Gamers, even us old guys, are spoiled. Never satisfied. I dislike swordplay games like "The Two Towers" because frankly I find the controls and combos too difficult to master. Then comes "Bloodrayne" and I'm annoyed because all I need to do is face the general direction of my foe and rapidly tap a single button (L1 by default in this case) and *snicker-snak* he -- or it -- is hacked to pieces. Could we have a skill level in between, please?
The game begins atmospherically (is that a word?) enough with a nice cut scene and a promising sense of dread, but the chills soon fade away.
It's cool as the half-vampiress / protagonist to increase one's health level by sucking blood, but it's too easy and too repetitive. It would be fun to sneak up on victims rather than just leap at them. And once you are biting someone, they can't really harm you, even if they have a gun (though it's funny when they shoot helplessly into the air).
There's also something very awkward about the gun and ammo gathering, and the weapon-switching is limited and hard to read, too.
There's a cool "blood rage" mode of play, similar to Max Payne's "bullet time", but it isn't as clear when and how long it can be used. On the other hand, I'm grateful that one can scoot along power lines more easily than Max could walk a thin line in his drugged dreams! It would be pretty bad if a vampire was so uncoordinated.
This game has other surprises, a great overall concept, and a nice forward sense of movement. I enjoyed it, though wish it had been scarier and perhaps more difficult. I liked the mild puzzles (e.g., how to get into a locked building).
Final word? I'd say I'm into it without totally loving it, and would recommend it (with some reservations) to any fan of the vampire genre.
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