BloodRayne 2 E3 2004 Preshow Impressions

At its E3 2004 booth, Majesco Games will be showing off BloodRayne 2 for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, and PC. BloodRayne 2 is the follow-up to 2002's generally well-received action title, which starred a dangerously sexy "dhampir" (half human, half vampire) named Rayne, who was on a mission to eliminate an insidious Nazi plot involving supernatural circumstances. In the new game, BloodRayne is on the hunt for her numerous dhampir siblings, who have banded together and are currently plotting to unleash a new substance known as "The Shroud," which, when applied to vampires, renders the normally detrimental effects of the sun harmless to them. It's up to you, as Rayne, to kill a whole lot of vampires and protect humanity from its impending doom.

Developer Terminal Reality has included numerous upgrades for Rayne's latest adventure, such as new acrobatic moves that let Rayne execute gun and blade combat from locations like rails and poles. More than 30 different combat combos will be available in BloodRayne 2, and overall, the game's melee combat should be much deeper than in the previous game. Additionally, Rayne will be able to execute up to 12 different fatality finishing moves after feeding on an opponent, each of which promises to be appropriately brutal. Previous gameplay conventions, such as BloodRayne's aural vision and the bloodlust meter, have been improved as well and will be much more integral to the gameplay. An all-new feature for BloodRayne 2 is a full weapons- and abilities-based experience system that lets you upgrade both depending on how you opt to play the game, and it rewards you for more creative kills.

BloodRayne 2 will take place during the modern era, and the game will feature realistic-looking and interactive environments based within a major city. Environments will be largely destructible, and you will even be able to use Rayne's harpoon gun to pull pieces of the environment down on top of enemies. Lifelike physics and real-time shadows will be included, as well as fully motion-captured movements and a new rigid body physics system, to make more-realistic kills.

BloodRayne 2 is scheduled for simultaneous release on all three platforms this October. We'll have more on the game from the E3 show floor.