| Author | Review |
|---|
Doominatorx6
543,985
TA Score for this game: 2,021
Posted on 28 June 10 at 16:38 |
This review has 31 positive votes and 5 negative votes. Please log in to vote. |
Some games are flawed due to poor programming (see example: Monster Madness) while others just aren't finished when shipped (see example: Monster Madness... AGAIN). Vampire Rain is flawed for a very interesting reason, and that is really, really bad design choices. From a technical standpoint, there's nothing wrong with it. But if you play it, you'll think otherwise.
Now, some people like this game. It tends to be very specific about how beat each of the 20+ levels, and you could say it's rewarding when you figure it out. It's not. I didn't beat a single level on my own, and had to use a youtube guide to beat this. But the frustration has only begun...
I didn't pay attention to the plot here (I didn't actually care) but the abridged version is are there are "Nightwalkers" (super vampires, that thankfully DO NOT SPARKLE) in the city, and you have to find out why there are here and exterminate them. The actually gameplay is Splinter Cell-esque, but done so bad it borders on unplayable.
What Splinter Cell did right was how you can approach your objective. Sure, you can punch a guy in the back of the head and hide his unconscious ass in the shadows, but what if he saw you before you punch him? You could run away and wait for him to stop searching, you could use him as a human shield, or you could just shoot him in the face.
Vampire Rain however... not so much.
Now they are "super vampires," which makes sense that they are hard to kill. But it takes a full assault rifle clip (30 bullets) TO THE FACE to take one down. And they just don't take it while you fire, they CHARGE you like a linebacker. Worst of all is you can't defend yourself, you lose roughly 80% of your health when he hits you once, but this knocks you flat on your ass. So he hits you again, dead. At least if they spot you, it's simple to escape as they just stand there and go "HUH?" Even if you walk away from them IN A STRAIGHT LINE, they won't do anything. But if you get spotted, you're done. Unless...
Later in the game you get better weapons, like a shotgun and one hit kill sniper rifle. There is an odd satisfaction about finally getting to fight back, until the game takes these away and leaves you with the crappy assault rifle and pistol combo. You do get special knives that are one hit kills, but the only problem is THEY BURN OUT (which, to the game's defense, they are UV knifes, so it does make sense), and they ONLY WORK FROM BEHIND. If a bloodthirsty linebacker was charging headfirst at me, and I had a knife in my hand, one of my first reactions would be to stab him in the gut... or whip it at his head.
Now, we've only talked about the enemies, but there are bosses in the game too. You'd think they'd be nigh impossible to defeat, but they are so easy it's embarrassing. The first boss, who looks like a gay biker, carries a shotgun, but would rather chase you around and attempt to put his boot up your ass. The second boss wears purple spandex and laughs like a crack addict. One of the last bosses is clearly a Slayer fan, as he makes it rain blood. Oh, and you shoot him in the gut while he recites some ritual that he always starts over and over... BLAH.
The game is actually fairly long. With around 20+ missions, as well as optional challenges and tutorials. Of course these challenges don't actually give you anything, so unless you are going for achievements (which you must be if you are playing this) there's no reason to do them.
There is even DLC out for this game. I have nothing to say about that.
There is an online component, which is throwaway. 650 of the achievement points come from this though, and two people can get all the online achievements in roughly 70 minutes. Maps are too big, and just in general, nobody cares.
The other 350 points come from the "hard as balls" single player. You get 50 points for beating the game. That's it. You also get 50 for dying 200 times (which strangely was one of the last achievements I got), and 50 for S ranking (a near impossible task, since the game grades you on your ammo usage, death count, AND ITEMS PICKED UP) every level/challenge. Personally, I thought I'd never do this. I still can't believe I did, and to everyone reading this, just don't. Keep your sanity while you can.
2007 must have been a bad year for the Xbox 360. We got the triple threat of Hour of Victory, Monster Madness, and Vampire Rain (And I know I'm probably missing some). The Japanese really liked this one for some reason, (Famitsu gave it a 30/40) but the rest of the world loathed it. They even redid it on the PS3 a year later (much like Monster Madness) and it still sucked. To it's credit, it's playable, but barely.
I should have taken the hint when the guy at the game store told me it blew balls when I bought it for 10 bucks. |
V Rage
166,074
TA Score for this game: 1,203
Posted on 27 January 11 at 14:43 |
This review has 11 positive votes and 6 negative votes. Please log in to vote. |
Vampire Rain
My Horse and Me 2 this is not!!!
I thought I would make this my first partial review on TA. Mainly because I think this game gets a very hard time. In some cases this is deserved but what I think people miss is the truly satisfying feeling beating a game like this can give.
I am not open to discussion on my views – they are at best subjective and rumor has it….biased.
Difficulty – Cheevos 9/10
700 should be possible by most – 1000 by the clinically insane.
There are some truly difficult achievements on this game but an easy few on multiplayer (if you can find someone with a copy). Anyone even aiming for the full 1000 may justifiably seek to be canonised following their death as the criteria of performing a miracle will be met.
Playing for the achievements is near insanity so that leaves the usual game play factors.
Difficulty – Game 10/10
I played the game through and to be honest found it one of the most challenging experiences of my life. Tough+Tough x Tough2 – 73 Deaths on a level etc
** Hollywood Rumour** Movie Actor Arnold Schwarzenegger turned down the role of John Lloyd (main protagonist in Vampire Rain) and chose a role as Junior as he thought the portrayal of a pregnant man was easier to portray than being a “Hero” with the difficulty curve in this game.
Story - 3/10
Something about vampires in a city – though how people had never noticed them before now is beyond me. They move fast and frequently emit a smokey excrement.
Ill say it … because everyone thinks it – 3/10 How???
Well it would have been lower had Raiden (MGS2) or Wakka (FF) taken the role of John Lloyd
In short - Go out at night in the van with the work gang – See competing labour gang workers killed – Acquire weak weapons – Prattle about with some communications stuff – Eventually take out the head vampire (Easier than soldier Vampires) – stop the menace – Save Buffy (added to my own story as she would have struggled against these foe’s) – save the world (or at least one city)
Musical Score – 2/10
There was one – it was more repetitive than a Vengaboys record but definitely not as catchy.
Graphics – Cruddy 2/10
My first thought when I played this game was that I had entered a time portal to the past. Many compare to the obvious splinter cell link but with my power of memory can regress further – That’s right MGS (Without the story). I suspect this was a development project from PS1 that was delayed.
Gameplay – 9/10
Some levels are just bugged – The vampires know where you are going before you do – but I guess that’s why they are vampires or savants. Like a chess grand master you play into the trap they lay – strangely while laying a smoking cable.
But that adds to the challenge – Imagine being able to fly to the moon – You would be doing something you were never designed for. Likewise in beating the bugs in this game you are doing something nature never intended.
But what a challenge ? You either like them or you don’t. If you don’t like them go play My Horse and Me 2 – I hear rumor there is an achievement for feeding the goat 16 times or something like that,
But here is the Gem
Feelings On Completion of Main Game :-D
You are Blade, Snake and Sam Fisher rolled into one. You sneaked your way through twenty something levels of pain and stopped the Vampire menace. You truly are a god of gaming and no one can take away what you went through on this journey. You changed, The world changed and things may never be the same.
Overall Verdict
I will not sell this game – nor will I trade it – It stays until one day I can 1000GS this crime against development.
With a few months extra work they really could have produced a very good game – maybe even a little play testing would have ironed out some issues. But I guess market demand was so high for a splinter cell / metal gear solid clone that they had to get it to the shops in the early wave of X360 titles.
For the impatient and those of limited determination you will very quickly wish you never popped in the disc and introduced this 100% completion killer to your 360.
For the brave/foolish and future legends of the pad.......Bring on the Vampire Pain
Rage (Singing in the Vampire Rain)
 |
ReaptheChaos
100,199
TA Score for this game: 733
Posted on 20 March 11 at 14:27 |
This review has 10 positive votes and 6 negative votes. Please log in to vote. |
This game is quite possibly the worst game to ever come out. Lets just start here: 1,847 tracked gamers have this game, 77 have completed it (4.17%) now I havent checked the stats on every game on here but that has to be among the lowest completion rates on this site.
For one thing, to say this game is incredibly hard is an understatement. There are two difficulty settings, normal and hard, however I didn’t notice any difference what so ever between the two. To tell you how hard this game is, I have friends who play the Call of Duty and Halo games on the hardest difficulty with no problem and even they say this game is just to hard and frustrating! The difficulty and frustration comes from having to redo each level countless times to achieve the “perfect score” required.
At the end of each level you are scored on the following: Damage taken (health), ammo expended (number of bullets fired), accuracy percentage (with weapons), pickup percentage (extra weapons and ammo) and number of continues (times killed), for which you get an overall letter grade, C, B, A and S for the top grade. By far the hardest part of getting the “S” or excellent score is finding all the weapons and ammo hidden throughout the game map. The pointless part of the whole thing is the fact that with very few exceptions you aren’t allowed to use any ammo or you will be graded low at the end of the level, in some levels you aren’t allowed to fire any weapons, in others one or two rounds only. Which is compounded by the fact that most of your weapons have little to no effect on the “nightwalkers” anyway. So on one hand, to get an “S” ranking you have to find all the hidden weapons and ammo, yet on the other you cant fire any of the weapons. Its quite possibly the stupidest thing I have ever seen in a video game.
I remember in one level there is a gate with a padlock that you have to shoot the lock to open it, the only thing you get by doing so is picking up more ammo. Yet that one round of ammo is the only one you are allowed to fire on the whole level. It seems stupid beyond belief and you cant help but wonder what the programmers where smoking the day they thought that up!
One of the better weapons is the sniper rifle, which will take them out with one head shot. Yet on some levels they will give it to you, but if you use it you will be penalized at the end for doing so. One level in particular I played using the shotgun and fired a total of 8 rounds, at the end I received an “excellent” rating for ammo expended. I replayed the level and this time I used 6 rounds from the shotgun and 1 from the sniper rifle, for a total of 7 rounds and I received a rating of “average”. apparently the programmers didn’t want you using the sniper rifle in that level, which draws the question of why give it to me then? Basically the programmers had one specific way in mind for you to complete each level and if you deviate from that plan they penalize you for it. Personally I don’t have much patients for such childishness!
By far the worst part of this game are the seemingly never ending barrage of cut scenes that break up the game play and serve nothing more than to screw up your momentum. There are numerous times when a cut scene will occur then you do nothing more than take a few steps and another cut scene will begin. Literally within seconds of each other. It really is annoying to say the least.
Another pointless part of the whole cut scene annoyance is when some of the cut scenes end you find you now have a weapon in your hand, often times one you didn’t even have prior to that. This leads you to believe that you are supposed to shoot the “nightwalker” that lies ahead, but if you do you will be penalized in your rating at the end. I know, as stupid as that sounds, its true!
While I was writing this I choose a level at random and played it, (level 13) not counting the cut scene at the beginning and end, which you expect in a normal game, I counted 11 cut scenes, in a space of 5 minutes of game time to complete the level. I think anyone will agree that is excessive to say the least. However this is about average.
If you’re into achievements and upping your gamer score this is again a very bad game for that. There are 1000 points to be had but only a few hundred of them can be unlocked in single player mode. (7 in all for 350 points) None of those will come till the very end of the game, and then most of them you have to achieve a perfect score of “S” on every level. The average first time play through you will only get 1 achievement for 50 points and that’s for beating the game. Some of the achievements even conflict with each other. One achievement is getting killed 200 times by nightwalkers, however if you get this you wont get the “S” rating or its achievement.
The remaining achievements are all for online play, yet because the game was so bad the online community for this game is non existent. This game came out in mid 2007 and I bought it in the beginning of 2008 and even then there was no online activity with this game. About the only way you’re going to get the online achievements is to find someone to play online with you and have them stand there while you kill them enough times and do the other various things required to get them. In that respect its fairly easy, I did this with a friend an we both had all the online achievements within about an hour. But if you don’t know someone who has the game you’re basically out of luck!
There are 24 levels on this game, each level also has one or two side missions or “Time trials”. Again you have to score an “S” rating in all of these, as well as the main levels, to get the achievements. It will take you a minimum of 10-20 play throughs on each level to get it to where you know it well enough to get the “S” rating on it. You’re looking at a minimum of 100+ hours of play time. I’ll be honest, I’ve never finished this game, its just way to stupid and frustrating. There are more fun games to play out there to waste such an inordinate amount of time on one game especially one this bad!
 |