Vampire®: The Masquerade - Bloodlines™

If there is any game that deserves a sequel, VTM - Bloodlines is one. The strongest feature to me is it immersive nature. Vampires are the real puppet masters of the world, pulling the strings of humanity. But there is a catch: they have to hide themselves from the kine, as humans are called. The world thus has a deep irony, for while vampires look down on the mere mortals they manipulate and feed upon, they are also depended on them and at the same in fear of them. For the 'cattle' has the numbers and daylight on their side. Vampires are by nature solitary hunters, but even they know a kind of society. And that society is split in factions who can be openly hostile to each other. Even among the vampires there are those who pull the strings and those who dance to other peoples tune. This is a world of conspiracies, backstabbing and double dealing. No one can be trusted and everyone has a hidden agenda of some kind. You are introduced as a fledgling vampire and outcast. Outcast for your birth is not authorized. You are however spared a second death and have to earn you place by becoming an errand boy/girl for the Prince of the town. And it is up to you how to play it out. Are you going a loyal follower or do you join up with the free-spirited anarchs or do you play your own game? Lucky for you don't have to make a final decision until the end. The game shows this world with great quests and a good supportive music score. When you make your way through the sewers in the second half of the game, you will hear this haunting music with as Asian quality, foreshadowing the next part of the game. The game does have flaws. Into the second half of the game it gets combat heavy. Also some vampire types are overpowered. And it has its fair share of bugs. Still as it is, with the patch, and possibly with the community patch made by wasp, it is a truly a great experience. Play as a twisted Malkavian for some truly weird dialog. Or as monstrous Nosferatu. Your choice.

Let's go with the lightning round! - The main story is compelling enough to want to find out what happens. - The optional side stories involve interesting characters and help build the feel of the world and how it interacts with vampires and other supernatural beings. - Your choice of character history (i.e. clan) and your choices can both affect how characters interact with you, and future options. Your choices have weight; they matter. - I had no issues with the graphics playing for the first time in 2020 and I actually was surprised how well facial expressions helped the feel of conversations. - There will be glitches. Be patient, keep a rotating list of saves in case you have to go back a bit. - The dialogue isn't always the most nuanced; it can be juvenile at times, but I was able to enjoy it anyways. - Combat never felt great to me, but treat it like an action puzzle--you just need to keep trying different approaches until you find one that works--and you'll get through it. - Lots of people online complain about the Warrens. I didn't find it too long or that confusing. Their was a great vision for this game, but the game is lacking polish. Still worth a play-through.

This game was a mess at launch (while still being pretty good), but WESP's unofficial patch fixed basically all of its flaws, making it one of the best action RPGs ever made. Even writing this review makes me want to reinstall it right now, which is a sign of it being a true classic. Get it now! My rating: $30

This Game is one of the best Singleplayer RPGs......install the patches and have fun. A dark and funny story and quest design. I love it

Each clan has its own character, the gameplay is really the masquerade (world is closer to the first edition than the later ones which is a good thing in my book), the music is gorgeous and adds that goth feeling to the world. a must play.