Dracula: Origin

Dracula: Origin
Format: Windows
Released: May 2008
DEVELOPER: Frogwares
ESRB RATING: T (Teen)

Plot:
Assume the role of Professor Van Helsing, the celebrated vampire hunter, on the hunt for Dracula, who himself is on a quest for a mysterious manuscript that will give him the power to raise the dead. Your goal is to prevent Dracula from finding and using this manuscript, and killing him in order to liberate the souls of all those who have had the misfortune to cross his path. Using conventional Point & Click gameplay, Dracula: Origin is an adventure supported by impeccable graphics and a rich storyline taking you to London, Egypt, Austria and, of course, to Transylvania; the famous home of the great vampire. The world, inspired by the celebrated author Bram Stoker, is reproduced through 2D environments and animated 3D characters. All of the elements essential to the Dracula story, including horror, love, blood, crucifixes, stakes and garlic, are included in a disturbing and absorbing Gothic atmosphere.

80% IGN (Highest Rating)
An elegant piece of work visually, using well-known fictional characters and blending it into a fun and challenging adventure game. Everything ranging from the puzzles to the music fit in perfectly with the story. Note that this game is not ground-breaking in any way.

70% GameSpot (Lowest Rating)
Spooky atmosphere and a great story save Dracula: Origin from being a formulaic pixel hunt.

Offical Website: http://www.dracula-origin.com/en/

Vampire: The Masquerade Redemption

Vampire: The Masquerade Redemption
Format: Windows / Mac
Released: June 2000
Nihilistic Software



In the game’s storyline, the protagonist Christof falls in love with a nun named Anezka who tends his wounds after he falls in battle. Christof, not fully recovered, ventures into the Bonn Silver Mines (near Prague) to kill Azhra, a twisted Tzimisce vampire. His glorious return to Prague doesn't go unnoticed by the local vampire leaders and soon he is embraced (turned into a vampire) by Ecaterina the Wise, leader of the Brujah clan, as to boost the ranks of vampires in preparation for a brewing battle between vampire clans.

Having been made one of the undead, the passionate crusader has to realize that he deviated from his religious mission long ago; being only a mundane soldier, he was easy prey for the vampires. His rebellious nature, however, urges him to find a way to redeem his soul, perhaps by regaining his mortal state. But before long, in a move designed to torment Christof (in retaliation for dispatching Azhra), the nun is kidnapped and turned into a ghoul.



This changes Christof's part in the course of events, since he is now being wracked with guilt as he feels his affection towards Anezka led her down a path of sin. Christof swears to face the vampires who took her and restore her life as human.


In his quest, being a powerful vampire, he must learn to conquer his dark side and gain experience with his new powers (vampiric disciplines, similar to spells) to fight against a world of darkness that unfolds before him, as he learns more about this new world he is now a part of, while struggling to maintain his humanity and the faith he once had as a holy knight.





Christof eventually finds the vampires responsible only to find the pure woman of God that he fell in love with is now a twisted, violated creature of the night who shuns him as an emotional weakling. In a climactic battle he is buried under tonnes of rubble, only to awaken centuries later in the modern world, uncovered by an archæological dig, and faced by a whole new series of challenges – including as a fearsome new enemy whose actions may well doom the entire world. The game sports three different possible outcomes, depending on certain choices in the game which affected Christof’s humanity level either negatively or positively.

Twelve of the thirteen great vampire clans (from the original storytelling game) feature in Redemption, in one form or another. The only exception are the Ravnos, a nomadic clan of Roma (Gypsy) background.


Offical site: http://www.nihilistic.com/vampire_story.htm






96% Gamer's Pulse
One of the best games I've ever played. Can't get enough of it.

50% Daily Radar
Unfortunately, it also has crippling flaws that suck fun out of gameplay like a starving Nosferatu gnawing on a rat.

Vampire Rain

Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines
Format: Xbox 360
Released : 2007
Online: Up to 8 players
AQ Interactive / Microsoft

You are a part of a Special Forces team tasked with removing the Nightwalkers in all their gore and supernatural strength before they overrun the world – and before the public finds out about them. Features powerful, wicked fast Nightwalkers. Utilize weapons, strategy and even the environment (Rain weakens Nightwalker power). Mix it up; missions have a beginning and end – you decide everything in the middle. Dark, intense, eerie world expands as you play.

Office Site: http://www.microsoft.com/xbox/vampirerain/





Highest review.
64% GameBrink

A very mediocre game from developer Artoon just like their last effort "Bullet Witch." If you love the genre then you might consider this one a rainy day at the bargain bin. [JPN Import]

Lowest Review
15% Xbox 360 Advanced
In the end, the game suffers from the biggest sin you could think of: It’s just not fun to play.

Over all, probably one to avoid.

Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines

Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines

Format: PC
Released :2004
Activision

Presenting Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines, a visually stunning first-person role-playing adventure that combines intense first-person action with an open, non-linear world, rich character development and an immersive storyline. Built using Valve Source Technology - the same game engine technology used to power Half-Life 2, Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines is based on White Wolf's pen-and-paper RPG series, and developed by renowned RPG developer - Troika Games. The game plunges players into the dark and gritty vampire underworld of modern day L.A. as a creature of the night, interacting with and battling mortals and other creatures of darkness with an incredible array of vampire powers, skills and traits. [Activision]

Offical Site: www.vampirebloodlines.com/

The game has an 80% average, from 61 reviews.

Highest review.
94% GamingTrend
The use of the Source engine gave Troika the ability to use their talents on fleshing out the incredible storyline and remarkable atmosphere.

Lowest Review
60% Edge Magazine
It remains compelling, but much of that compulsion is in expecting the game to truly deliver - a moment you'll likely still be awaiting at the anticlimactic conclusion.

Over all, I here great things about this game.