Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines Preview

The streets of Los Angeles can be a little daunting for the unwary, but the world has just become a whole lot darker and more terrifying. You see, the underbelly is also home to clans of vampires who haunt the night on their own missions of death and power.

Troika Games, with publisher Activision, is gearing up for the next adventure in the franchise of Vampire: The Masquerade. Bloodlines is a modern-day adventure, which employs the immediacy of a first-person environment with elements drawn from the role-playing genre. Based on the world created by White Wolf, Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines is the taut tale that serves as a prequel to the Time of Judgment.

It is powered by Valve Source Technology, which powers the game Half-Life 2, and boasts deep character development, rich and deadly environments and a cast of colorful characters. The game features seven different vampire clan models and 14 base choices to start with. There are a host of quests, which will bring you into contact with a variety of personalities, as well as require you to solve puzzles, feed occasionally, and combat nightmares come to life. Different combat styles fit different situations. For some instances, the smooth-talking clan member with powers to influence the one he is speaking with may be enough to get through a situation; but in other cases, the sheer offensive power of another clan may be the best way to deal with problems as they occur.

The environments are interactive, and the true joy of this game is that within the depth of the gameplay is the ability for players to create the gaming experience they wish for. This leads to immense replayability.

Not only does Troika believe that “we are able to compete (graphically) with any game out there,” but that with Bloodlines “we are combining the RPG and the shooter to bring you something completely different.”

The game is big on the twitch factor, meaning that players will have to employ reflexes much more often than cerebral power. The environments are richly textured and lush, and the dialogue is amazing in that each character is immediately identifiable and the game boasts character development. How you treat people you encounter will come back into play. With very cool special effects, and a system of devolving and losing your humanity if you feed too often, this is a title that is certain to suck in a new generation of vampire fans, as well as drive fans of the previous title ‘batty’ with delight.