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. notacarebear
    Feb 2, 2016
    9
    Starts as the perfect RPG game then you start feeling the rush in the development, with frustrating and boring, repetitive zones in the last missions. The combat system could be better. Still unmatched atmosphere and voice acting, interesting main and side quests. A sequel would blow the *** out of every other modern "rpg", too bad Troika went out of business.
  2. MeritCoba
    Sep 24, 2015
    9
    It daunts me to give this game a high score, for it certainly got its share of problems. For one, it is buggy and therefore needs at least the official patch to iron out most of the glaring faults and I would recommend the unofficial patch by Wesp5 to improve the experience to the level that a high score demands. In addition the game has some other problems such as pacing.

    The game has    It daunts me to give this game a high score, for it certainly got its share of problems. For one, it is buggy and therefore needs at least the official patch to iron out most of the glaring faults and I would recommend the unofficial patch by Wesp5 to improve the experience to the level that a high score demands. In addition the game has some other problems such as pacing.

    The game has a fascinating background story. Vampires are obviously more powerful than humans, but dependent on them for blood and also in fear of them for humans have sheer numbers on their side. That is why pretense is essential. The pretense that there are no vampires, but also the pretense a vampire needs to uphold towards others in personal relations, for underneath skulks the beast that wants to get out and feed. Just like the vampires have to uphold the masquerade to survive, so they have to control the inner beast to be able to function in society. But ultimately a vampire needs to pretend just to get near its prey.

    The first half of the game is the strongest part. It is the part where you are introduced to vampire 'society', a world of darkness where you prey and are preyed upon. The 'society' is split in various factions that do not always see eye to eye and some are outright hostile, like the Sabbat. Some stress order, compliance and holding up the illusion that there is only humanity -the masquerade- like the Camarilla headed by 'prince' LaCroix who acts as if he is the de facto ruler of the city. Therefore revealing that you are a vampire will eventually get you killed. The Anarchs, headed by Nines Rodriguez, beg to disagree on the ruling part, while the Sabbat is almost the opposite of what the Camarilla stands for, maintaining that vampires are superior to humans and therefore should not skulk in the darkness but step out into the open to claim their position of dominant species.

    The world of darkness is a society filled with intrigue and backstabbing where you feel like you are being played, even by those that pretend to be your friends. Even within a faction there are groups with their own agendas. The Tremere for instance, the magic users among the vampires, support the Camarilla and the Masquerade, but have their own ideas on the best course of action .

    The game is very good in creating this dark atmosphere and without a doubt this is helped by the music in the game, both the background music and the gothic/metal tracks that you can hear at various places and which seem to reference the state of being of a vampire such as Isolated by Chiasm and Smaller God by Darling Violetta. In addition the background story, with its apocalypse-is-nigh theme, matches well with the dark mood of the game.

    There are, however, many faults. Most notably the latter part of the game turns into a dungeon crawler of sorts and the role play part takes a definite backseat. In addition the game never explains how you, being a mere fledgling vampire, can grow so powerful in such a short time as to whip the asses of the most powerful of vampires. But most of all the game violates the basic precept that the world of darkness is a world of illusion several times over, by having you openly fight out prolonged battles in the city instead of finding a more creative solution that would have fitted the mood better. I do not advocate a stealth game here, but at least a more fitting solution could have been found(tricking one faction to off another for instance).
    The latter half therefore feels like it was rushed.

    Despite the weaker second half, the many bugs, and the inherent faults, this game keeps me fascinated. I played it several times as the game has various endings and some quests can be solved in different ways. The clans gives you different abilities allowing for different play styles from stealthy to openly brutal.

    If it had been a more finished product and kept to the theme it would have earned a higher score. Still one of my all time favorite games.    … Expand
  3. moonlight_shado
    Sep 12, 2015
    9
    Troika at its best. Pure genius. Better than witcher 3 and Skyrim together. This game is a definition of real role playing game. Shame there is no sequel.
  4. DanT.
    May 2, 2008
    10
    This game is awesome! I recommend it to anyone who likes Vampire, RPGs, and the Source engine.
  5. MattB.
    Jun 30, 2008
    9
    This game ranks in my top 10 of best games both for storyline and graphic comparison ran amazingly on my 6 year old pentium 4 1.8ghz with 640mb ram and integrated graphics now thats ability to play on a wide array if i've ever seen one i had one glitch in the game however the unoffical patch at filefront took care of that i recemend both the unoffical and offical patches for this This game ranks in my top 10 of best games both for storyline and graphic comparison ran amazingly on my 6 year old pentium 4 1.8ghz with 640mb ram and integrated graphics now thats ability to play on a wide array if i've ever seen one i had one glitch in the game however the unoffical patch at filefront took care of that i recemend both the unoffical and offical patches for this game before you play as it helps in the long run. But all in all the storyline was great and everything was where it should have been.… Expand
  6. K-Van
    Mar 10, 2005
    9
    Yes, this game has bugs. That's what patches are for. I waited to play VTMB until one was available. Glad I did! I haven't had this much fun playing a RPG since KOTOR. Bottom line: If you like games like Morrowind, KOTOR, and Deus Ex, and you have a PC that can handle the load, then run out and buy this game immediately.
  7. Pizza
    Apr 10, 2005
    10
    I believe the direct opposite from Jeff S. I think the Santa Monica part is slightly boring, but once you get to Hollywood it starts getting, well amazing. As I am writing this, Troika has recently shut down. So there probably wont be any more patches, which is incredibly dissapointing. But it isn't their fault, it's Acitivisions. The music, especailly the creepy music and the I believe the direct opposite from Jeff S. I think the Santa Monica part is slightly boring, but once you get to Hollywood it starts getting, well amazing. As I am writing this, Troika has recently shut down. So there probably wont be any more patches, which is incredibly dissapointing. But it isn't their fault, it's Acitivisions. The music, especailly the creepy music and the Chinatown/Asian music, is excellent. The game really takes you to it's disturbed, depressing, but amazing nightworld. In my opinion, if it had been staffed better and given more time to be released, it could have been one of the best RPG's ever. As it stands, it is still easily the best one of 2004, and in my personal top 5.… Expand
  8. BrianT
    Jun 7, 2008
    10
    I have played this game several times through without ever having a problem. People who rated the game low because of "HL2 looks so good, this game should have looked better based off the same engine"; I have two reasons to give. First, this game was released the SAME DAY as HL2. Do you honestly think that they are going to even compete with the developer of the engine? Second, this game I have played this game several times through without ever having a problem. People who rated the game low because of "HL2 looks so good, this game should have looked better based off the same engine"; I have two reasons to give. First, this game was released the SAME DAY as HL2. Do you honestly think that they are going to even compete with the developer of the engine? Second, this game was designed to run on mid-range systems (obviously mid-range at the time). Anyone having problems with high end systems (One user posted he had a P4 3GHz and a 6800GT, etc) there is something wrong with your rig. When I first played this game, It was on an Athlon 64 3000+ 512Mb RAM and a GeForce 6600. Everything on High on at 1280x1024 without ANY problems. The game looks amazing, even compared to HL2. The story is great. Replayability is the best I've seen. Now that I have it on STEAM, I'm sure I'll play even more.… Expand
  9. Brumbek
    Jul 28, 2011
    10
    This is a totally unique first-person RPG experience. Troika did an amazingly job crafting a believable vampire world full of interesting characters you can meet and get to know. This is truly a game you experience rather than just play. Even though I played it years ago, so many scenes are so fresh in my mindâ
  10. CastleFox
    Jul 29, 2011
    8
    NOTE: YES, You can play this game on Windows 7 32 bit and 64 bit. Just select the .EXE for the game and click on Run in XP Mode with Service pack 3. So far it's a unique game. I waited until Steam had it on sale for $4.99.
  11. xboxlikewater
    Nov 20, 2012
    9
    Fantastic RPG. It's unfortunate more RPGs like this aren't made anymore. Games like Skyrim excel only in their open world aspects. Their RPG aspects are few compared to games like this and Deus Ex. Just don't forget to patch it
  12. CiaranJ
    Aug 27, 2013
    9
    The game is one of the most immersive RPGs' I have ever played, I connected with it's dark atmosphere, gritty settings, well developed characters and the White Wolf License. This game faced disaster when it first came out on the same day as Half-Life 2 back in 2004. Firstly releasing it against one of the most influential games was obviously going to side-line it, but, secondly the gameThe game is one of the most immersive RPGs' I have ever played, I connected with it's dark atmosphere, gritty settings, well developed characters and the White Wolf License. This game faced disaster when it first came out on the same day as Half-Life 2 back in 2004. Firstly releasing it against one of the most influential games was obviously going to side-line it, but, secondly the game wasn't finished by the time Activision decided to push it out; as a result it went into the wind, unheard of.

    I must state that I play games for their stories' and immersion, while some people may find other mediums of entertainment such as TV and Film to indulge in better stories; this game did not disappoint. The story of the Vampire clans vying for control in L.A and the underlying plot about a certain object is well thought out and crafted, supported by top-notch voice acting; all thanks to the Source engine.

    Graphically this game may look dated now that we are in 2013, but don't be fooled it still captures the gritty setting perfectly. The gameplay may also be dated, however as stated I mainly play games for their stories' and as a result tend not to focus on 'high' graphics and 'great' game-play. (I'm not saying it isn't integral of course). Speaking of the gameplay, the amount of variations that are found in the different vampire clans is fresh. For example if you play as a mad-stricken Malkavian, this may open up specific dialogue options and immersive events; and that's not even including the different powers and abilities.

    The game design isn't open-world, but boy it is fun to explore! The side-quests may not be as numerous as the ones' found in Skyrim or other top RPGs'. However the quests in VTMB are rich, immersive and are genuinely fun to play.

    Overall I find this game to be in my top 20, and would recommend this game to anyone who likes fresh, original, and immersive stories coupled with vampire fiction and good but not revolutionary game-play.    … Expand
  13. K
    Jan 6, 2005
    9
    A very atmospheric RPG which, sadly, has an unfinished feel to it.
  14. RobKingpin
    Sep 5, 2009
    10
    Best storyline game of all time...make another one dammit!
  15. AlienSpaceBats
    Aug 2, 2011
    7
    At first glance, Bloodlines is repellent; cutscenes, animations, sound effects & environs are glitchy and of shockingly low quality, character models are hideous and it's hard to believe this thing uses the same engine as Half Life 2. Post tutorial levels, the game finally gets going and whilst the above grievances remain there are exceptions; thankfully most major characters are wellAt first glance, Bloodlines is repellent; cutscenes, animations, sound effects & environs are glitchy and of shockingly low quality, character models are hideous and it's hard to believe this thing uses the same engine as Half Life 2. Post tutorial levels, the game finally gets going and whilst the above grievances remain there are exceptions; thankfully most major characters are well crafted with excellent voice acting, some even have half-decent models & textures. Vampire has the bare bones of a playable and even addictive game, it's just a shame it's such a damned unfinished mess.… Expand
  16. 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.
  17. 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
  18. 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?
  19. 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
  20. 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.
  21. 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.
  22. 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
  23. 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.
  24. EtaYorius
    Dec 21, 2011
    8
    The story is good, the gameplay is ok too but the game is full of glitches... having promised MP and then scraped in the end, low replayability value but still a good game.
  25. 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
  26. 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.
  27. 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.
  28. AlexeySoltan
    Oct 14, 2021
    10
    potential is not realized. it could be the best rpg of the history but its just one of the best.
    12/10 anyway
  29. plusRichman
    May 19, 2021
    10
    In this amazing adaptation of the tabletop game, you are invited to become a creature of the world of darkness. Nightmarish horrors, eerie mysteries, political powerstruggles, bloody pleasures and tones of fun, compose one of the best written games of all times. The brilliant writing can make you forget the numerous bugs of it's original release. After all you can enjoy this masterpieceIn this amazing adaptation of the tabletop game, you are invited to become a creature of the world of darkness. Nightmarish horrors, eerie mysteries, political powerstruggles, bloody pleasures and tones of fun, compose one of the best written games of all times. The brilliant writing can make you forget the numerous bugs of it's original release. After all you can enjoy this masterpiece bug free, thanks to the modes of it's loving cult community.… Expand
  30. 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.
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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
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