The gamespot review is off. I don't know if the reviewer is a rookie or if he had a bad day but the game deserves better
User Rating: 8.6 | BloodRayne 2 XBOX
After putting in at least 5 hours into this game, I have come to the conclusion that the official review score is way off. The game is not perfect by any means but it has enough quality and polish to warrant a much higher score. And can easily stand side by side with any recently released action title save Ninja Gaiden. I have yet to see the bugs mentioned in the game. I am sure they are there but probably are a rare sight during normal play. What stood out for me: The graphics engine is cutting egdge. I am especially impressed with the physics and particle fx systems of the engine. No cheesy 2 second fade of destroyed objects in this game. Lots of good work was put into the graphic engine and really adds to the immersion factor. The animations are smooth and very detailed. The rag-doll effects are a little stiff though. Lots of destroyable objects. Decent sound effects and enjoyable music. Voice acting about average. The bad: Level design could have been more straight forward. It was mostly saved by the special view ability that keeps the objective in clear sight. A nice touch btw. The controls could have been more tight. Basically had this game match the quality of control that Ninja Gaiden offered, I would have given this game a near-perfect score. The control response can be a little stiff at times and the combat mechanics slightly-off. The camera could have been better implemented. I do appreciate the ability to turn off auto-leveling but it's not enough. There should have been more control on camera distance and perhaps see through ability to reduce clutter for the view on levels. Overall a solid title that deserves an average score in the mid 80s or better. Worthy of a rental at the very least.
