Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines Preview

In our previous article covering Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines, we introduced you to a bundle of promising features as well as the technology that powers the game (one of the first titles to officially utilize Half-Life 2's Source engine). This time around we'll take a closer look at the gameplay itself... But before we do so, here's a few quick reminders regarding the project. The lads at Troika Games decided to set the game within White Wolf's extensive pen-and-paper universe, turning it into a must-have for veteran role-players. Just in case you're interested, Troika Games are primarily associated with the widely acclaimed RPG, Fallout. Additionally, part of the crew working on Bloodlines is also comprised of folks who have contributed to Myth II, StarCraft, Tropico, Medal of Honor, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 and 4, and so on.

Can I suck your blood, please? Just a quick sip.

Get down to the vampiric "Sabbat" jingle.

During your time with Bloodlines, you'll be able to join one of the seven clans of the Camarilla (we refer you to our previous coverage if you wish to know more about the distinguishing traits of each clan, as well as the details about the storyline and characters). It might come as a disappointment to some that the game puts you in the shoes of a rookie vampire, recently Embraced and not very potent. But the whole beauty of the system is that while neonate vampires are not much stronger than ordinary humans, they can enhance their various skills, becoming more deadly and increasingly effective in combat as the game rolls on. Essentially, your priorities are to sneak, advance your character's skills, and harness your bloodlust. Next to fighting, shooting, and sucking blood, dialogue also comes as an integral gameplay ingredient. In one particular scene you'll stumble upon a character called Mercurio (a brief segment of this scene is shown in one of the movie clips posted with this preview). The impressive thing is that each discussion varies according to the player's preference. Interestingly enough, you are given the freedom to be polite, opinionated, bored, and if you want to cross the line, violence can also be on the menu. Using a violent approach can be fun. Simply select the option, and start wailing away. Nevertheless, such a move could instigate severe consequences, especially if the recipient of said beat down is connected to other influential vampires. So, it's not advisable to go smacking characters in the mug every time you feel like it. Some gamers might be pleased to know that a great portion of the dialogue is crammed with vulgar exclamations and distasteful remarks, so apart from the huge 'M,' you can also throw in an 'R' for offensive language. (My FAVORITE! - Six)

Clearly, players are obliged to consider their actions every step of the way. The world you entered is not as simple-minded and straightforward as it seems. If you thought this game is all about using super-vampire combos, you'd better guess again. Employing vampire skills and abilities may give you a nice headstart against hostiles or they might provide a few handy shortcuts to your objectives. Then again, resorting to such powers quickly turns your character into a target, and before you know it, humans will be on your tail. That's why all vampires (including you) are compelled to honor the principles of the "Masquerade" (concealing your supernatural abilities). Consequentially, certain areas were incorporated in to the game, called Masquerade areas, where vampires have to remain hidden from humans. Every violation of these rules decreases your Masquerade level. Overusing vampire-like abilities may result in too many violation points, which will turn many vampire clans against you. As you can see, it's easy to make enemies on both sides.

We were also intrigued to see some of these skills in action. Akin to any vampire, the main character is adept at stealthy moves and subtle combat tactics. Relying on stealth skills gives you an opportunity to pass by enemies undetected. Improving on such skills eventually grants complete invisibility which, naturally, makes things a bit easier - the spell, unfortunately, expires the moment you interact with enemies. A suitable addition to your sneakiness is the so-called Auspex skill, thanks to which players may distinguish character figures and body aura's through walls and other obstacles - evidently very useful for surveying nearby areas for human victims and hostile vampires. Another interesting facet is influencing characters by pushing your vampire abilities to the limit. In this respect, Blood Boil looks exceptionally cool, giving your character the ability to bubble the very blood stream of the enemy, eventually causing its body to explode (ouch, nice one; check out the gameplay footage for that one).

Oh yeah, baby! Blood everywhere! This is my kinda game!

It's good. I like it. It says home to me.

There are plenty of features in the game to help you increase your performance in combat. For example, blood buffs boost basic skills such as strength, dexterity, and stamina. Boosting up strength augments damage, whereas boosting stamina increases the character's resilience. Still, improving the chief skills is not just relevant to action and combat. Basically, some of your more thief-like abilities may be enhanced with blood buffs. Locked doors, for instance, would normally involve locating a key before you can pry them open. With blood buffs you'll enhance your dexterity which can, in turn, boost your lock-picking skills.

The footage we've posted with the preview also shows a well-designed interface, allowing for trouble-free gameplay. Using weapons and exercising your unique abilities at the same time appears to work quite smoothly. We are also confident that many gamers will enjoy the game's third-person perspective which apparently also comes as part of the Source technology. Switching to third-person, undoubtedly, gives you a better view of the surrounding area and offers an easier way to maneuver your character in certain situations where stealthiness and precise movement is required.

When it comes to the Source engine, already commonly known to gamers worldwide, it looks as if Activision and Troika are working hard to make the most of its capabilities. Although we weren't particularly thrilled to see how some of those texture patterns are coming along, it's still reassuring to witness what the Half-Life 2 technology can do in terms of character animation, lip-synch, and environmental physics (enter the newly enhanced Havok engine). As you'd expect, the somewhat murky setting is dominant throughout most of the game. From what we've seen, the game also uses real-time shadows and lighting effects to increase the authenticity of the ambiance.