What do vampires, video games, Playboy and MTV2 MODS all have in common?
Her name is BloodRayne, every man's fantasy. She's sexy, half-vampire, half-dressed, and back with a bloodthirsty vengeance in "BloodRayne 2," a sequel recently released for the Xbox and PS2.
The single player action/horror game takes place in present-day Los Angeles where BloodRayne seeks to finish her 60-year hunt for her vampiric relatives, the offspring of her father Kagan.
The graphics in this game are nearly flawless and resemble "Enter the Matrix" in quality. Blood-spattered severed limbs, trash-littered back alleys, high-end mansions, and erotic bloodsucking are all beautifully rendered by the Infernal Engine. The level of detail in the surrounding scenery, especially the elements that display reflective surfaces are breathtaking. Alternative view modes such as rage mode and vampire sense provide extra eye candy.
Despite the impressive graphics, the camera angles in this game seem flawed. Enemies continually appear without any type of visual warning, effectively surprising the gamer. However, this apparent oversight may have been intentional to make the game more challenging. The large numbers of easily disposed of enemies would quickly become tedious if not occasionally given the advantage of surprise.
The controls are somewhat complicated at first, if only for the sheer number of ways available to decimate your opponents. Players have a wide array of options including everything from simply gunning down a mob, to selecting a victim, drinking his or her blood from behind then performing a fatality, one of which involves decapitation, followed by the severing of an arm and concluding with the slitting in half of the victim's torso.
The game features acrobatic maneuvers that are surprisingly simple to execute, the triggers and analog sticks seem capable of accomplishing feats that take other games four or five buttons. Although, in this game, villains seem to be placed strategically so that you encounter gunfire when attempting such high wire stunts.
The sound is mood-based with different beats and rhythms corresponding to different areas and modes of play. Seductive sound bites from BloodRayne and voiceovers containing rather mature language provide an adult atmosphere suitable only for the mature gamer.
A highly interactive environment adds senseless bashing and variety to game play. However, the methods of interaction quickly become redundant as the player is forced to throw enemies into a fireplace, then a wall fan, then a garbage truck with basically the same technique, just different places and reasons.
In general, the battles are fast-paced except in places in which the action wanes temporarily as a result of obscurely defined objectives. At one spot for instance, it is necessary for the player to shoot down a large storage container in order to proceed. However, since the game doesn't make this objective clear, one could, theoretically, wander around being able to proceed indefinitely.
One of the new features that accompany this sequel is the introduction of magic blood guns lovingly named "Dragons." The guns, while an effective method of disposing of villains from range and necessary at times for interaction with the environment, prove a painfully slow and uninteresting way for luscious BloodRayne to kill. Other extras include various outfits for BloodRayne to wear, and a new combo system.
Photo: Courtesy of Matthew Messina, from the RMBERS' Instagram page
