Posted November 12, 2009
Introduction
I think we can (conceptually) distinguish between two types of gamers and as such - I shall divide this review into two parts.
Gameplay
It's fast and furious but mostly because that's how you'll want it to be. You are offered a few basic types of moves and abilities and gain additional ones as the game progresses. Most of the time you'll even want to perform some of them simply because of how awesome they look. Even though you can play it safe (at some point - even too safe), you'll want to dive into the action and wreck havoc on your enemies... as well as the environment (ripping banners, crushing chairs - you name it).
Speaking of enemies - there are quite a few types of them, so you won't get bored too fast. All of them require a slightly different approach and you'll soon pray for the previously-abundant cannon fodder, as the enemies are also your sole source of health regeneration.
As all the damage you'll cause - it both looks and sounds 'authentic' as in - it really does give you a feel of great female power condensed into a single sexy, redhaired and green-eyed fury of a half-vampire.
If you like slashing things - it's a must-have.
Atmosphere
Although you may find the plot lacking - it's bearable. Some trivia might be hard to swallow for the diehard fans of the topic, but you can (and should) leave your past knowledge behind. Once you do so, you'll be left with a powerful femme fatale serving as a one-woman X-filesque strike force. Since our heroine is far from being introverted - the little bits about her personality you'll be forced to learn through infrequent interactions via cut-scenes.
What's a lot more immersive is the setting - the environments are quite detailed and mostly destructible, the sounds are nicely fleshed out and the music, as rare as it is, serves its purpose great - when you hear it, you simply KNOW there's something important going on.
As much of an action game as it is - it can definitely give some people nightmares. I'm not going to get into much more details, because that might spoil the fun but it definitely can get scary at times.
All in all - a nice set of thrills to go through.
Conclusion
As arbitrary as it is - I'll give Bloodrayne 4/5, even though I've had a great deal of fun with it. If you're an action fan and enjoy TPS games with sharp blades - make that a 5/5 and at the very least check the demo out. If you're a plot-driven person and enjoy the atmosphere of a game more than hectic action - it's more like 3/5, although you might still give it a go just for the chills and a few surprises it has up its sleeve (and you show DEFINITELY check the demo before you buy it to avoid disappointment).
I think we can (conceptually) distinguish between two types of gamers and as such - I shall divide this review into two parts.
Gameplay
It's fast and furious but mostly because that's how you'll want it to be. You are offered a few basic types of moves and abilities and gain additional ones as the game progresses. Most of the time you'll even want to perform some of them simply because of how awesome they look. Even though you can play it safe (at some point - even too safe), you'll want to dive into the action and wreck havoc on your enemies... as well as the environment (ripping banners, crushing chairs - you name it).
Speaking of enemies - there are quite a few types of them, so you won't get bored too fast. All of them require a slightly different approach and you'll soon pray for the previously-abundant cannon fodder, as the enemies are also your sole source of health regeneration.
As all the damage you'll cause - it both looks and sounds 'authentic' as in - it really does give you a feel of great female power condensed into a single sexy, redhaired and green-eyed fury of a half-vampire.
If you like slashing things - it's a must-have.
Atmosphere
Although you may find the plot lacking - it's bearable. Some trivia might be hard to swallow for the diehard fans of the topic, but you can (and should) leave your past knowledge behind. Once you do so, you'll be left with a powerful femme fatale serving as a one-woman X-filesque strike force. Since our heroine is far from being introverted - the little bits about her personality you'll be forced to learn through infrequent interactions via cut-scenes.
What's a lot more immersive is the setting - the environments are quite detailed and mostly destructible, the sounds are nicely fleshed out and the music, as rare as it is, serves its purpose great - when you hear it, you simply KNOW there's something important going on.
As much of an action game as it is - it can definitely give some people nightmares. I'm not going to get into much more details, because that might spoil the fun but it definitely can get scary at times.
All in all - a nice set of thrills to go through.
Conclusion
As arbitrary as it is - I'll give Bloodrayne 4/5, even though I've had a great deal of fun with it. If you're an action fan and enjoy TPS games with sharp blades - make that a 5/5 and at the very least check the demo out. If you're a plot-driven person and enjoy the atmosphere of a game more than hectic action - it's more like 3/5, although you might still give it a go just for the chills and a few surprises it has up its sleeve (and you show DEFINITELY check the demo before you buy it to avoid disappointment).