hat's with the whole vampire deal? Seems like the nightwalkers have become the hippest thing since Austin Powers. There are vampire books, vampire movies and—released over the last two years—vampire games. Latest in this long line of hipness is Majesco's BloodRayne.
Set in the 1930s, BloodRayne is a third-person action-adventure poured in the mold of Blade and Tomb Raider. The game places players in the spiked boots of the sexy Ms. Rayne, a scantily clad, crimson-haired warrior who is half vampire, half human. Like Blade, she has all the vampire strengths, but very few of their weaknesses. It's the gamer's job to guide Rayne through 40 levels as she fights to rid the world of—well, I'm not sure what she's fighting to rid the world of, but there sure is a lot of bloodletting, zombies, large spiders and Nazi soldiers in the quest.
Rayne lets her opponents' blood with the blades on her wrists, the guns she finds and the fangs in her mouth. She can take a beating during the game and—like all vampires—replenishes her health by sucking zombies, humans and just about anything on two legs with blood. There is no multiplayer.
Hacking and slashing without end
BloodRayne is a good game. Good, but not great. On the plus side, there are 40 levels to fight through, three distinct locales and a handful of women vampires running about in garter belts and bustiers. Also good are the various control schemes and the semi-new twists on the action genre. Rayne may be controlled from either a first- or third-person perspective. Third-person control is much easier, but first person gives gamers more options, including simultaneously engaging two targets.
The semi-new twists include Rayne's vampire sight, which lets her spot enemies through walls and sight the location of her next objection. Also cool is her ability to move much more quickly than her opponents. In fact, so quickly that she can dodge their bullets ... shades of both The Matrix and Max Payne.
On the minus side, there are 40 levels. Rayne's special abilities make her very powerful, and the levels blend into one long hack-and-slash, run-and-gun blur. Rarely will Rayne need to use strategy or stealth to stay alive. To be fair, the locales are well done, and Rayne's animation is superb. Her hair flows as she runs, and her leaps, spins and slashes are cooler than the flip side of your pillow.
BloodRayne may not set the gaming world afire, but neither will it disappoint. If you like action, you won't regret spending some time with Ms. Rayne. After all, she's part vampire, and we all know vampires are cool.
Wow, I wouldn't want to be a woman in BloodRayne's world. While the men can dress as needed, the women seem to be restricted to buying clothes from the front of the Frederick's of Hollywood catalog.
— Mark
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