Scrivener Posted November 23, 2004 Report Share Posted November 23, 2004 Ok, so after the epic dissapointment that was the "ending" of Half Life 2, I decided to try that other Source-Engine-based game - Vampire The Masquerade: Bloodlines. Boy howdy what a way to wash away the dissapointment. My friends - I am here to tell you that this is not only great - it is CLASSIC material. And when I say Classic, I mean in the same ranks as Fallout, Torment, and Deus Ex. It's THAT good. The best comparison I can probably make is that it's like a dark, sadistic, vampiric version of the original Deus Ex. Indeed, it could even be that game's spiritual sequel. So here's how it works: you create your own character - choosing from a number of Vampiric bloodlines (all with unique 'powers', agendas, and quirks their own). As you complete quests you gain points which can be spent on improving whatever you wish. Now you get XP for completing objectives (there can be several for any given quest; both optional and mandatory) - not killing stuff - so this encourages you to solve problems any way you see fit. Sure, you can leave a trail of mangled bodies in your wake if it suits you - but you get just as much experience for sneaking or talking your way through. That is, you can play a politician just as easily as a bloodthirsty killer. Finally! I'm 30 hours into the game so far and the end is nowhere in sight. Furthermore, every problem the game has thrown at me has had several possible solutions (some obvious, some not). I'm also noticing decisions made early in the game are starting to have far reaching consequences later in the game - this is one game you will DEFINATELY be able to play through multiple times. All in all, Vampire has me obsessed with it in a way that Half Life 2 never even aspired to. I havn't even mentioned the characters. They are so rich and full of personality that I almost believe they are real - I am worried that when the game is over I'll feel like I have lost some friends... ...and the freedom! It's nice not being forced down an alleyway from point A to B. Bloolines lets you choose what quests you take, how you solve them, and in what order. If Half Life 2 is the best game ever, then what does that make this, much better, game? Preliminary: 9.5/10 The only downside is that it has the same sound problems that plagued Half Life 2. Must be the Source Engine. That is, it dosn't handle EAX or 5.1 audio very well. You can just forget about using both. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest rtoolooze Posted November 23, 2004 Report Share Posted November 23, 2004 Thanks Scriv, was hoping someone I can trust give me the lo down on this game. I'm still working my way thru Half Life 2. But as soon as I'm done, I'll be picking up Bloodlines. I love RPG's, especially with freedom ala the Gothic series, Elder Scolls series and so forth. p.s., Ya, Half Life 2 is not the game of all games, but its still very good. (Altho I've not seen the ending yet, heh) But, at least we have all those wonderful mods that are bound to come along soon. So we had to buy the darn thing anyway, which was, for me, the main reason for picking it up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supreme Cmdr Posted November 24, 2004 Report Share Posted November 24, 2004 He probably only likes it because of the gratuitous gore. Not saying it may not be a good game though; just warning you that Scriv's tastes are all over the map. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrivener Posted November 25, 2004 Author Report Share Posted November 25, 2004 quote:Originally posted by Supreme Cmdr: He probably only likes it because of the gratuitous gore. Not saying it may not be a good game though; just warning you that Scriv's tastes are all over the map. lol! That last bit is SO true. But no - it's not really very gory... not much more than Half Life 2, really. If I had my way, it'd be WAY worse. I was dissapointed when I saw the animation for the Fire Axe sneak kill - I was hoping to see that axe get planted firmly in that punks head - but my character instead used it like a baseball bat. Oh well, still a fan-freaking-tastic game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soback Posted November 25, 2004 Report Share Posted November 25, 2004 I don't know, most things I have heard about the game were negative. Tons of bugs, and I don't mean little bugs but game stopping bugs (mission breaking). Graphics problems, intense lag in some missions. Also, it doesn't seem as freeform as Gothic 2 or Morrowind. I couldn't wait for this game to come out after I played the first one, but now that I went and read through their official forum and also the dillapitation forums I think I will pass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrivener Posted November 26, 2004 Author Report Share Posted November 26, 2004 I have seen nary a bug at all (except for the same sound glitches that annoyed me in HL2). Framerates are consistently in the 70s. Load times are short. No broken quests. One dialogue option did incorrectly identify my gender - but other than that - it seems technically squeeky clean. Troika did have a YEAR to polish this, after all - since a contract agreement with Valve forced them to hold on to the game since last November (when it was finished). *shrugs* Not only have I seen nothing to spoil it, but the more I play the better it gets. If the ending pays off, this is potentially a perfect 10 game on my list - and one of the best RPGs in computer gaming history - up there with Fallout and Daggerfall. While it's not as open (environmentally) as Gothic or Morrowind, there's still LOTS of room to explore - enough that you are constantly seeing something new and never get bored. The first Vampire game is trash compared to this. If anyone is complaining about problems it's either due to their crappy computer or general stupidity... as I havn't seen anything that would qualify as being more serious than an overlooked detail (ONE improper gender reference, for example). As GameSpy states in their review "Taken purely as an RPG, Bloodlines is almost flawless." This is truth - the only weaknesses are the same ones shared by Half Life 2, compliments of the not-quite-perfected Source Engine. If you like, provide a link to said negative press, so that I can systematically debunk every absurd and baseless claim and lay your fears to rest. I'm the kind of person who picks every nit, and I have seen VERY few nits thus far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gryphon Posted November 26, 2004 Report Share Posted November 26, 2004 Scriv has a point here, folks. I started playing it last night, and its the first time in about a year I've been able to devote a whole four hours to a game, in one sitting. It's MARVELLOUS. Gore? Depends what you mean. If you mean a bitmap blood splatter when you hit someone, or bloodstains on walls and such, then ya, there's gore. But if you're talking about intestines hanging around, tearing off arms, etc. etc., then no, I haven't seen any of that. Well, there IS a beheading at the start of the game, but it is clean and you don't get any nasty crap. For role playing however --- I'm impressed. The quests are great. I did a few fetch quests and didn't mind one bit, specifically because of the context. Instead of getting a magical tome for some mage (aka Baldur's Gate) I was retrieving explosives that had been stolen from my contact after he was mugged. Context is everything! Graphics are great overall, immersion is fabulous, runs relatively well, and I love the realism. Best RPG since Baldur's Gate II, IMHO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Grayfox Posted November 27, 2004 Report Share Posted November 27, 2004 quote:The first Vampire game is trash compared to this.so if i liked the first one i would love this one then? been thinking about it, but im on the "undecided" list... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrivener Posted November 27, 2004 Author Report Share Posted November 27, 2004 If you liked the first game, you'll love this. If you loved the first game - this will tickle your pickle in ways you forgot were possible. This is the best vampire fiction outside an Anne Rice novel. Better than any vampire movie or game I have seen (which is all of them). The political intrigue - the characters - the atmosphere - it's fantastic. It's just blowing my mind. It's also terribly refreshing to play a game so unabashedly dark, creepy, and sinister. First time I've been creeped out in - well - I don't remember the last time a game creeped me out. Ok, I'm heading back to the dark and foggy alleyways of Chinatown. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Grayfox Posted November 28, 2004 Report Share Posted November 28, 2004 lol i liked the first one for the reason it was a video game "port" ,if you will, of the pen and paper RPG which I and a few friends used to play for sometimes days on end. the whole walking the path of the beast, blood pool, clans etc etc was well known to me. the only thing i didnt like about the first one was that you were forced to become a Brujah. in something like that i dont like to be forced into anything... unless the GM says otherwise if this one will "tickle my pickle" (cause i did love the first one), then ill have to go out my next few days off and pick me up a copy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest $iLk Posted November 29, 2004 Report Share Posted November 29, 2004 I love this game... I've been playing constantly - great story, great characters, great everything except for the guns... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matchoo Posted November 29, 2004 Report Share Posted November 29, 2004 quote:Originally posted by $iLk: I love this game... I've been playing constantly - great story, great characters, great everything except for the guns... I agree. I don't think I've ever used a gun. Most of the time I just put them in a trance and drink their blood, or cause them to choke themselves to death (love that one). I haven't played all the clans yet, but hopefully they will impement some more diciplines in an expansion pack. I loved being able to turn into a mist form or steal someone elses image in the first game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joebeard Posted November 29, 2004 Report Share Posted November 29, 2004 Better than HL2? Umm... Combat - firearms are practically useless as you'll seldom fight human enemies. The recoil on your weapons is huge unless you've invested a massive amount of points into your firearms skill (and thus neglected skills like Dexterity which not only add to your melee skill, but also to others such as lock picking). Melee combat is about as unexciting as you can get, the silent kills are identical for most of the weapons and the use of combo attacks is almost redundant as you only have about 3. The level design is horrible! There are frequent design floors such as square rooms, pipes emerging through walls and ending in mid-air, water brushes not touching the edge of walls etc. Not only that, for the most part the design is uninspired. Where as Deus Exs Hong Kong area was on many different levels, the level eds at Troika seem to think that all cities are entirely flat. The levels remind me of Postal 2 - At least Running with Scissors made fun of the lack of cars actually moving in the game! The bugs! There is a game stopping bug around the half way point that can only be solved by manually changing levels via the console. Now, didn't these guys have about a year of waiting where they could have corrected this? Even rudimentary play testing should have picked that one up, seeing as it occurs every time! I admit, this is probably due to Activision as Troika really do want to release a patch for the game. However it only serves to damage the quality of the game further. There's also the fact that they've somehow managed to make the game look fairly hideous despite using the Source engine. Add to this that nearly every step you take causes the game to freeze for a few seconds and well... You get the impression that they didn't really know what they were doing as far the engine goes. So thank god then, that the story is absolutely excellent! It's kept me playing nearly nonstop and it is very long. Certainly better for money than HL2. The radio shows and clubs are also very entertaining and there's frequent use of... err, dodgy humour throughout hehe I've found my Malkavians chat lines to be extremely amusing. 'To which of my personalities are you addressing this to?' Also the abilities in the game are incredibly cool, again I point to my Malkavian who can kill people just by looking at them >) In conclusion, if you're equally a fan of action as RPG, I'd plump for HL2, sure it's short if you're good at FPS's, but it's overall presentation and immersion is far beyond that of Bloodlines. However if you're a fan of RPGs, or want a nice alternative to Deus Ex (Aaah the good old days before Invisible War!) then hell yeah, Bloodlines is a fairly accomplished cross between FPS action and RPG longevity/story. It's just a shame that the aesthetic aspects have really let it down. Personally, I got both! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joebeard Posted November 29, 2004 Report Share Posted November 29, 2004 Might I also add that the slow down I experience is not due to HD fragmentation (I initially thought this). Also, my rig is more than capable of running the game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrivener Posted November 29, 2004 Author Report Share Posted November 29, 2004 quote: Combat - firearms are practically useless as you'll seldom fight human enemies. The recoil on your weapons is huge unless you've invested a massive amount of points into your firearms skill (and thus neglected skills like Dexterity which not only add to your melee skill, but also to others such as lock picking).Firearms *are* pretty weak, but guns suck against Kindred regardless, that's just a fact (check the PnP sources). Dropping a few points in the skill improves that drastically (a la Deus Ex) but there's no reason to do more than one or two. quote: The level design is horrible! There are frequent design floors such as square rooms, pipes emerging through walls and ending in mid-air, water brushes not touching the edge of walls etc.Havn't seen any of this. Could very well be you're video card - Source is still pretty unrefined. The game saver/loader is bugged, and loops audio for each individual save game it has to load into the list, but again - that's a carryover bug from HL2. quote: There is a game stopping bug around the half way point that can only be solved by manually changing levels via the console. Now, didn't these guys have about a year of waiting where they could have corrected this? Even rudimentary play testing should have picked that one up, seeing as it occurs every time! I admit, this is probably due to Activision as Troika really do want to release a patch for the game. However it only serves to damage the quality of the game further. I just encountered this and I'm a little peeved by it. You'd think a big ol game-stopper like that would have been patched out within hours of the games release... but we all know Activision, like Atari, would rather sit on the patch candidate for 6 months instead of just releasing the damn thing. Since bugs in RPGs are just a fact of the matter, I don't fault the developer if they deliver the patch quickly. Publishers just seem to be pricks about it, though. quote: There's also the fact that they've somehow managed to make the game look fairly hideous despite using the Source engine. Add to this that nearly every step you take causes the game to freeze for a few seconds and well... You get the impression that they didn't really know what they were doing as far the engine goes.Hideous? What game are you playing? I think the graphics are considerably more than adequate. Locations are believable and the atmosphere is great. Not a single complaint out of me (except for the sewers preceeding the Nosferatu's lair). Also never experienced any lag/slowdown issues outside the save/load screen (which, again, was also present in HL2). Only real letdown for me was having to use the console to continue the game. That makes me even more angry because Activision is just sitting on a patch that would instantly fix it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest $iLk Posted November 30, 2004 Report Share Posted November 30, 2004 A few of the developers who worked on the game are members of the SomethingAwful forums as well... they've been extremely helpful in overcoming certain bugs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soback Posted November 30, 2004 Report Share Posted November 30, 2004 Yeah, or we can just stick with Morrowind till they make a vampire game that equals Morrowinds freedom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joebeard Posted December 3, 2004 Report Share Posted December 3, 2004 I finished Bloodlines a few days ago, it's really worth enduring to see the ending which raised a little smile on my face >) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruis.In Posted December 7, 2004 Report Share Posted December 7, 2004 from the name, can I infer you are a vampire and have vampire like attributes and can also bite people? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LostInSpace Posted December 7, 2004 Report Share Posted December 7, 2004 quote:Originally posted by Cruis.In: from the name, can I infer you are a vampire and have vampire like attributes and can also bite people? Bite? You feast on people (rats too if you are desperate). You can either drain their blood dry (killing them) or just take enough before that and save them for another dinner. As for being a vampire, your attributes depend on which clan you belong to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Grayfox Posted December 7, 2004 Report Share Posted December 7, 2004 gotta be careful with the rats and bums... sometimes the blood you drink from them will make ya puke. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mordax Blyrr Posted December 7, 2004 Report Share Posted December 7, 2004 Gotta check this one out for sure... Is it also possible to change form, like a bat or a wolf? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruis.In Posted December 7, 2004 Report Share Posted December 7, 2004 haha doubtful mordax. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Grayfox Posted December 7, 2004 Report Share Posted December 7, 2004 dont know about the wolf... i think if youre protean discipline is high enough you could assume the form of a wolf, but im not that high yet... only reason i think this is cause ive met an older gangrel in the game and he came upon me while he was in wolf form... dont know if you need to be gangrel, or just have the protean discipline. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matchoo Posted December 7, 2004 Report Share Posted December 7, 2004 You can't turn into a wolf, but you can change yourself to be almost a hairless warewolf (although nothing like the warewolves you meet in the game....those things are scary ) Hopefully in an expansion pack they will include more disciplines.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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