Today during the Inside Xbox 2020 event, we got a good, creepy look at Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2. The trailer itself was low on any actual gameplay, opting to wow us with creepy “person puppets” and close-ups of some of the greasiest faces seen since early 2000s Xbox games. It stands as the first, real look at the anticipated game, and I’m sad to say it left me a little underwhelmed.
What the new trailer does well, however, is nailing some of that atmosphere. The vampires are presented as a little crazy, dancing around hanging corpses or getting too friendly at the night club. The city of Seattle is dark, highlighted by splashes of neon green and pink. These are probably the only parts of the trailer that make the game stand out.
However, despite this being Microsoft’s big ol’ “next gen” event, the game doesn’t square up to expectations. Fans will likely be excited just to have a Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2, but it doesn’t look as next gen as what we were hoping.
Feeling a little sucky
I’m probably being too unfair on the game based on just this trailer — so let’s look at the gameplay and laugh at that instead. Alright, there’s not much to snark on, here. Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 looks to run the gamut of powers and abilities typical to vampire games. You can slow time to catch a thrown weapon, attack enemies with a swarm of bats, zip toward attackers from the air, and wipe out groups with AOE lightning attacks. Well, that last one might not be too typical.
Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 promises a lot of gameplay, much like its predecessor. You take on Vampire underground society in the city of Seattle, trying to survive best you can in a world that really wants to kill you. It might not hold many surprises for fans of the original, but we’ll know just what’s in store when the game releases some time this year.
