System Requirements: 6gigs of Patience

I have no patience when it comes to video games. My friends can attest to that. No matter how interesting the concept, if a game suffers in the execution because of technical glitches that are so bad that they make the game almost unplayable...well then I won't play it. I'm a console gamer that's starting to reenter the world of computer games, and dealing with all of these patches, tweaks, upgrades and hunting through forum after forum to find out why a game keeps crashing is enough to make me drop my mouse and curl up in the closet.

The amount of trouble I had getting Bloodlines to run was enough to almost make me give up. Most of it probably stems from my computer. I'm not running a Windows 9x crap heap, but I'm not running a Goliath either.

But somehow, my limited knowledge of the workings of a computer game tells me that Bloodlines wouldn't have been nearly as difficult to get running had Troika and Activision put out a more stable product.

Through my 30+ hours of playtime thus far, I've run into graphical glitch after crash to the desktop. The game is slow, despite me having twice the recommended specs mostly across the board. The loading times for some of the bigger areas in the game are frustratingly long.

There's rumors of a patch in the works that'll hopefully address some of these issues and turn this game into the masterpiece it deserves to be.

You'll notice that I said I've played 30+ hours so far through the game. My patience has been stretched to the snapping point several times, I have to say. But somehow, I keep coming back.

The story is a big reason. I've never played the tabletop RPG that this game is based on, so I had no knowledge of White Wolf's vampire lore upon arrival. Apparently, Kindred (what the vampires call themselves) society has been living in the shadows of human society for millenia. They've been pulling the strings, plotting the downfall of entire civilizations, and all around playing humanity like a puppet.

Despite their efforts, humanity has advanced to the point where it's very dangerous to be a bloodsucker. In the days of cellphone cameras, and forensic science it's very easy for a single vampire to blow the cover of the entire race. Enter the 'Masquerade'.

Basically, it's a set of laws that vampires have to follow in order to blend in with the mortals. They range from the common sense ones like 'No feeding in public', to one special law. A vampire cannot sire (create) another vampire without permission from the Elders.

And that's where you come into play. Your sire creates you illegally, and is executed because of it. Your unlife, however, is spared, but you're the new lackey of Prince LaCroix, the Prince of the Los Angeles vampires.

You're given a test by his Highness, kicked out into the street, and left to fend for yourself and find your place in the Kindred society. As you go about your assigned duties, you start to discover more about the Camarilla, or the society that governs vampires. You learn of their rivals, the Sabbat and the Anarchs. You meet a plethora of rich characters, each more interesting from the last. How you treat one of your vampire elders may make or break an alliance with another equally powerful vampire. For example, early in the game you meet Jeanette and Theresa, two vampire 'sisters' who are at each other's throats constantly. Ally with one against the other, or play them both against each other. That's the kind of freedom this game affords you.

During the course of the game, you will be forced to choose sides in the oncoming war of the undead as the Camarilla, the Sabbat, and the Anarchs sit poised to tear the underworld, and each other, apart. Be careful who you disrespect. Unlike most console RPGs, relations between you and NPCs are full of deceit, as you can never be really sure of who's ready to stab you in the back.

But this just scratches the iceberg of this game's story. White Wolf's Vampire: The Masquerade tabletop RPG has been around for a long time, and it's clear that Troika took a lot of time and effort to incorporate all kinds of material from the game. Luckily, even if you've never played the pen-and-paper version of it, you won't be in the dark for too long. The game does an excellent job of filling you in on every subtle detail of it all through text on the loading screens that give you definitions of words in the vampire language, to helpful (and in the case of Jack - voiced by John DiMaggio, the voice of Bender from Futurama - hilarious) that answer just about every question you could have.

Character creation is one of my favorite parts of this game. From what I've seen of tabletop RPGs, this is the same method used there. You start off by picking your character's clan. Each clan specializes in certain things. For example, the Nosferatu are hideous and deformed. Your mere presence on the road is a Masquerade violation (of which you are allowed five before you lose), and as such, you're forced to use the sewers as your mode of transportation. However, no Clan is better than them at stealth and information gathering. lock picking, sneaking through the shadows, and computer hacking are all a breeze.

After you pick your clan, you now set up your stats and feats. Stats range from RPG-staples like strength and dexterity, to things like appearance and research skills. Depending on what clan you chose, there are certain restrictions. The aforementioned Nosferatu cannot level up the Appearance stat at all. The Tremere are the 'mage class' of the game, and cannot level up any physical stat past four.

Feats are skills that you perform, such as lock picking or seduction. Each feat is based on one or two stats that you must level up, and again, certain Clans specialize in certain feats.

If all of this is confusing to you, Troika made a genius move by letting you take a small quiz instead. You are asked situation questions, and based on how you answer, the computer generates a character for you which you can then tweak to your heart's content.

If you're at all used to more Final Fantasy-style RPGs, the game's system of leveling up will be completely alien to you.

There is no leveling up.

Instead, you gain valuable experience points by completing missions and subquests in the game. Use a creative solution to one, like intimidating a guard to let you past instead of just killing him nets you even more. In turn, you take these experience points and increase the stats that you want to increase, instead of having the developers increase them for you.

Be careful, however. How you level up your character's stats directly impacts how you play the game. Put too much stock into turning your character into a tank, and he'll be unstoppable in battle, but all of his conversation options will be reduced to slack jawed options like, "Give me or me smash you!" Because you directly impact where to spend each and every experience point, you play the game exactly how you want it.

But without a doubt, the thing I love the most about this game is how utterly atmospheric it is. Video games have never really scared me...until now. One of your earliest missions has you trekking through a haunted hotel to exorcise a poltergeist. As soon as the first painting flew off the wall and smacked me in the head, or the first spirit ran screaming down the hall, I was quivering in my fur.

But it just keeps getting better. Soon you're entering a mansion filled with knife wielding psychopathic humans driven crazy by something. It's up to you to fend them off long enough, ignore the strange noises and cries, and learn the secrets of the bloodstained home.

The game just keeps throwing you into these situations, and each one gets better, and creepier, than the last.

If you haven't heard, this game utilizes the Source engine that the long-awaited Half-Life 2 is running on. Many reviews have bashed this game for not using the engine to it's potential. Based on what I've seen of HL2, the engine's main draw, it's "rag doll physics" system, isn't really that impressive. If you're at all aware of my reviewing style, you know that I find something where you can pick up an object and throw it across the room and watch as it bounces realistically about is superfluous. Unnecessary. On the other paw, however, where the Source engine excels is in rendering facial expressions, and it's an utter treat to watch as eyeballs roll, brows frown, and fangs be bared based on how you treated those you talk to.

As the game drew on, one thing I noticed is that this game is NOT for kids.

Let me repeat that.

This game is NOT for kids. During the course of the game, you're fighting your way through a crazed doctor's torture house, watching vampiric snuff films, and fighting abominations that would give even me, a nineteen year old, nightmares. Keep this away from Little Johnny and Susie.

While we're on the topic of fighting, it has it's pros and cons. Something I found strange was that for being based on the engine for a first-person shooter, the FPS combat of the game was severely lacking. Melee combat, however, is a treat. I've noticed that many people seem to discredit the game for forcing you to go up close and dirty most of the time, but I find it somewhat refreshing. I feel more like a vampire when I dash up to someone and drive a knife through their stomach, when compared to standing at a distance and pumping shotgun shells into them. The games RPG elements definitely outshine it's FPS elements.

If you want a first-person shooter, go play Half-Life.

As I mentioned before, this game is loaded down with bugs. Most of them are minor annoyances, but they're minor annoyances that add up quickly. Loading times can be long. The game's 'hubs', or central city areas that you travel through to get to destinations to complete your quests suffer from painful lagging. There is also an annoying audio 'stuttering', but that's a situation with the Source engine, affecting Half-Life as well.

So in the end, it comes down to a question. Do you have the patience to suffer through long loading times, severe lagging in some areas, and less-than-stellar combat? If not, I strongly suggest you find it, because this game is an utter, and delicious treat. From a delightful RPG setup, to a complex and absorbing storyline, this is one helluva great game. Plus the fact that there's 40-60+ hours of game time inside is always a plus. Definitely one of the best games of the year.

If you buy it, don't expect to have much free-time afterwards.