April 24, 2010
BloodRayne is a 3D action game in every way, shape and form. Players
control the limber vampire girl as she makes her way from the darkly lit
swamps of Louisiana in search of spidery beasts to her eventual
confrontation in the industrial German factories with several Nazi
leaders. The game unfolds in linear style, leading BloodRayne from
target to target for the kills, or to accomplish basic goals such as
planting a bomb on a Nazi-controlled radio setup, or figuring out a way
through a warehouse to the next location. There are breaks in the
routine -- boss fights, obstacle challenges and more; at one point the
character must take control of a giant mech-robot and blast her way
through a level, and these are well paced, welcomed additions.
In-game puzzles are practically nonexistent -- the focus is definitely
on the many encounters the fast and well-equipped heroine has with
hordes of ruthless enemies, all of them primed and ready to be butchered
in an exaggerated, grotesque manner that's sure to please the
bloodthirsty.
The character moves with surprising speed and precision, can perform a
variety of different death moves and utilize a wide selection of
powerful weapons. Control feels tight in some regard and loose in
others. For instance, the process of manipulating the character about
the worlds is intuitive. The developer has employed a dual analog setup
-- the main stick moves BloodRayne (forward, backward, left and right)
and the other controls her direction as well as the camera. It's the
latter that's flawed.
Often times, manual or not, the camera is in the wrong place at the
wrong time and occasionally it jumps out of whack in a corner, or in a
confined corridor, and during similarly small, claustrophobic areas.
There are times when it definitely gets in the way, which is mildly
frustrating, but because this happens fairly infrequently it's not as
troublesome as it could have been.
Terminal Reality has spent a great deal of effort making BloodRayne a
force to be reckoned with, and this is definitely noticeable. The
character can jump onto enemies and suck their blood, a very satisfying
maneuver if a bit cheesy. She can also shoot forth a sharpened chain and
rip into foes, pull them closer and feast upon them -- another nasty,
but enjoyable move. There are many more, too. BloodRayne can leap and
spin, which enables her to break through doors; she can jump and shoot
forward her death chain, which serves to damage enemies; and she can
flip left or right and dodge out of harm's way.
Then there are the weapons -- everything from shotguns to rocket
launchers, which she can break out using the Z-trigger and shoot at
foes. On top of everything else, she has vampire-specific abilities,
from the option to slow down the world in a very "bullet-time" borrowed
effect that is nonetheless still ultra slick to the power to use her
eyes as a long rage scope and home in on enemies. The character can even
use her vampire sense to see through walls and where her next major
enemy hides. The sheer selection of abilities is, quite frankly, very
impressive, not to be shrugged off as an extra, and they all play a very
integral part in the action of the experience, which smacks of smart
design.
There are some layout oddities, which disappoint. For starters, some of
the levels themselves are a bit on the disorienting side -- some of the
locales look the same and there are points, particularly in later
stages, where players may find themselves scratching their heads in
wonder of what to do next.
For example, we found ourselves stuck at one point in the game where a
piece of flooring collapses to an underwater area below -- a problem,
for BloodRayne is
damaged by the liquid. We searched for more than an hour before we
figured out a way past the obstacle and the experience is best
remembered as a kink in the otherwise well formed armor of the action
sequences the game has to offer. Also, the game's compass, located in
the corner of the play screen, is designed to show BloodRayne where she
must go next, but it occasionally sends her directly into walls and it's
up to players to discover the correct way around them -- a bit of a
stupid system, as far as we're concerned.
Encountering armies of enemies and dynamically devising new ways to
dispose of them using BloodRayne's arsenal of options is the title's
main appeal, perhaps only outdone by the effects her deadly weapons
erupt in violently crude showings. Bodies are exploded, limbs torn
apart, and pools of blood splattered as the heroine rips through gangs
of undead monstrosities, spider beasts, Nazi soldiers and fights against
gigantically oversized boss= entities. Call it a guilty pleasure, but
it's fun.
For some gamers BloodRayne will be more than enough, in spite of its
comparatively short play through. But those expecting deep, engaging
puzzles or levels meant to inspire are in for a disappointment. The game
is much more about the next enemy encounter, the next bloody fight --
not about moving stone blocks to trigger a door. That's not a bad thing
-- just a consideration.
credit
Posted by Lulu.
April 17, 2010
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Posted by Lulu.
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