Brings much fun but has a lot of annoying bugs. It was better then I expected it to be.
Years ago I bought Bloodrayne 1 because, well..., she looked nice.
I played the game but got frustrated with it after a while and never finished it.
Recently, I replayed it and to my surprise I liked it. Not that it was a really great game, but it was fun. This new experience was probably partly due to my new rig that allowed me to do the tricks I was not able to do before.
I decided therefore to see what Bloodrayne 2 had in store. The screenshots and reviews at least suggested better graphics, which was enough for me. Since the reviews in general where not enthusiastic about the port to the pc, I didn't expect to much and maybe this was the best way of looking at it. This way, it could only be better then expected.
Bloodrayne 1 vs Bloodrayne 2
Bloodrayne 2 has somewhat changed as compared to Bloodrayne 1. It is now set in a modern day city and most adversaries belong to the human/vampire kind. In a certain way 1 was more scaries as at least 2 of the 4 chapters introduced horror like monsters that jumped from hidden positions. And while 2 is more bloody, 1 was a bit more gory.
In 2 rayne relies almost entrirely on her blades, harpoon, teeth and pointed heels for disposing of enemies and except for the carpathian dragons she uses no guns.
One other thing is that in 2 rayne has side-kick that talks to her at certain moments. In 1 rayne is almost completely on her own.
What is fun about this game?
- Graphics. Rayne herself looks really great and if you unlock the outfits you can dress her up in different suits. But also her opponents are well rendered and still a treat for the eyes. From the common grunt to the top-bad-guy they all look splendid. It might be that you need a good pc for this, but nowadays the average pc should be able to deliver the needed performance without problem.
- One-liners: the sarcastic one-liners that are well voiced:(quoting some from memory)
(rayne: You saw the blades, what'd you expect to happen?)
(rayne: Yeah, bet that will heal funny.)
(rayne: So i am faced with endless spawning minions and a spinning rotor-blade)
(badguy: We're looking for a hot, big breasted, red headed Dhampir, it's not like there's thirty of them around here!).
- Moves. You got a lot of fantastic moves to pull of.
- Puzzles: it is not just hack and slash, the game also gives you some easy but fun puzzles. Not like the quality of Lara Croft, but fun nevertheless.
- Sounds: the sounds are good.
Actually on this level the game is a fun packed game. Don't think just act and cut yourself a bloody path.
What is bad about the game:
- bug's, bug's, bug's: I can't quit call them bug's as you almost never get stuck, but there are strange things. Example: in the first chapter you have to toss four minions within a short time into four boxes. This requires that those four minions are there to toss. But sometimes they only spawned one or two at a time, so I had to restart, and then they started to spawn at a very rapid rate. This happened also vice versa(up to the point that respawning completely stops) at various points in the game.
- Sudden deaths: I had some sudden deaths of rayne or her opponents. Usually this had some connection with fire or the objects in the area. But once a super minion just died halfway the stairs without a visible cause.
- Sudden interjventions: sometimes when you have done something that requires you to go to the next section of the game, you find yourself suddenly teleported a distance away even if you are still on the same map .This can happen even if you are in the middle of a fight.
- Unclear targets. Despite close listening to what rayne and severin say and pressing the aura button it happens that you are clueless what to do to proceed. Lucky there are several walkthroughs out there.
- Ninjas: At the end of the game you sometimes up against Ninja's. They are unbelievable powerful for minions. Even better then most bosses.
- Controls: well they work in a fashion but then they don't work as well as you like them to work. Harpoon tossing for instance, of big importance for the puzzles, is somewhat unpredictable. From the reviews I understand controls were much better on the console versions.
Verdict
All in all: a game that brings you fun but is beset by a lot of annoyances. I had however for most of the time much fun and this made me forgive most problems.
Post mortem
It'a pity it is unlikely there will be a sequel very soon. The game ends with an enormous cliff hanger. Will Rayne end the bloodshroud despite the vampire council she faces? And what of the brimstone society? We will probably never know.