Vampire®: The Masquerade - Bloodlines™

It's easy to recognize why Bloodlines is loved by so many despite its numerous issues. It's got all the telltale signs of a great RPG; good writing, a good story, some interesting characters backed by great voice acting, an immersive atmosphere that filled me with a nostalgic feeling, despite never having played the game before, a lot of charm and a truckload of player agency. Thanks to the Unofficial Community Patch that's still being worked on, a bundle of content has been restored and the game's technical issues are negligible for the most part. However, when one steps back and looks at the experience Bloodlines provides as a whole, it becomes difficult not to notice how the unfinished bits dull down an otherwise sharply written tale. If you can look past a farcical stealth system, clunky movement where you'll frequently get stuck on objects, a combat system that will have you feeling as if you're exploiting the game rather than beating it, some intriguing at first characters and arcs that end up going nowhere, a couple of frustrating boss fights and an endgame that turns into an absolute slog with somewhat rushed endings, then there's plenty in Bloodlines that you'll enjoy. If anything, it's a great appetizer for what the sequel might bring, provided it has at least a fraction of its predecessor's ambition.

They finally added it. Everything there is to say about this wonderful game has already been said here, on the Steam discussion boards, in magazines, websites in all languages and from critics over a decade ago. This is one of the best there is. Buy it. Patch it. Play it. Love it. I don't care if you're a fan of Troika, a fan of Vampire, a fan of RPG's, or none of the above; play this masterpiece.

My favourite almost 15 years ago and still love it to this day. I don't know exactly why, it is difficult as usual to describe personal preferences. The character sheet and its categories appear to be so simple, but it allows a wild variety of builts. The writing is one of the best that I ever experienced in a video game title, it grabbed my attention more than everything else before and after and was only surpassed by Divinity: Original Sin 2. Can I recommend this title? If you love to play with character builts and a certain complexity and variety, if you enjoy storytelling at its best and dont need modern day combat, the masquerade might be perfect for you.

It's worth the full price of $19.99, but there are enough flaws that you should hold out for a sale if possible. Bloodlines lives up to its reputation with an engaging story, amazing NPCs, rock-solid voice acting, and great soundtrack. Combat is...fine. This isn't a FromSoftware game. It's okay, but becomes tedious toward the end because of some lengthy areas. Also, a couple of side quests were bugged, even with the unofficial patch that comes with the game. This is a flawed masterpiece, but I gave it a 5 anyway to reflect its strengths. If there was a 4.5 option, I'd have chosen it. When you buy Bloodlines, it should be because you want to experience some great writing, engaging characters, and a convincing setting. I'm saying this as someone who has a love-hate relationship with vampires, and never had a goth phase in life. It's really awesome, you guys.

Branching paths, layers of intrigue, mutliple approaches to the story (guns blazing, stealthy, or New Vegas-styled conversationalist), and speaking of story, whether you are a VtM fan, or just a casual vampire afficionado, this game will slake your thirst. It is not perfect, mind you, but the GoG version installs the mod fix with the base game, making it playable with very few bugs/glitches/etc. For any other questions, the community board has plenty to keep you occupied. If you are still hesitant, wait for a sale and pick it up. Good campire games are tough to come by; this one just might be the best of them all.