Great Vampire RPG

User Rating: 7.8 | Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines PC
Having played in some live-action role-plays, this game appealed to me. The developers were pretty innovative by combining an FPS engine with an RPG storyline, so I'll give them marks for that.

I'd say thus far - haven't finished the game yet - the most appealing aspects of the game are the ambiance and the politics involved. Also, rather than just creating a "shopkeeper," etc., they created characters with their own agendas, and personalities, which really adds to the experience.

The developers did a great job with the cosmopolitan/political aspect of the game, and they didn't leave out the creepiness of White Wolf RPG's, either. There were many occasions where I practically jumped out of my seat, and I was kept on-edge in a lot of areas. It probably didn't help that I had all of the lights off, but that just adds to the experience. :-D

Now, having said that, this game isn't close to "perfect." The biggest glich I'd say is in combat; it can be pretty cumbersome, and it takes a few combat quests to really get used to it. Also, using the guns doesn't prove to be a very versatile strategy, unless you're going up against a large monster, or if you put a good deal of experience points in firearms. This may just be a result of combining two totally different combat engines into one single game.

Another thing which twisted my t-shirt a bit, was the fact that I couldn't change my character's appearance when I created it. I know that considering everything else in the game, this isn't exactly a top-priority, maybe it's just a case of preference.

Already being a fan of White Wolf - and vampire lore in general - I found this game to be really addicting. However, for the casual role-play gamer, this may or may not be the case. If you're a fan of either (vampire lore or RPG's), this is definitely worth the money; depending on your tastes, the bugs in the game could over-shadow the good aspects.