Vampire: Bloodlines Previews, Batch #1
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Finally - and this will certainly please the fans of the paper-and-pencil game - Troika seems to have gotten the atmosphere of Vampire just right. The World of Darkness as visualized in Bloodlines is exactly as I'd imagined it to be - dark, claustrophobic, depressing, terrifying and exceptionally dangerous. The plotlines for quests both major and minor were fascinating. In addition to the bounty-hunting quests, I also came across a horrendous murder, a skinned corpse hung up in front of the video arcade on the Santa Monica pier that invited investigation. There was also a pack of the Thin-blooded, (15th and 16th Generation vampires who are partly alive and whose appearance is supposed to herald the end of the world) on the beach, each with their own associated quests. The best part though, was how each of these plotlines slowly starts to come together, weaving a huge Byzantine conspiracy that I could only get the barest glimpse of in my short time with the game.
The second is over at GameZone Online:
One of the starting missions in the Santa Monica area is to find a ghoul named Mercurio. He has been badly beaten, and the item he was entrusted with has been taken. He will ask you to retrieve it. Now, if you go in and call him names, and tell him you will report his incompetence to the prince, when you return, he may be waiting for you with a knife. However, if you cover up his incompetence, he may be able to get you better deals on weapons and other items as you progress into the game.
The third is over at ConsoleGold:
The original design of Bloodlines was closely tied to dice rolls much like that of a traditional RPG. While there is still some dice rolling going on in the background, it didn't make much sense to have your character missing at point blank range with a melee weapon. Much like the pen and paper game, your skills determine your ability to complete skill checks like feeding in combat (your attack skills versus their defensive skill to complete a successful feed) or being able to pick a lock or mentally overpower somebody you are interacting with. Using a weapon like a rifle is modified by your skills in ranged weapons which will affect the amount of weapon drift and recoil. The results end up being that you start off weak in your skills, but as you practice and earn experience, you become more confident as a vampire with your powers and your ability to manage your weapons. Given that it was reiterated time and time again that you cannot possibly max out all of your skills, what skills you choose to improve will have to be a conscious choice and will affect the way you develop your character.
And the fourth is over at Game Chronicles Magazine:
In the world of a White Wolf RPG you don't level up by killing hordes of monsters. You complete quests, and Bloodlines is rife with them. After only 20-30 minutes and a few conversations I had a quest log that scrolled several pages. When killing is required you need to keep it very covert. The rules of the Masquerade prohibit you from doing anything that would publicly reveal the existence of vampires. Waste too many civilians in the middle of the street and you can expect a visit from the vampire hunter and a fiery final death.
