A first- and third-person Western RPG based on the Vampire: The Masquerade tabletop RPG with a heavy emphasis on character building and role-playing, in which the player embodies a fledgling vampire under the guidance of vampire prince Sebastian LaCroix. The player must serve the prince while getting to know the various factions of vampires in Los Angeles and forming their own political views.
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Not bad, in fact it's quite refreshing to seeing the early 2000's aesthetics translated into a game. It's funny, I would have probably thought it was total cringe back then but now seeing these scantly clad ladies dance to goth music feels me with a sense of immersion and melancholy, specially after using the money command.
Still, the game is far from perfect. While it has a great deal of roleplaying options combat just doesn't work very well, at least in melee, and specially towards the end (before that I would say it's fine, even good). Level design also sucks when it matters the most: hubs, bars, etc. all look great but the sewers? The hotel where you go kill the Sabbat? The asian vampire temple? Instead of being set pieces like, let's say, a Yakuza game, they simply suck ass.
I also felt like I made a mistake by focusing in melee by the end, made my experience a bit miserable with the combination of those 2 factors I have mentioned.
It's also rather buggy, even after all these years and even after applying most recent Unofficial Patch. At one point I couldn't even get inside my apartment in Downton due to the clutter having being transformed into giant boulders, not kidding. Or the taxi disappearing and leaving the driver floating in the air. The camera also goes insane rather frequently.
The endings I've seen are nothing to write home about sadly.
Overall I think that it deserves to be taken into consideration and recommended but I also think it might be a bit overrated.
Still, the game is far from perfect. While it has a great deal of roleplaying options combat just doesn't work very well, at least in melee, and specially towards the end (before that I would say it's fine, even good). Level design also sucks when it matters the most: hubs, bars, etc. all look great but the sewers? The hotel where you go kill the Sabbat? The asian vampire temple? Instead of being set pieces like, let's say, a Yakuza game, they simply suck ass.
I also felt like I made a mistake by focusing in melee by the end, made my experience a bit miserable with the combination of those 2 factors I have mentioned.
It's also rather buggy, even after all these years and even after applying most recent Unofficial Patch. At one point I couldn't even get inside my apartment in Downton due to the clutter having being transformed into giant boulders, not kidding. Or the taxi disappearing and leaving the driver floating in the air. The camera also goes insane rather frequently.
The endings I've seen are nothing to write home about sadly.
Overall I think that it deserves to be taken into consideration and recommended but I also think it might be a bit overrated.
Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines is like an early 2000s emo/rock vampire version of Cyberpunk 2077, but better in a lot of ways, in my opinion.
The story and characters are very interesting and are some of the best qualities of this game. I really didnt expect some of the crackhead interactions I have gotten and I'm very pleased with how a lot of quests had some very unique interactions. The dialogue in this game is fucking hilarious. The NPCs with their silly mannerisms and most importantly, the main characters dialogue choices in response to those silly characters, even responses to the serious characters/situations were very unhinged. Dialogue choices ranged from the standard "yes man" to the "hell no" to "im gonna kill you because i feel like it" to "early 2000s political commentary", and more out of pocket ass responses. Even your characters vampire subspecies affects dialogue. I was a Nosferatu, a notoriously hideous vampire. So many NPCs will comment on my disgusting figure, from shock/disgust to concern, and the response back from my character is always a delight to see.
The combat gives you many tools to your arsenal to approach fights, especially with the powers your characters vampire subspecies inherits. These powers can greatly change and enhance how you play the game, or you can choose to ignore them for simple run around and shoot people/hit them with sharp stick. Beware though, those boss fights are tough! Bring lots of blood bags.
The only and major downside to this game for me is the traveling. Your player character is SO slow and there is no sprint. The fast travel is barebones and meant to be immersive I guess, but ends up being a pain. The traveling is especially painful late game when you have unlocked all the areas and side quests make you run back and forth between them. It burnt me out to the point I had to take a break from the game.
Will note: I played this game on PC with an Unofficial Patch mod installed to fix a lot of bugs. There were still quite a few bugs, even progress blocking bugs. You should save often and make a lot of seperate saves.
I really enjoyed my time with this game, way more than I thought I would. I honestly only played it because Funhaus (RIP) played it in one of their videos and shit on it, so I thought I would do the same. This game honestly blew me away and was a treat to play. I highly recommend playing this game (with the Unofficial Patch installed if you're on PC) if you are a fan of Cyberpunk 2077.
The story and characters are very interesting and are some of the best qualities of this game. I really didnt expect some of the crackhead interactions I have gotten and I'm very pleased with how a lot of quests had some very unique interactions. The dialogue in this game is fucking hilarious. The NPCs with their silly mannerisms and most importantly, the main characters dialogue choices in response to those silly characters, even responses to the serious characters/situations were very unhinged. Dialogue choices ranged from the standard "yes man" to the "hell no" to "im gonna kill you because i feel like it" to "early 2000s political commentary", and more out of pocket ass responses. Even your characters vampire subspecies affects dialogue. I was a Nosferatu, a notoriously hideous vampire. So many NPCs will comment on my disgusting figure, from shock/disgust to concern, and the response back from my character is always a delight to see.
The combat gives you many tools to your arsenal to approach fights, especially with the powers your characters vampire subspecies inherits. These powers can greatly change and enhance how you play the game, or you can choose to ignore them for simple run around and shoot people/hit them with sharp stick. Beware though, those boss fights are tough! Bring lots of blood bags.
The only and major downside to this game for me is the traveling. Your player character is SO slow and there is no sprint. The fast travel is barebones and meant to be immersive I guess, but ends up being a pain. The traveling is especially painful late game when you have unlocked all the areas and side quests make you run back and forth between them. It burnt me out to the point I had to take a break from the game.
Will note: I played this game on PC with an Unofficial Patch mod installed to fix a lot of bugs. There were still quite a few bugs, even progress blocking bugs. You should save often and make a lot of seperate saves.
I really enjoyed my time with this game, way more than I thought I would. I honestly only played it because Funhaus (RIP) played it in one of their videos and shit on it, so I thought I would do the same. This game honestly blew me away and was a treat to play. I highly recommend playing this game (with the Unofficial Patch installed if you're on PC) if you are a fan of Cyberpunk 2077.
Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines is an awesome game and it was love at first sight, of course, being launched at 2004 has a lot of aged things and some problems related to the game itself.
First of all, i think VTMB really should to be more appreciated, it is a very precious experience. Has a deep story/lore, characters are great, good quests(until end of Hollywood and Chinatown) and it's so immersive that is hard until nowadays a game to do.
Obviously, this game is not perfect. At the end, some things looks rushed, the paths which earlier looks so natural in the end this aspect disappear, a few new good characters appears. The worst part about this game is the combat, aged like milk.Both gunplay and melee are a painful experience to going through, but i think this game really deserves a opportunity despite its flaws.
First of all, i think VTMB really should to be more appreciated, it is a very precious experience. Has a deep story/lore, characters are great, good quests(until end of Hollywood and Chinatown) and it's so immersive that is hard until nowadays a game to do.
Obviously, this game is not perfect. At the end, some things looks rushed, the paths which earlier looks so natural in the end this aspect disappear, a few new good characters appears. The worst part about this game is the combat, aged like milk.Both gunplay and melee are a painful experience to going through, but i think this game really deserves a opportunity despite its flaws.
- One of the best written games of all time.
- Fun to replay as different clans for either different gameplay elements or different interactions.
- Requires modding it to fix it.
- Fun to replay as different clans for either different gameplay elements or different interactions.
- Requires modding it to fix it.
Si no fuera por el ultimo 1/3 del juego, sería la obra maestra de troika games. Una lastima que no se pudo lograr.
This review contains spoilers
Whatever way you imagine it, Vampire the Masquerade Bloodline is a really interesting game to think about. I'm drawn to messy transitional games that are polysemic in nature and Bloodlines fits that to a tee. A game that is all at once a CRPG adaptation of a complex and unorthodox tabletop rpg, a source engine FPS and an immersive sim lite. A game that marked the death of a continuous tradition of mainstream non-indie choice and consequence heavy rpgs while also highlighting how it might have continued to evolve. Its a game that is impossible to break down into any one thing and its for that reason I believe it has endured past its launch as a cult classic among so many different audiences.
I only wish it was as interesting to experience. I say 'experience' rather than 'play' because I'm well used to a lot of my favorite rpgs having less than stellar individual systems, my favorite rpgs offer a holistic experience that surpasses their many shortcomings. I think even Bloodlines biggest fans would say the same thing about this game. I was prepared to accept the wonky gunplay, stealth and melee but the overall experience never came together the way it has for my friend and many others.
I'll talk a bit first on what did come together. I think Bloodline's execution of character building comes together brilliantly well and offers a genre high creation screen with its (seven!!!) playable races each moulding the player's journey in big and small ways. I got Malkavian during the intro quiz and got a lot of mileage out of the dementation skill unique to them, whether that be spamming veil of madness to suck people to death or using the voice of Bedlam to cause chaos among crowds. And outside of combat I had just as much fun trying to determine what my character was trying to say and chatting with stop signs and a monitor bound news anchorman. I played this as part of a monthly gaming club me and my friends do and it was thrilling to hear how differently other peoples playthroughs were. If I ever play this game again, seeing how the other clans play will be my primary motivation.
I also adore the setting and all the early noughties grunge that comes with it. I could never get enough of the sights and sounds of Santa Monica, Downtown and Hollywood. The Piers alone took me back to a place of deep nostalgia. Bloodlines often fixates on the minutiae of mundane urban spaces and more broadly a melancholy and even ominous sense of aimlessness and alienation. It is felt most keenly in the many one-off mission spaces. Oceanview Hotel is often praised as the best of these but honestly I loved nearly all of them. Whether it be continually descending through a parking lot or traipsing through a near empty apartment block, I wish the game had emphasizes these smaller spaces more at the expense of the hubs. They are more distinctly themed and paced, functioning as bespoke little challenges in which the game's systemic opportunities and more immersive sim qualities shine the brightest.
As for everything else the operative term would be 'unfinished'. Virtually every other facet of Bloodlines' design feels either unfinished or unrealized to a substantial degree. I enjoy the theming and atmosphere of the hubs but beyond that they are static and bare in contrast to the more dynamic and denser mission spaces. Past the first visit there are no new encounters or changes that make them anything more than avenues for backtracking. And though I enjoyed most of the mission spaces, the Nosferatu sewer is easily the worst dungeon I've played in a game this year and the endgame dungeons are of a similar unfinished quality. The main narrative for the most part railroads the Fledgling into working for LaCroix and thus there is little actual politicking in a game that emphasize the inter-clan intrigue and conflict. LaCroix himself isn't a particularly nuanced figure and while I came to appreciate his punchable nature, the slack isn't really picked up anywhere outside of the Voerman sisters and Nines. Characters like Ming Xiao feel more like sketches than complicated people with their own agendas. And it all unravels in the last third of the game into a series of heavily telegraphed betrayals and double-crossings that make the protagonist seem like the most inept vampire in existence while also perpetuating a very ugly Yellow Peril message that I hope was done out of unintentional ignorance. I generally enjoyed a lot of the side quests and individual characters but by the end they weren't quite able to make up for a narrative that is half-sketched at best and kind of misanthropic and outright racist at worst.
I enjoyed Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines. I get why people love this game so much, I'm glad my friend got to recommend it to me. I certainly vibe with how it looks, sounds and even feels. It makes me want to go the West Coast. It also never really rose above 'disjointed' and 'incoherent' for me. Deeply compelling and disjointed in equal parts.
I only wish it was as interesting to experience. I say 'experience' rather than 'play' because I'm well used to a lot of my favorite rpgs having less than stellar individual systems, my favorite rpgs offer a holistic experience that surpasses their many shortcomings. I think even Bloodlines biggest fans would say the same thing about this game. I was prepared to accept the wonky gunplay, stealth and melee but the overall experience never came together the way it has for my friend and many others.
I'll talk a bit first on what did come together. I think Bloodline's execution of character building comes together brilliantly well and offers a genre high creation screen with its (seven!!!) playable races each moulding the player's journey in big and small ways. I got Malkavian during the intro quiz and got a lot of mileage out of the dementation skill unique to them, whether that be spamming veil of madness to suck people to death or using the voice of Bedlam to cause chaos among crowds. And outside of combat I had just as much fun trying to determine what my character was trying to say and chatting with stop signs and a monitor bound news anchorman. I played this as part of a monthly gaming club me and my friends do and it was thrilling to hear how differently other peoples playthroughs were. If I ever play this game again, seeing how the other clans play will be my primary motivation.
I also adore the setting and all the early noughties grunge that comes with it. I could never get enough of the sights and sounds of Santa Monica, Downtown and Hollywood. The Piers alone took me back to a place of deep nostalgia. Bloodlines often fixates on the minutiae of mundane urban spaces and more broadly a melancholy and even ominous sense of aimlessness and alienation. It is felt most keenly in the many one-off mission spaces. Oceanview Hotel is often praised as the best of these but honestly I loved nearly all of them. Whether it be continually descending through a parking lot or traipsing through a near empty apartment block, I wish the game had emphasizes these smaller spaces more at the expense of the hubs. They are more distinctly themed and paced, functioning as bespoke little challenges in which the game's systemic opportunities and more immersive sim qualities shine the brightest.
As for everything else the operative term would be 'unfinished'. Virtually every other facet of Bloodlines' design feels either unfinished or unrealized to a substantial degree. I enjoy the theming and atmosphere of the hubs but beyond that they are static and bare in contrast to the more dynamic and denser mission spaces. Past the first visit there are no new encounters or changes that make them anything more than avenues for backtracking. And though I enjoyed most of the mission spaces, the Nosferatu sewer is easily the worst dungeon I've played in a game this year and the endgame dungeons are of a similar unfinished quality. The main narrative for the most part railroads the Fledgling into working for LaCroix and thus there is little actual politicking in a game that emphasize the inter-clan intrigue and conflict. LaCroix himself isn't a particularly nuanced figure and while I came to appreciate his punchable nature, the slack isn't really picked up anywhere outside of the Voerman sisters and Nines. Characters like Ming Xiao feel more like sketches than complicated people with their own agendas. And it all unravels in the last third of the game into a series of heavily telegraphed betrayals and double-crossings that make the protagonist seem like the most inept vampire in existence while also perpetuating a very ugly Yellow Peril message that I hope was done out of unintentional ignorance. I generally enjoyed a lot of the side quests and individual characters but by the end they weren't quite able to make up for a narrative that is half-sketched at best and kind of misanthropic and outright racist at worst.
I enjoyed Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines. I get why people love this game so much, I'm glad my friend got to recommend it to me. I certainly vibe with how it looks, sounds and even feels. It makes me want to go the West Coast. It also never really rose above 'disjointed' and 'incoherent' for me. Deeply compelling and disjointed in equal parts.