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Vampire: Bloodlines.

Darque

By Darque
in Computer and Console

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Spider

Spider

Posted
Posted
The load times were awful too[/QUOTe]

 

While I do think Bloodlines ran on fairly unoptimized code, the load times actually weren't so bad if you have 1gb of memory and a good hard drive. When installed on my raptor, I didn't have any problems with the load times at all (although when I had it on my laptop, they were nightmarish, but that was only to be expected).

 

[quoet]Also, fictional violence is all fun and good, but I was really getting tired of the anti-Bush jabs.

 

Now, it's been a while so my memory may be a bit flawed here, but I never felt the sequence you're talking about was directed specifically at Bush. It was more directed towards the position of the president. And as such it made perfect sense to me, the most powerful man in the world (or so they say at least) is a fairly likely candidate to be the head vampire. It was simply something the guy you talked with would accept given the state he was in. It would have made just as much sense regardless of who was president.

GreasyDogMeat

GreasyDogMeat

Posted
Posted (edited)

"Now, it's been a while so my memory may be a bit flawed here, but I never felt the sequence you're talking about was directed specifically at Bush. It was more directed towards the position of the president. And as such it made perfect sense to me, the most powerful man in the world (or so they say at least) is a fairly likely candidate to be the head vampire. It was simply something the guy you talked with would accept given the state he was in. It would have made just as much sense regardless of who was president."

 

That's how I would have felt as well if it wasn't for other direct references to his name in the game. There is a impeachbush 'easter egg', the go kill the president line, the ability to choose the history 'war profiteer' and some 'tie ins' between the 'prince' and the president.

 

I don't like people trying to shove their political beliefs down your throat when you are trying to get away from that crap and enjoy a game. I turn the news off, sit down and am suddenly bombarded with some odd mesh of hipster "If we don't stop the violence, when will it end?" quotes along with a game that pretty much forces you to murder 'innocents'' at certain moments and jokes about killing the president.

 

The game is not Deus Ex, it is nearly impossible to beat the game in a non-violent manner at specific points and while it was one thing to force you to kill enemy vampires it was another to force you to kill cops. I often tried to sneak around and spent a good 30 minutes trying to avoid one section of combat, only to find it was REQUIRED to kill a cop and take a keycard off of him to proceed. :geek:

 

It was also such a major disapointment that there didn't seem to be a major story arch. They bombard you with these hints of a returning evil power and in the "WHAT'S IN THE BOX" ending... felt like a total rip off. Where's the ancient evil power I have to stop? They have this massive build up to the final end where you have to fight through hordes of enemies so you can watch a cutscene of you getting blown up because you didn't choose what the developers wanted you to choose.

 

Almost made me feel like the devs were trying to give me some little life lesson. "See kids, killing cops for keycards is ok but if you side with the man you will BLOW UP!"

 

Sigh. :(

 

Another thing that bugged me was how frequently sex was shoved down my throat. Don't get me wrong... I enjoy a little 'romance' to enhance a good RPG story... but it REALLY felt like Troika, much like a balding middle aged man who buys a Ferrarri to overcompensate for his... Troika was trying to shift focus away from other aspects of the game. What... the game has bugs? So what, didn't you see those jiggling boobs? And look... the screen goes black and she moans! How can this not be the GREATEST GAME EVER??

Edited by GreasyDogMeat
GreasyDogMeat

GreasyDogMeat

Posted
Posted

If it was for comic relief it failed miserably. It just made the game feel like it had conflicting agendas.

 

I do admit I laughed at the Malkavian line, I want a Nuclear Warhead and Murcurio responds with something along the lines of "Only a lunatic would want one of those, that's why they have nukes in Washington". If they had added a few clever lines like these and just left it at that, it would have been fine, but you add all these little jabs and jokes it started to get... obnoxious.

 

As for sex in Vampire stories, yeah, but it felt like they were over doing it for the sake of distraction. Or maybe they just did it because they could and I'm somehow trying to connect the two based on the glitchy buggy experience I had. Probably the latter but I wouldn't be sruprised if it was the former. :geek:"

alanschu

alanschu

Posted
Posted

I laughed my ass off through all the goofy stuff on television and the radio and whatnot.

 

For comic relief, it did wonderful as far as I'm concerned. I don't remember all the lines, but at no point did I think "OMG the political propaganda is too much!" Heck, it's not really any different than watching a standup comedian.

 

And it most likely was the former, given that the former was "they just did it because they could."

Spider

Spider

Posted
Posted

I've played the game three times, two of them not a single cop was killed. A few security guards maybe, but not a single cop. Where was this?

 

As for sex, not once have any of my characters actually had sex. So actual sex wasn't exactly forced down anyones throat. I think there are two characters you can sleep with, but I could be wrong. However, I do agree that the game went a little over the top with strippers and porn. I am aware that the World of Darkness is a caricature of our own world where everything is pushed to the extreme, but at some times it felt like the game was designed by teenage boys who haven't ever had sex at all.

 

Although that was on fairly rare occasions and wasn't enough to stop me from absolutely loving the game.

 

On an endnote, the political commentary actually bothers me much less than the cheap shot they were taking at BIS. But I'm not an american and let's just say I'm not a huge fan of the current administration (without inviting discussion about it), so I guess I'm a bit biased.

GreasyDogMeat

GreasyDogMeat

Posted
Posted

Hmm, if they had some jabs at Black Isle I missed them, if that's what he meant anyway. If they did, I think that's another no no for troika considering their track record.

 

Icewind Dale and Planescape are on my 'classics' list and my hard drive, I don't have any troika games on my HD right now.... well except for Vampire which I may give another shot.

Spider

Spider

Posted
Posted

The security guards were all working for "bad companies" were they not? So it's probably safe to assume they were hardly nice people. Even so, it IS the World of Darkness and bad things happen to people. Sometime you have to get your hands dirty, it's all part of the setting.

 

Still, I'm curious as to where you were forced to kill a security guard? The only place I can remember is at that chinese corporation and after what took place there, I have a hard time feeling sorry for anyone. (deliberately writing it vague to avoid spoilers).

 

And yeah, they took a jab at BIS (which is indeed Black Isle Studios). It's kinda hidden though, so most people probably missed it. I know I did, although I've seen screenshots of it.

 

In the hotel in Downtown there is a stage and on that stage there is a microphone. On the microphone stand (I think, or at least close to it) there are some scribbles, among those "BIS sucks" or something like that. Not really a big deal, although it did feel kinda childish.

 

I suppose the Troika people were tired of the comparisons, and I guess the Troika founders didn't exactly leave BIS on good terms, although that is mostly speculation on my part.

Volourn

Volourn

Posted
Posted

"However, I do agree that the game went a little over the top with strippers and porn."

 

Rubbish. That was the best part of BL!

 

B00BIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :wacko::p:p:p:wub::wub:

DWARVES IN PROJECT ETERNITY = VOLOURN HAS PLEDGED $250.

DarthMethos

DarthMethos

Posted
Posted

Who cares about the commentary. I thought it was a cool, fun, and creative game. The sex-enuendo, the political commantary, the violence, and the blood all worked well. I love it. It is just a game. Lol...

 

You can't play Vampire without politics involved. That is just how it works. If the developer added in their own personal beliefs, I pretty much don't care. They haven't changed my political beliefs.

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