Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2

[Vitalis]

I think it might also be a kneejerk reaction to show people want these games on Steam, not Epic.

Well, it's on Epic anyways.

[Lexx]

So, any word on whether we can make our vampires sparkle? Not buying if it doesn't live up to the new reality of vampirism.

 

That should be an easteregg clan. If you chose it, the game becomes extremely hard, because you can't do **** and just sparkle all the time.

[LittleArmadillo0]

Super excited for this. Never was able to finish the original due to a bug that made it impossible to advance the story but I had a fun time with it.

[Zoraptor]

 

I think it might also be a kneejerk reaction to show people want these games on Steam, not Epic.

Well, it's on Epic anyways.

 

 

Sure, but presumably the thought process is that if there are 10x the preorders on steam compared to EGS it will encourage publishers to stay on steam.

 

(of course most of the complaints aren't really about EGS exclusivity etc but about it not being on steam. Anyone who really cared about exclusivity or monitoring would be using GOG in preference for a game available there. Having said that, during a sale Bloodlines 2 Highest Price Edition is #1 seller, and it has two entries in the top 4 so GOG sales can't be bad)

[Blodhemn]

Very excited about this. The trailer seems very action packed, but it wasn't action that made the first one great. It was the writing. The first game was like Yakuza: Zero in the sense that every little side quest was well-written and interesting. We'll have to see if they can recapture that magic.

 

And they better have funny speech patterns for the Malkavians again! And don't tell me funny speech comes in a DLC pack!

I just assume the action in the trailer is for new players and the vague dialogue is there to tease established fanbase. I trust Mitsoda when he says it feels like Bloodlines. If they've managed to recreate that immersive environment - dialogue/voice acting/unique, fun quests within real world locations/pc interface, late night radio programs/multiple play styles, choices, etc., then I probably won't need another game for a decade.

 

Fun to think what modern changes will be made to the world. Podcasts instead of radio with even loonier guests given the political/conspiratorial landscape, bigger Nosferatu presence to fight big tech, etc. Hope PCs aren't omitted for phones though and also the budget allows for all of the immersive content. Looks good so far though.

 

Also glad the game will tie into Seattle's history, like Bloodlines with historic LA. Much more interesting than some modern/squeaky clean/futuristic narrative. Give me the caked on history with lore, filth and all.

Edited March 24, 2019 by Blodhemn

[melkathi]

Brian is passionate about writing and trying to create immersive worlds. Dead State had a lot of issues, but Brian's writing was not one of them.

[melkathi]

And some internet troll is trying to use the excitement for Bloodlines 2 to get clicks by throwing around SJW buzzwords and accusing Paradox of censorship. Yay!

Well, if the hateful gnomes of the net are already rallying against the game, it must be good.

[Gfted1]

I always try, because there are some that I'm ok with.

Its interesting to me the difference a few degrees can make. I could play FO:NV for a few hours in that slightly over the shoulder view, but DX:HR made me sick before I could finish the tutorial.

 

Super excited for this. Never was able to finish the original due to a bug that made it impossible to advance the story but I had a fun time with it.

Did it involve a warewolf and an observatory door?

[213374U]

And some internet troll is trying to use the excitement for Bloodlines 2 to get clicks by throwing around SJW buzzwords and accusing Paradox of censorship. Yay!

Well, if the hateful gnomes of the net are already rallying against the game, it must be good.

 

I'm not aware of this, but Paradox did step in to force a rewrite of a VtM supplement a few months ago, after the perpetually offended claimed it contained passages that were "disrespectful" to LGTBQ+ groups. White Wolf had their editorial independence taken away as a result and is now just a brand manager.

 

Whether that constitutes "censorship" is debatable, but Paradox have a well-earned reputation for coming down hard on speech they don't approve of.

[LittleArmadillo0]

 

 Did it involve a warewolf and an observatory door?

 

Close, I was near the end game area going to kill the of the leader of the Kuei-ji. I couldn't open a door to proceed.

[Starwars]

Brian Mitsoda confirmed on twitter that the protagonist is not voiced. Good news.

[Fenixp]

Good, Malkavians may become a thing again!

[Zoraptor]

I'm afraid Malkavians are problematic in their depiction of mental illness.

 

(OTOH, that would massively increase the chances of fan favourite characters like the stop sign and tv anchor returning.)

[Vitalis]

 

And some internet troll is trying to use the excitement for Bloodlines 2 to get clicks by throwing around SJW buzzwords and accusing Paradox of censorship. Yay!

Well, if the hateful gnomes of the net are already rallying against the game, it must be good.

I'm not aware of this, but Paradox did step in to force a rewrite of a VtM supplement a few months ago, after the perpetually offended claimed it contained passages that were "disrespectful" to LGTBQ+ groups. White Wolf had their editorial independence taken away as a result and is now just a brand manager.

 

Whether that constitutes "censorship" is debatable, but Paradox have a well-earned reputation for coming down hard on speech they don't approve of.

That was due to the outrage the Chechens had about it than it really was a the LGTB*alphabet soup* community.

 

Paradox also allows murdering children, incest, slavery, mass genocide, eating of other creatures, Deus Vulting, Devil Worship, and other family friendly topics in their games.

[Zoraptor]

Rape and forced marriage too- but it's all very obfuscated and cartoonish. VtMB would be a lot more immediate in its depictions since it's 1st/3rd person rather than an abstraction.

[GhostofAnakin]

That one haunted house mission keeps me from playing through again.

 

Yes, I'm that much of a wussy.

[Blodhemn]

Brian is passionate about writing and trying to create immersive worlds. Dead State had a lot of issues, but Brian's writing was not one of them.

Yeah. Unique storytelling, but the engine held the game back.

 

I think it's time to finally update the PC. Bloodlines 2, Outer Worlds, Cyberpunk 2077. First person RPGs are back with a vengeance.

[213374U]

 

 

And some internet troll is trying to use the excitement for Bloodlines 2 to get clicks by throwing around SJW buzzwords and accusing Paradox of censorship. Yay!

Well, if the hateful gnomes of the net are already rallying against the game, it must be good.

I'm not aware of this, but Paradox did step in to force a rewrite of a VtM supplement a few months ago, after the perpetually offended claimed it contained passages that were "disrespectful" to LGTBQ+ groups. White Wolf had their editorial independence taken away as a result and is now just a brand manager.

 

Whether that constitutes "censorship" is debatable, but Paradox have a well-earned reputation for coming down hard on speech they don't approve of.

That was due to the outrage the Chechens had about it than it really was a the LGTB*alphabet soup* community.

 

Paradox also allows murdering children, incest, slavery, mass genocide, eating of other creatures, Deus Vulting, Devil Worship, and other family friendly topics in their games.

 

Except they did explicitly apologize for the content being "disrespectful". No mention of Chechens, either. Guess their feels don't matter.

[Fenixp]

That one haunted house mission keeps me from playing through again.

That one's pretty cheap in how it relies on sound design and heavy scripting - when you get to the mission, just turn volume all the way down and you're good to go, it suddenly becomes a relatively short detective story focused on things moving about by themselves. And given how heavily scripted it is, next time you're playing the game (thanking Fenixp for encouraging you to get through it, given how ... Unique Bloodlines is), you'll breeze through it, not really even noticing the scares.

[bugarup]

 

pretty cheap in how it relies on sound design 

 

Amnesia Dark Descent called and said "Your mom is cheap, and relying on sound design is awesome!" Anyway, Hell Hotel is indeed less scary on consequent play-throughs, but Grout's mansion holds up. Hoo boy does it hold up. And that porno studio too. 

 

...I'm cautiously pessimistic about this project. Y'know, bottled lightning, blah blah. Just look at Numenera.

[daven]

The first Bloodlines game was kind of garbage. Not sure why it's so fondly remembered.

 

Maybe they'll get it right this time.

[Fenixp]

Amnesia Dark Descent called and said "Your mom is cheap, and relying on sound design is awesome!"

Actually, while Amnesia really did have splendid sound design, I never felt like it was cheap per se - the cheapness of sound design in the hotel level mostly relied on it having a whole lot of jumps scares, while Amnesia had a lot more ambience going for it (not saying the hotel level didn't, just... That it wasn't nearly as nuanced).

 

Besides, Amnesia had many more tricks up its sleeve whereas Hotel level did not - I feel it was mostly scary thanks to the shift of overal tone happening, jumping from urban fantasy straight into horror genre. Which isn't saying that it did not work, just that it's not actually that scary and if you were to turn off sound to see the rest of the game, it's totally worth.

[injurai]

The first Bloodlines game was kind of garbage. Not sure why it's so fondly remembered.

 

Maybe they'll get it right this time.

 

Unique. Not a tone of games in the style at the time. A big community patch fixes a lot of the jank and cruft. People used to be able to suspend their disbelief. Vampire chicks.

[Madscientist]

A few dumb questions, because I am terrible in remembering names or who did what in what game:

 

- Are Tim and Leonard ( the ones who direct The Outer Worlds ) involved with bloodlines 2?

I thought they were the master minds behind all Troika games.

 

- Was MCA involved in the original game?

 

- I am not an expert for World of darkness.

I have read that there is an old WoD and a new one and Bloodlines1 was based on the old one.

Is Bloodlines 2 based on the old or new WoD?

 

The first game was great (with the fan patch that fixes bugs and restores some content).

The atmosphere was fantastic, game mechanics not so much.

I will not pre order the game until I have more info.

[Starwars]

A few dumb questions, because I am terrible in remembering names or who did what in what game:

 

- Are Tim and Leonard ( the ones who direct The Outer Worlds ) involved with bloodlines 2?

I thought they were the master minds behind all Troika games.

 

- Was MCA involved in the original game?

 

- I am not an expert for World of darkness.

I have read that there is an old WoD and a new one and Bloodlines1 was based on the old one.

Is Bloodlines 2 based on the old or new WoD?

 

The first game was great (with the fan patch that fixes bugs and restores some content).

The atmosphere was fantastic, game mechanics not so much.

I will not pre order the game until I have more info.

 

Tim and Leonard are not involved in Bloodlines 2. I think Leonard did art on Bloodlines and I think Tim was a programmer.

 

Brian Mitsoda wrote most (all?) of Bloodlines and he is back in a similar role for Bloodlines 2. MCA wasn't involved in Bloodlines at all.

 

No idea about the WoD stuff.