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Facts AND opinions on VampireRain - to help you choose

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 20 / 22
Date: July 14, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Tellurye is going to break it down for you. As owner of Fedora Technologies (www.fedoratech.com) we get access to lots of goodies. I've had the chance to try this bad boy out immediately. What stands our company out is, yes I give you my opinion, but I will also state facts - this helps the user decide on whether they want to buy it. Not just "its good" or "bad". So let me sum up.

STORY: You are John Llyod, part of a Special Forces team set on a rainy night in LA taking out vampires (also called NightWalkers), rescuing a kidnapped professor from their hold, and unraveling the events behind how this Plague came to the city. Just like other folks said, this is Splinter Cell like. Although you CANNOT engage the vampires for the first third of the game. (well, you can...we'll get to that in a minute) They can run FAST, and kill within seconds (and the standard weapons do no good) so don't bother shooting or trying to outrun them and get to a hiding spot to "lose" them. That won't happen here. Think of this as Metal Gear Solid where you had to sneak much of the same amount of the game before you actually acquired a weapon. Same thing here. You are forced to think of alternate routes, watch their patrol pattern, to get to your objective.

GAMEPLAY: Let me also clear up some of myths. Vamps DO show up on radar, but not at first. If moving slowly enough, they eventually show up on radar with their cone of vision as soon as they are on your screen, or if you go into Necro mode (like HeatVision, but vampires stand out differently than humans). and lock on to them. So, you have to engage Necro Vision, or hug a wall and rotate your camera around the corner for it to register. Needless to say you have to proceed carefully. You cannot run or walk fast throughout the level. Don't take for granted that it's a dead end alley and no vampires will be standing there smoking - they will be. This forces you to be 100% stealthy and look at EVERY corner before advancing. Sounds annoying but it really wasn't. Levels went by pretty easy for me. Plus, this was VERY intense and suspenseful. It did not take me forever, but it was realistic. If you were really trying to sneak into a building, you wouldn't walk quickly up to it, you would look at every angle to see the best way in, make sure there weren't patrolling guards, etc. You are given a warning - transparent white overlay of vampire eyes and an awesome sound let you know you are in danger of being seen. The game is somewhat forgiving in even if you are somewhat close to them, it still gives you time to run back to get out of their line of sight. Of course, you only have 5 seconds or so to do this. If not, then it is over for you. So its not like "Ooop, he saw me, I'm dead" unless you ran every where and don't have time to get out of their sight.

You can engage the enemy, but very unwise to do so, unless you have the sniper rifle or shotgun, which usually takes them down in one shot. The other weapons you have, take roughly 15 - 20 bullets (not location specific) to bring them down. This can be easy if they are on the same level as you, you are a good distance enough away from them to get all 15-20 rounds off, as they literally run right towards you - they don't do any defensive maneuvers. However, if you are on a rooftop and they are on the ground (or vice versa) they will jump to get to you and it can be hard to hit them while flying or running left to right / strafing if obstacles are in their way. Hence that's why its best to not engage them at all.

The guns that CAN kill the vampires are pretty cool. However, you lose them by the time you get to the next level. Pretty dumb. I suppose this is a way the developers didn't want you blowing the two-thirds of the game thru in 15 minutes. Games like this have been much criticized. However, they could have done something more realistic, such as make ammo scarce so that you would have to survive on guns AND stealth.

Game does a great job with added suspense by dropping vampires in front of you with their back turned to you on purpose. This scares the crap outta you, but they purposely don't "see you" unless you were running at the time, and they jump away. This gives you that "oh crap" feeling like "Man don't turn around". But they never do - I think the developers just put that in there for fun to remind you, that vamps can travel via the rooftops, not just the streets.

The boss stages are almost too easy. There is a difficulty setting that you can adjust. That really only effects the bosses more so, since even on easy, you cannot engage the enemy in the first third. The bosses are weird in that they take their sweet time reloading their weapon, or standing there. The only challenge really are the regular vampires that you have to sneak by. But, there is a boss or two that are challenging. Almost as if the developers spent time on the nightwalkers, and blew off the boss stages.

The biggest problem with this game, is where there is a positive, there is almost a matching negative. Almost a 1:1 ratio. The game is pretty forgiving. Even though these Vamps are super human, they can't see you thru fog or walls. They explain the dense rain weakens their otherwise super human senses. And when you get killed, you spawn near the checkpoint or when the last cutscene played, but NOT near the vamp or his/her line of sight. So you don't respawn right in front of danger or in an impossible spot, nor do you have to spend another 10 - 15 minutes getting back to where you were. Although, you may decide you do need to backtrack if you think "hey, too many vampires, let's backtrack to that ladder and try taking the roof". The checkpoints did take a while to get to, but like I stated, the fact that you can "continue" makes it go by fast. Although, this does subtract from your score. But then again, so does selecting "restart", so there you have it. Some sequences are scripted no matter what - A nightwalker will "hear" you even though you haven't moved a muscle and will begin to search for you. Kind of sucks, but again, good cause then you only have about 30 seconds to find a hiding spot. This does add to the suspense, but again, its forced. This is extremely rare in the game, but does happen. This unnecessarily adds to a painful trial-and-error game.

Along those lines, not much replay value, except online. It is easy to memorize a level, if you wanted to do it again. You can then run everywhere since you know where all the baddies are. However, there are multiple paths to get to your objective in the single-player game, and I enjoyed finding quicker rooftop paths, or longer but more visually appealing choices. But, with no different unlockables due to a great score, there is little reason to do so.

Multiplayer is fun with Deathmatch, Death or Nightwalker, destroy or capture the flag. However, there is no co-op mode for the mission. Nothing really to shout about here.

GRAPHICS: The graphics here are nothing to brag about. The environments were very detailed and nice, but not as good lookin as Gears of War or Splinter Cell, but I thought definitely better than PS2 quality. They look believable and are detailed environments. Not just similar empty rooms. However, the rain (which persists throughout the entire game) IS PHENOMENAL! The way it glistens and stands on the rooftops, streets, cars, and even the characters are incredible - really pushed the 360 to its max in this area. The intro and cutscenes are awesomely done - very movie-like. The plot seems a little weird. And the voice acting - even worse. Questions are answered but may not tie all the action together (why did I have to travel rooftops and climb fences to go to that building again...if you have a VAN?. And why backtrack through an early level - shouldn't you have ordered me to do that BEFORE we took the house?)

SOUND: The music that accompanies the game, while I usually turn this off, does a good job to let you know when danger is approaching, or as you dive deeper into surreal, seedy environments. The "woosh" sound and music that is played, as your controller vibrates when an enemy spots you really sends chills up your spine. Even if you don't swear when you are scared, you will playing this game, and not just out of frustration either.

I would recommend, based on polls from folks and reading their posts, that you download the demo (not in US yet, but you can easily make a Japanese or UK account on XBL in minutes - that's what I did, and download from there), rent it, or borrow from a friend and see for yourself. I LOVE games like this, but even I wouldn't pay $60 for it. I'd wait till it drops to about $40. It has its ups and downs - you die fast, yet respawn in a great spot; regular vamps are tough, bosses are laughably easy; finally get a weapon, only to lose it on the next level.

I think you see where I'm going with this. This game showed great promise, but feels rushed out the door. If you like a little faster paced like Splinter Cell or MGS, then I'd stay away from this one for a while. However, if you like taking your time, really looking at the level and absorbing all the environments, and proceed methodically, then this may be up your alley. Either way, I would rent or demo it before shelling out the 60 Washington's.

Please rate and let me know what else I can comment on!

WHy was this game given such bad reviews, it could be a lot WORSE!!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 9 / 11
Date: July 10, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Okay first let me say that I absolutely love this Genre type more than any other (more than FPS, RPG's, Driving, Etc...) although I do love playing games from other genres, this is my fave, so my review may be slightly Bias. I also totally agree with the "Swampfox" On many points. This is exactly the type of game I get into, a stealthy 3rd Person shooter with Vampires, like "Swampfox" previously mention it is EXACTLY like playing a Splinter Cell game with Vampires. I love the Splinter Cell series and I have found myself loving this game also. Don't get me wrong I can truly see how someone could find this game a little cliché or cheesy like a B rated movie, but who doesn't enjoy a good B rate movie sometimes? So there are flaws and there isn't much in the way of ingenuity when it comes to the controls or game play, but the concept is pretty fresh and original. Sneaky around and taking out Vampires how cool is that?? If you don't want to read any further in to my lengthy review I will say this...if you like Resident Evil, Splinter Cell, any games in that Genre you WILL have fun with this game!! I can't stop playing it, it is not going to blow anyone away, but what it does do, it does well and I have played a LOT worse games, believe me.

Onto to the in depth review:

Graphics: 4 out 0f 5 - this games graphics wont have you screaming WOW, but it wont have you saying "YUCK" either. The backgrounds and characters look very clean and crisp!! No Jaggies, or interruption during game play!! It is not the best game visually, but it is good enough, to not take anything away from the game.

Sound: 3 out 5 - Really nothing outstanding here, voice acting is cheesy, as with lot of games though. Rain and vampire special effects are pretty good, but again nothing to write home or complain about either. Really average in this respect.

Controls: 5 out of 5 - Okay this is where the games really takes off for me!! The controlling of your main character is VERY solid, it mirrors Splinter Cell's movement so much I almost thought I was playing as Sam Fisher a couple of times. I think this may be where a lot of critics had problems, was that it controls TOO much like another game, but in my opinion that is definitely not a bad thing AT ALL. Like I said I love the way Splinter Cell controls, more than any other stealthy game out there, so this was a BIG plus for me in this game.

Gameplay: 5 out of 5 - This is also another Big selling point for me. The gameplay starts a little slow especially in the tutorials, but things pick up as the game progresses and they allow you to play any level over and over to better your score at the end of a level. THIS IS A STEALTH BASED GAME!! I absolutely love the fact that if you are not stealthy and get spotted by a Vampire they are pretty much going rip you to shreds if you don't have the right weapons. If you are spotted and attacked they will kill with 2 hits, which put a major emphasis on the STEALTH. You must be stealthy or you will die...period and I love it because the stealth is done right. There is that feeling of suspense and a little frustration there like when you first played Resident Evil and you were about to run out of bullets while shooting a zombie or getting caught in Splinter Cell and having the entire mission end because you got caught. Great Gameplay!!

Story (So Far): 3 out of 5 - the story doesn't suck, but it is definitely not enough to keep a hardcore story driven gamers interested, but luckily the addictive Game play makes up for it. You are basically trying to take your city back that has been over run by the Night walkers, like I said though this is the story (so far), could possibly get better.

Bottom Line: If you are looking for a challenging game, with good graphics and a style of game play that you are used to in the likes of the Splinter Cell series, then I highly recommend this game. Don't get me wrong there are issues or little things that could have been done different to make the game better, but has anyone ever played a perfect game with no issues? I truly do not see why the critics absolutely shredded this game in their reviews the way they did, because believe me I have seen and played a WHOLE LOT WORSE in this and other genres. I absolutely feel that if you enjoy this genre the way I do, you would really be missing out on a good, fun game if you don't buy or at least rent this game!

Splinter Cell with Vampires

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 9 / 13
Date: July 06, 2007
Author: Amazon User

For some reason a lot of people have scorched this game. I wonder if they really gave this game a chance. First of all, for those who call this game corny or cheesy: that is the genre. What do you expect from a game called Vampire Rain, that has a stealth team hunting vampires. It is beautiful amazing cheesy/corny, that's the point. It is no worse than Resident Evil, Silent Hill, or Metal Gear Solid. Have you ever listened to the dialog in those games? I rest my case. Gameplay is exactly a mix of Splinter Cell, Metal Gear Solid, and Resident Evil (with Vmapires instead of Zombies). Early in the game you have to move through a vampire-infested city, avoiding detection while acomplishing mission objectives along with your special ops team (I guess there is a little Rainbow Six in this game as well). Later in the game (where many critics have likely never made it) you gain the weaponry to take the fight to the Nightwalkers (Vampires). I am many hours and missions into the game and I can't put it down. The game also lets you replay any mission to try to better your score/rating. My only wish is that it included co-op multiplayer through the main story. Don't listen to the critics. If you like Resident Evil, Splinter Cell, and Metal Gear Solid (all great games), this game is their offspring. Rent first if you must. But I bought this game along with The Darkness (also a great game), but I find myself liking Vampire Rain more than The Darkness.

frustrating

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 6 / 7
Date: October 18, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I made the mistake of purchasing this game before seeing reviews or playing a demo of any kind.

I got it the week it came out, but got frustrated and bored very VERY quickly after getting into the game.

As most reviewers before me have said, graphics definitely aren't next-gen HI-DEF by any stretch of the mind, I wouldn't say they are downright worst I have ever seen but it's not anywhere near where the graphics should be on a 360.

I don't mind games where you can't take 100 hits before being killed. I loved rainbow six vegas. But, this game... the absolutely most by far frustrating thing in this game is when you are seen and if you do not manage to unload an entire clip into the vampire before it gets to you, you have ALMOST a zero percent chance of living, they hit you once and it takes off 3/4 of your life. almost immediately after they first strike you and knock you back, you are hit a second time and it is game over and time to reload the checkpoint and probably have the same thing happen again.

I will admit I haven't beaten the entire game yet. I played it for a while when I first got it but then put it away for a while due to frustrating gameplay. I have started it back up but only because since I paid 60 bucks for it I might as well complete it before I turn it in for something else.

Also, As I mentioned, it does tend to be extremely boring at times. I wouldn't consider it an action game, or at least not a very good one, Because there is hardly any real action in the game asides from your character being killed. Rest of the game is slowly walking *sneaking* around town and AVOIDING all you see. So, if you want to kill a lot of vampires, dont get this game. Get Rainbow Six instead, it's still one of the best realistic action/fps games I've played on the 360. Or even get BioShock or Stranglehold if you like action.

If your still interested in the game, because you enjoy the whole stealth concept. Try to find a demo first before buying to make sure.

It Gets Good After about 5 Hours

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: August 17, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Every bad review I've read on this game was done by someone who picked it up, played for an hour or two, and got frustrated and quit. Those kinds of people describe it as difficult and linear, which it is not. No one I've talked to who actually played the game to the point where you get good weapons gave it less than 4 stars or so

When you start out, you're equipped with a silenced pistol that is basically useless, and nothing else. The whole game is just you sneaking around trying to avoid vampires, much like Theif or Splinter Cell. Tons of sneaking, not much else. I hated it

Then, as you complete a few levels, you gradually get better weapons, and the game becomes much more action-oriented and less stealth-oriented. There is still alot of stealth in it, but its not 99% stealth like the first 2 or 3 levels are.

Once you get the sniper rifle, you're free to sneak up to buildings and snipe at some vampires. Generally you don't have enough ammo to kill them all, but you can choose your own routes to your objectives and clear some of the vamps from whatever route you pick, making this game non-linear. You do not have to follow a set line unless you waste all your bullets, then there may only be one way for you to do it at that point, but that's not the game's fault

As you go, you get new weapons, which add to the non-linearity and give you more choices. Shotguns are great, and kill several vamps at once, but are loud and will bring every vamp on a level running unless you use them indoors or underground. UV knives are silent but single-use, and you have to sneak close to use them. UV mines are good but you have to set them in a vamp's path and then set them off, etc. Not to mention that some of the later levels are you and your team taking on vamps in a full on shoot out, more like Rainbow 6 or Ghost Recon than Splinter Cell

So basically this game is what you make of it. If you want stealth, its there. If you want to use your head and kill specific vampires with the right weapons, its almost a shooter. But you have to give it more than a cursory try to get the real game out of it

The worst Xbox 360 game ever.

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 4 / 7
Date: September 11, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Vampire Rain I must say, is the opposite of Bioshock. While that game is
most likely going to be rated game of the year, Vampire Rain should be rated worst game of the year. There are quite a few reasons why this game sucks. For one thing, by the way the graphics look I would think this to be a Xbox, not a Xbox 360 game. The game itself is beyond boring. The first mission is just a training session where you do nothing but follow a teammate and basically just do whatever he does. There is really no point in having any weapons in the game because once you finally run into the first vampire in the game, you are sure to be dead. You can shoot it right in the head and there will be no effect. You will be lucky to even get a chance to fire your weapon because once it sees you, you're dead...kills you instantaneously. Really the object of the game is to "avoid contact with the enemy" as your teammate orders you to do. You have to hide from the vampires and stay on one correct path to progress through the mission. If you try to go your own way, you will hear in cheesy voice acting "Did you forget your mission, soldier?" If you are looking for a kickass game where you go through killing the hell out of everyone in your path, then this is not the game for you. These people who are giving it 3-5 star reviews are stupid and/or just don't know anything about video games. I guess they are just so desperate to play a Xbox 360 game and are willing to play whatever they can get their hands on. GameInformer Magazine rated Bioshock 10 out of 10 while in the same issue they rated Vampire Rain 1.5!. Hell, I even know someone who rented this game and scratched it up deliberately just to get his money back. It sucks that bad. Let this be a warning to smart gamers.

Insanely difficult

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: January 07, 2008
Author: Amazon User

*MINOR SPOILERS*

1-Gameplay: This is not a Resident Evil style "shoot em' up" action game. It is about 90% stealth based, 5% sniper based, and 5% boss battles. If stealth play is your thing, this has plenty. Trust me when I say, the stealth aspect can be very frustrating at times. The main character will die a LOT in this game.

2-Enemies: The standard vampires tend to be tougher than the bosses. If they see you and then hit you twice, you're dead. End of story. There are only about 4 weapons in the game that can take them down. One of them is a sniper rifle that has to be used from a distance, the shotgun you only have for about 3-4 stages, and the "cannon rifle" or whatever it's called you don't get until the very end of the game. The other is a UV knife that is for stealth kills ONLY. The boss battles are challenging enough to not be total push-over; however they can still be very frustrating at times. ESPECIALLY the last two bosses.

3 Graphics: Not the greatest in the world, but not the worst either. The CGI movies and cut-scenes were decent, but did look like they were from last-gen consoles at times.

4 Story: Not a cohesive plot. About what you would expect from a "good" B movie. Not Oscar material, but not terrible either. Some decent suspense, but some corny lines like Mission Commander: "When I get my hands on who did this!" after finding a dead team member, and then when they do get their hands on the person, they do absolutely NOTHING. My personal favorite aspect of the story is the mission commander always giving you the garbage work, ex. "You distract the nightwalkers and take down the communications tower. We'll stay with the command vehicle and make sure everything is ok." "You find a way to the top of the crane past those 10 nightwalkers while we stay here and hide behind this dumpster to make sure there's not a safer way around."

5 Overall recommendations: Pick up a cheap used copy if you enjoy stealth games, or are a glutton for punishment at the hands of a truly difficult game that drops you into no win situation after no win situation that you have to use imagination to get out of. When you finish the game, you WILL feel like you have accomplished something.

its not bad at all...

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 2 / 4
Date: September 06, 2007
Author: Amazon User

i know this game it seems kinda corny but its not and i don't know why people hate this game from the beginning ...this game have only two realy bad bad things 1. the storyline is weak(even the female character its not hot, iknow there is no matching) .
2.no one play it on x box live(by the way most the achievement you will get it there)

Not bad, but not great.

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: September 04, 2007
Author: Amazon User

If your thinking about getting this, first make sure you know exactly what you are expecting out of it. If you are fresh from next-gen innovators such as "Gears of War", "Bio Shock", "Oblivion" and the like and are hungry for more, you will be sorely disappointed here. On the other hand, if your craving a decent steath game to tide you over until the next "Metal Gear" or "Splinter Cell", then you will have a right fine time with "Vampire Rain".

Graphics: Functionally solid, they neither impress nor irritate. The enviroments are a tad bland, but the character models and rain effects are nice.

Sound: Mixed bag, enviromental sounds create an effective atmosphere, but gun sounds are limp. Voice acting is pretty cheesy, which may be a plus if you take it the right way.

Gameplay: The deal breaker for many. It's "Slinter Cell", but with vampires. If you enjoyed those mechanics, you can enjoy this. The only major difference here are the bad guys; there is no sneaking up slowly and breaking a terrorists neck, oh lordy no, more than almost any stealth game I've ever played you will do everything in your power to avoid running into the villans. Why? Because these Vampires are retardedly lethal. If you get spotted, you have all of zero chance of getting away alive, as the vampire will clear a distance of a hundred yards to you in a matter of seconds and will tear you apart in 2 swipes of it's claws. The enemy lethality seems to substitute for an alarm system and does add to the tension (and frustration) of the game. Later on you get some weapons to fight back and it's a welcome change of pace, but still be prepared to die often.

Overall: A solid, if unmemorable stealth game that has it's share of up and downs but should satisfy genre fans until the big dogs come to play again.

Why hate this game?

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: April 18, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I know most people hate this game becasue of it's difficulty and mortal characters that actually can't go toe to toe with vampires. The difficuly and cunning is what it takes and make this game awesome, plus the tension is this amazing game can be cut with a knife, great tense game of stelth.

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