Vampire®: The Masquerade - Bloodlines™

In my younger days, I was a DIEHARD fan of White Wolf's World of Darkness. I owned (and read repeatedly) easily 30 or so books (the novels are stellar.) In fact just today I finished rereading the Book of Nod. That said, despite it's technical flaws, and truly they're nothing that can't be overcome, this game is indeed a fine example of what WoD in it's prime could be as a game (other than the tabletop version.) The writing is such that White Wolf made much of it official canon. That should say something. Gameplay is fair, better than I expected for so ambitious a project. Combat is a little clunky, but fun and depending on how you play can be quite harrowing juggling the fighting with the use of disciplines. It can be easy or hard depending again entirely on you. The story is immersive, the atmosphere is expertly painted despite the graphics being a bit dated (like many kindred, this game is old.) Any game with an online community devout enough to STILL be modding it is worth a second thought. And there are quite a few VERY in depth ones at that. Think about it. Wait for it to be on sale if you wish. Give it a shot. You might like it, you might not. But remember kindred, it is the blood of Caine that makes your fate.

Bloodlines is an RPG that is actually much more fun to play these days than on release, and that is mostly due to the rabid fanbase and their incredible efforts at fixing the game while assuring its playability on modern computers. The GOG version of this game uses Wesp's basic patch, the full version of which looks to be finally completed after more than a decade of work. At it's core, the game is a well-written and voiced companion to the tabletop RPG, and is thoroughly accessible even to beginners. As long as you don't neglect to put a few points into combat here and there, your experience with this game is likely to be a good one.

Even if you know nothing about Vampire: The Masquerade, even if you're new to WRPGs, and even if "living out your vampire fantasy" sounds silly, give this a try! The gameplay has a lot of variety with melee combat, gunplay, stealth, lockpicking, hacking, conversation, and more, and in most situations, you have a lot of viable options from those. The basic mechanics are a little janky, but it's totally competent; I usually have a low tolerance for that kind of thing, and I had few problems after the first hour or so. Dialogue choices do sometimes impact your future, but choices are usually pretty obvious, and you're not likely to screw yourself over for later, if you use your head. The writing is excellent, too, and the characters are great; I found myself very attached to a lot of them. You also choose sides in the main conflict, and they're framed in such a way that any of them could be a justifiable choice; not just to see what happens if you side with them. The character creator is cool, too; you have several different clans from which to choose, each clad in hilariously turn-of-the-century outfits. The music isn't maybe something I'd listen to out of context, but it's very stylish, and sets the atmosphere extremely well. It's very approachable, which makes it a great WRPG for beginners, but it's still engaging enough to keep the veterans coming back for more!

This is without a doubt my favorite RPG, maybe even game, of all time. Everything about the gameplay is perfect( with a little help from the unofficial patch). The character sheet and customization is ripped straight from the tabletop game and the gameplay is focused heavily on the actual Role-playing and story where I feel most RPGs ,especially modern ones, put a huge emphasis on the combat. Don’t worry though the combat here is amazing and is by no means a weak point even though it does have its flaws. A big one being Melee combat becomes horrible and even useless most of the time in the end game. This is one of the few games where I get excited for new play throughs because each clan offers so many options and quest deviations that it feels completely new each time. If you’re not sure about picking this up just get it. The game and the world it takes place in will become your newest obsession.

Immersive World ✔ Interesting Story ✔ Great Voice Acting ✔ Graphics have aged well ✔ Fitting sound design ✔ Fun and exiting combat ✔ Multiple classes, and builds ✔ Side Quests, and choices ✔ High replay value ✔