No faint-hearted, anaemic or people with blood-vein disorders allowed.
1) My friend reckoned it was good and that I would like it;
2) I like Vampires ad this was way before Twilight was but a twinkle in the author's eyes, and
3) It was in Toys 'R Us for less than a fiver.
To tell you the truth, I was actually very reluctant to buy this. This was due to the fact that the back cover showed First Person Perspective and I thought, "oh no".
I do have a problem with the CD-ROMs though, it's well CDs just like SW: KotOR with their ridiculous amount of discs to install.
I was also warned of the numerous bugs it had too. So I had to install the umpteen patches for it before I had to try it. This really didn't help on the first impression basis. It's definitely a rush-job game.
First things first, the character selection wasn't good but it certainly wasn't bad either. Nice way of choosing your vampire, be it male or female, its clan with its pros and cons and also customising your stats. It certainly leaves you wondering whether you want to go for more shooting everything that moves; or stealthily kill your enemies Assassin's Creed style.
Another good thing was the ability of persuasion/intimidation/seduction within the dialogues. Much like KotOR but much more funnier and better in some situations. It was amusing for an 18 game too, that's only because it's quite funny to see the various reactions from NPCs when you insult them. You also have quests to undertake in order to earn experience which can be used for you skills and stats.
Much of the musics are really good and atmospheric. Some stages in the game were really well designed to create the kind of tension and suspense as you progress. It brings out the fact that you are a vampire, you can only travel at night. So all you see is the night life of very town you visit.
There are some licenced musics too, of which have introduced me to bands I've never heard of and yet were really good.
While it had it's pros, there were some more cons to it. Unfortunatley, the combat is lacking too much. For an FPS to third person switch mode, much of the combat favours melee more than its ranged. The stat building in certain areas didn't seem to bring out its effectiveness in combat. It felt more pointless to spend XP on ranged weapons specialty when it doesn't work as you want it to. It gets even more pointless that you need to spend XP on your combat stats in order to be able to equip certain weapons.
The stealth in the game is redundant. It doesn't work very well unless your character is a Nosferatu, and I don't like to choose the ugly b@#$%rs. I'm a Ventrue, vampire nobility or royalty whatever you call it. I'm the downright posh, royal pain in the a@#!
...anyway it definitely is good for it's value for money (through bargin bins), environments and story. Interactivity with NPCs are worthwhile too.