Goals of this sort were common in games of the early 90's, a sign of just how far behind this game truly is. Of course this wouldn’t be a problem if the fighting in the game were fun but even the much talked about 360 degree fighting system fails to deliver. Utilizing the right analog stick, you fight in the direction that you’re pressing. This allows you to control which direction you’re fighting regardless of your character’s orientation, another concept that sounds good on paper. However, the system is so unpolished and disjointed that it makes fighting feel more like a chore rather than a joy. You’ll need to time your button presses or else Blade will keep performing the same move over and over. It would have been nice had the timing brought forth more combos but it just wasn’t to be, what you’ll find yourself doing is using the same combo over and over and over to dispose of all your carbon copy enemies. What really hurts this game though is that you can’t select your method of attack, each direction has an attack designated to it, this means pressing the direction your facing will always yield a punch and only a punch. Pressing back and left will yield a kick and only a kick. Also, you must remain in one spot while doing combat. Have an enemy that is just out of your reach? Too bad, you’ll have to move closer and then perform the attack again as opposed to attacking while progressing towards your target. The system is just too hard to get the hang of and at many times, too impractical to use. Though innovative in thought, a little too complicated in practice.
Even more baffling about the combat is Blade’s limited use of the sword. A small bar gradually fills as you kick more and more vampire ass. When it reaches a certain point you’ll see the word “Sword” flash on the screen, pressing R1 will allow Blade to unsheath a sword and do some massive damage to his enemies. Now this is great and all (decapitations totally rule!) but why can’t Blade use the sword at all times? Is he too weak to wield it? Is he too scared to use it? The game doesn’t answer these questions, instead it forces you to use a considerably weak weapon (melee attacks) as opposed to a much stronger weapon (the sword) without much explanation. Usage of the sword considerably increases gore and the funfactor, why limit the action? It’s inane decisions like this that really hamper this game.
In addition to the sword, you’ll be able to bring along your usual fodder. Pistols, Shotguns and glaives are the order of the day here. To their credit, the weapons are amazingly fun to use but again their use is limited. As you use them you’ll find that like the sword, they’re much easier to utilize and yield far more gore than the melee attacks. You won’t be supplied with much ammo though, so you’ll have to conservatively use another one of the game’s few entertaining aspects. Is it any wonder why this game is receiving such a low rating?
I’d like to discuss the game’s AI. All right, I’m finished. Why so short? Simple, there is none. The game relies heavily on the gang mentality rather than any sort of strategic approach. To make matters worse, the enemies have a tendency to attack you ‘black ninja style’ in that they’ll surround you and attack you one at a time. If you want an idea of how braindead the AI is think of the puddy patrol from the old Power Rangers TV show and subtract a few dozen IQ points. They’ll stand perfectly still and wait for you to hit them, that’s it. On most occasions they’ll just stand still as you beat the living hell out of their buddies. There seems to be very little AI coding in the game and if it exists you’ll need a microscope to find it.
Perhaps most puzzling about the combat is the way that Blade disposes of his enemies. Aren’t vampires usually disposed via a stake to the heart or something of that sort? Well apparently, Blade doesn’t read old folklore because he demolishes his enemies with his bare hands and feet. Just a few simple shots to the head will vanquish even the most stubborn of vampires. Who’d have known that the proper way to get rid of Dracula was to just beat him into submission? I guess Blade don’t take no crap from no one, not even 2000 year old myths.
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