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[Yuterald]

Yikes, that's a nice run. I didn't know you could hit many of the treasures through the floor. I hadn't thought about using that air kick to position enemies either. I rarely do mid air moves at all.

I'm curious, do you play with the d-pad or analog stick?

I like using the d-pad. I never actually tried playing with the analog stick.

 

[Giolon]

What is major (well, more major, at least) are the graphical differences. First of all, the color is a bit better on the Xbox 360. Blacks are inky and the constant splashes of red really stand out. The PS3 version looks somewhat dull by comparison, though the difference is subtle. What was particularly striking, however, was the difference in clarity. The PS3 version looks quite blurry in places whereas the entire vista is razor sharp on the 360. For one comparison, I looked at Rayne when she's sitting at a fountain after you continue. Stare at her cleavage. Go on - you know you want to. You'll notice that the PS3 version lacks definition while the 360 exhibits no such issue. Some art assets seem blurrier than others, but as a whole, the game simply looks worse. No matter how you slice it, the 360 version is the way to go.

I have both versions, and I have to call shenanigans on this. Both my PS3 and 360 are set to output 1080p over HDMI to my TV and both of their input settings have been calibrated using AVIA. There is absolutely no difference between the color saturation of the two versions.

Additionally, while the image of the PS3 version is slightly softer than the Xbox 360 version, it's so slight, that I literally have to walk up to my 40" TV, get 12" away from it and really look for areas of difference between the two. At 2 feet, the differences cease to be noticeable.

So yes, if you want to get really nitpicky, the 360 version is marginally sharper at the cost of a couple extra seconds of load time, but calling the differences between the two major at all is an exaggeration.

Pick the one who's controller you like better (360 for me, I bought the PS3 version b/c I didn't want to wait another 24 hours to play the whole thing).

On a separate note, the game just isn't clicking for me as well as I'd hoped. I managed to get an A on Stage 1 after dozens of retries. I always end up locked in some animation that prevents me from getting the dodge I need in time. I also have a problem reliably getting X, X, X, X differentiated from X, X (slight pause) X, X. The timing difference is too tight. I'd prefer it to be slightly wider like Bayonetta's. And the lack of i-Frames after getting hit is absolutely infuriating. One hit chains into five. Ugh! I don't actively dislike the game, but there's a lot of aspects to it that are really frustrating. The platforming in Chapter 8 I started rating with WTFs per minutes, particularly the last sequence. I read Shidoshi's review, but it still took me aback.

Also, the game semi-reliably locks up the entire console on both platforms at a specific fight in Chapter 7. I reported the issue to Wayforward and they said they'd see if they can reproduce it. I had it happen 1/2 times I played that chapter on PS3 and 2/3 times I played the chapter on 360.

 

[Danny Dudekisser]

I have both versions, and I have to call shenanigans on this. Both my PS3 and 360 are set to output 1080p over HDMI to my TV and both of their input settings have been calibrated using AVIA. There is absolutely no difference between the color saturation of the two versions.

Additionally, while the image of the PS3 version is slightly softer than the Xbox 360 version, it's so slight, that I literally have to walk up to my 40" TV, get 12" away from it and really look for areas of difference between the two. At 2 feet, the differences cease to be noticeable.

So yes, if you want to get really nitpicky, the 360 version is marginally sharper at the cost of a couple extra seconds of load time, but calling the differences between the two major at all is an exaggeration.

Pick the one who's controller you like better (360 for me, I bought the PS3 version b/c I didn't want to wait another 24 hours to play the whole thing).

Well, I'm not changing the OP.

 

[Moofers]

Got a "review copy" from PR for the PS3 version of this. So with that out there in the open, I want to say that I really like this game. So much so that I'm putting my money where my mouth is and buying it on X360 next week when I had planned on buying the PS3 version.

What I like:

-The music! Oh my god the music is fantastic. Its like heavy metal Castlevania remixes. Really good stuff. I got permission to use a track on my podcast this week to illustrate some points I want to make about it. Very happy for that.

-The art. I love the way Rayne looks and animates, and the enemies all have really cool designs and animations as well. The "killing blows" are nice because each enemy seems to have like 3 special ways to die aside from the regular "hit em until they fall over" way.

-Especially digging the stages as well. Right away you are treated to levels where the moon is HUGE in the background. Feels like Halloween! I love that. The indoor areas feel like Dracula's castle too, which I dig on. Big massive rooms with long staircases and tapestries hanging everywhere. Good shit.

-The combat is deeper than I realized at first. Feels like Marvel vs Capcom the way I'm charging into enemies, hitting them like 4 times, launching them into the air, continuing the combo in air, then smashing them down into the ground or across the room. Very cool.

-The platforming. Yeah, its tough at times, but its well-designed and constantly showing you that you are capable of some pretty amazing moves that seemed impossible moments before you pulled them off.

What I don't like:

-Control is just a hair off. I wish Rayne didn't slide to a stop when landing or running. Running I could live with, but when I'm jumping forward and have a small platform to land on, I'd like it if she stuck the landing rather than slide to a stop. It makes the tougher areas that much more difficult.

-More enemy variety, please! The enemies all look great, but there needs to be like twice as many. I wouldn't care if they behaved the same, I just want new things to look at. Especially since what we have looks so good already.

-More music! The soundtrack is excellent, but some of the songs are repeated for 3 or even 4 stages in a row. I'd like songs to be used no more than twice. Ideally, it'd be awesome to have 15 unique songs, but I'd settle for 8.

What I would improve for next time:

-I'd like to see this go more in the direction of Symphony of the Night. I'm thinking equipable armor and weapons, special spells and items, etc. Let them drop from enemies and be sold in a shop too.

-Let Rayne level up like in SotN as well. The skulls are fun to obtain, so keep those as some kind of bonus like maybe boosting the stat of your choice, but leveling up after so many kills or boss battles would be fun.

-Open world. Again, Metroidvania would serve this franchise well. Put like 10 bosses on a huge map and let Rayne go fight them all in any order she wants. No need to lock off sections in the name of progression, just put it all there and let the player have at it. I realize this would mean the end of performance ratings for stages, but a bigger and deeper BloodRayne would be sweet. Maybe track the boss fights as a consolation?


So that's everything I wanted to say about it. Great game for sure. I really think this could be the start of a new direction for BloodRayne and this game definitely turned some heads. Now I just want to see it get a sequel that expands on all of it.

 

[notworksafe]

Well, I'm not changing the OP.

You'd rather have an inaccurate OP take about 20 seconds to change something? Well done.

Nice to see console fanboyism be so important in OTs now.

 

[Sectus]

More S rank videos...
Mission 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THpCzCOkLHc
Mission 5: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YVfofzjTWY
Mission 6: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3KmL7NIj9E

And if anyone wanna know how to get the second secret achievement, then here you go: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGsJne80F20

 

[Parallax Scroll]

I wanted to like this, but the demo was the opposite of fun. It's never a good sign when I want to just run past the enemies so I won't have to deal with fighting them.

 

[Danny Dudekisser]

You'd rather have an inaccurate OP take about 20 seconds to change something? Well done.

Nice to see console fanboyism be so important in OTs now.

It's inaccurate because some guy conceded that the 360 version was sharper than the PS3 version, but didn't see a difference in color on his setup? He's the authority now merely because he said something? And I'm a fanboy because after testing the two versions, I concluded one was better?

I guess that is a good point.

 

[MYeager]

I love it, but I think it's a telling sign that when I got a C Rank on the first level that I ended up in the top 50 players that maybe they should have had a more in depth tutorial for the game. As it is if people try to play it as though it is Castlevania or a side scrolling platform game are going to be lost, likely die a lot, and quit in frustration.

 

[Sectus]

I love it, but I think it's a telling sign that when I got a C Rank on the first level that I ended up in the top 50 players that maybe they should have had a more in depth tutorial for the game. As it is if people try to play it as though it is Castlevania or a side scrolling platform game are going to be lost, likely die a lot, and quit in frustration.

I think they should have simply added easier difficulties. Even once you learn all the mechanics, getting high ranks is really tough. An easier difficulty where enemies attack less frequently and added additional platforms to make the platforming easier would make the game a lot more accessible I think.

 

[Grisby]

Played through the demo twice. Still undecided, which usually means I should wait.

Is there anyone else that can claim the difference between the two versions. Sorry guys, don't mean too sound like a prickler and I don't want to DL the 360 demo because of bandwidth stuff.

 

[notworksafe]

It's inaccurate because some guy conceded that the 360 version was sharper than the PS3 version, but didn't see a difference in color on his setup? He's the authority now merely because he said something? And I'm a fanboy because after testing the two versions, I concluded one was better?

I guess that is a good point.

Eh I just think minor differences aren't worth dedicating a paragraph to, but I suppose you needed content to fill out your anemic OT.

For the record I have also played both and hardly noticed a difference, but I guess I'm just another opinion that doesn't count.

 

[Muchi Muchi Pink]

I love how you can have an 8-Bit remix of the music. And Rayne sitting at the fountain and drinking some win.. blood is gorgeous (or bloodtea sometimes). Superjump is well awkward. Overall I love this game, while it's not the best 2D platformer on xbox 360.

 

[Danny Dudekisser]

I'm just another opinion that doesn't count.

Now that I can be sure of.

 

[Parallax Scroll]

I like doing fun combos on enemies, but I give zero fucks about rank. Keep that rank shit out of action games.

 

[Yuterald]

I like doing fun combos on enemies, but I give zero fucks about rank. Keep that rank shit out of action games.

seriously? This does not compute with me. What's happening to this world!!!

 

[Combichristoffersen]

Downloaded the trial for PS3 and played it very briefly. The game looks gorgeous, but this admittedly isn't what I want from the franchise. But I'm glad Majesco are at least doing something with the BloodRayne IP. Well, other than having shitty directors make C-movies based on the franchise, I mean.

 

[Parallax Scroll]

seriously? This does not compute with me. What's happening to this world!!!

It's one of the reasons I don't really care for stuff like Devil May Cry either. When I play an action game, I want to kill the enemies in the most effective way I can and then move on. When I kill all the bad guys and make it out alive, and then the game says "you killed them, but you didn't kill them good enough," that's just stupid.

 

[hey_it's_that_dog]

It's inaccurate because some guy conceded that the 360 version was sharper than the PS3 version, but didn't see a difference in color on his setup? He's the authority now merely because he said something? And I'm a fanboy because after testing the two versions, I concluded one was better?

I guess that is a good point.

The guy said his TV has been calibrated. Can you say the same? You really want to stand behind claiming "major graphical differences" referring to an image that is just slightly blurrier than another? If that's "major," what would you call an actual major graphical difference? Think about the words you use if you're going to take pride in being the OP.

 

[notworksafe]

Now that I can be sure of.

You should put as much time into your OTs as your comebacks. Then they might be worth something.

What measures did you take to make sure your testing was precise. Was it just an eyeball at both and proclaiming a difference. Post some proof that you know what you're talking about before stating your crap opinion as fact.

 

[Moofers]

Can I put this system debate to bed? I've been talking to PR for the game and when they told me they would send me a review copy, I requested to get one for the lead console. The guy said "PS3 it is then" and sent me a PSN code.

So there you go.

 

[Danny Dudekisser]

Can I put this system debate to bed? I've been talking to PR for the game and when they told me they would send me a review copy, I requested to get one for the lead console. The guy said "PS3 it is then" and sent me a PSN code.

So there you go.

I emailed them and they said there was no lead platform.

There is no lead sku for BloodRayne. Sony did feature the game in its PSN Play promotion on their own accord, but it was a simultaneous launch on both Xbox and PS3.
- Aaron

Also, I didn't calibrate my TV using AVIA. I got it professionally calibrated. Just to clear that up.

 

[Uraizen]

I emailed them and they said there was no lead platform.

They don't tell commoners like yourself such things.

 

[Sectus]

I think we can all agree that the most major difference between each version is the controller. Slightly blurry graphics or a few seconds of loading time isn't as major as the difference between the PS3 and xbox pads.

 

[Moofers]

Not trying to be all "Oh I'm so fuckin cool cuz I talked to the PR guy", I was just passing on what was said to me. Take it for what you will, I suppose.

 

[Parallax Scroll]

Obviously there's a market for this kind of action game, but... i just don't get the appeal.

 

[WilyRook]

Thanks, Wayforward. In reviewspeak: Nostalgic and inspired, classic 2D action with modern sensibilities; namely liberal checkpoints and crazy movesets with mostly intuitive controls. The high jump took some getting used to. Once I find a marshmellow sandwich I'll eat one for you guys.

 

[Samus4145]

I'll be streaming Bloodrayne later on tonight on twitchtv. Hope I enjoy it.

 

[GuardianE]

Obviously there's a market for this kind of action game, but... i just don't get the appeal.

The Stylish action genre isn't for you, then. Dismissing the mechanic of grade ranking entirely is silly, though.

A person who took a beating, handled clumsily, missed jumps, missed half of his attacks, and had to drug himself on pain relievers to persevere through shouldn't get the same rank as someone who breezed through and utilized combat mechanics to play through stylishly. If you really don't care about rank, their inclusion shouldn't matter to you one way or another.

 

[codhand]

sifl and fuckin olly

 

[Parallax Scroll]

The Stylish action genre isn't for you, then. Dismissing the mechanic of grade ranking entirely is silly, though.

A person who took a beating, handled clumsily, missed jumps, missed half of his attacks, and had to drug himself on pain relievers to persevere through shouldn't get the same rank as someone who breezed through and utilized combat mechanics to play through stylishly. If you really don't care about rank, their inclusion shouldn't matter to you one way or another.

It's just not a good incentive for me to get good at the game. I learn big combos in Marvel vs Capcom because it's the most effective way to kill a guy. In a game like this, they're dead either way. Doing combos purely for style points isn't my thing.

Hell, I've played action games with ranking systems that I liked. Rank was important in Contra Shattered Soldier, but the only thing you had to do to get the best rank was kill all the enemies and not die. The game didn't give a shit what weapon you use or what order you kill the enemies in.

 

[Flayer]

It's silly that we still have console fanboyism OTs in 2011 between 360 and PS3, we are well past all that by now.

 

[GuardianE]

It's just not a good incentive for me to get good at the game. I learn big combos in Marvel vs Capcom because it's the most effective way to kill a guy. In a game like this, they're dead either way. Doing combos purely for style points isn't my thing.

Hell, I've played action games with ranking systems that I liked. Rank was important in Contra Shattered Soldier, but the only thing you had to do to get the best rank was kill all the enemies and not die. The game didn't give a shit what weapon you use or what order you kill the enemies in.

Well, this isn't a competitive fighting game, for one thing. It's an action game. There are no parallels to be drawn.

What would be good incentive? Some people do things in games because they look good or skillful. They want to be rewarded for that instead of barely scraping by. I don't see the problem. Sometimes doing something that looks stylish is... well, fun.

Contra... is also not a perfect analogy. It's a sidescroller shooter where you die in a single hit. You can't DO anything stylish in Contra because it doesn't afford you those tools. If they did, then they'd probably grade you based on those. I believe Hard Corps Uprising actually did grade you based on certain types of moves you performed, like bullet reflection.

I just think you're comparing apples to oranges. And you don't like oranges.

 

[Parallax Scroll]

Well, this isn't a competitive fighting game, for one thing. It's an action game. There are no parallels to be drawn.

What would be good incentive? Some people do things in games because they look good or skillful. They want to be rewarded for that instead of barely scraping by. I don't see the problem. Sometimes doing something that looks stylish is... well, fun.

One problem is that if you're going for a good rank, you're forced to do what the game designers think looks cool, not necessarily what looks cool to you. Like in the first Devil May Cry, you're this badass dude with a sword and guns. But you better not use the guns, cause they'll fuck up your rank.

 

[GuardianE]

One problem is that if you're going for a good rank, you're forced to do what the game designers think looks cool, not necessarily what looks cool to you. Like in the first Devil May Cry, you're this badass dude with a sword and guns. But you better not use the guns, cause they'll fuck up your rank.

Well... yes. That's true. Devil May Cry 1 did have a flawed Style ranking system... probably had a few kinks because it paved the way for THE ENTIRE GENRE.

Every successive DMC game (yes, even 2) has been an expansion of the idea, and better implementation as such. DMC3 let you do whatever you want to get high Style ranking. Experimentation was encouraged. You were only limited if you were repeating moves over and over in a dull fashion. Also, you're also not just graded on your style, but also on Damage Taken, Speed (the efficiency you love), and Item Completion.

I mean, I understand your gripe, but you're essentially telling Stylish Action games to not be Stylish action games. Efficiency is only one part of a game. If I played every game by saying "I want to complete this in the most efficient way possible," I'd be really bored. Some people like that, though.

 

[Sectus]

It's just not a good incentive for me to get good at the game. I learn big combos in Marvel vs Capcom because it's the most effective way to kill a guy. In a game like this, they're dead either way. Doing combos purely for style points isn't my thing.

Hell, I've played action games with ranking systems that I liked. Rank was important in Contra Shattered Soldier, but the only thing you had to do to get the best rank was kill all the enemies and not die. The game didn't give a shit what weapon you use or what order you kill the enemies in.

... that's kinda the ranking system in this game. What you have to do to get a good rank is do levels quickly and take little damage. The game doesn't care about what combos you do. This isn't Devil May Cry where you have to mix up your attacks to keep the score up (I personally like that system though).

 

[Giolon]

It's just not a good incentive for me to get good at the game. I learn big combos in Marvel vs Capcom because it's the most effective way to kill a guy. In a game like this, they're dead either way. Doing combos purely for style points isn't my thing.

Hell, I've played action games with ranking systems that I liked. Rank was important in Contra Shattered Soldier, but the only thing you had to do to get the best rank was kill all the enemies and not die. The game didn't give a shit what weapon you use or what order you kill the enemies in.

Actually, in this game killing enemies in the most effective and efficient way IS what's going to get you the best scores because a) you won't be taking any damage while doing so, b) you'll be getting combo bonuses from things like chain exploding enemies, and c) you'll be getting through the levels faster to get a bigger time bonus. It's not like DMC where you spend 20 minutes juggling a guy with bullets just to get a better score.

 

[Mollymauk]

So , uh.... Looks like Jim Sterling reviewed it.

Spoiler

02/10

 

[Parallax Scroll]

I'll probably give the demo another shot at some point. I'm gonna go yell at a cloud for a bit.

 

[Defunkled]

So , uh.... Looks like Jim Sterling reviewed it.

Spoiler

02/10

Jim has a really hard time with difficult games. I'm not so sure he should be reviewing them for a living.

 

[Moofers]

So , uh.... Looks like Jim Sterling reviewed it.

Spoiler

02/10

Who?

 

[Giolon]

So , uh.... Looks like Jim Sterling reviewed it.

02/10

http://www.destructoid.com/review-bloodrayne-betrayal-210976.phtml

Spoiler-tagging review scores needs to die.

Anyhow, even though I mostly like the game, I can't really disagree with many of his complaints. The controls feel imprecise due to the way movement is slaved to serve the animations instead of vice versa. The platforming that they ask of you under this control scheme is beyond sadistic, and the contextual "stomp a downed enemy" attack has screwed me over more times than I can count - particularly in the silhouetted areas where you can't see jack shit anyway.

Wayforward could have had a much better game if they'd ditched the insane platforming to stick with the combat that this game (mostly) excels at, and tightened up the responsiveness of Rayne so that she wouldn't get locked into so many animations that get you killed.

 

[Parallax Scroll]

it really ought to have sacrificed the pretty comic book aesthetic in order to take a graphical approach that complimented, rather than directly hindered, the gameplay.

Stopped reading right there.

 

[hey_it's_that_dog]

So , uh.... Looks like Jim Sterling reviewed it.

02/10

The man is entitled to his opinion, but it threatens his credibility (lol, I know) to give a 2 to a game that isn't completely broken. Just playing the demo it's clear that the game is mechanically competent and visually appealing enough that it cannot possibly be a 2. He must have had an extremely emotional experience with this one.

I guess if he's just assigning a number to his experience which was apparently terrible, there's little ground for me to object. But if he's taking into account in any way the broader universe of video games, is BloodRayne really a 2? It's dramatically worse than most professional made games that you can buy at retail or online?

 

[cgcg]

The reason the x360 version has *deeper* colors because it's crushing blacks. That's why the black is *blacker* and red is *redder*. It doesnt have better colors more like it's outputting inaccurate colors. That's not how the developer wanted the game to look. Some people think jacked up contrast equals to better colors lol. Jacking up contrast also can make something look slightly sharper, personally I think it looks shit and headache inducing but hey whatever floats your boat.

 

[TheExodu5]

I'm going to make a note: any time someone says the colors differ from one system to another, take it with a huge grain of salt. Both the PS3 and 360 have very diffierent gamma settings on their video outputs. As a result, 360 blacks tend to look deeper (yet are crushed), and the colors have more pop to them (yet are oversaturated). If you were to calibrate both PS3 and 360 video inputs on your TV separately, the colors should be the exact same for both of them. The only time where this may not be the case is if the developer has somehow taken this gamma difference into account and has altered one of the version's output to compensate.

 

[hey_it's_that_dog]

I'm going to make a note: any time someone says the colors differ from one game to another, take it with a huge grain of salt. Both the PS3 and 360 have very diffierent gamma settings on their video outputs. As a result, 360 blacks tend to look deeper (yet are crushed), and the colors have more pop to them (yet are oversaturated). If you were to calibrate both PS3 and 360 video inputs on your TV separately, the colors should be the exact same for both of them.

Oh but the OP had his TV professionally calibrated so this can't possibly be the problem. The only explanation is that one console is massively better than the other at rendering a 2D sidescroller.

 

[thomasmahler]

Damn, it really looks beautiful, but damn, the controls feel way too hacky. The level design is really bad so far (I'm apparently stepping into light, but half of the time I don't even see it!) and I'm always fighting the same enemies. None of this is really all that fun and I really don't get why people are comparing it to Symphony of the Night - it has _nothing_ to do with a Metroidvania. It's more like a typical 2d hack 'n slash where you buttonmash like a crazy mofo.

The art looks great, but everything is so dark and you can't read any of the shit that's going on on the screen. A ton of times you take damage without knowing what exactly is going on, which makes it so frustrating.

Had high hopes for this one, so far I'm more than disappointed

 

[Combichristoffersen]

Finished the demo. It's.. not bad, I guess. But the combat got tedious and boring very quickly, and I kept running into those spotlights all the time because I couldn't see them. Also, the combat was kinda strange in that occasionally it would feel like Rayne just didn't respond to my button presses, and occasionally she'd get stuck in those dynamite barrels, causing me to take damage when they exploded. I guess the game is made primarily for those who want to do speedruns and perform stylish combos to get as high rankings as possible (something I personally don't give a hoot about). Not bad, but yeah, not what I want from the franchise.

 

[bigdaddygamebot]

So , uh.... Looks like Jim Sterling reviewed it.

Spoiler

02/10

People still go to Destructoid?

Interesting...