Biting and sucking doesn't even begin to describe this gaming mistake.
While last week's BioShock review was an example of how great an X-Box 360 game can be, unfortunately this week's is about how bad one can be. And that's not my vampire biasness talking either.
And there is no mistake to be made that Vampire Rain, horrible Sci-Fi channel movie title and all, is one of the worst X-Box 360 games around.
The game takes place in current day Los Angeles as a war between vampires, known as "Nightwalkers", and an elite taskforce wages for population control. Players assume the role of John Lloyd, a lone survivor of previous Nightwalker attacks, as he aids his fellow taskforce members against the bloodthirsty creatures.
On Lloyd's side, three generic squad mates are provided to keep the laughable conversations and dull story moving. A big surprise is that these members actually have names, as they could have easily been lumped into any sidekick genre for faster reference. Such genres include: the silent one, the spunky one, the one that's adept at computers and high-tech gear, and so on.
Once introduced to the other members of the team that become a constant source of simple requests and idiotic ideas throughout the game, the game really starts to flounder. By stealing ideas from classics such as Splinter Cell and Metal Gear Solid and capitalizing on none, Vampire Rain has managed to create its own horrific world of 3rd person sneak and attack gameplay.
While basic controls for stealthily moving and hiding throughout levels are surprisingly responsive, other basic ideas that previous games have implemented with great success, such as shooting around corners and taking potshots, are strangely absent. Regardless of the obvious omissions, controls are unfortunately the last decent thing gamers will experience in Vampire Rain.
The biggest problem with the game is its unforgiving difficulty. Even on normal difficulty, the game tosses players to the wolves, i.e. vampires, right out of the gate where they will be mercilessly slaughtered countless times in frustration. One would think that an elite taskforce with specialized weapons for fighting vampires would fare better, but once a vampire has spotted players, it is pretty much game over in two swings.
And vampires will spot players...over and over. When players least suspect it, possibly hiding behind a dumpster and feeling mighty secured, a pair of horribly cheesy eyes will flash on the screen to let the player know that they've been spotted and death will surely ensue. Don't even think about running or hiding elsewhere, as the simplistic AI of the vampire will not allow the enemy to rest until he or she has utterly dismantled John Lloyd.
The ironic part of the vampires' omnipotent clairvoyance is when a character alludes to the constant rain that takes place in the game as having a dampening effect on vampires' five senses. This apparently makes it harder for the squad to be noticed by enemies, but being spotted 100 yards away hiding behind a telephone pole isn't my idea of a hindered sense of sight.
While the game tries to do some things right, like using the superior over the shoulder aiming scheme, the game just can't execute on its own strengths enough. Even with the addition of a somewhat in-depth multiplayer mode, the chances of actually finding anyone who owns or is playing the game are slim to none.
Overall, Vampire Rain is a complete and utter failure at entertaining players and once again proves that adding vampires into any form of media is just asking for a mediocre product to result from it. I would say the game sucks, but I think that joke is a bit too obvious with the subject matter and all. And the last thing vampires need is more publicity.