World of Darkness Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 from Hardsuit Labs

[NecroLord]

Bloodlines never needed a sequel.
It is a timeless classic because it is so replayable. Atmosphere,soundtrack,fantastic voice acting(the facial animations are good even to this day),story,all these elements had been combined to make an awesome game. It was Troika's triumphant swan song...

 

[Roguey]

Bloodlines never needed a sequel.
It is a timeless classic because it is so replayable. Atmosphere,soundtrack,fantastic voice acting(the facial animations are good even to this day),story,all these elements had been combined to make an awesome game. It was Troika's triumphant swan song...

We could use more Vampire: The Masquerade RPGs (more than just visual novels and walk-and-talkers) and Paradox has decided that something that plays like Bloodlines should be called Bloodlines 2.

 

[NecroLord]

Something that plays like shit,you mean.
Those trailers of theirs do not exactly fill me with confidence...

 

[Roguey]

Something that plays like shit,you mean.
Those trailers of theirs do not exactly fill me with confidence...

That game was cancelled. As for the new one, who knows? Wester seems confident, but of course he would be.

 

[Semiurge]

Something that plays like shit,you mean.
Those trailers of theirs do not exactly fill me with confidence...

See that ventilation shaft ahead, you can turn to mist and appear on the other side of it!

 

[NecroLord]

Haha,yeah,peak gameplay!
They should've kept it simple - plenty of vents to crawl through,a la Deus Ex and original VTMB.

 

[whydoibother]

Haha,yeah,peak gameplay!
They should've kept it simple - plenty of vents to crawl through,a la Deus Ex and original VTMB.

Its not just about that spicy action crawl-through-vents gameplay. Crawling through vents allows you to listen in on conversations NPCs are having, which improves narrative. Allows you to spot patrols, and time them, which improves stealth. Allows you to experience the layout and size of the level, as if its a real space, which improves immersion. Teleportation is shit. And if you have emergent gameplay through interacting systems, even as basic as Skyrim, you can be in the taxi and see a bear fighting a lion or whatever, and jump out to intervene. Say no to teleportation! Say yes to vent crawling!

 

[Justicar]

Bloodlines never needed a sequel.
It is a timeless classic because it is so replayable. Atmosphere,soundtrack,fantastic voice acting(the facial animations are good even to this day),story,all these elements had been combined to make an awesome game. It was Troika's triumphant swan song...

Its timeless trash can.

 

[d1r]

Something that plays like shit,you mean.
Those trailers of theirs do not exactly fill me with confidence...

That game was cancelled. As for the new one, who knows? Wester seems confident, but of course he would be.

I have zero confidence in this project as long as we don't get to hear a soudtrack by Chiasm or another goth-rock/industrial band in the trailers.

 

[Vincente]

another goth-rock/industrial band in the trailers.

Any preference? I personally want Type O Negative, The Cure, Cocteau Twins, or Zombie Girl.

 

[NecroLord]

Bringing back Rik Schaffer is a must.

 

[whydoibother]

Bringing back Rik Schaffer is a must.

The book is written on how an urban vampire fantasy game should sound, most mercs should be able to approximate this. He was great to get it right the first time, though. Evergreen tracks. One of a few soundtracks I listen to on its own, just as music, without the game.
Though if they are doing a modern thing, with smart phones and so on, I'm guessing we can have some podcaster radio host thing, with the narrator putting on songs. And if Paradox is paying, they can be licensed songs, like in GTA. Of course, context sensitive, you still want ambient music for levels where it wouldn't make sense to have the radio playing.

 

[PulsatingBrain]

Any preference? I personally want Type O Negative, The Cure, Cocteau Twins, or Zombie Girl.

I'd add Ministry and White Zombie off the top of my head

 

[Demo.Graph]

You'll get Ed Sheeran instead.

 

[Tyranicon]

Not so much as a peep about the game, no screenshots or footage or even vague marketing descriptions, and yet...

Along with the latest Paradox financial report, Wester reveals that they'll be able to announce Bloodlines 2's release date "reasonably soon" and 2023 is "not impossible."

sus

I want whatever designer drugs they're taking.

Maybe they meant they'll announce the release date in 2023, which is way more likely than anything else.

 

[d1r]

another goth-rock/industrial band in the trailers.

Any preference? I personally want Type O Negative, The Cure, Cocteau Twins, or Zombie Girl.

Helalyn Flowers, Ministry, Lacuna Coil, Zombie Girl.

 

[Roguey]

I want whatever designer drugs they're taking.

Maybe they meant they'll announce the release date in 2023, which is way more likely than anything else.

They've been working on it since February 2021. Late 2023 is likely the target release date (as also shown by the API placeholder release date), and it's also likely to slip into the first quarter of 2024 (developers and publishers being incredibly optimistic about how much they can accomplish in a given period of time).

As he said, they're not going to show or announce anything until they've locked in the month. Even a year would be too far away for an estimate (when they announced in 2019 they thought it'd be out a year later, that turned out to be ludicrously wrong)

 

[NecroLord]

Waiting until 2024 for this? Fuck that.

 

[whydoibother]

Waiting until 2024 for this? Fuck that.

What do you mean "fuck waiting until 2024"? The year 2024 is happening regardless. The game is getting made regardless if you "wait for it". And once it gets made, might as well try it.
Not like you are waiting in a line outside, in the rain.

 

[ERYFKRAD]

Not so much as a peep about the game, no screenshots or footage or even vague marketing descriptions, and yet...

Along with the latest Paradox financial report, Wester reveals that they'll be able to announce Bloodlines 2's release date "reasonably soon" and 2023 is "not impossible."

sus

I want whatever designer drugs they're taking.

Maybe they meant they'll announce the release date in 2023, which is way more likely than anything else.

They've probably decided to fund that Moonfall game making dude.

 

[Gargaune]

Waiting until 2024 for this? Fuck that.

What do you mean "fuck waiting until 2024"? The year 2024 is happening regardless. The game is getting made regardless if you "wait for it". And once it gets made, might as well try it.
Not like you are waiting in a line outside, in the rain.

Ah, but consider the cost/benefit analysis! The game will be a dumpsterfire lolcow regardless of whether it releases in 2023 or 2077, the coming roast is all you can look forward to. So why wait? Why throw more money at it? Bring it on, release it next Friday!

 

[whydoibother]

Waiting until 2024 for this? Fuck that.

What do you mean "fuck waiting until 2024"? The year 2024 is happening regardless. The game is getting made regardless if you "wait for it". And once it gets made, might as well try it.
Not like you are waiting in a line outside, in the rain.

Ah, but consider the cost/benefit analysis! The game will be a dumpsterfire lolcow regardless of whether it releases in 2023 or 2077, the coming roast is all you can look forward to. So why wait? Why throw more money at it? Bring it on, release it next Friday!

I don't know about you, but I like playing video games more than I like shitposting about american identity politics.
Therefore in my dreams Bloodlines 2 is a good, fun game. This is what I wish and hope for. So many popamoles here just wishing and hoping its as shit as possible, so they can post Rudi again.

 

[Vincente]

All ye non-believers shall perish when Bloodlines 2 rises from its torpor like the Ravnos Antediluvian and devours his progeny. You are all denying it exists, but it slumbers.

 

[Gargaune]

Waiting until 2024 for this? Fuck that.

What do you mean "fuck waiting until 2024"? The year 2024 is happening regardless. The game is getting made regardless if you "wait for it". And once it gets made, might as well try it.
Not like you are waiting in a line outside, in the rain.

Ah, but consider the cost/benefit analysis! The game will be a dumpsterfire lolcow regardless of whether it releases in 2023 or 2077, the coming roast is all you can look forward to. So why wait? Why throw more money at it? Bring it on, release it next Friday!

I don't know about you, but I like playing video games more than I like shitposting about american identity politics.
Therefore in my dreams Bloodlines 2 is a good, fun game. This is what I wish and hope for. So many popamoles here just wishing and hoping its as shit as possible, so they can post Rudi again.

I'd also take playing a good game over shitting on a bad one, but I don't expect that's on the menu. Hopes and dreams are one thing, a reasonable projection from the game's troubled development is another. As such, I set my sights on a more sensible horizon and look forward to Crowbcat's eventual video.

 

[NecroLord]

It's not about any Rudi or identity politics shitposting,my man. You got it all wrong.
This industry has left me completely and utterly dissapointed. Year after year after year of massive decline in creativity,ambition and artistry.
I want to believe that Bloodlines 2 would be a worthy sequel to VTMB,but I just cannot.