An X360 Game in PS3 Clothing
Theory and practice…In school, theory is the boring part of the learning process, while practice is more fun, as you test out what you’ve learned in real life situations. In some instances, especially concerning video games, that situation may be reversed. Such is the case with Vampire Rain: Altered Species. With Splinter Cell-style gameplay and animations, including superhuman vampires as the enemy, the game sounds like it should be a blast – in theory. The previews sounded good; the trailers looked great. But, when tested in real life, Vampire Rain: Altered Species failed the practical. And this time, there’s no going back to the drawing board.
Vampire Rain was released last year on the X360, where it failed to connect with gamers. After a little cosmetic-code surgery, and the addition of “Altered Species” as part of the title, the game is being released on the PS3. Do you think the developers are counting on the ignorance of PS3 players not to note that this game is a rehashed version of what has already been proven to be a flop? Hopefully, we won’t see Vampire Rain: Vamps Gone Wild released for the PC.
I really wanted to like this game. I love Splinter Cell and still consider it to be the best game I’ve ever played. Its status as a classic is not in any way challenged by Vampire Rain. Although it relies heavily on stealth – it relies too heavily on stealth. At least in Splinter Cell, you have strategic options. In Vampire Rain, those options are severely limited. The game is incredibly linear, giving you no chance to apply creative strategy to any given situation. Despite the appearance of weapons to defend yourself with, the main gameplay mantra is “Don’t be seen or you’re dead.”
John Lloyd is the star of the show, if that’s his real name. (Do you ever wonder why these guys don’t have last names like Kshywiecki or Goldberg? Just wondering). He’s part of a special military squad created by the American government to tackle the threat known as Nightwalkers. He’s aided by a couple of goons and the requisite dame. Fortunately, it’s not these characters that give you a headache by getting in your way or failing to take cover, it’s the gameplay design. Lloyd is deemed suited for the task at hand as he’s the only human to ever survive an encounter with the Nightwalkers. As I already mentioned, the Nightwalkers are superhuman vampires. Their numbers are ever-increasing, as new victims are captured and transformed in vamps daily. Lloyd and his team’s mandate is to thin out the herd and take out the leaders of the pack.
Rain, apparently, adversely affects the Nightwalkers senses, and does so forever. These vamps slog through the streets like alcoholics after a visit to an all-you-can-drink buffet. They are absolutely stunned. Some don’t even move. They just sit there, staring off into space. That is until you make your presence known. The instant that you make a noise or walk into their line of sight, it’s game over. They suddenly come alive and surround you before you can defend yourself. Within two hits, you’re done for. There are weapons, but, for the most part, they are useless. The machine gun is only useful as a ranged weapon, since the vamps are quick to swarm you, and the pistol doesn’t pack enough punch. The shotgun makes a great one-hit kill, but its appearance in the game is limited.
The only way to make it through these vamp-infested streets is with stealth. You must proceed with caution, but it’s not so easy. First of all, since the game is linear, there are no alternate paths. You have to go where the game wants you to go and that’s right through the middle of vamp country. Like Sam Fisher, you’re equipped with special vision goggles, and you have the ability to scale walls and pipes. The vamps aren’t always in their natural state. They take on human characteristics. You will need to activate the Necrovision on your goggles to identify the vamps. It will also enable you to see their line of sight, in the form of a radar display. This is the area you want to stay out of.
Even when the vamps are alerted to your presence, they still aren’t very intelligent. If they fail to find you after a short while, they totally forget what they were looking for and return to whatever the hell they were doing, which is usually nothing. When you finally encounter a boss, then you get a decent fight. For whatever reason, that is never explained, the bosses can’t kill you instantly. It can take up to 10 hits to kill you instead of just a couple. While it makes no sense, at least it’s a fair fight. The minions should have been programmed with less power.
The only weapon you can count on is the VU knife. It can only be used for stealth kills. It’s not very forgiving. You have to get really close to the vamps, and be in the right position to activate it properly. When it works, it does the trick but it does get boring using the same weapon most of the time.
Online modes include Deathmatch variations with up to eight players, but good luck finding anyone to play against. Players can assume the role of either the vamps or the human squad members.
Vampire Rain is a drab-looking game, and not just because of the weather effects. The streets are low res, empty, flat, and architecturally unimaginative. The character models are basic and repetitive. They animate awkwardly. The voiceovers are a mixed bag of over-the-top camp and weak recitation. Only the ambient music shows any sign of effort and originality. The general lack of production values is inconsistent with a current-gen console game. Even at the reduced price, you aren’t getting what you pay for. Like the vampires portrayed here, this game just plain sucks.
RATING OUT OF 5 RATING DESCRIPTION 2.8 Graphics
Drab, dreary, and flat. Repetitive character models. Not up to current-gen quality. 4.0 Control
Control system is responsive enough, but there are some collision detection issues. 2.5 Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
The ambient music is good, but the voiceovers are everything but. 2.4 Play Value
Linear gameplay with extremely limited strategic options. Not much fun. 2.6 Overall Rating – Average
Not an average. See Rating legend above for a final score breakdown.
Game Features: