Most of the problems I ran into with BR2 have to deal with the mission structure. There are too many times where the game doesn’t offer up enough guidance on exactly what it is you should be doing. I’ve had way too many instances where I thought I was heading towards the objective but I was actually running around in circles because I didn't know what to look for. In an early sequence you realize that you need to escape from the bar into a back alley but a giant fan stands in your way. If you’re rational you might start looking for a switch to turn the unit off but that won’t help you in this situation. The only way to bypass the fan is to throw a number of foes into it, damaging it enough until it falls apart. Perhaps if a voiceover came on and said “Hmm. I wonder how many Vamps it would take to dismantle a fan” the light bulb may have gone off in my head.
But let’s not mince words; the game is still a heck of a lot of fun to play. After you discover your next objective you’ll have fun tearing and shredding your way through legions of vampire fodder. That’s because the combat system is really effective and comes through where it counts. Initially some of the controls felt touchy and the erratic camera didn’t help matters much; but the designers were wise enough to instill a lock-on system for its combat. By holding down the button players can lock onto a target and do combat with them in a simple and easy fashion. To keep the action fresh, the game constantly hands you new moves and techniques that you can unleash upon your foes. This kept me hooked throughout the duration of the game because it kept making me want to press forth in search of that next special move. Most of them were worth it and don’t disappoint, especially in the blood and gore category.
From a graphics standpoint the game looks on par with what we’ve seen from similar games in the genre. Rayne looks excellent and has received a number of visual upgrades that bring her into the next generation. In terms of looks, I’d say that her model is about on par with the girl from
Primal. The rest of the world has received a pretty major face lift in comparison to the first game. All of the textures have been cleaned up and the outdoor areas look much better this time around. There are plenty of little details that will catch your eye as well, including the way that the furniture and surrounding objects shatter as Rayne hits them. All of the animation is superb and the way that Rayne’s hair flows around and she slashes up her foes is a thing of beauty. This is especially impressive given the fact that the animation still holds up well when the game utilizes its slo-mo filter to highlight some of the action. The only real deficiency is the poor rag doll physics exhibited by your enemies. Generally when you toss an enemy off a building you’d expect them to flair their arms wildly before they splatter on the pavement. In BR2 they kind of just fall and die in anti-climactic fashion.
I’m not sure what the sound of blades ripping through flesh sounds like, but I’d like to think that Majesco has come up with a rather faithful recreation of the effect. Most of the sounds have a real satisfying feel to them that sound really convincing to the listener’s ears. As you make your way through legions of foes Rayne will speak up and chime in with some wisecracks. Surprisingly they’re not all that bad although they sound a bit forced. For the most part the dialogue is smooth and the delivery is excellent, especially in this genre of games. Finally, the music sets an appropriate tone that fits with the game’s darker and brooding mood.
I’ll be honest with you, I haven’t had this much fun with a third person slasher since I reviewed Ubi Soft’s
Prince of Persia: Sands of Time late last year. When I’ve been overburdened with games like
HALO 2 and
GTA: San Andreas, it’s nice to step back and be able to have fun with a game again. It’s not groundbreaking, but the intense action and decent mission structure will allow you to shut your brain off and have a great time.
B
In a year that features games such as HALO 2, Metal Gear Solid 3 and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, it’s easy to get lost in the shuffle. It’s a shame that plenty of titles will go overlooked, but don’t make BloodRayne 2 one of them. Its addictive gameplay and intuitive combat system are some of the best available on the market today.
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