The epitome of what role playing games should be.
A role playing game is judged on two main aspects: its gameplay in terms of character interaction with the game world, and its storytelling.
Now, the premise and storytelling of this game are beyond a doubt phenomenal; it intrigues the player by tempting them with mysteries, progressing gradually and answer some mysteries, but in the process posing more. The VTM universe is engrossing revealed in such a manner that it draws the player in as if they were mesmerized by a seductive vampire. The twists and turns of the plot – without spoiling anything of course – provides suspense and emotions in the players unlike any other RPG game I've played. An aspect worthy of note is the music and art design in depicting the general atmosphere of gloom and doom in an urban (yet there are surprisingly no cars) environment. It really feels as if you were stalking the midnight streets as a vampire.
While VTMB excels in its storytelling, which would render it as a notable RPG game, where it really distinguishes itself among similar titles is through its implementation and integration of the storytelling with the gameplay.
One of the first decisions that you are faced with is also one of the most important ones. You are to create your character. This may sound simple, but in the case of VTMB, it has tremendous impact on what you can and cannot do as the character you create. The simple choice of gender may affect nearly half of all important dialogue encounters, giving you different options on how you can approach an issue (such as seduction, mind control, threats). Simply having distinguished dialogue choices for different genders and having the environment treat you differently if you were a female vampire than if you were a male vampire is something that all role playing games should have. Additionally, there is a ton of variety when you consider that there are 7 clans, each providing a different way to play the game and experience a different way in which the story can unravel (especially the Malkavian and Nosferatu).
Another aspect of the game to be commended is its promotion of alternative ways to gain experience points. You are not given experience points based on the number of people you kill, rather you gain them based on the problem you solve and the method through which you solved it (with often times more xp rewarded to those who use non-violent means). This is a refreshing break from most RPGs that advance plot solely through hacking through hordes of monsters with no real consideration for diplomacy and manipulation.
Granted, the game was not released as polished as it should have been, but the role playing core that make up this game should go down in the annals of RPG history as its Bible to which other role playing games should be compared against.
In summary,
GOOD:
-Immersive plot
-Engaging character interaction with NPCs (they react differently to different kinds of characters)
-Meaningful character growth
-Keeps to its RPG roots by divulging growth based on actual experience rather than being based on a tally of how many kills you made
-Terrific voice acting (especially with HQ sound enabled)
-Appropriate atmosphere
-Variety in approaching quests
-Unabashedly presents
BAD:
-Compression of character models and textures lead to low-quality looking elements in game (the textures themselves are high-quality)
-Sometimes awkward character animations (if you sneak and you press 8 on the number pad to view your character from the front, your neck will make you seem like Rubber Man)
DO:
-Download the latest Clan Quest mod which is actually a bundle of many mods, including the latest Unofficial Patch
-Under the Unofficial Patch, utilize the resolution patcher in the tools folder to set the resolution to whatever you want (MAKES A HUGE DIFFERENCE)
-Turn down mouse sensitivity (since I found that the default one made me very dizzy)