Review Gaming Nexus favours horrid Vampire puns

[Spazmo]

Tags: Troika Games; Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines

<a href=http://www.gamingnexus.com>Gaming Nexus</a> have their <a href=http://www.gamingnexus.com/Review.asp?ID=654>review</a> of Troika's Vampire: Bloodlines up. The title of this review is "Finally a game that is supposed to suck". This does not bode well. They liked the game well enough to give it <b>8.4/10</b>.<blockquote>Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines is the latest installment in the Vampire series but it represents my first foray into the franchise. Originally based on a pen and paper role playing game, it has a huge back story for gamers to dive into. As you might have guessed from the title, you play a vampire in the game. Rather than the cheesy Count Dracula type vampires or the pop-culture spewing Buffy type vampires, the game goes with more of the Embrace of the Vampire/Ann Rice vampires. In this version, the vampires live as a secret society hidden away from humans. In order to keep their presence hidden (to avoid being hunted to extinction if ever found out), the vampires have a code (The Masquerade) which all vampires are supposed to follow. The Masquerade stipulates that a vampire can’t feed on people in a public place, use their vampiric powers in front of the kine (the vampire term for humans), or discuss any of the details of the lifestyle with anyone who doesn’t enjoy the occasional glass of O positive.</blockquote>That's one thing I really liked about Bloodlines. It doesn't do the whole gothy, existentialist, "woe am I immortal bloodsucker" thing that half of vampire pop culture leans to. It does more of a secret society, seedy urban underworld setting that's really quite appealing.
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Spotted at: <A HREF="http://www.bluesnews.com">Blue's News</A>

 

[Volourn]

BL is cool.

 

[EEVIAC]

That's one thing I really liked about Bloodlines. It doesn't do the whole gothy, existentialist, "woe am I immortal bloodsucker" thing that half of vampire pop culture leans to. It does more of a secret society, seedy urban underworld setting that's really quite appealing.

And this is the reason that a good part of Bloodlines is a Vampire Supers game.

 

[Sol Invictus]

The secret society element is definitely appealing but there was far too little of it and far too much retarded combat.

 

[space captain]

thats the whole point of "Vampire: the Masquerade" as an RPG - a society of vampires.... its a fucking given if you have ever played the pen an paper version - but i guess to people who dont even know it exists, then this portrayal of vampire culture may seem "fresh and new" or "innovative and exciting" or whatever

its the legacy of the license itself

 

[Expresso]

The secret society element is definitely appealing but there was far too little of it and far too much retarded combat.

Most of the combat can be avoided quite easily. There are only few enemies in the game that must be killed.

 

[Volourn]

"Most of the combat can be avoided quite easily."

Simply not true, and completely full of bullshit you are.

 

[Spazmo]

Well, maybe if you look at how many creatures are in the game (including club dwellers and people walking around in the street) and then count the number of people you kill and take the percentage, you might end up with 50.1% things not killed, yeah, but the forced combat and endless respawning enemies at the end suck no matter how you look at it.

 

[Saint_Proverbius]

Well, you can do those sewers - supposedly - by just sneaking through them all stealthy and such.

Then again, moving around the game at half speed doesn't seem like fun. Hell, moving through those sewers at half speed, given the size of the damned thing, would have to suck.

 

[EEVIAC]

Screw sneak. Four dots of Obfuscate lets you run without being seen, five lets you pick up items and do Obfuscated stealth kills.

 

[Seven]

I played a ventrue, so sneaking was my only option unless I wanted to use all of my bloodpacks. Those sewers were hell, and arguably the worst part of the game. Because there were so many tough enemies I didn't feel like exploring, plus it was like a never ending hell.

 

[Expresso]

"Most of the combat can be avoided quite easily."

Simply not true, and completely full of bullshit you are.

It's my personal experience. If you choose Malkavian or Nosferatu clan for Obfuscation and focus on sneaking feat, it really is easy. Maybe you had hard time sneaking, because your focus was elsewere. And yes, obfuscation 5 is almost cheating.

Well, you can do those sewers - supposedly - by just sneaking through them all stealthy and such.

Then again, moving around the game at half speed doesn't seem like fun. Hell, moving through those sewers at half speed, given the size of the damned thing, would have to suck.

Some like it, and some don't. Success of Thief and Splinter Cell games prove that there are many players who like "sneak" playstyle. I'm one of them.

My Malkavian completed Warrens and rest of the Hollywood with 0 kills.

 

[Volourn]

"It's my personal experience. If you choose Malkavian or Nosferatu clan for Obfuscation and focus on sneaking feat, it really is easy. Maybe you had hard time sneaking, because your focus was elsewere. And yes, obfuscation 5 is almost cheating."

All this proves is that it isn't easy to avoid combat. You need to play a specifc type of character toa void it. Only sneakers can avoid a lot of the combat. if you are dialogue focused you cna't sneak. If youa re combat focused you cna't either; but in that essence yoiur charcter is probably not worried. Heh. Still, it's not easy to avoid combat in the game. That's a myth. It's possible; but not "easy".

 

[Expresso]

"It's my personal experience. If you choose Malkavian or Nosferatu clan for Obfuscation and focus on sneaking feat, it really is easy. Maybe you had hard time sneaking, because your focus was elsewere. And yes, obfuscation 5 is almost cheating."

All this proves is that it isn't easy to avoid combat. You need to play a specifc type of character toa void it. Only sneakers can avoid a lot of the combat. if you are dialogue focused you cna't sneak. If youa re combat focused you cna't either; but in that essence yoiur charcter is probably not worried. Heh. Still, it's not easy to avoid combat in the game. That's a myth. It's possible; but not "easy".

Ok, "easy" was exaggeration. But, when my Malkavian entered Warrens with low combat skills it was definitely easier to sneak by those monsters than to attack them.

 

[dunduks]

Still, it's not easy to avoid combat in the game. That's a myth. It's possible; but not "easy".

Well, there is a third way too, its called - run like hell, that helps with enemies too. But all and all the combat was not that hard, save for a few bosses, even for those unfocused on combat skills.

 

[Sol Invictus]

How'd you get through the Tzimisce and his summoned hordes with 0 kills?

 

[Expresso]

How'd you get through the Tzimisce and his summoned hordes with 0 kills?

Andrei is not killed in that encounter

 

[Sol Invictus]

No, but his minions are.

 

[Expresso]

No, but his minions are.

*** SPOILERS ***























Why? You are not required to kill any "headwalkers" in that area. Once you have forced Andrei to flee, door to the sewers open and you can continue.

I found two ways to deal with Andrei:

1. Just dodge those headwalkers and concentrate your shotgun fire to Andrei. Headwalkers are annyoing but can be dodged. Malkavian "Hysteria" also distracts them quite effectively.
2. (Cheesy way) Jump on one of the small platforms in the area and those headwalkers can't reach you.

 

[Sol Invictus]

Ultimately, the statement that combat in BL is 'easy' to avoid is a false one. It's possible, yes, but it isn't easy. It's boring, and unlike Thief 3 it isn't suspenseful if you stealth your way through the game for that matter.

The statement that it is possible is like saying it is possible to solo in Everquest. Why yes, it's possible, but it'll probably take a year of grinding green mobs to get a single level than it would to gain a level every couple of days in a group raid.

 

[Expresso]

Ultimately, the statement that combat in BL is 'easy' to avoid is a false one. It's possible, yes, but it isn't easy. It's boring, and unlike Thief 3 it isn't suspenseful if you stealth your way through the game for that matter.

Saying that there is too much retarded combat is equally false. I admit that it is not generally "easy" to avoid combat, but if you put your mind to it is almost as easy to avoid combat in Bloodlines as it is in thief 3.

"Boring" is your personal opinion and preference. Not suspenseful? Elisabeth Dane, Museum, Grout's Mansion, Warrens, Society of Leopold. All those places are very suspenseful places for stealth gameplay. I have completed Bloodlines now 6 times with various characters and I have to say that weapons expert was most fun experience and sneaker was close second.

 

[Reklar]

The statement that it is possible is like saying it is possible to solo in Everquest. Why yes, it's possible, but it'll probably take a year of grinding green mobs to get a single level than it would to gain a level every couple of days in a group raid.

Obviously you never played Everquest in the higher levels for very long, because I've met people who can solo to 65, possibly 70 now, primarily necromancers and druids, simply because the player is good enough to find a way to solo to the highest attainable level. It may not be easy, and it may be more efficient to group for the majority of players, but it doesn't take "a year of grinding green mobs," which, by the way, you don't get any xp from killing.

As for the topic at hand, it sounds to me like the playstyles I would prefer would be the weapons expert and the super-stealthy type. It's a pity you can't talk your way through most of the combat, but even in Fallout and Fallout 2 you couldn't avoid all of the combat. If I could just get past the whole vampire thing I'm sure I would enjoy playing Bloodlines.

 

[Sol Invictus]

Fact: You can avoid all of the combat in Fallout.

 

[Expresso]

In Bloodlines there is about 10 encounters where combat is required, so Fallout wins (as usual). To achieve that (in Bloodlines or in Fallout) much meta-game knowledge is required and specially tailored character must be created.

 

[Sol Invictus]

Are you kidding me? It's fairly easy to avoid combat in Fallout. Take rescuing Tandi for example: when talking to Aradesh, you have the dialogue option to suggest that you will try to reason with them. That pretty much hints at what you can accomplish, and indeed, with a little speech skill, you can convince them to let her go with you. You can also bribe them to let her go.