much better than I ever expected it to be
Having been a huge fan of Half-Life my expectation for its sequel (Half-Life 2, obviously) all but blinded me to the potential delights of Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines. However, now that I’ve completed the game a number of times the truth is that I’m still finding myself drawn back to its deep and fascinating world of half truths and shadowy characters. I can now say that this is one of my favourite games of 2004.
A lot has been made of Bloodlines buggy, unfinished nature. Of course this fact cannot be ignored, although it must be said that the unofficial community-made patches have gone a long way to rectify some of the initial lack of polish. When it comes down to it though, all of the bad press has done this game a huge disservice. Bloodlines actually features a wealth of gameplay, not to mention one of the most engaging game world’s I have ever played through. For me Bloodlines comes exceedingly close to the Holy Grail that was the original Deus Ex, and that in itself is no mean feat.
The atmosphere built up from the get-go is never less than enthralling and really goes a long way to reflect the dark and mysterious source material. The script is also fantastic with a myriad of twists and turns, causing you to constantly re-evaluate your loyalties to the cast of (refreshingly interesting) NPC’s. On top of this the potential for player-led improvisation really does elevate Bloodlines into the realm of classic PC games. Not only are there the multiple character classes on offer – all of which alter the way you play, from your core abilities and combat tactics to the very dialogue choices on offer – but also the extremely open nature of the many and varied missions. The game always encourages you to experiment with different play styles and you often find that the more indirect path is the most rewarding. Needless to say the replay value of Bloodlines is absolutely huge.
Unfortunately I am sad to say that Bloodlines is destined to be known as a “what if” game (i.e., what if Troika had been given the time to bring the game to full fruition – on this evidence Activision really should star in its own dodgy daytime TV show called something like, “when games publishers panic..!”). As it currently stands I’d be lying if I said the game was without its problems. Some world areas are woefully underused and combat can be a real hit and miss affair, although it’s nowhere near as bad as has been suggested in some quarters. Looking at the broader picture I really feel that many of the quoted ‘quirks’ have been blown way out of proportion. The diversity of the core game alone more than makes up for any effort you put into it.
I make no bones about it; I have really enjoyed playing Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines, much more than I ever thought I would. At some of the cut down prices I’ve seen this game offered at it really would be a crime not to give it a whirl. You never know, it might just sink its teeth in to you! :)
* Originally written for my old GameSpot account in Aug' 2005
