Platform: PC

Developer: Troika Games

Publisher: Activision

Release Date (NA): November 16th, 2004

Genre: Role-Playing

Nerd Rating: 8 out of 10

Reviewed by Kitters

Halloween is coming up, and I thought, you know what game I would love to discuss? Vampire the Masquerade Bloodlines! So a few days ago I pulled out my dusty collection of games and thought I would play it again so that while writing this it would be fresh in my mind. Well, I got pulled into the game for approximately 72 hours straight before I realized it. So by that, you can already see how easily it is to be drawn into this story. Now onto the review!

This game is an RPG that is a first and third player shooter, though shooting in the third person is extremely difficult if you don’t have a mod (I’ll get to the mods later). As for the story, this game has got an amazing one. You’re a vampire doing quests, much like Skyrim but with a much smaller world. You have to drink blood, and you get to choose from different clans. The clans are a pretty big decision because they will determine what perks you get to play the game with.

Brujah – The most savage vampires, and the most trivial slight or annoyance may trigger a howling Brujah frenzy. The Brujah are seen as warriors and are perhaps the most dangerous vampires in a straightforward battle.

Gangrel – Like the Brujah, Gangrel are fierce warriors; unlike the Brujah, Gangrel ferocity does not stem from anarchic rage, but animalistic instinct. Gangrel have a keen understanding of the Beast in their souls and prefer to spend their nights in communion with the animals whom they so emulate.

Lasombra – They are some of the most ruthless and manipulative vampires in existence. They value strength and reward those who possess it. Most Lasombra are members of founded packs since it is easier for them to increase their power in this way.

Malkavian – Many of these vampires find themselves pariahs, ostracized by a vampiric society fearful of their random urges and capricious whims, insane cackling and feverish rantings lie smatterings of insight, even wisdom.

Nosferatu – While other vampires still look human and may travel in mortal society, Nosferatu are twisted and deformed by the curse of vampirism. Unable to walk among humans, Nosferatu must dwell in subterranean sewers and catacombs. These vampires do not have all the squabbling and feuds that the other clans have because they prefer to work in unison.

Toreador – These vampires are elegant and colorful, brilliant and ludicrous, visionary and dissipated. Toreador share the Ventrue’s love of high society, though not for them the tedium of actually running things. Toreador know that their place is to captivate and inspire – through their witty speech, graceful deeds, and simple, scintillating existence. 

Tremere – They were formerly a cabal of human wizards who, hungering for immortal life, wrested the secrets of vampirism from unwilling Kindred. Such vile deeds earned the clan a sinister reputation; even today, certain vampire clans would love nothing better than to destroy the entire Tremere line.

Tzimitze – This clan is as fascinated by the occult as the Tremere are. But do not possess nearly as broad a scope of knowledge. The Tzimitze is a scholarly clan, and most of its members are highly educated.

Ventrue – Elegant, aristocratic and regal. Even in the modern age, the majority of princes descend from Clan Ventrue. They were chosen from nobles, merchant princes or other wielders of power. Although they move in the same social circles as the Toreador, they do not fritter away their existences in frivolity and idle chatter.

Now that the clans have been explained I can get into a little talk about the clans I found most useful. First I’ll say the clan I found the most difficult. The Nosferatu, as they’re unable to meet any human, you have got a severe disadvantage. Running through sewers and hiding is difficult, especially if you want to do some exploring. So push that playthrough off until last if you’re going to see the gameplay first. My choice was the Ventrue, who cannot feed on rats or bums because they’re too high class. It will make you puke up the blood if you try to feed although sometimes it can be successful. They are good at talking their way out of situations and confrontation, but if they need to fight they are weak, so be prepared. The Brujah and Gangrel are best if you want to run around and fight anything you can, but you miss talking your way out of things. Because of this type of set up, playing through the story over and over again is not a problem. It becomes fascinating to see character designs and differences. Plus you can always miss a side mission or two so playing through over and over makes you make sure you catch every last quest. 

Another thing is mods. This game is pretty good, but mods make this so much better. Unofficial patches come out fairly regularly, and they help fix bugs you may or may not encounter. They also have a slew of re-textures which I highly advise because it makes the game so much more beautiful. This game has decent textures to start with, but with the mods, it looks so much more realistic.

The weapons you can get are pretty ranged; you have several types of guns from pistols to shotguns to snipers; the melee is very interesting as well. You can get a mannequin arm, a katana, a baseball bat or use your fists. You also have various powers for the vampire clan you choose, things that will buff up your skills to enable you to pick a lock a level above what you are or to make your opponent fear you. There’s even one to help heal you. This game is entertaining and is excellent for anyone meeting the age restriction. I say this because there are a lot of sexual references and creepy monsters. Overall though, it is a great game, it has excellent features, and the mods make it constant fun.

Reviewed by Kitters