Replying to Vampire The Masqurade: Bloodlines

Yes, I'm reviewing a game that was made in 2004. I recently purchased the last game that Troika ever made before they closed from a Steam sale. I had this game years ago, but had forgotten about it until I saw it and decided to try it out again. The vanilla game had a lot of bugs but there are tons of fan patches that make the game playable and, yes, awesome.

Bloodlines was truly a unique gaming experience, and I hadn't really taken a close enough look at all the little details that Troika had put in. Just the little things, like if you actually take the time to look up, sometimes you'll actually see a 747 jet high in the air. Or how NPC eyes will actually shift to look at you when you are speaking or walking near them...
Stuff like that where they didn't NEED to put it in, but it's there and it adds to the depth.

Playing as the various types of vampire clans brings entirely different gaming experiences. The first ever time I played, I went with Toreador, who are charismatic and act like humans... I wafted in and out of society with a sharp tongue and everyone loved me.... The second time I played, I went with Nosferatu, who are disfigured and everyone was disgusted by my looks. My character had to eat rats. Then Tremere, who are like blood mages.

The story and locations are nice and varied, and even though you are going through and killing NPCs most of the time, every location is unique and never gets repetitive or boring.

The graphics were top notch at the time, using a then-beta Source engine... It was quite buggy at the time, but with community patches is nice and stable on modern-day machines. I remember I had a TON of problems running this smoothly at the time, but now that I have a beefy computer and graphics card, it's smooth as silk. Sounds are amazing and will immerse you in the dark atmosphere of the game. And one notable aspect of the game is the unique attention to detail they gave to all the major characters... The eyes in particular were well done. Below are actual in-game shots. Remember this is from 2004. There are some straight polygons you'll notice, but overall, still done very well. Cloth too is amazing because of how it actually flows with movement, though it is quite buggy from what I've seen, but it took great strides and you just don't see it enough in modern games.



Overall, if you can find this game either through a Steam sale or otherwise and you are into Vampires or Role Playing, I highly recommend this game. Just make sure to pick up the community patch. Here's the latest one at this time Patch 7.6b or 7.7 beta:

http://www.patches-s..._bloodlines.php