Welcome to the QDP!Vampire: The Masquerade - Redemption
Vampire: The Masquerade - Redemption
Please keep in mind that these are initial impressions.After giving the game more than an hour (including install time), I could probably grow to enjoy it. And if you took from that last sentence that I didn't initially enjoy it, score yourself one cookie. The first things that put me off about this game were physical. Namely, the box didn't open like every other computer software box with a flap at the top, but rather it had a tear-strip very much like garbage bag and tissue boxes. I understand that this is to keep store theft down, and I applaud the effort, but for someone who (probably rather anally) likes to keep all of his boxes in pristine condition, this was a slap in the face. The manual then started with a 10 page story that I just didn't really feel like reading, so I skimmed past it and straight to the controls. The rest of the book after that appeared to be about the different clans and the culture of Vampire. From someone who still owns the original Vampire textbooks, I just never set aside the time to read it. For these reasons, and not to mention my complete lethargy as to getting back into a Vampire groove that I hadn't had in five years, it took me two nights to tear the plastic off the CD. This brought me to physical dismay number two. The CD case was a beast and did not want to surrender it's prize. Most CD cases have a circle of tabs that the hole in the CD rests on.Just press down on these tabs and you have your CD; but not in this case. This circle of tabs was never designed to depressor relax in any way, causing me to pull at my brand-new $40 CD and watch it bend until it snapped out into my hand.
The installation was painless, as most any Win32 setup goes. They did however toss in two messages that were unusual. The first came up after I agreed to the licensing agreement, and it told me that I'd just agreed to their licensing agreement.Redundant, yes, but complete. The second came up after I chose an installation directory. It told me that it was about to install the files, and that if I cancelled the install mid-process, I'd have to manually delete the files. I actually appreciated that extra step. I chose the full 1.3GB install (I've got two 20GB drives) and listened to its pleasant yet repetitive music play. Installation complete: begin testing.
I begin the game and I'm greeted with the mandatory developer logos and animations, then a quick animation telling about how the vampire society has existed since the dawn of time in secret, yadda yadda yadda. The animation was of a house in the distance, full moon and racing clouds. Eventually an(obvious) vampire leapt onto the roof and walked a few stiff-legged steps before turning to the camera. Camera zooms in,vampire shows a fanged grin and then fade to title. I didn't like the opening animation. The environment looked great, but the people just seemed to be very stiff. They didn't flow well enough to be any more convincing than automatons at DisneyWorld. The game asks for my CD Key, which I happily provide and I'm presented with the main menu.
I start off immediately heading to Options, as any self-respecting geek would. I jacked the display options to "high" and set the display to a gorgeous 1024x768. (When I did get into the game, it ran better than expected on my system [P500, 128MB, 3DFX V3:2000]).Since my computer is currently away from its regular home in dining room, I had to select the two speaker setup (I really miss my Cambridge SoundWorks setup...). There were other options for game play, but having only skimmed the instructions, I figured I'd come back to them after I'd played the game and knew what they were talking about.
Off to single player.I'm shown an approximately eight minute story of Christof on the battlefield and getting wounded. He awakens to find himself in the care of a coven in a town who's name completely eludes me at the moment. I guess it's been playing of Half-Life andTribes that has shortened my already deficient attention span, so these opening stories kinda bored me. My character fall asleep and awakens (in the in-game engine) to people screaming in the next room. He gets up I have control. If you ask me(which obviously you have), the controls suck. You click on a location to go to and he'll either run there or walk there,depending on the distance. Problem is, the camera just doesn't turn to adjust to the direction you're facing; you have to do it manually. In the next room are two sisters being attacked by... well... things. Remember the mother in Evil Dead 2, after it transformed? Imagine a midget-version of that,long neck and all. Well, you have to keep clicking on the bastards to keep hitting them, which had me confused as to whyChristof attacked once and stood there staring. I chalk that up to inexperience with the engine and move on. I kill the two crack-babies and we're off to a cut-scene. Turns out that these things (Szlachta are their actual names, but I prefer"crack-babies") have infested the local silver mines and it's up to me to get them out. I wandered around town for awhile before figuring out where the hell I was supposed to go, and it was then that I knew that I hated the camera scheme. It would not turn unless you move it manually, which makes running through the (soon to be encountered) mazes a pain in the ass. What would thrill me would be the ability to press Up to go forward, Left and Right to turn, and Down to back up; all the while enjoying the camera directly behind me. Granted, this option is probably available and I haven't read about it yet.However, I have a sneaky suspicion that they left that option out to enforce the "role-playing" feel of the game and avoid an"action" feel. They failed at this task, if this indeed was their intention.
I finally get to the town gates. BeforeI exit, the obligatory "old-crazy-wise man tells me that its dangerous out there. The animation for this guy was supposed to imply that he was old and shaking with his hand on his back, but it appeared to me like he was scratching his ass. Go fig.Outside the guards laughed at me. I probably would have too. *shrug*
Anyway, I make it to the mines and encounter more crack babies. Also, I fight giant rats. Game developers, please hear me! I'm tired of giant rats. I'm tired of bats.I'm tired of slimes, and I'm tired of blobs. These are the same fucking creatures that I first fight in every god damned rpg/adventure game since the original Zelda and Ultima's on the Nintendo. Extend an ass hair of creativity, PLEASE. So I fight them and run through the maze. Well, it wasn't really a maze, since there was usually only one path, but it twisted and turned all the time. And all the while I had to keep that damn camera at my back so that I could see to click on the hall way floor ahead. More crack babies and rats. I remember a hole in the wall that rats were supposed to come out of to attack me,but apparently these are super-rats. They don't need a hole, and they proved it by walking straight through the wall to hassle me. Nice clipping. Eventually I lost track of my health and died. It took me back to the start of the maze and I just didn't feel like doing it again. I'll try again with cheat codes tomorrow night since I'm too lazy to keep track and I'm actually more interested at seeing the game instead of truly playing it. Like I said, I'm just not in a Vampire mood anymore.
So, multiplayer next. I create a character, Malkavian of course. I've forgotten which attributes affect which disciplines, so I just randomly clicked. I next had to register with WON and made sure to uncheck the "Do you want us to SPAM you with shitloads of our WON Newsletter?" question. I've got my Wintel box sitting behind a Linux box running IPMasquerading. This probably doesn't make sense to alot of readers, but suffice to say, I could not join a SINGLE fucking multiplayer game. Not one. I eventually got dismayed and started my own. A tiny little rave scene. ST tools were a pain to use, especially without reading *any* documentation on it. I spawned three guys, a malkavian, and a big-ass golem... and a floating head. *shrug* The malkavian immediately opened fire on my main character, and the golem beat the ever-loving shit out of the other three guys.
BUT MAN! That was gorgeous! The golem gave the NPC a vicious uppercut, he went soaring to the ceiling and blood was sprayed everywhere, and in the correct direction (namely, upwards). I was impressed by this, and hope to have fun fighting the golem in game... under GOD mode, of course. 
Yeah, I'll give you that, the graphics are gorgeous! And like I said at the top, this was just a first impression. It just didn't set will in my belly. Now granted, I'm also trying to wean myself from playing Vampire all together (both on computer and pen-n-paper) but I keep getting pulled back in, so some of my lack of enthusiasm could be from the fact that I just couldn't get away from it. *shrugs* I still haven't read the manual yet.
Either way, I didn't claim that this review was the end-all-be-all review of Vampire, merely a first impression. If you check out my Asheron's Call reviews, one was a first impression, the second was full of rants from a (tad) more seasoned player. Still, AC made me want to start it up again the next day.
But I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. I'll make myself read the manual and I'll dig in with both foot and claw. I'd love to try out one of these campaigns of yours anyway. Been forever since we've RPed.
Wow dude. That was the sorriest excuse for a review you have ever done. How can you post a review of a game when you did not even read the manual OR play the actual game. I'm sorry but I have to totaly disagree with your review. The camera control is one of the best aspects of the play dynamic. You can use it in so many ways. Once you choose a place to walk to you KNOW he is going to go there, so there is no need to keep the camera behind him. I use the camera control to peek around corners and look behind me while walking foward, and you HAVE TO come to use the camera that way some more into the game, especially when you meet up with the nosferatu, they obfuscate on your ass and attack from behind. The game is probably the best set up rpg I have seen since chrono trigger for the sega. And screw all the clipping complaints every game has them and every game will have them until we reach a state of technical perfection that stands toe to toe with reality and dares you to tell the difference. I do think the multiplayer is sweet , and not at all hard once you have read the manuel. It does appear though that many people will have a serious problem with it since they want to log onto a server and play QUAKE VAMPIRE. Thats not what the multiplayer is for.It is set up to play as a three or four person cooperative play campiagne game.Someone builds the stories and monters, uses the preset scenery adding personal touches here and there, and then follows the three coterie members or plays as the unbiased fourth. Ithink the game has incredible mod potential , but not from the mod community, who seems mostly concerned with making nude model skins and add on mods centered around there favorite ann rice stories.The potential is from nihillistic and future patches that will expand the multiplayer aspects to encompass more players and make the story teller mode faster and more intuitive.
Also, it is one of the most visually stunning and GODDAMN SMOOTH running games I have played in 2000 and even in 99.
Well, after I get the patch, we'll hook up for you to show me the light of the game.
Sounds like you were cut off there. You could try posting the rest of yer ideas in my forums, since they're finally finished.
Well I have now had a chance to get my own complaint bill running. Wanna hear it? OK I'm glad you do. Here we go.
so its not there fault there tools were inferior.
First, the game is a great step forwad in the 3d accelerated rpg genre. Stand alone the best rpg SO FAR for 2000. Artisticly it is stunning, not so repetitive that you say OH GOD not that texture again. But definately not individual maps per wall.Geometry is well defined vivid shapes, with flare and style all cohesive from scene to scene, but alot more instances of "unwelded vertex"errors (you know when you see a white line or a white dot apparently where two or more polygons meet)than I would have imagined from such old hat modelers. Then again they were using MAYA
Technology wise definately a shiny for scalability, portablility, and lod modeling (if they hand made it not intels)A veritable candy store offering from display options allowing the setting of all mipmap levels and mipmap resolutions (we do that too hehe)TERRIBLE TERRIBLE pathfinding. Can't bash them too bad though Cause I read the post mortum in GDM and the problems are definately not entry level programming. Also the coterie ai is lacking in common sense. eg; if I am attacking joe tremere mage blow do not run to my aid while you are being killed by the 12 hoppers(fiedishly small and long lived imps)JUST KILL THE DAMN HOPPERS.
and learn to use your disciplines so I can stop dying while activating them for you.
Story involvment and depth? Ah here is where those old dark forces jedi masters show they still have the goods. Probably the most connected and involved with one character I have ever been since old freeman stepped out into the light.
The story is deep rich and insightfull while holding a "homicide " "er" intensity that keeps you glued to the screen waiting for the next cut scene. Incredibly done dialog makes up for the modest actors, the animation is not gold but it aint quake 3 either.
Gameplay, well here is where I gets my pissy hat on now. See I love the game and the story and the art the other issues aren ot too bad, but , well some of this shit is just stupid. Like me and my 2 buddies, a mongloid and a chick, are so damn badass we go off on our own but all the other vampires we meet other than the bosses tend to be for a lack of a better term Llamas. There are just dozens and dozens of them swarming over you at one timeonce this happens your chances of being saved or even of scraping by with the help of your 2 mentally reatarded companions is slim to none. AND if you do slip past and kill all the foes your supplies are so depleted and your blood pool so drained that you litteraly give it your all just to kill the next (and there always is a next)giant psycho-red-eyed rat monster. The dev team really dropped the ball in this