Vampire®: The Masquerade - Bloodlines™

This RPG is insanely good. I am baffled that I only discovered this series in 2020, it is a true gem! I played it in one sitting (during the weekend), as the story and character progression had me hooked. The various vampire factions, and how they come into conflict is so immersive. The writers have done such amazing work in their approach to the vampire genre.

This is an RPG based on the White Wolf pen and paper game called Vampire the Masquerade. If you haven't checked it out yet you should. As for the game, while it can be buggy at times the writing and story are the best I've ever had the pleasure to experience in a game. That may sound a little dramatic but believe me it's the truth. If you like an immersive game then this game is for you. Super high replay value, depending on what clan you decide to play as it could drastically alter your game play experience. The npc's feel fleshed out and all have different personalities and objectives. Every level is memorable and does NOT feel generic in any way. Also the soundtrack is AMAZING, really one of the best things about the game and it really enhances the atmosphere. Through and through this is an actual role-play game where you genuinely feel like you're playing the role. This is my favorite game of all time and I wanted to play through it one more time before Bloodlines II releases later this year. *crossing my fingers nothing delays the release* If you like, you can watch my playthrough here: https://youtu.be/U9K3-xEvaEo

The game has all the features from a really good RPG that's story-driven with many side quests. The skill tree is somewhat different from your usual fantasy or futuristic RPG, but this Vampire system is really clever. Graphics are somewhat dated but nevertheless beautiful. The explorable hubs are big but not Fallout or GTA-like huge, and there are many scene transitions. Some issues plague the game however, like clunky movement, bad AI, some bugs, combat exploits and some frustrating boss fights, combat or stealth missions. Some dialog options shouldn't appear at certain points, while some dialog options that would improve immersion and choice are missing. Get it at sale price as a really nice story-driven RPG but don't expect much from combat and take the game's age into account before being too critical of it.

I played the game with the unofficial patch with restored cut content and the Clan Quest mod. Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines... where to start? Probably one of the most jankiest game there ever was on an outdated source engine with a lot of bugs and mishaps. Yet, it's probably one of the best first person RPGs out there and it was way before its time as the only thing holding it back was the technology. Gameplay wise it can get a bit annoying as the combat is not optimal and in best case a matter of grind. The boss fights and the way the game works with the skills is good though, although as with most RPGs, there's a lot of options and not all of the skills are as useful as others. The story and characters are great, while the voice acting can be a hit or miss I think most of them are good as well. There's a lot of thought put into the design of the world, as every area is unique and I think the limited "open world" really makes the game compared to if it had been full open world. Conclusion is that this game is definitely worth playing through despite its age, as the content of it still holds up and is as great as it was back then. I can't wait for the sequel that's finally coming!!!

For all its shortcomings, this is a massively replayable RPG with a well deserved cult following. It really is one of the greatest games ever made, with amazing worldbuilding and atmosphere.