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28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
BloodRayne may suck, but it doesn't SUCK..., November 14, 2002
So, in case you don't know, BloodRayne casts you as a Blade-like half-vampire superhero with a tendency toward Nazi-dismemberment and a Tomb Raider bounce in her, um... STEP. Add a "bullet time" effect into BloodRayne's list of death-dealing attributes and you have a sort of Tomb Raider, Max Payne, and Return to Castle Wolfenstein combo... and with a combo like that, you can imagine that things taste pretty good. Unfortunately, some pretty glaring flaws keep BloodRayne from achieving greatness. First, though, here's what the game does well...· As a violent, gore-driven action game, BloodRayne is a real winner thanks to its huge array of weapons, melee attacks, and vampyric super-powers. You can literally leap onto a screaming Nazi, drive your fangs into his throat and simultaneously use him as a human shield while you shoot one of his comrades over his shoulder. Slaying your enemies is rarely boring.
· The graphics aren't the best you've ever seen, but they're attractive nonetheless. The character animations are fluid - especially where Rayne is concerned. She moves with an inhuman grace that is particularly striking.
· Although Rayne can use a variety of guns, or hack through foes with her wrist-blades, her super-powers bring the most to the table. Bullet time was a real winner in Max Payne, and the same is true here. On top of that, Rayne's ability to see through walls never leaves her destination (or destinations) clouded with doubt. For players who just want to PLAY and put their brains on hold, that is a very helpful feature.
· The game's auto-aiming feature makes gun-slinging a real breeze. Rayne can literally shoot two enemies at once if she has a gun in each hand. On top of that, you could play through most of the game without ever touching a gun - after all, that's why you've got those super-powers and your very handy wrist-blades.
· BloodRayne has some of the best rendered cut-scenes in the business - and man are they gory! All is not perfect in BloodRayne's realm, though. Here are some of the game's biggest failings... · There isn't much of a story to speak of, despite the winning premise. Really, all you ever truly know is that there's this Nazi named Wulf, and he's unearthing supernatural oddities for Hitler's campaign against the world (yes, just like those Indiana Jones villains)... Oh, and he must be stopped. Did I miss anything? Nope, that pretty much covers it. Along the way you'll find yourself fighting vampires, zombies, and mutant spiders, but you rarely know why.
· Dialogue is pretty badly written, and the voice-acting could use some polish. BloodRayne's one-liners are nothing to write home about either, and she repeats them too often. The best of the bunch would probably be "Quiet, baby! What will the neighbors think?" But that gets pretty annoying the billionth time you've heard it.
· Despite the 1940s ambiance, it all feels a little too gothic, and at times even futuristic. Even BloodRayne herself fails to fit into the setting - nothing about her speaks of the 40s. Wouldn't it have been much cooler if the game had felt like Medal of Honor with vampires? Instead, it feels pretty much like every sci-fi setting out there. Still, you DO get to kill Nazis...
· Why must the same techno tune play over and over and over again? The game's soundtrack is severely limited - and why techno in the first place? It just further serves to make the game's setting feel contrived, despite the potential coolness it might have enjoyed.
· There are some graphical glitches that can make entire walls vanish for a couple of seconds.
· The game's missions are never very inspiring or original. Add to this some generally bland level design and you've got a game that gets by on its carnage and its carnage alone. Despite the fact that the game never truly makes the most out of its setting, it's still a bloody romp that action fans should enjoy - just don't expect to use your head very often. Final Score: B (or 4 stars)
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wicked fun!, October 31, 2002
I was looking for a cool game to pass the time, and stumbled upon this little gem. Although the opening of the description on the back made me worry a little ("Half human. Half vampire. All woman." Ah, it's *that* type of game...), I decided to give it a shot anyway.Boy, am I glad I did! Sure, the main character's got sex appeal, and they're not gonna let you forget that, but even if you took that away, you'd have a solid game left over. The action sequences (and there are a lot of action sequences) are top notch. The levels look good and are pretty large. If you like gore and terror, you'll enjoy what Rayne can do to her enemies. And there's just something kinda cool about dropping down out of the shadows, grabbing a Nazi, sucking his blood while using him to block bullets, and shooting enemies over his shoulders. I do have a few complaints--I'd actually like to give this 4.5 stars--but nothing major. The sound could use some work (as noted by the previous reviewer), although it's pretty good. Sometimes it's a little tough to figure out what exactly you're supposed to do. I would've appreciated a higher degree of customizability for the controls. And the play balance is a little off: regular enemies are very easy, but the bosses can be ridiculously hard. As was noted, this is not a game for children or conservatives. There's a lot of blood, and some sensual elements. But if those won't bother you, and you're looking for a good challenge, try this out.
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13 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
OVER THE TOP GORE AND FUN!!, October 21, 2002
I bought this game for the PS2 after reading the good reviews on various websites. I am not dissapointed. If you are looking for an action game with a ridiculous amount of gore and violence while retaining quality gameplay, this is your game. The premise for the game is you are a half-vampire,half-human hired by a secret society to go after a Nazi cult that is hell bent on using the supernatural to obtain power. Ha! Sounding pretty over-the-top yet? Well, that action sequences in the game make it even more so. This is definately a game you wanna play with the kiddies asleep. Enemies get shredded and disembowled as your main charachter wreaks havoc. Limbs and heads will roll, blood spewing profously. In addition to the extreme violence, there is also a vast amount cleavage shots from the camera (this game obviously designed by some horny gaming geeks). I laughed most of these sequences off because they are just so blatantly unecessary. As far as gameplay itself, Bloodrayne is right up there with the best of them. Expect TONS of action; sometimes too much action. While the initial missions are slow to enable you to get the controls down, they bring on the heat as soon as the story begins to eveolve. I found myself loading a few times and being a little less gung-ho the next time around. Weapon choices are vast and seem to actually coincide with the time-period (no giant laser cannons in a post WWII setting.) The main charachter also learns combo moves as you progress, keeping the gameplay varied. The game controls themselves were nicely designed. You have a few variations available to you in the options menu. They also give you control of the camera which is very handy though I did find that in tight spaces it had some quirks. The graphics are quite nice. Levels have a great amount of texturing and detail. You may enjoy the dynamics done on the main charachter as they are quite realistic. There is a brightness control in the menu as well but I didn't see a big need for it as there weren't any dark spaces where you could'nt see objects in reasonable lighting. The sound is where the game dropped from a five to a four with me. While the soundtrack is a nice semi-techno beat that is sequenced with the game and the sound effects are fairly realistic, the overall dynamic set-up is kind of weak. It seems they coulda had much more is the way of ambient effects. There were a few scenes with nice surround detailing but they were far and few between. In addition, what's with the lack of 5.1?!? Come on people, get into the 21st century. In closing, it is a great game with few minor flaws. If you are a conservative parent or just a squeamish gamer, I'd stay far away from this one. Otherwise jump right in for an all out gore fest of fun!
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by Joseph Bell
