Buffy: The Vampire Slayer Review

Why does every Xbox game look crappy at the beginning? You put in the DVD and wait for the intro. You soon grasp that most titles nowadays don't have FMV cut-scenes - instead they just use the game's engine and that doesn't look particularly impressive to me. Then again, Buffy has an exceptional animation system that makes all the cut-scenes look believable and worthy of your attention. So, I guess there are always exceptions to the rule...

Like I mentioned in our Buffy preview, it's great that the game has a completely new plot that's unrelated to the series. For once, I would like to skip the boring introduction about the storyline. OK, OK, if you're really THAT interested, let's just say Buffy is engaged in her usual vampire-hunting affairs. You know, kill all vampire-looking entities, find several mystical artifacts, save the world, and yadda, yadda, yadda... Overall, I'm not all that pleased with the crux of the story. On the other hand, it will be sufficient to entangle you throughout the gameplay, and that's more than enough for your average gamer really.

Time for a shave cutie!

Buffy doesn't go anywhere without her pointy crossbow.

Once you're into the gameplay it's going to be hard to put that controller down. Buffy: the Vampire Slayer has numerous factors that make it more than your average action game. First, the players have a very easy-to-learn controlling system, which works pleasingly with the intuitive interface, camera control and character movement. While walloping those vicious vampire dudes around, you'll be creating some remarkable action scenes. Buffy can perform almost any combo hit or acrobatic move you can imagine. And they are all easy to carry out through your controller buttons. The controls were so well optimized it may take even the most inexperienced players a few minutes to get the hang of things.

Lately, combat seems to be at the essence of a majority of Xbox games out there. The bad thing about this hand-to-hand combat is that it mostly includes martial art skills, which can get tedious after playing a variety of Xbox titles. Today, many games have various martial arts on display (Blade 2, Buffy, Dead to Rights, etc.). So, by all means, try to avoid playing these titles one after the other. When we look at Buffy separately, the combat is truly one of the most alluring aspects of the gameplay. What's particularly cool is that Buffy can gather many new combos as she progresses through the game. Combos are effective, easy-to-perform, and they are wonderfully animated.

For gamers who dig various deadly weaponry, Buffy: the Vampire Slayer is packed with a diversity of vampire-icing thingies, most of which have to be handled with care or they can be quite deadly to you as well. A good number of weapons won't be available at the beginning. So, right at the start you'll have to use what you run into along the way - rakes, stakes, shovels, or any other pointy wooden objects that have effect on vampire flesh. This is another excellent gameplay aspect the developers have obviously worked hard on. If you're weaponless and facing a horde of mean bloodsuckers, you can always get spiky items by destroying stuff like chairs, stools, tables, and small crates. And not only that; Buffy gets access to heavier weapons such as the water gun. This is where the combination system comes in pretty handy. The water gun can be filled with hellfire bottles (found in the nearby area), and presto! You got yourself an extremely lethal flamethrower. The flamethrower can be recharged in fire-basins located in some of the levels. Next off, crossbow bolts can be enhanced if their sprinkled with holy water (which can also be located in the area) - this way you get blessed-bolts that are far more fatal to vampires than ordinary bolts and arrows. Neat. Combining items is really important to your health and combat stamina. For example, Buffy can combine elixirs and holy water to get very strong boosts to her energy scale.

Regrettably, some weapons have a few irksome drawbacks. The crossbow in particular has a very slow and exceptionally difficult aiming mode. While using this weapon the camera will switch to first-person view - the messed up part is that until then, the player gets used to the third-person mode, in which the camera is a lot more maneuverable and fluent. This way there isn't a hope in hell of you bull's eyeing an enemy that's on the move (and we all know how quick and slick vampires can be).

You have a thorn in your chest? Let me get it out for you.

Here you go boy, fetch!

I guess it's kinda tough to review the AI in this game. For one thing, the weakest zombie or vampire won't appear to be that difficult to deal with. Yet, if they manage to capture you in a series of combo hits, you probably won't last long. Darn, it seems as though the AI was well-balanced after all. And the game does have various solutions for dealing with enemies, so you won't have any worries if you know how to use them all. Also, you have to keep your neck safe from bloodthirsty monsters or else you're really in for it. This can be avoided with fast reflexes; if a vampire grabs hold of you, you can simply push the "X" button a couple of times and you're free - but only if you time this right.

And know we come to the most painful bit. How to properly evaluate the visuals in an Xbox game? It saddens me that most of these games have to be optimized to work in a strict resolution mode, with a preset number of details. One thing that immediately gets your attention in Buffy is the unbelievably low poly count in the backdrop (and the Xbox low-poly syndrome repeats itself). Still, with all the action and stuff that happens on screen, you can easily overlook this as being a doomed weakness of the console itself, rather than a slip up in the game design. When the action starts, Buffy displays qualities that overshadow those pitiful ploys in the background. That's mostly due to the stunning animation of the models (who were luckily furnished with more than enough polys to look genuine). The supernatural world of Buffy has a few colorful and eye-catching magic effects. There are many more visual delicacies on offer, such as mist and fog effects, smoke, excellent water surfaces, impressive shadow and light effects, and so on. One of the most impressive effects I saw was when Buffy finished off a vampire in a most original and sophisticated manner. Imagine: the fight is taking place in front of an ancient altar and the vampire has his back against it. Buffy makes a couple of lethal combos and as she throws her last kick the vampire's body rolls up into the air and falls on a bunch of burning candles that lie on the altar. The vampire gives out a deafening screech and his body burns away into ashes. Pretty cool, eh?

I wasn't particularly dazzled with the variety of music themes. Regardless, they seem to do the trick and they are of the highest quality so they certainly won't ruin the atmosphere in any way. The same thing can be said about the sound effects. They are first-class in terms of audio quality, but some details could've been added (a wider variety of comments from Buffy, some enemies lack more screams and catch-phrases, etc.).

Now you know all there is to it about Buffy. If you buy it, you can certainly expect to get your money's worth. The mentioned graphic and sound issues are easily outshined by the addictive gameplay.