Vampire the Masquerade Bloodlines is a vampire sim that was released in the early 2000s during the first days of the Source Engine. In fact, it has the dubious distinction of coming to market on the same day as Half Life 2, which is possibly one of the reasons why it fared poorly at the time. On release, it also sported a whole host of bugs and could have used several more months of polish. Unfortunately the developer, Troika Games, was going out of business, so that particular onus was left for the gaming community to shoulder, and boy did they do a good job. For anyone that is thinking of purchasing this title, I would recommend picking up the unofficial patch (linked at the bottom). I bought this game on Steam a couple of years ago, having missed Masquerade way back in 2004, and after installing the aforementioned patch I didn't encounter any bugs or crashes. Bloodlines was very unique in the way that it truly encouraged you to immerse yourself in a chosen role. If you pick the Malkavian Clan, for instance, your character is cursed with insanity and all of your text appears distorted. You often speak in metaphor and npcs respond to your eccentricity. Perhaps what I love most about the game is that it doesn't shy away from being politically incorrect. Yes, it's depiction of women can be puerile at times, but Bloodlines owns up to that silliness. It also sports one of the more thoughtfully crafted urban landscapes in gaming. Wandering around LA at night is a thrill, and you even get your own pad complete with a personal ghoul who does your bidding! What's not to like about that? Overall, this game is one of the best from the early days of the Source Engine. It had a rocky start, but like Blade Runner - another work of dystopian scifi set in Los Angeles - Bloodlines has gone down as a cult classic. $20 is a reasonable price and comparable to what Steam charges. If you are hesitant, though, wait for a sale on one of these two platforms. They are pretty common.
I'm about 3-4 hours into the expansion, and CDPR has not disappointed. If you enjoyed the Bloody Baron questline in Witcher Wild Hunt, you will find something to like in Hearts of Stone. Same excellent writing, voice acting, and pacing that I've come to expect from these developers.
I'm about 40-60 hours into the game, and haven't even completed the first act. Pros: - Extremely gripping story with memorable and endearing characters. - Rich world with NPC's that you actually empathize with. - Engaging combat that never outstays its welcome. - Mounts are actually necessary and useful. How refreshing! - Side quests are integrated into the main story line and never feel like filler. - Having never played a Witcher game before, I thought that Geralt was going to be a curmudgeon, but he actually has a hilarious personality. I really like his dry, sardonic sense of humor. - Triss is super cute. Just sayin' - Superb voice acting and an excellent soundtrack (although I recommend turning it down a notch so that it doesn't interfere with dialogue). - Difficulty feels just right. I'm playing on "Blood and Broken Bones." It's a nice challenge without being insurmountable. Might give "Death March" a shot on my second play through. - The game is pretty flexible in terms of how much time you have to invest in it. If you only want to play the main story on easy difficulty and blaze through things, you're probably looking at 40-50 hours. For a completionist playthrough (exploring all of the question marks, doing the side quests, playing on a harder difficulty, etc.), I'd say about 150-200 hours. Cons: - I wish the game was 400 hours long. Still can't believe this is CD Projekt's first stab at a truly open world RPG. It feels like they have years of experience. Definitely better than anything Bethesda or Bioware pumps out. Looking forward to the two expansions! Now back to Skellige!
The part about Sean Connery may have been a fib, but the royal adviser sounds just like him! I half expected to be sent on a quest for a Vodka martini, shaken, not stirred. Majesty was created by Cyberlore Studios, the developer which also brought us Heroes of Might and Magic 2: The Price of Loyalty. If you enjoyed that title, do yourself a favor a pick up this game. Graphics: Pre-rendered isometric environments which really stand the test of time well. Buildings are varied and distinctive, with charming animations that spring to life whenever they are occupied. While the heroes, monsters, and structures are firmly within the realm of fantasy, the designers aimed for a more realistic aesthetic than the WoW-clones which we are used in this debased age. Gameplay: The AI is surprisingly competent. What something dead? Put an attack flag on the structure or creature, wait about five seconds, and your champions will carry out your wishes. Exploration is carried out in a similar vein, by setting bounties to entice Rangers into scouting the land. Buildings can be broken down into guilds (Wizard, Warrior, Rogue, Ranger, and an assortment of temples), defensive structures (e.g. guard towers), and sites for commerce (marketplaces, trading posts). There are also a myriad of purely aesthetic things to construct, like gardens, which serve to improve morale and loyalty among your fighting men and women. Most buildings can be upgrade at least once or twice, giving you access to new spells, potions, weapons and armor, and these upgrades are reflected in the buildings' appearance. You would think this style of gameplay might become monotonous, but Cyberlore does as good job of creating challenges for the player to overcome: overcoming successive waves of enemies, going on quests to retrieve legendary items, opening trade routes, freeing slaves ... you get the idea. Soundtrack: Not much to say on this front. Short but endearing.
