I picked this up on a different service during a sale. My general feeling is that it could have been so much more. It tries to combine a shooter with RPG elements, with an effort at having a cool environment, and somehow the result is much less than the sum of its parts. The good: sound, voice acting, good humor, pretty decent writing, very stable with no crashes The "Meh": graphics -- very solid with a smooth engine -- but the artistic choices range from outstanding to garish / downright ugly. The ship you obtain (sadly) -- it isn't much more than another location -- it's kind of cool -- but it doesn't really serve much purpose -- you don't really need it for anything other than as a plot device to get between levels. You can collect a few things (trophies) that get scattered about the ship -- but no ability to customize it. The workbenches, etc are readily available all over every level, you don't need to sleep, and annoyingly if you board your ship while it is sitting on a planet, then go to a window, you are in orbit -- then you go back to the hatch, and boom, right back on the planet -- WTF? way to break the immersion. The bad: The bland generic nature of everything. The weapons, armor, etc are all very, very similar. The loot and health you collect has the same issue. The RPG elements are so bland its hard to even see how some skills differentiate your character that much. Steal with reckless abandon, hardly any repercussions. And the most annoying of all, level design itself obviously has a huge design toward a console type philosophy. Walk a little ways following a corraled path, encounter bland enemies, kill them, rinse, repeat. Some of the side quests are lifted right out of other games -- go to a house, they invite you for dinner, gasp! they are cannibals -- gee haven't seen that before. Bottom line: Meh.... Its an OK shooter, but it has been done better before in several other games. It became a slog the longer I played it.
Bottom line: Definitely recommend - A very good game that lets you role play as a vampire in LA w/ great sound, great story, and great characters. Good: Some of the best voice acting EVER. Seriously. Superb ambient sounds and background music that fits the environment. Dialog is also top notch, as is the story line, with multiple ways to solve each mission, as well as multiple endings. A few of the main characters are true works of art, both visually and w/ their voice overs. Graphics in some areas are extremely good for an older game, and a few of the 3D models are superb. Clan and character choice in the beginning has a huge impact on how you play – it isn’t just a different esthetic. Try Malkavians for some truly hilarious dialog or special options where you can impart your craziness to other characters to help solve a mission. Try the Nosferatu if you like sneaking through alleyways and sewers, but are willing to forgo seduction dialog options. Impact on game play is amazing. Wide variety of missions, and each mission often has multiple ways to finish it. Bad: The game seems “uneven”. While some aspects of the game are excellent, there are other aspects that are kind of blah. For example, while the main characters are absolutely excellent, there are only a handful of “population” type characters, w/ very few 3D models. The result is that you see lots of copies of the same people everywhere. Same for level design. A few buildings and levels are off the chart excellent, and some of the others are bland, empty rooms. Combat can be annoying at times, and there are sometimes clipping issues. Occasionally there are bugs that can cause you to have to revert to an earlier save in order to progress. I recommend saving your game OFTEN. “Gore” and language by today’s standards is pretty tame, but there are some adult themes, w/ sexuality being high on that list. I thought it actually added to the game, but I’m sure some may take issue with it
