Review Bloodlines makes Telefragged swoon

[Saint_Proverbius]

Tags: Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines

<a href="http://www.telefragged.com/">Telefragged</a> offers up <A href="http://www.telefragged.com/reviews/vtmbloodlines/">a review</a> of <A href="http://www.vampire-bloodlines.com">Bloodlines</a>.
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<blockquote>While you can't really customize the look of your character much, it's his or her abilities that will be much more finely tuned. During character creation you can choose your clan and gender, but you're stuck with whatever face you've got. At least gender makes a real difference in this game, especially considering the "seduction" skill. Anyway, then it's on to the character sheet where you can apply gained points to stats, skills, or unique vampire disciplines. Vampire rewards you with experience points for completing quests and advancing the plot, but there is no levelling system; instead, you apply experience points directly into various things on your character sheet. Some stats and abilities will affect multiple skills, and some skills are affected by multiple stats and abilities; for the most part, it's an intuitive system that lets you specialize in a few things before you get to the end of the game. </blockquote>
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I'll admit it. I would have at least liked a little character appearance customization.
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Spotted at: <A HREF="http://www.bluesnews.com">Blue's News</A>

 

[Sol Invictus]

Personally, I don't mind the lack of character appearances for male characters, but I really didn't feel like playing a female Ventrue, and probably wouldn't. Ever. They look like walking corpses.

 

[Diogo Ribeiro]

I'll admit it. I would have at least liked a little character appearance customization.

How reduced is it, exactly?

 

[Surlent]

I don't consider appearance a problem there because I stick mostly to 1st person view.
Shame they don't allow melee weapons in that view also.

EDIT: note the overall score is 91% (on the next page). Not bad score considering some dim wits even gave BL below 80% scores.

Yes, Troika has delivered an action-RPG that's on par with the System Shock or Deus Ex while delving into a unique and compelling setting.

 

[Whipporowill]

I'll admit it. I would have at least liked a little character appearance customization.

How reduced is it, exactly?

2 models (male/female) per clan ( 7), and each genders sports 4 different armour textures. That's it.

 

[Volourn]

My review will be better this week.

 

[Sol Invictus]

I hope so.

 

[Saint_Proverbius]

2 models (male/female) per clan ( 7), and each genders sports 4 different armour textures. That's it.

That's it. All male ventrue look alike, all female gangrel look alike, and so forth. The only thing you can do to change how they look is to put on armor, and there's only four types of armor.

Being able to at least change the hair or something like that would have been nice.

 

[Mendoza]

Personally I don't see why the game couldn't have let you choose any model you wanted, not just the one assigned to your clan (with the possible exception of nosferatu). And ideally let you wear any of the costumes.

 

[Diogo Ribeiro]

Thanks for clearing that up, Whip

 

[miserychick]

Appearance customization makes sense if it affects the gameplay in some manner. Other than that, it's just eye candy.

So? Eye candy isnt neccesarily a bad thing.

 

[suibhne]

Appearance customization makes sense if it affects the gameplay in some manner. Other than that, it's just eye candy.

It does affect the game (sorta) - it affects the player experience. If this were a first-person game it wouldn't make a blessed bit of difference, but all melee combat is in third-person, and quite a few of us actually preferred to play as much of the game as possible in third-person view. Because of the prevalence of third-person perspective in the design, it would have been terribly nice to have more of a choice of avatar.

 

[LlamaGod]

I've always been the kind that just goes with the default in games, so it didnt phase me too much. I didnt really like Gangrel's starting clothes, though (but I did get used to it, I guess).

 

[Jinxed]

It's too bad that a part of the game involving body armor got the axe. It looks like it involved your ghoul.

 

[Major_Blackhart]

what do you mean? I got the body armor from my ghoul. works like a friggin charm too.

 

[Jinxed]

Well Boo-hoo. I've finished this game 3 times and playing 4th and I never got it :/

Probably because I don't visit her too many times. When exactly did you get it and how?

 

[Otaku_Hanzo]

There is a way to customize your look if your a chick. Just open the console and type money 3.

OMFG LUK AT TEH SIEZ OF TEHM TITZ!!!1!! LOLOLOLOLOLOL!!1!!one

 

[Major_Blackhart]

Jinxed, I got the armor by being very nice to her, and visiting her after I completed each part of the main quest.


SpoilerSPOILER!!!!





Eventually there will be a part after you completly destroy the Society of Leopold, where you then must get the armor from her, when you return to Downtown. Do NOT GO TO THE PRINCE FIRST to get the next mission, going after the Sabbat, as this will automatically get her kidnapped. Instead head straight to your place and use the right dialogue options to get the armor.

 

[Old Scratch]

It wasn't so much the lack of customizable appearance options that I didn't like, but the Toreador skin at least is way too friggin gray. It's especially noticeable when feeding upon a willing victim; looked like my guy crawled out of a graveyard only five minutes prior.

The effeminate, limp-wristed motion in which he walked was a little excessive too. One doesn't automatically become fabulous after becoming a Torie.

 

[dipdipdip]

He runs like a sissy, too.

 

[Jinxed]

Thanks, Major. I read somewhere that it doesn't change the way you look in the game, and before that fan site got haxxoured I couldn't find info on how to get it.

 

[Otaku_Hanzo]

Thanks, Major. I read somewhere that it doesn't change the way you look in the game, and before that fan site got haxxoured I couldn't find info on how to get it.

The body armor is just your Heavy Leather outfit with kevlar underneath. It adds better lethal protection and takes another 1 dex away. I'm still using Heavy Cloth in Chinatown, but my character is also a defense goddess. Besides, it's the best looking outfit for the Toreador female. I do love the Heavy Leather outfit, but I don't love the minus to my dex.

 

[Eclecticist]

What's this talk about getting your own ghoul?

 

[Otaku_Hanzo]

What's this talk about getting your own ghoul?

In the first room past the reception desk of Santa Monica's clinic is a lady who is dying. You are given the option of feeding her your blood. If you do, she will catch up with you later in Downtown and you can either take her in as your ghoul or send her on her way. If you take her in, she will be at your haven from that point forward (she moves to new havens once you acquire them).