Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines

 PC
User Score
8.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 1057 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 947 out of 1057
  2. Mixed: 61 out of 1057
  3. Negative: 49 out of 1057
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  1. gist95966
    Apr 23, 2014
    7
    If you love games like Fallout or Skyrim, you will probably get some enjoyment out of this.

    There are some key differences though that really bring this game down, and only a few points that bring it up. First off it's not open world - at least not really. You are stuck in a city for each chapter and there aren't many chapters. Skills aren't very well done - some skills are straight    If you love games like Fallout or Skyrim, you will probably get some enjoyment out of this.

    There are some key differences though that really bring this game down, and only a few points that bring it up.

    First off it's not open world - at least not really. You are stuck in a city for each chapter and there aren't many chapters.
    Skills aren't very well done - some skills are straight up better than others and some are almost useless. This results in very similar characters each time you play.
    Equipment is mostly a joke - you don't really get much say in the matter each chapter has a better piece of equipment and you wear that for that chapter. Either that or you wear your weaker armor just so you can feel like you had some choice in the matter.
    Combat is a bit of a mix. Sometimes you feel like your really struggling and have to get the combos just right, other times it's a simple button mash. Mostly the latter.
    Last of the negatives is that the game is rather buggy at times. I once had a game breaking bug where I killed someone before the cutscene and couldn't progress.

    The positives are few but good enough to make the game stand out.
    It's much darker than something like fallout or skyrim. It's bloody and some characters really made an impression of being evil. The characters in general are well done - well except the main character, he/she is a bit cliche. Everyone else though felt like an actual person with believable motivations.
    Races do feel different from each other, though because of the skill systems flaws - some races also feel straight up better than others.

    Don't expect something quite as good as the other titles I mentioned, but I was pleasantly surprised by this little gem.    … Expand
  2. KingMob4313
    Aug 21, 2013
    7
    A flawed, truncated but engrossing game, carrying hints of the greatness of later FPSRPGs like Fallout and Mass Effect.

    But ultimately disappointing, even with massive mod support from the community.
  3. iddqd4
    Feb 12, 2018
    7
    В свое время не удалось по достоинству оценить эту игру из за пиратского перевода выполненного Промтом, что процветал у нас тогда повсюду.
  4. aalfred7
    Jul 31, 2019
    7
    VTMB is a solid game although a bit overrated. The game has a nostalgic feel to it and has an interesting story as well. The characters are interesting and the pseudo-open world environment has plenty of interesting parts to it. On the negative side, the game has many bugs; the UI and combat systems are often awkward at best. Additionally, many view the ending as a disappointment (as IVTMB is a solid game although a bit overrated. The game has a nostalgic feel to it and has an interesting story as well. The characters are interesting and the pseudo-open world environment has plenty of interesting parts to it. On the negative side, the game has many bugs; the UI and combat systems are often awkward at best. Additionally, many view the ending as a disappointment (as I did) but that depends on your taste. Ultimately, the game has charm despite its flaws and might be worth a look if you're into action role-playing games.… Expand
  5. erdogfu96
    Feb 9, 2020
    7
    It is very old game. Graphics were good for that time. Maybe sounds were not atmospheric and story is not best but you can give this game a shot if you want to roleplay a vampire character. I will give marks in its own category.
    Graphics:9/10
    Sounds: 5/10
    Gameplay: 7/10
    Story: 7/10
  6. pooops
    Feb 3, 2023
    7
    although the game has great writing, there's not enough quests and the game is really buggy
  7. agradecemais
    Feb 7, 2023
    7
    Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines é um jogo da série Vampiro: A Máscara e mais uma história incrível da franquia World of Darkness.
    O jogo foi desenvolvido na Source Engine e sinceramente não é um grande jogo, tem muitos bugs, os gráficos são feios, ele trava, crasha e apresenta diversos problemas ao longo da gameplay. Mas para época que foi feito é um game de mapa aberto, múltiplas    Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines é um jogo da série Vampiro: A Máscara e mais uma história incrível da franquia World of Darkness.
    O jogo foi desenvolvido na Source Engine e sinceramente não é um grande jogo, tem muitos bugs, os gráficos são feios, ele trava, crasha e apresenta diversos problemas ao longo da gameplay. Mas para época que foi feito é um game de mapa aberto, múltiplas escolhas, diversos NPC's, diversas formas de progredir no game...Então tem de dar o braço a torcer para época que foi feito alcançando a nota de 80/8,9 no Metacritic.
    Porém o brilho do jogo é realmente a história com vários desdobramentos, finais, caminhos e principalmente ideologias que você poderá seguir ou ir de contra.
    Todos os clãs são representados com maestria e a trama é interessante e cheia de reviravoltas fazendo jus de como é complexo e rico o universo de Vampiro: A Máscara.
    Um prato cheio para quem gosta de boa história, para quem é fã do universo ou para quem não se importa com gráficos ruins e jogo envelhecidos...Recomendo!    … Expand
  8. BlakeArius
    Dec 9, 2016
    6
    This game is seriously overated. It's a mediocre deus ex clone at best, and a pile of garbage at worst. The interface is one of the worst i've ever seen and the dirtier art style is just a rip off of "blade". The writing is okay.. but the tone is that of a constant B Movie which ruins any immersion for me. Beyond that there's still a plague of glitches and bugs to waddle through.
  9. Sego
    Jan 29, 2021
    6
    Even with patches bugged AF, don't recommend if you sensitive to such, save can be corrupted or dialogue glitch, but overall game is good for it's time
  10. JoeM.
    Jun 13, 2007
    5
    Runs bad, doesn't flow well, isn't too much fun except for a few good scares. How could Half Life 2 have done so much with this engine, and this game did so little?
  11. JamesA.
    Nov 17, 2004
    5
    I'm not sure if the people listed above are playing the same game as I am. Not only does the game run slow on my machine (P4 3ghz, 2 gig of ram, 6800GT) but combat is absolutely awful. Melee feels totally thrown together and never flows very well. Guns, so far, seem worthless since I can't seem to hit someone about 3 feet in front of me. My firearms skill is still pretty low, so I'm not sure if the people listed above are playing the same game as I am. Not only does the game run slow on my machine (P4 3ghz, 2 gig of ram, 6800GT) but combat is absolutely awful. Melee feels totally thrown together and never flows very well. Guns, so far, seem worthless since I can't seem to hit someone about 3 feet in front of me. My firearms skill is still pretty low, so hopefully my bullets will find their mark as I progress. For a game based on the Source engine, I was expecting something a little closer to HL2 in the graphics department. Outdoor environments look nice, but most indoor stuff looks low res and horribly textured. NPCs are a mixed bag as well. While I have run into a few very nice models, most are hideously constructed, with nasty textures. I am quite enjoying the RPG aspects of the game. Most of the dialouge is well written and acted (if not cheesy and cliche' in parts), but once again, combat rears it's ugly head and pulls me out of the World of Darkness and into the world of frustration. … Expand
  12. kuehnau
    Jan 10, 2023
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game is very old, but even when it came out in 2004, it had a ton of problems at launch and continues to do so.… Expand
  13. GabrielC.
    Jan 10, 2005
    3
    Like Troika games previous efforts, this game doesn't feel finished. there were many times when i needed to search the forums for work arounds to problems, which prevented me from advancing in the game. in fact, this game is so buggy that a 'fan created' patch was released to fix some of the bugs. an official patch is now avaliable but in my opinion its too little too late.
  14. gamerz4life
    Jul 28, 2022
    3
    Vampire Masquerade: Bloodlines is a game that was released in 2004 and was low-rated then and vastly over-rated today. The game can’t even be run without the Unofficial Patch (which contrary to many reviews is very simple to install) and even with that the game is still janky as all heck. Many times you’ll get stuck in the map and Noclip will become your best friend. In my playthrough, IVampire Masquerade: Bloodlines is a game that was released in 2004 and was low-rated then and vastly over-rated today. The game can’t even be run without the Unofficial Patch (which contrary to many reviews is very simple to install) and even with that the game is still janky as all heck. Many times you’ll get stuck in the map and Noclip will become your best friend. In my playthrough, I had to use it at least 12 times.

    Even though it’s said to be a great masterpiece, it’s nowhere close to even being remembered down the road. The story and atmosphere start out strong in the Santa Monica map but once heading out from there the game turns into fetch quest after fetch quest until you’re just running through enemies with no story or gameplay in sight.

    Gameplay is just a non-existent mess. Most quests expect you to stealth through them without hurting anybody but stealth fluctuates between not working at all or no one can find you even if you’re on top of them. Then the others you have to fight your way through but the combat in this game is some of the worst I’ve ever seen. You can’t aim a gun to save your life no matter how many points you invest. God mode will be your second best friend by the time you’re halfway through Hollywood. If you get to the sewer levels in Hollywood, you’ll understand completely, and my thoughts go with you.

    Whatever you do, do not buy this game. If you’re looking for a strong RPG story game, this is not the place to find it and if you’re looking for well-crafted combat, you’ll be just as disappointed. This game is a mess that no one actually loves and certainly would never play a second time. Save your money and buy a real game. Heck I would even recommend Vampyr over this and I still only found that to be so-so, but at least it was mostly enjoyable.    … Expand
  15. CatherineP.
    Jan 10, 2005
    2
    This is the kind of game that seems very impressive the first few times playing. but after a few hours its many faults begin to show. i believe this is the reason for the high ratings its been getting. the bugs make the game too fustrating to be enjoyable.
  16. hannibalektr
    Jul 13, 2012
    1
    BE WARNED! MAY NOT WORK ON WINDOWS 7 MACHINES...

    First off, I bought this game years ago and it was fun, but a real challenge to get working on vista. Now that I have windows 7 on all my machines, my daughter came to visit this summer, I can't get it working with any of the patches, on any of my windows 7 rigs. One of the patches non-official patches gave us a virus (at least the    BE WARNED! MAY NOT WORK ON WINDOWS 7 MACHINES...

    First off, I bought this game years ago and it was fun, but a real challenge to get working on vista. Now that I have windows 7 on all my machines, my daughter came to visit this summer, I can't get it working with any of the patches, on any of my windows 7 rigs. One of the patches non-official patches gave us a virus (at least the website that we downloaded it from did). Be careful when downloading patches from outside sources, and the ones we got from steam didnt work fix the compat issues.

    All in all this is an old school game with dated graphics with some bugs. It plays like a "B" movie if you can get it to play at all.    … Expand
  17. MikeW
    Dec 3, 2009
    0
    Dont bother if you use Vista. It will take hours of fidling and may work for you. An exercise in frustration trying to get it to work.
  18. wazzy
    Aug 19, 2011
    0
    Couldn't even get it to work after paying a full $20 on steam, I'm a little upset to be honest, I heard great things about this game from my mates and I can't even play it. Thanks.
  19. Iracundus
    Jul 27, 2013
    0
    The bugs ruined this for me. Far too much time spent trying to chase down fixes and implementing them rather than time spent on the game itself. Enough of that and it's more tempting to go load up another game instead.
  20. HonestCritic198
    Aug 30, 2017
    0
    One of the most overrated games of all time. This broken game failed at sales and received mediocre reviews for a reason back in 2004. It is unfinished, full of bugs, with poor controls and gameplay. A mediocre game that should have been forgotten by now, if not for a small cult following that overhypes it for the wrong reasons.

    Just see for yourself. What is the only redeeiming factor    One of the most overrated games of all time. This broken game failed at sales and received mediocre reviews for a reason back in 2004. It is unfinished, full of bugs, with poor controls and gameplay. A mediocre game that should have been forgotten by now, if not for a small cult following that overhypes it for the wrong reasons.

    Just see for yourself. What is the only redeeiming factor these cult members say it has all the time? "Atmosphere". This game is about Vampires, and it is dark and edgy and EMO and GOTH. That is the sole reason these people overrated this game. That is why this POS shows up on every "underrated" list everywhere. This is why it has a user score of 8.9 on metacritic. Is it worth it? NO.

    Is it worth playing today? No. It was barely worth playing back in 2004, it certainly is a waste of time now, even with the latest community patch. There are thousands of better games than this now. Leave it to the emo/goth kids and invest your time on something more worthwhile, like in any game made after 2010...

    Or, if you want a Vampire the Masquerade game, play its predecessor, Redemption. It is so much better than this it is not even funny.    … Expand
  21. Nev3r_Pr0
    Jan 1, 2022
    0
    The best vampire RPG game of all time and probably the best RPG of all time. I finished yesterday (December 2021) first time and it holds pretty well. Unofficial Patch Plus is required and this mod was updated in 2021 for 2004 game.
  22. Karai
    Oct 25, 2022
    0
    One the best vampire's game but there are plenty bugs,glitches and others problems with it. Still it's one of the most exciting game that ever had made.
  23. PenetratorGod
    Sep 3, 2023
    0
    This game is probably still one of the most buggy games since its release. It's been a long time since the developers forgot about their game, but despite thousands of unofficial updates, the game is still full of bugs that make it unplayable today.

    But it's actually good that the game is too broken to play, because I wouldn't want you to have the horrible experiences I had.It doesn't    This game is probably still one of the most buggy games since its release. It's been a long time since the developers forgot about their game, but despite thousands of unofficial updates, the game is still full of bugs that make it unplayable today.

    But it's actually good that the game is too broken to play, because I wouldn't want you to have the horrible experiences I had.It doesn't matter how interesting and good the story and universe is. I'm not going to give a high score to a game that is so broken and annoying to play. When the gameplay is this buggy, the whole game, and all the good aspects that go with it, becomes a complete waste of time.    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

47
#47 Best PC Game of 2004
8
#8 Most Discussed PC Game of 2004
6
#6 Most Shared PC Game of 2004

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 61 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 51 out of 61
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 61
  3. Negative: 0 out of 61
  1. 3DAvenue
    85
    If you were disappointed with the recent FPS titles and their somewhat lackluster plot and linear storylines, then you will probably find Bloodlines to be a refreshing change, however on the other hand, a few technical and design issues let it down.
    Read full review
  2. Xequted
    88
    A game that has one of the strongest single-player campaigns to ever appear in an RPG and it possesses a world so lush that you will literally want to sink your teeth into it.
    Read full review
  3. Eurogamer
    70
    Easy to sum up: Game isn't finished.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »