Though there are puzzles in each of the twelve levels, most of the game is about fighting vampires, zombies, and demons. In a lot of ways the game reminds me of the days of the classic arcade brawlers like Final Fight or Streets of Rage, with endless amounts of enemies coming at you from all sides, beating them off with whatever weapon you could scrounge up, and just doing your best to get to the end of the level. Buffy is a great action game in an era that expects something more than just great action.
Unlike Final Fight and Streets of Rage, Buffy comes with a set of moves about as long as any one on one fighting game. Your character has numerous throws, plenty of melee attacks, combos, and all kinds of impressive special moves, all ready to be used on whatever unsuspecting vamp that gets in your way. Some moves are more useful than others, and there are a few that are just too difficult to pull of to be practical in battle, but the game is certainly a step-up from the Bouncer and every other games that have tried bringing the classic brawler into the 3D world.
Since the game is story driven, it tends to be a little on the linear side. There are a number of secrets hidden in each level, but they do very little to add to the game’s one-track agenda. Many of the levels are large and sprawling, but you always have to take them in the same order with the same enemies every time. It’s a great story with all kinds of interesting twists and turns, but like any TV show, you probably won’t want to watch it too many times before you move on to the next thing.
Though the story itself is extremely linear, there are a number of incentives for you to play through them more than once. The game comes complete with a number of DVD-style extras, including a gag reel, cast interviews, video of the voice over work, and more. Though these don’t add much to the game play, they are longer than you’d expect and should provide a great deal of entertainment for the fans of the Buffy series. It’s a shame more games don’t provide these little extras, they certainly add a lot to the value of this game.
When you’ve gone through every last interview, you and your friends can take on any one of the numerous multi-player games. You can take on three of your friends in a fight to the death Survival match, or you can run around trying to catch cute little rabbits, in Bunny Catcher. The game also allows you to play a game of Dominance, where you’re fighting to take control of land, as well as take the Slayer Challenge, which is about as much fun as real training must be.
Perhaps most impressive, though, are the 24 characters you can choose from to play these games. Obviously the game allows you to take control of Buffy, Xander, Willow, and the rest of the Scooby gang, but if you’re feeling a little more evil, you can choose from any one of the bosses, random vampires, or zombies. Heck, you can even play as the show’s creator, Joss Whedon, which is just about as gimmicky as it sounds.
Unfortunately your choice of levels is somewhat limited, and a few of the modes are decidedly less fun than others, but ultimately it is a nice addition to an already impressive package. About the only extra features missing from this game is deleted footage or a director’s commentary track. For some fans of the series, these extras alone may be worth the price of the game.
Chaos Bleeds won’t set the industry on fire with its originality, and to a lot of people it will look like more of the same, but you’d be hard pressed to find a game like it that offers more excitement. This is one of the very few TV shows that actually works as a video game, and should be picked up be every Xbox (or PlayStation 2 and GameCube) owning Buffy fan. And though it features a story that ties in to other episodes, it’s easily accessible to those who have never even heard of the series. Who knows, it may even prompt you to give the show a chance.
B-
Buffy’s second outing has a new cast of characters, a better story, loads of exciting weapons, and a lot of guilt-free action! So why does it remind me so much of the first game?
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