Vampire, The Masquerade : Redemption

A Techtite Review

If still available, click here to order this game.

It's hard not to love this game. It's music is top notch, its animation is well done, it's 3D accelerated textured worlds rival even the fully-rendered Myst clones of the 90's, and the AI within battles are a visual frenzy of magic and mayhem. If not for some pretty frustratingly tough bosses and a steep learning curve, this game experience would demand a Techtite "Deep Impact" rating, without contest. Even with such flaws, it's one whale of a ride.

The storyline begins in 1141, when one the biggest battles between good and evil is about to begin. Your character is brought to a small cathedral to heal from serious wounds. There he meets Aneska, and immediately falls in love, and she with him. The problem is, she's made her vows to the church, and the Priest in charge is not about to let Sister Aneska retract her vows to marry this mere knight. After all, it is 1141!

This turns out to be the least of our hero's problems, when a mysterious woman that night turns him into a vampire! Upon waking up as a vampire, he's told that there was a reason for doing so; a demon you defeated in the prior mission was only the first of many. The woman is a part of a rebellious sect of vampires, who want the "good" side to win, not the most evil. You have been  recruited to help them, though "drafted" is more like it; there's no turning back now! Just imagine what Aneska will think, when she finds out! The resulting story spans several years of time, and plays not unlike the vampire series Buffy or Angel on TV, and those shows' poignant love stories. Although the game never truly explains why the main character remains so purely good --for Angel, he needed his soul returned before that happened-- it doesn't distract from the story one bit. Gamers might argue that he's good simply because his pure love for Aneska refuses to die.

There are not enough words to quite describe the excellence in graphics. Every year, one game comes out to put your 3D accelerator to the test, and make you thank yourself for getting such a good one; VTM:R is definitely that game this year. In one scene, a panning shot moves across a ballroom, with its majestic tapestries, reflective floor, and shiny chandeliers. Upon walking across the room, you're introduced to three vampirettes (so to speak), one by one, and the subtle animation techniques have them nodding their heads gently as each one's name is mentioned. Later in the game, the main character's cape gets understandably withered, and you can see through the torn holes. It's little graphics details like this that really make a great game, and these details truly help make VTM:R a very great game.

As for the game itself, it plays as a hybrid of RPG (stats), Adventure (story), and Action games (so many enemies!). Be ready to find any number of weapons, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. Get enough experience and you get to learn a new magic spell. You'll never be able to learn all spells in one game, adding to a bit of potential replay value. Special powers range from the ability to become a werewolf, to healing, and even the ability to resurrect allies from the dead. This latter spell is good to have, because although your fellow vampires are far more helpful and cooperative than those namby- pamby "soldiers" in Daikatana, they will also need your help a lot, especially if defeated! On the plus side, if so much as one of them survives the battle, the game doesn't end, because they can resurrect your character, too!

Then there are the typical game gripes. For one, there's an outrageous learning curve; difficulty goes from relatively simple in the first mission, to a nearly unstoppable boss by the third, and a couple of truly tough adversaries in the fourth. By the final battle, things become borderline impossible (on the plus side; people who'd rather have more adventure, less action, can simply use the game's built-in cheat commands). There are added gripes as well, though they will allegedly be resolved in an intriguing game patch, to be released around the time you might be reading this. Still, the flaws for now reduce the rating of the game by one notch...

There are two last facts to know before giving this game's rating. One, there are multiple endings, so unless the ending seems relatively happy (if only in a Love at First Bite sort of way),  then you'll have to re-play the final battle. Second, the makers of VTM:R insist that a patch is well on its way, correcting some of the smaller gripes in the game that some players had. This patch will even eliminate the bigger gripe of modern games, and allow for game saves anywhere! It's rare for a patch to change the game's playing style, and not just correct bugs; thumbs up for that idea! Even without the patch, however, the game still cannot be swayed from the Solid, Thumbs-Up rating it deserves.

	Final Rating : Large Crater. While it loses its "Deep Impact" potential rating, due to some pretty tough enemies, the graphics, sound, and story are excellently handled...
For more on this site's ratings system, click here.

To Order Vampire, TM: R, CLICK HERE.