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The Plot:  While not exactly a great game, it's obvious from the opening clip that "BloodRayne" could likely make a terrific movie in the right hands. Players star as Agent Rayne, a 20-something half-human/half-vampire (essentially, a female version of Wesley Snipes' "Blade" character), who works for a secretive agency attempting to stop a Nazi scheme. The title character jumps to different eras and places, stopping evil zombies and other baddies while taking in some of the sights. The game does not start off in a particularly interesting manner, but quickly gets going as players advance. Rayne, accompanied by an equally curvy mentor named Mynce, must quickly learn about her abilities before heading off into a church and graveyard in 1933 Louisiana. The developers have managed to include a fairly remarkable assortment of attacks (Rayne's main weapons are two lengthy blades attached to her hands, but she also has an assortment of kicks and other acrobatic moves) and a respectable amount of other various weapons scattered throughout the levels or given to her by her mentor (such as the harpoon weapon given early on). There's also additional features, such as Rayne's "Blood Rage", which sends her slicing and dicing enemies in slow-motion, but with additional force. Unfortunately, there's also the ability for Rayne (she's half-vamp) to feed off her enemies to regain health (the game will remind you to do so if your health gets too low). While this is a neat idea, there should have been some thought as to how players wouldn't be able to do this quite as much - there's stretches where players can use this as the only attack method. Although the graphic violence apparent in many games means that most are likely used to it or expect it by now, I have to say that I was a little surprised at exactly how unapologetically graphic this game is. While some gamers may like this, others may be turned off by it and some parents may be displeased if younger gamers get a hold of it. Oddly enough, this isn't an entirely sleek game, either. Instead of going for "Blade"'s fast-paced style, "Bloodrayne" offers a mix of fast action and moody, atmospheric surroundings. The settings are somewhat uninspired and not as creepy as they could have been, but the levels are at least not sparse; there's a fair amount of objects to hide behind and smash through. Another interesting feature is that Rayne occasionally automatically aims at off-screen enemies. While this makes for easier attacks, it takes away from any "jump" scares due to unexpected enemies. Enemies seemed fairly intelligent, though, keeping the difficulty level respectable. There's also the issue of objectives for the different missions. While there are many instances where the game progresses in a clear manner, there were a few times where I didn't quite get where to proceed next, leading to some wandering around. There's no puzzles or anything like that here, really - this is almost completely a straight-forward actioner. Overall, I had some fun playing it and was motivated to keep going, but I just felt as if it lacked a truly addictive quality. Still, a good game that some may have an even better time with than I did. Rating: 8/10 The DVD Graphics: "BloodRayne" offers graphics that are nice, but do not achieve what the XBOX is capable of. The models for Rayne and some of the other characters are rather well-rendered, but some of the villians look somewhat more basic - some to the point of appearing a bit generic. Still, although I did have some concerns with the game's appearance, I did like some of the minor details - Rayne's weapons leave deep marks on walls or destroy many of the smaller items scattered about the interior/outdoor sets. While the sets are populated by a nice amount of villians and other various items, there's not a great deal of texture and detail. Rayne's attacks also looked smooth, as did some of the impressively detailed cutscenes, which boasted exceptional graphics. Overall, the look of the game likely won't stun, but it's above average in the graphics department. Rating: 8.4/10 Sound: "BloodRayne"'s soundtrack is generally decent. Rayne offers the occasional one-liner and while the dialogue is read with appropriate tone, there's not a whole lot of wit involved in the writing. Mild ambience and the occasional sound effect add to the experience, but there doesn't seem to have been a remarkable amount of work put into the soundtrack, which is an element that could have helped the game's scares and general tone considerably. The score isn't half bad, though. Rating: 8/10 Gameplay: "Bloodrayne"'s controls do take a little bit of time to get used to, but as the game progresses, the controls become smoother and the attacks become more impressive. Controls can be customized and some other aspects (the speed of looking up and down) can also be tweaked. Rating: 8.7/10 Rating Issues: This game is a definite "M" (Mature). The violence in the game is very graphic and there's additional issues regarding language. Final Thoughts: "BloodRayne" is a fun game that, while not groundbreaking, still presents a rather compelling story, a cool main character and solid graphics and audio. Fans of survival horror/action games should give it a try as a rental or maybe consideration as a purchase if the game can be found at a discount. |