol' kid's head in the washing machine bit, huh? Is this Killer7?
    Slowly, the details of what happened here are filled in. The ol' kid's head in the washing machine bit, huh? Is this Killer7?
    Backtracking to the laundry room and I find this. I need the power back on to get out of here, so I'll take it. Doesn't seem like I have much of a choice.
    Backtracking to the laundry room and I find this. I need the power back on to get out of here, so I'll take it. Doesn't seem like I have much of a choice.
    So basically, when you turn the power back on the place goes haywire. Since there's so many painful electric devices to Ghost Trick down here I end up losing a lot of health. Good thing all vampires have an innate heal spell, then.
    So basically, when you turn the power back on the place goes haywire. Since there's so many painful electric devices to Ghost Trick down here I end up losing a lot of health. Good thing all vampires have an innate heal spell, then.
    Another sighting of the less spiteful spook. Generally she only appears to offer hints. Hmm.
    Another sighting of the less spiteful spook. Generally she only appears to offer hints. Hmm.
    If I have to see one more severed arm in this damn game, I swear. So there was a second kid? I don't see why the head and the arm couldn't have belonged to the same one. I think about this stuff.
    If I have to see one more severed arm in this damn game, I swear. So there was a second kid? I don't see why the head and the arm couldn't have belonged to the same one. I think about this stuff.
    This room had a key in it. Someone didn't want me to have it. (Interestingly, while the ghost unlocks all the doors when necessary to proceed with this bit, they do have a requisite skill level which presumably means they can be unlocked earlier than normal to
    This room had a key in it. Someone didn't want me to have it. (Interestingly, while the ghost unlocks all the doors when necessary to proceed with this bit, they do have a requisite skill level which presumably means they can be unlocked earlier than normal to "sequence break" this mission. They need quite a few points in Lockpicking though.)
    The locked room is this burned out husk. Dropping down the hole leads to the bar, which was locked from the inside.
    The locked room is this burned out husk. Dropping down the hole leads to the bar, which was locked from the inside.
    More hints. After killing the kids the guy appeared to have killed himself. Or did he?
    More hints. After killing the kids the guy appeared to have killed himself. Or did he?
    Only way out is this dumbwaiter. Man, do I love crawling into enclosed spaces with a demonic poltergeist around.
    Only way out is this dumbwaiter. Man, do I love crawling into enclosed spaces with a demonic poltergeist around.
    Talking of which, this is the most dangerous room in this whole place. After collecting the diary to the left, every pot and pan starts flying around the room until you find a way out.
    Talking of which, this is the most dangerous room in this whole place. After collecting the diary to the left, every pot and pan starts flying around the room until you find a way out.
    This pretty much fills in the rest of the missing pieces. Dude kills his wife and kids after discovering her new locket and assuming it was given to her by another suitor. It's kind of ridiculous, but then what good ghost story isn't?
    This pretty much fills in the rest of the missing pieces. Dude kills his wife and kids after discovering her new locket and assuming it was given to her by another suitor. It's kind of ridiculous, but then what good ghost story isn't?
    Making our way out of the kitchen, we enter the other elevator shaft. With the elevator above our heads and a certain spectral someone with a marvelous sense of humor prowling around, it's best not to dawdle.
    Making our way out of the kitchen, we enter the other elevator shaft. With the elevator above our heads and a certain spectral someone with a marvelous sense of humor prowling around, it's best not to dawdle.
    So here's an interesting angle that the game tosses our way but doesn't follow up on. We only have the wife's diary as an unreliable narrator to what happened. Then again, the dude ghost *was* holding a bloody axe, so...
    So here's an interesting angle that the game tosses our way but doesn't follow up on. We only have the wife's diary as an unreliable narrator to what happened. Then again, the dude ghost *was* holding a bloody axe, so...
    Getting to the upper floors from the elevator, the hotel starts getting downright phantasmal. It's kind of cool to see all these mystical effects, if a little heebie-jeebiefying.
    Getting to the upper floors from the elevator, the hotel starts getting downright phantasmal. It's kind of cool to see all these mystical effects, if a little heebie-jeebiefying.
    Suddenly, a burned out shell of a room mystically reforms to what it once was to allow me to grab the locket I came for.
    Suddenly, a burned out shell of a room mystically reforms to what it once was to allow me to grab the locket I came for.

    And that's pretty much the Ocean House Hotel mission. It's akin to an interactive spookhouse ride and quite entertaining. Honestly, though I warned about spoilers, there's not so much of them to be found here: You're railroaded from one area to the next, nothing is ever made too conclusive about the what and the why of the murders and it has very little significance (it would seem) to the rest of the game. It's just this little one-off episode full of creepy unease and an occasional jump scare that's kind of at odds with the rest of the game and its duplicitous vamping. Curious inclusion, but I'm glad it's here. If you want to see the whole mission in action, with someone almost as stupid taking the reins (and gee whiz do they mess it up bad), I'll post that Fear Gauntlet clip here again.

    I could use a drink after all that. That nice co-ed back at the nightclub ought to suffice.

    Next Time

    I try to finish up Santa Monica. I'm a little further past this update and I can't imagine there's a whole left to do around here. Just need to handle a pair of troublesome sisters, track down a knowledgeable Nosferatu and blow up a thing. Can I do all that and get back in time for the Prom? Find out next time on Day 3 of "I'm childishly ignoring E3 still".

    (Parts 1 and 2 here. I'll replace this with a table once I'm done. Probably.)

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