Well, I want to finally try to write various reviews and articles, I don’t know how it will go. Let's get started.
I'll start with the history of getting to know the game. Several years ago, while looking through various top games for low-end PCs on Youtube, I repeatedly came across Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines. At first, I was put off by the theme of all sorts of magical creatures, including vampires, ghosts, and so on, so I avoided the game. But two years ago, out of great boredom, I decided to finally download it and play through it. My pleasant surprise knew no bounds. The atmosphere of darkness in the modern setting captivated me and made me play the game for several days in a row until my hard drive crashed, and with it the hope of restoring my saves. By the way, I never finished the game, which I think I’ll fix in the foreseeable future. I completed about half of the game without missing any side quests.
Plot:
I can’t fully evaluate the plot, since I never completed the game, but I will note that the game is an immersive sim (has an unusually wide choice when passing), which plays into it only on hand. The adventures of the main character begin with the classic conversion to a vampire, after which the main character is captured, and a little later they try to kill him, but everything works out. Overall, the plot is not complicated, but it can’t really be called simple. I think that the rating “good” will reflect its entire essence (LET REMIND YOU THAT I HAVEN’T COMPLETED THE GAME TO THE END).
Optimization:
I played on a pirated version of the game, which immediately had various unofficial patches and fixes built into it, so I can’t say much about the optimization of the licensed copy. I only know that it is famous for bugs, crashes and various errors. On the pirated version, I only encountered a bug in the additional task, which did not allow me to complete it, which left a slight aftertaste. Otherwise, there are no complaints about the pirated version with all the patches and fixes.
Gameplay:
You can write about the gameplay in this game for a very, very long time. The immersive simulatory nature of the game makes it replayable, which allows you to gain new experiences. The combat system is designed quite well, especially for a game released in 2004. We have both bladed weapons and firearms at our disposal. In addition to everything, there is a rather useful Blood Magic, which dilutes post-fights (there will be more of them in the game than melee combat, but this depends on the style of play). Like any RPG, Masquerade has a very deep leveling system, which also contributes to replayability.
Sound:
The atmosphere of darkness and hopelessness is mostly achieved by music and voice acting. The voice acting is amazing, partly due to the fact that there is no Russian dubbing in the game. The music is creepy and, where necessary, immerses you in the atmosphere of a 00s party. There are no complaints about the game in this aspect.
Graphics:
I will evaluate the graphics from the point of view of integrity and uniformity. By this I mean the elaboration of each texture at plus or minus one level. In this aspect, the game is excellent, the models do not hurt the eyes and do not stand out from the general background. Even now the graphics in the game look quite acceptable.
With this I will conclude my debut review. Thanks for reading!