Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines 2 rated by the ESRB

IbizaPocholo

NeoGAFs Kent Brockman

The ESRB has now rated Bloodlines 2, which is a good guarantee it will launch within the next six months at the latest. The rating is Mature (17+), the same as the original; we've posted the regulator's overview below, though beware of slight spoilers.

This is an action role-playing game in which players help two vampires regain their memories and their powers to stop an uprising. From a first-person perspective, players explore city streets, investigate murders, interact with characters, and battle vampires in melee-style combat. Players use physical attacks (e.g., claw slashes, kicks, feed/bite attacks) and vampiric powers (e.g., telekinesis, possession) to kill enemy vampires. Players can also employ stealth attacks (e.g., neck snap, feed attack) to kill enemies discreetly. Battles are frenetic, accompanied by impact sounds, realistic gunfire, and large blood-splatter effects. Some attacks can result in close-up sequences of players' character decapitating and/or impaling enemies. A handful of areas depict decapitated corpses in pools of blood; large bloodstains also appear in several environments. The game contains suggestive/sexual material in the dialogue (e.g., "snacking on wh*res,"; "p*ssy musta...real sweet"; and "D*ldo of consequence don't come lubed, does it?"). The word "f**k" is heard in the game.
 
Didnt know that "The Chinese Room" is now working on it. :messenger_ok: Hope it will be good, despite the whole development drama.

I Hope Please GIF
 
Last I heard, none of the people who made the original were involved for making the sequel. This tells you all you need to know.
 
Such great memories of the first game. This has a lot to live up to.

a fond memory indeed. Sadly not one that is replayable, at least for me. Even with the fan made patches it runs like shit and has aged badly..

I prefer to retain the memory of playing it at the time.
 
I can't trust this thing. One of the most ridiculous development hells I've ever seen, and then they shopped it out to a studio whose output I've never liked. I'd love to be surprised, but... no. It's not going to turn out.

Maybe I really will just reinstall the original.
 
There must've been another timeline split because I thought this game was dead-dead.

I tried playing Bloodlines 1 on two separate occasions, and bounced off it both times. I'd play a modernized remake, but it's just too rough as a first-timer in this day and age. So here's hoping this game actually releases and is good!
 
Know what's funny in this entire development drama?

It was delayed so much that DEI came and became out of fashion and the game has not been released yet.

I'm a huge fan of the first one. It's probably the best script in the entire gaming history but this one will bomb hard.
 
Wow. Didnt realize the game was supposed to come out before covid.


Bloodlines 2 was first teased in February 2019 with the release of the dating app "Tender", created by Paradox and Alice & Smith. The app offered to use a "soulmate algorithm" and asks for the user's blood type before offering to match them with sick people nearby. A Twitch livestream, and later Paradox's own official Twitter account also displayed a memo from fictional Tender CEO Malcolm Chandler noting the need to be prepared for March 21, 2019 in San Francisco, the date the game was publicly revealed.[13][34][35]

Initially scheduled for release in March 2020, the game was pushed back in October 2019 to an unspecified 2020 release date,[36] and further delayed in August 2020 to an unspecified 2021 release date.[37] Along with the announcement of the change in developers in February 2021, the game was delayed past 2021.[30]

In September 2023, The Chinese Room was announced as the new developer, with the game scheduled to release for PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S in late 2024.[2][38] In August 2024, the game was delayed to the first half of 2025.[39]
 
I hope it's good. Hell I'd be pretty ok with a vampire themed detective/investigative walking sim, but the story has to be good.
 
the lost boys sax GIF

Hoping it turns out good. This is one game that has been on my radar but with all the issues with it, my hopes are low.
 
First one is fantastic. I'll never forget the low seduction malkavian line:
"Hello woman! Did you know there was a weather outside?"

I'll keep my fingers crossed for this one..
 
While I doubt it'll be Veilguard bad, the odds of this being good are pretty slim. I'll wait for the player reviews.
 
First one is fantastic. I'll never forget the low seduction malkavian line:
"Hello woman! Did you know there was a weather outside?"

I'll keep my fingers crossed for this one..
I might be harsh but it's not worth even crossing fingers for this game being a worthy successor. The game was in development hell and was rebooted from the ground up. While older version was apparently closer to VtMB1, that version was yeeted into trash bin by Paradox and new devs who were given the chance to work on the rebooted version aren't really interested in making a proper sequel but just their own Vampire the Masquarade game that just happens to bear Bloodlines title. They even threw out Malkavian from the playable clans available at day one, there are some speculations they may want to monetise it and sell this clan as a DLC
 
I might be harsh but it's not worth even crossing fingers for this game being a worthy successor. The game was in development hell and was rebooted from the ground up. While older version was apparently closer to VtMB1, that version was yeeted into trash bin by Paradox and new devs who were given the chance to work on the rebooted version aren't really interested in making a proper sequel but just their own Vampire the Masquarade game that just happens to bear Bloodlines title. They even threw out Malkavian from the playable clans available at day one, there are some speculations they may want to monetise it and sell this clan as a DLC

My fingers, they are not crossed anymore.
Thanks for letting me know. There's no escaping monetary mauling.
 
I'll be incredibly suprised if turns out to be anything other then a trash-tier, cringe inducing, shadow of it's former self.

I have no idea why they'd want to stick a "2" on this title (except to try and lure in OG fans).
 
Is that unoffical patch for Bloodlines good? They have a version that is supposed to only have bug fixes, but I am not certain I trust the modder.
 
Is that unoffical patch for Bloodlines good? They have a version that is supposed to only have bug fixes, but I am not certain I trust the modder.
I wouldn't play Bloodlines without patch nowadays as the base game can be really buggy.
 
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Every single game Troika Games has made is buggy. You need unoffical patches for all of them.

They are great games, but they missed that final level of polish.
 


"In this week's episode of The Game Informer Show, we celebrate our latest issue by diving deep into Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2. Charles Harte and Alex Van Aken traveled to developer The Chinese Room in Brighton, England, to play the game."
 
They call themselves the Chinese Room and they're in England. What a scam.

Anyway, that latest footage looks like junk. So.... at least they're consistent, I guess.
 


"In this week's episode of The Game Informer Show, we celebrate our latest issue by diving deep into Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2. Charles Harte and Alex Van Aken traveled to developer The Chinese Room in Brighton, England, to play the game."

Main takeaways:
  • They classify it as a ARPG
  • Protagonist is still called Phyre can be female/male
  • Narratively driven
  • Set at around Xmas
  • They enjoyed the combat, more so then in the OG
  • Some characters/assets probably reused/inherited from the previous developer
  • Fun depiction of Seattle and random dialogue.
  • NPCs written as assholes so you don't feel bad for feeding on them
  • 4 clans - Brujha, Banu Haqim, Ventrue & Tremere. 2 additional clans coming as DLC.
  • Skill trees allows mix matching abilities from different clans by finding mentors
  • Vampire abilities uses a "blood-point" system that gets filled by feeding. Also have a use out of combat aka "social feeding/abilities"
  • Doing too much vampire stuff in public (breaking the Masquerade) will have consequences. (alleged, as they just got told and didn't experience)
  • They really liked the traversal, super speed and gliding felt good. Scale buildings.
  • Vampire magic has many uses, in and out of combat. Cloaking, mind control, teleport, blood daggers, etc.
  • They felt like what they saw were a coherent product, didn't feel like a game caught in development hell

----------------

Apart from the MC's design/name and "not feeling bad for feeding" most of what they said sounds kind of promising. But seeing as it's narratively driven, a lot hinges on the story being palatable. Preview impressions aren't excactly reliable, but there might be a tiny glimmer of hope that it won't be complete trash.
 
Main takeaways:
  • They classify it as a ARPG
  • Protagonist is still called Phyre can be female/male
  • Narratively driven
  • Set at around Xmas
  • They enjoyed the combat, more so then in the OG
  • Some characters/assets probably reused/inherited from the previous developer
  • Fun depiction of Seattle and random dialogue.
  • NPCs written as assholes so you don't feel bad for feeding on them
  • 4 clans - Brujha, Banu Haqim, Ventrue & Tremere. 2 additional clans coming as DLC.
  • Skill trees allows mix matching abilities from different clans by finding mentors
  • Vampire abilities uses a "blood-point" system that gets filled by feeding. Also have a use out of combat aka "social feeding/abilities"
  • Doing too much vampire stuff in public (breaking the Masquerade) will have consequences. (alleged, as they just got told and didn't experience)
  • They really liked the traversal, super speed and gliding felt good. Scale buildings.
  • Vampire magic has many uses, in and out of combat. Cloaking, mind control, teleport, blood daggers, etc.
  • They felt like what they saw were a coherent product, didn't feel like a game caught in development hell

----------------

Apart from the MC's design/name and "not feeling bad for feeding" most of what they said sounds kind of promising. But seeing as it's narratively driven, a lot hinges on the story being palatable. Preview impressions aren't excactly reliable, but there might be a tiny glimmer of hope that it won't be complete trash.
Seems that they did not overdo it regarding scope and kept it manageable for themselves.

I have good hope. Do they say anything about the release window ?
 
Main takeaways:
  • 4 clans - Brujha, Banu Haqim, Ventrue & Tremere. 2 additional clans coming as DLC.

Mad The Rock GIF


Brujah, your typical counter culture anarchical grunt mellee warrior
Banu Haqim, wtf... rogue/assassins?
Ventrue, probably your firearm / social choice.
Tremere, mage.

DLC - for sure Malkav and Nosferatu (at least it's what would be justified to sell as a different experience than the main game ones...)

No love for Toreador
Sad Adam Ruins GIF by truTV’s Adam Ruins Everything
 
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