244: The Last Masquerade
- Thread starter Logan Westbrook
- Start date
Really enjoyed the game - although I only played it after the 1.2 patch was released.
Later replayed it with wesp's unofficial patch.
And am current replaying it after finding a tweak to make it sit nicely on the widescreen monitor =)
Excellent music, voice acting, atmospheric locations, good plot threads - yes it does favour a melee class at some points, but if you have never played it, pick it up.
Later replayed it with wesp's unofficial patch.
And am current replaying it after finding a tweak to make it sit nicely on the widescreen monitor =)
Excellent music, voice acting, atmospheric locations, good plot threads - yes it does favour a melee class at some points, but if you have never played it, pick it up.
I didn't fill that the game was in any way "flawed" or "just a little bit not good enough". To me it seemed just right. I enjoyed it a lot.
However, I've played it several years later after initial release so it may be that actually I was playing some patched version, which was somehow improved.
Still, thanks for bringing back the memories
However, I've played it several years later after initial release so it may be that actually I was playing some patched version, which was somehow improved.
Still, thanks for bringing back the memories
I got this pretty cheap when it was on sale on Steam for Halloween a couple years ago and was extremely satisfied with it. It is really an amazingly fun game with a ton of backstory and interesting characters. That being said, there defeinitely were some critical flaws, like how empty some areas felt. This really could have been an even better game with some more development time.
Overall, Bloodlines is the most broken great game I've ever played.
Overall, Bloodlines is the most broken great game I've ever played.
Sorry for the post length!Gethsemani said:
Hmm, arguably so - for the most part, i'm of the opinion its was poor leadership and setting boundaries. Or more accurately, trying to do too much that could have been done (For example) in an expansion to it. A problem is that the IP is so expansive, and the temptation to try and get so much into it as a result is quite hard to resist I'd imagine - I'd love to develop something similar on the Unreal engine for example, and it'd be incredibly hard not to put a lot of the stuff in that they tried.
I have to agree there - but unfortunately, its a case of poor leadership and design quite likely, which lead to them overextending themselves. If they'd limited themselves, and then released a follow up to it, HL2: Episode style, then it might just have saved them, and it'd be less buggy as a result. Would it still have been as enjoyable? No idea there in all honesty. A massive case of "Whatif".
Please don't take it as a personal attack on you, or your work mate - its not a case of me not liking the work or trying to smear you, its just a differing view on that section of the game thats all.Wesp5 said:
Everything else that you did, I really enjoyed. Personally I prefer your version as it restores a lot of stuff that would have been in the first place, along with fixing some god awful bugs, and makes it overall more enjoyable game to play through.
I get what you mean about the animation errors now, I've just reinstalled the game and played that section again - the Auspex power seems to indicate something that should appear when it hasn't. Seems like I was mistaken on the appearances, I just didn't search around enough the last time I played through on the "vanilla" patches so hence thought he appeared less than that. My apologies.
Vampire the Masquerade is definitely my favourite game ever! And it's too bad that the developers didn't get the time and money they really needed, I think the final polished product would have been amazing and worth the wait.
My favourite clan to play is undoubtedly the Malkavian. The conversations you can have and the events that can occur are a work of art and an absolutely amusing. Not only do the voice give you a shiver up your spine but offer advise and insight to those around you. And the first time I walked past a stop sign... well that was pure genius.
The game is amazing and not only is the story line intriguing and clever, but the characters are unforgeable. The whole social aspect of the game is what made it so amazing in my mind and I really do wish that more games would put more effort into storyline and characters. I find that I can't play a game with practically no storyline and have a hard time keeping interest if the characters are as lifeless as the scenery.
Anyway that's my rant, they should make more games like this end of story!
My favourite clan to play is undoubtedly the Malkavian. The conversations you can have and the events that can occur are a work of art and an absolutely amusing. Not only do the voice give you a shiver up your spine but offer advise and insight to those around you. And the first time I walked past a stop sign... well that was pure genius.
The game is amazing and not only is the story line intriguing and clever, but the characters are unforgeable. The whole social aspect of the game is what made it so amazing in my mind and I really do wish that more games would put more effort into storyline and characters. I find that I can't play a game with practically no storyline and have a hard time keeping interest if the characters are as lifeless as the scenery.
Anyway that's my rant, they should make more games like this end of story!
To echo what most people here are saying:
THE FAN-MADE PATCHES MADE SAVED THIS GAME.
Why not a word of this in the original article? I played this game three times and loved it every time. I remember one of the more recent (fan) patches had a level-editor. I think this game can live on
THE FAN-MADE PATCHES MADE SAVED THIS GAME.
Why not a word of this in the original article? I played this game three times and loved it every time. I remember one of the more recent (fan) patches had a level-editor. I think this game can live on
I loved this game. Especially afterwards when I blocked out the flaws, the freedom of choice is brilliant in this one.
It is a great game and the indie patches were good. However like everyone else the journalist misses one key thing. Firearms are the best combat skill.
There are enough free boosts and skill books for melee and unarmed to make it so that if you only want one combat disciple you can take guns and upgrade persuade computing and lockpicking to maximum usefulness. About 2/3rds once firearms reach 10 they become the best combat choice even against supernaturals and make the end boss a joke and the last sections actually quite easy.
I would have said yes the combat was badly done but this lack was only so noticeable because of bad design choices like the sewers, and most of the endgame.
Finally the problem with saying that it is partly developer fault is that if a confidant smooth game had been provided it probably would have been at the expense of the touches that we still remember the game for.
Eg while using the source engine may have been misguided, you cannot ignore the fact that part of the reason facial animation is so good in Bloodlines is dur to the use of the source engine.
So really bottom line it would only have been all it could have been if troika had had more time or had started making it later into the making of the source engine.
There are enough free boosts and skill books for melee and unarmed to make it so that if you only want one combat disciple you can take guns and upgrade persuade computing and lockpicking to maximum usefulness. About 2/3rds once firearms reach 10 they become the best combat choice even against supernaturals and make the end boss a joke and the last sections actually quite easy.
I would have said yes the combat was badly done but this lack was only so noticeable because of bad design choices like the sewers, and most of the endgame.
Finally the problem with saying that it is partly developer fault is that if a confidant smooth game had been provided it probably would have been at the expense of the touches that we still remember the game for.
Eg while using the source engine may have been misguided, you cannot ignore the fact that part of the reason facial animation is so good in Bloodlines is dur to the use of the source engine.
So really bottom line it would only have been all it could have been if troika had had more time or had started making it later into the making of the source engine.
This game is the greatest example of both how great an RPG can be due to strong writing, a great plot, and excellent acting, and how badly a gaming company can damage a product by rushing it.
Do they not realize that they would sell more games if they released them finished and polished?
I suffered through the often atrocious gameplay just to advance the excellent plot just because I actually CARED how the plot ended up and was genuinely in suspense. During some of the conversations the hairs on my neck actually stood up.
Do they not realize that they would sell more games if they released them finished and polished?
I suffered through the often atrocious gameplay just to advance the excellent plot just because I actually CARED how the plot ended up and was genuinely in suspense. During some of the conversations the hairs on my neck actually stood up.
one of the best games ever! when i read this article i started playing it again and its true it does seem awfully rushed near the end. I would love for another to come out but thats never going to happen Anyway my gengral is going to go kick some camarila ass!
Anyway my gengral is going to go kick some camarila ass!
Another game could come out, after all Bloodlines was the second Vampire the Masquerade game to come out for the PC. Unfortunately if it does I wouldn't expect that much, probably something along the lines of Deus Ex 2, or Thief 3 with all the depth gutted out and a more linear story line.MrFluffy-X said:one of the best games ever! when i read this article i started playing it again and its true it does seem awfully rushed near the end. I would love for another to come out but thats never going to happen
I played hundreds of games within last ten years. This is the only damn game which can make me read all the 136 comments here, with a wishful thinking. And if you just did the same, you know you are not alone.
Great article for this great game. Hope some people would mind all these people who made this unfinished symphony last up to 7 years.
Great article for this great game. Hope some people would mind all these people who made this unfinished symphony last up to 7 years.
just played this game a few weeks ago on win 7 64 bit, no issues but i had all the unofficial patch to, well i think i had one oor two quest no fire off correctly that i had to backtrack to an earlier save to fix, but played this game thru twice now and i put up up there alongside deus ex as far as classic rpgs that will play multiple times as the years go on, fallout 2 also ranks up there.
great game the gfx did not bother me at all, game looks good enough even today and the unofficial patches really add to the game. whatever warts there are they are minor in comparison to the whole that is there.
great game the gfx did not bother me at all, game looks good enough even today and the unofficial patches really add to the game. whatever warts there are they are minor in comparison to the whole that is there.
I actually asked a game programmer that question and what he said surpised me:Winter Rat said:
"If Game programmers did that then the game will never come out due to them always seeing something as unpolished or maybe they could of added a extra enemy there, or hey, maybe that boss isn't too hard. etc etc"
He then went on to say, sometimes Publishers need to push it along or the product will not come out.
...
Except for KOTR2, Those guys got SCREWED.