I was surprised by this game because I thought it was some cliche horror thing but what I discovered was probably one of the most enjoyable RPGs I've ever played. The first thing that roped me in was the dialogue. It was basically a campy horror movie and early 2000's adult cartoon parody, which is backed up with some pretty A-list voice acting. Bender from Futurama voices the NPC that coaches you through the tutorial and becomes a potential sassy fixture of your playthrough. But for all the entertaining GTA-esque dialogue you've also got a well-crafted story that includes important details about Vampire society lore, their ancient rites, culture, fears, superstitions, etc. The literary elements on top of that just add to the flavor. This game makes a wide use of punk, noir, and even sometimes biblical themes to make it seem like each Vampire NPC is really apart of a secret order trying to fit in with the grime and the glitz of Los Angeles. The way that the game plays out depends a lot on how you want to participate in these elements of Vampire society, including the rule that sanctions you from revealing yourself to humans, the Masquerade, an instant game over if you violate it too many times. Combat is decent for the early 2000s but it's no Half Life. There's a satisfying ragdoll fling when you shoot someone that kinda makes it seem like you're playing an arcade action shooter rather than an RPG, even while there's damage counters popping up each time you hit an enemy. Even clans which just have "vanilla" combat capabilities offer a good deal of specialization since you do have to spend XP points and focus on what you want, whether that be the "discipline" buffs your your regular skills. Gun selection is typical but decent. Other clans will allow you to transform into a Were-bat, be a blood mage, conjure insects and rodents, or go invisible. Personally that's what I went for my first time. pretty good
