GW recently had the opportunity to take an exclusive look at a boss battle in the heart of Chinatown. A stone gargoyle, the product of blood magic gone awry, is on the rampage—and you've been tasked by a Tremere clan regent to clean up the mess. In the remnants of an aging building, garish in its Oriental reds and greens, the beast crashes through the ceiling. Shards of glass fall, and a terrible roar echoes.

Now, if you're an especially charming vampire, that gargoyle may stop long enough to mince words with you—convince him properly, and he might just put a willing end to his troublesome defiance. More than likely, though, the gargoyle will just let loose in a berserker rage, smashing pillars in his wake. All the while, the physics engine runs its magic, crumbling that second floor down atop your head. Herein, story, statistics, and engine come together to shape the gaming narrative.

As an RPG, how good Vampire is will rest heavily on the story; White Wolf has already set the game as an official prequel to its impending Time of Judgment and End of Days series. With the support of Valve's engine to cover the back end, compounded with Troika's own RPG experience (from Fallout to Arcanum), the blood is set to boil.​