Bloodlines

[Bateluer]

It seems like its getting lost among the releases of Doom3, HL2, Halo 2, EQ2, and WoW. I haven't played it yet, but my bro bought it and was telling me it rocks. Definitely a mature game though.

Anyone take it for a spin yet?

 

[slick230]

I have it. I've actually been playing it MORE than HL2. I think it's pretty good. Some reviews haven't been to good, but reviewers are arseholes, so I don't listen to their verbal masturbation. Also, some people have been having problems with crashing, and scripting problems, but I have encountered NOT ONE problem since I began the game, and I have played it for about 14 hours so far.

 

[skace]

It is hard for me to explain how I feel about this game. I am currently playing it and enjoying it greatly. But theres also a lot of dissapointment. It is almost like the game is 3 steps from something truely great and just didn't make it. The game has so much damn potential and really must have been a ton of work for Troika. I could give this game a full on review, but let me try and get to the point, I'm sure the big game websites have full reviews you could read.

The main problem is the number of glitches. Theres graphics glitches, mission glitches, combat glitches, you name it. There is a memory leak that forces me to restart the game after a certain number of hours and keeps me saving very regularly. Sometimes when I complete a mission it doesn't register with the NPC and I have to reload before completing the mission and recomplete it. Sometimes certain models clip, like the taxi cab driver sitting outside the taxi cab.

Despite all the glitches, the things the game does right are done so damned well that it keeps me coming back for more. As an example, I spent nearly 45 minutes in the apartment you start in. I was watching TV, listening to the radio, reading my email and checking out the fridge. I think the greatest testament to this game is that I plan to play it at least 3 times. I will most likely beat it for the first time tonight. I then plan to play it a second time as a nosferatu. After that, I'm hoping to play it a 3rd time as a malkavian and hopefully after a patch is released.

I really hope the game sells well and I hope Troika patches it and creates expansion packs. I hope they make a sequel as well. The game has a lot of story and I think it could really benefit from being expanded upon.

This is the best I could do short of writing a full on review, hope it helps. Just remember, this is an RPG first and an FPS second.

 

[Somniferum]

I have it and am enjoying it immensely. I was a bit frustrated at first with the performance -- compared to HL2 it runs a lot choppier in certain areas, and since they both use the Source engine it's hard to understand why. Finally I found that disabling AA completely made the game playable and I can compensate for the loss in IQ by cranking up the resolution to 1600x1200 without any performance hit.

If you are a fan of RPGs at all you'll love this game. It's true that there are some bugs and glitches ... it could definitely use a patch. But the immersion level of the game makes up for it IMHO. The storyline is great, the dialogue is outstanding, and the voice acting is superb. The facial animations are close to the level of HL2, which adds to the overall effect. There is a pervasive atmosphere of darkness and evil, lightened by occasional black humor, that really pulls you in.

I have been splitting my playing time for the past week between Bloodlines and HL2, and to be honest I've been leaning toward Bloodlines more and more. I still love HL2, but I'm being sucked into the World of Darkness I guess. :Q

 

[ginfest]

I agree with all the above, this is a great game and really worth your time if you're into rpgs but the bugs are a PITA and it does need a patch ASAP, especially for the mem leak.
I was reading on B3D that although this uses the source engine, it's an older build, hence not up to par with HL2, evidentially Activision made it so the devs had to cut some corners, playtesting, etc.
Hopefully Troika will make it right.

Mike G

 

[TheAudit]

I was going to post a thread about Bloodlines. Most of the reviews I have read said it was okay but nothing outstanding, I wanted to see what non-review type folks had to say about it. Troika seems to put out some buggy games.

 

[skace]

Originally posted by: TheAudit
I was going to post a thread about Bloodlines. Most of the reviews I have read said it was okay but nothing outstanding, I wanted to see what non-review type folks had to say about it. Troika seems to put out some buggy games.

At this point, the bugs are not game-stopping like Temple of Elemental Evil.

 

[HeroOfPellinor]

I just got back from Fry's. I'm not into RPGs, really, but I am wildly fascinated by mythology including modern lore like Vampires:TM, so I had to get this game.

The average of the reviews I've read are about 8.0/10 which is a solid "good". Hopefully a patch will come out to fix some of the technical glitches and bugs.

 

[BenSkywalker]

Average review score as of this writing is 86% on GR's database. Very interested in this game for my better half, think she would love it but wanted to see a bit of feedback before picking it up.

 

[datalink7]

I think it is awesome. I've been playing it several hours a night. However, I agree with skace. It is dissapointing in that it seems to be a couple of steps from being truely great.

Anyway, I'd reccomend it if you enjoy RPG's. It has a great story. If you are in for a combat/action type game, don't get it.

 

[skace]

http://pics.bbzzdd.com/users/skace/Skace_VB_Own1.jpg
http://pics.bbzzdd.com/users/skace/Skace_VB_Own2.jpg
http://pics.bbzzdd.com/users/skace/Skace_VB_Own3.jpg

I'm that thing that goes bump in the night

 

[warcrow]

Originally posted by: skace
http://pics.bbzzdd.com/users/skace/Skace_VB_Own1.jpg
http://pics.bbzzdd.com/users/skace/Skace_VB_Own2.jpg
http://pics.bbzzdd.com/users/skace/Skace_VB_Own3.jpg

I'm that thing that goes bump in the night

Skace, or someone.....can you please write up a first impressions thread, with screenies? I would probably be much appreciated by alot of us on the fence with this game.

 

[skace]

Originally posted by: warcrow
Skace, or someone.....can you please write up a first impressions thread, with screenies? I would probably be much appreciated by alot of us on the fence with this game.

Short of writing my own first impressions, I agree 120% with this review: http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/vampi...oodlines/566646p1.html

They give it a 4/5. They say it is an amazing rpg but not the best fps. They identify most of the bugs and most of all they state that despite all the bugs it is still worth playing through multiple times. Although, right now I am busy taking some screenshots of some of the cooler things, I may write up an impression of it later on.

You have to understand, sid meier's pirates and world of warcraft are both out tomorrow

 

[Drift3r]

I have to chime in and agree with most here. It's a great RPG and has some very good game elements to it that make it a good buy IMHO despite the patchable bugs. Though I have a suspicion that some of the professional game reviewers have judged it to harsh due to the fact that it's not a FPS like HL-2 and the fighting system is more RGPish in that your fighting skills improve with more experience points invested into them. I know that the Gamespot reviewer gave it a 7.7 but IMHO the guy was just being a elitist ass. He complained that it's fighting system in relation to guns vs vampires was flawed. Of course anyone who played the pen and paper version knows that vamps aren't really effected by bullet damage unless it's something like a point blank blast from a shotgun or someone unloading a entire clip from a sub machine gun. Melee combat is more effective with super natural creatures in the game but you can still kill these monsters with something like a shotgun or .44 mag, etc.... It's just that you wont be able to stand in front of them because they'll tear you apart. Just shot them from afar or on the run. Anyways I love this game and I love HL-2. I hope more RPG's use the Source engine and it's great physics and scripting engine.

 

[Drift3r]

Originally posted by: skace

Originally posted by: warcrow
Skace, or someone.....can you please write up a first impressions thread, with screenies? I would probably be much appreciated by alot of us on the fence with this game.

Short of writing my own first impressions, I agree 120% with this review: http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/vampi...oodlines/566646p1.html

They give it a 4/5. They say it is an amazing rpg but not the best fps. They identify most of the bugs and most of all they state that despite all the bugs it is still worth playing through multiple times. Although, right now I am busy taking some screenshots of some of the cooler things, I may write up an impression of it later on.

You have to understand, sid meier's pirates and world of warcraft are both out tomorrow

I think that's the problem......it's not a FPS.....it's HL-2....it's a RPG using a FPS game engine. Some people cannot seperate the two for some reasons. I agree that the bugs are a reason to take a point off but then again what game does not have bugs when it first ships ?? Even Doom 3 and HL-2 have/had bugs.

 

[skace]

It seems like Vampire:Bloodlines was made for the Doom3 engine but they used the Source engine. I can't stop wondering how perfect it would have been in the Doom3 engine. Argh. The game relies on darkness, has a ton of horror, and most of the maps are small environments. It barely makes use of physics or the outdoors of the source engine.

 

[Somniferum]

Originally posted by: skace
It seems like Vampire:Bloodlines was made for the Doom3 engine but they used the Source engine. I can't stop wondering how perfect it would have been in the Doom3 engine. Argh. The game relies on darkness, has a ton of horror, and most of the maps are small environments. It barely makes use of physics or the outdoors of the source engine.

Interesting. I'm not sure if some of the locations would work though ... the Downtown hub, for example, is pretty wide-open. Not sure if the Doom3 engine could handle something like that. I would like to see some of the shadowy areas in this game rendered in the Doom3 engine though -- that would be awesome.

BTW, the more I play this game the more I love it. It gets better as it goes along. For some reason, even the performance gets better. The first hub (Santa Monica) kind of chugs but the Downtown hub, which is much larger and more detailed, performs great on my machine. Go figure.

 

[skace]

Originally posted by: Somniferum
Interesting. I'm not sure if some of the locations would work though ... the Downtown hub, for example, is pretty wide-open. Not sure if the Doom3 engine could handle something like that. I would like to see some of the shadowy areas in this game rendered in the Doom3 engine though -- that would be awesome.

Yea, just imagine hiding in the shadows as a nosferatu in the Doom3 engine. It would have been freaking amazing. And yea, all the hubs are large maps, but I wouldn't call them wide open. You are stuck to streets and alley ways, you are never really looking down a long stretch of land like in HL2. I don't know how the Doom3 engine would handle it, but Vampire Bloodlines was all about the shadows. I would have loved to see some of the vampires done using Doom3 models also... gah.

Santa Monica does chug though, mainly by the docks. I didn't have any problems with any of the other hubs.

 

[imported_Briareos]

I really like this game. It does have a lot of bugs and needs some serious polish in some places but its a lot of fun. I even stopped playing halfway through to make a new character and I still had lots of fun playing through the areas I'd been before.

I just REALLY wish they spent more time on the player models, some of them are just ugly (ugly as in poorly made). Hopefully someone gets a mod out that fixes that.

 

[TheAudit]

I am playing Bloodlines now and I would give it a 85/100.
It is a great game.
The story is good, the graphics are fabulous, and the voice acting is top notch. And some of the scenes are downright scary. Combat is weak though and the game is a bit buggy. I haven?t been dropped to the desktop yet but I have been hung up more than once. Still, I?ve put a lot of time into the game so it?s not all that buggy.
I would definitely recommend this game.

For those of you who are playing it, I?m in the Hollywood Hills.

EDIT - the worst thing about the game are the loading times, wow, they are piss poor. Reminds me of the old C64 days.

 

[HeroOfPellinor]

Originally posted by: TheAudit
I am playing Bloodlines now and I would give it a 85/100.
It is a great game.
The story is good, the graphics are fabulous, and the voice acting is top notch. And some of the scenes are downright scary. Combat is weak though and the game is a bit buggy. I haven?t been dropped to the desktop yet but I have been hung up more than once. Still, I?ve put a lot of time into the game so it?s not all that buggy.
I would definitely recommend this game.

For those of you who are playing it, I?m in the Hollywood Hills.

EDIT - the worst thing about the game are the loading times, wow, they are piss poor. Reminds me of the old C64 days.

Yeah, the combat is lousy. But I guess that's their way of encouraging you to find creative solutions rather than treating the game like a FPS.

 

[TheAudit]

Originally posted by: HeroOfPellinor

Originally posted by: TheAudit
I am playing Bloodlines now and I would give it a 85/100.
It is a great game.
The story is good, the graphics are fabulous, and the voice acting is top notch. And some of the scenes are downright scary. Combat is weak though and the game is a bit buggy. I haven?t been dropped to the desktop yet but I have been hung up more than once. Still, I?ve put a lot of time into the game so it?s not all that buggy.
I would definitely recommend this game.

For those of you who are playing it, I?m in the Hollywood Hills.

EDIT - the worst thing about the game are the loading times, wow, they are piss poor. Reminds me of the old C64 days.

Yeah, the combat is lousy. But I guess that's their way of encouraging you to find creative solutions rather than treating the game like a FPS.

I like RPGs and combat is always the meat and potatoes of any RPG. I think the combat here is pretty bad but I have gotten used to it. And I think most of the combat is rather easy, even the boss battles. Just don't get caught between a lot of guys at once with guns, that's a problem.