Similar games to Vampire Bloodlines?

[buddybird]

I love Vampire TM:Bloodlines! I finished it playing as Gangrel and as a Tremere (Awesome clan). I was wondering if there are other games with similar playability as Bloodlines. I love the hybrid 1st/3rd person/RPG style. I tried playing Knights of the Old Republic and it's too much of an RPG style and I just don't have the patients for pure RPG gameplay. I guess "Action RPG" is more my speed. Any suggestions folks?

[Maxinion]

If you like action/rpg, then go try out Morrowind, The Elder Scrolls III. Think of that game as a true fantasty GTA. If you thought Bloodlines was wide open, Morrowind will blow your mind. For example-- in Morrowind you can go anywhere, at any time. You don't need to unlock the area like in Bloodlines. You just go out of the city, and explore any part of the 10 square mile island. (well that's a lie, there's one part you can't explore until the end.) The class system is even more versatile than Bloodlines as well-- you take 10 skills out of 27, and that's your class-- or take a test like in Bloodlines, or choose from a pregenerated class. You can be a fighter, thief, mage, or anything in between. Add the 2 expansions, which add even huger areas to the game, and you have an immense amount of stuff to explore, all in hybrid 1st/3rd person play style. Also, unlike Bloodlines, Morrowind has a great modding tool included, so you have dozens and dozens of mods to choose from when you play.

Where does Morrowind let down? Well, let's just say its buggier than Bloodlines. Yeah, that bad. The patches fix that up nicely though, imo. The graphics are a bit dated, and still require a good computer to play (the models are especially bad-- the environments, except trees, are actually quite good). The copy protection steals around 10% of your fps-- but there are ways around that, of course. When you attack and hit someone at melee, it doesn't always work-- it depends on your skill-level, unlike in Bloodlines where if you hit, you hit. That's a MAJOR flaw in the game, imo. And finally, the open-ended style is just not liked by some, especially since the main quest is really lame, imo. You can get the Full Edition or somesuch, with both expansions, rather cheap at Best Buy. That would be my recommendation.

[LaCroix]

Originally Posted by Maxinion

If you like action/rpg, then go try out Morrowind, The Elder Scrolls III. Think of that game as a true fantasty GTA. If you thought Bloodlines was wide open, Morrowind will blow your mind. For example-- in Morrowind you can go anywhere, at any time. You don't need to unlock the area like in Bloodlines. You just go out of the city, and explore any part of the 10 square mile island. (well that's a lie, there's one part you can't explore until the end.) The class system is even more versatile than Bloodlines as well-- you take 10 skills out of 27, and that's your class-- or take a test like in Bloodlines, or choose from a pregenerated class. You can be a fighter, thief, mage, or anything in between. Add the 2 expansions, which add even huger areas to the game, and you have an immense amount of stuff to explore, all in hybrid 1st/3rd person play style. Also, unlike Bloodlines, Morrowind has a great modding tool included, so you have dozens and dozens of mods to choose from when you play.

Where does Morrowind let down? Well, let's just say its buggier than Bloodlines. Yeah, that bad. The patches fix that up nicely though, imo. The graphics are a bit dated, and still require a good computer to play (the models are especially bad-- the environments, except trees, are actually quite good). The copy protection steals around 10% of your fps-- but there are ways around that, of course. When you attack and hit someone at melee, it doesn't always work-- it depends on your skill-level, unlike in Bloodlines where if you hit, you hit. That's a MAJOR flaw in the game, imo. And finally, the open-ended style is just not liked by some, especially since the main quest is really lame, imo. You can get the Full Edition or somesuch, with both expansions, rather cheap at Best Buy. That would be my recommendation.

The last bit isnt true, in Bloodlines you can MISS as in Block for bloodlines which i find more realistic, also you would really "MISS" at point blank range now would you?

[Maxinion]

I have no idea what that sentence means, LaCroix.

My point is that in Bloodlines, if you're right next to a baddy and you click "attack" your attack WILL hit (unless they block, of course). In Morrowind, even if they are not blocking and you try to attack, you might miss. Even if they're right next to you, and the animation shows your weapon slicing through them! That gets very, very, very irritating. I like Bloodlines' system in that skills give you better damage, reload, etc. (and accuracy with guns, but that's generally because the reticle gets smaller), instead of Morrowind's system, where skills also contribute to accuracy.

[RazorBack]

Regarding the dated graphics, they are not that dated___they're optimized, considering the huge areas and poly counts... if the models were not simplified as they are, it would be even a larger drain for all but the highest machines.

There are also mods that upgrade NPC and character models and heads, bringing it quite up to speed with today's graphic standards.

The atmospheric effects and day/night transitions are still stunning.
Nothing like sitting on top of a mountain watching the sunset.

The trees are a bit, artificial, there are mods to fix that provided you have the processing power.

The sense of freedom Morrowind gives is impressive.

My only gripe with Morrowind is that the NPC's seem to be doing nothing...

[Maxinion]

I didn't mean that they're terrible, Razorback, just certainly not up to Source, CryEngine, or Doom3 standards. Its still a very capable engine, but then again, very, taxing given its age.

[Lucita]

Morrowind is still one of the best games around....the Gold Edition with the Add-ons included shouldn't cost that much anymore.

I love the fact that you can do next to everything in this game, you can dive for pearls, pick up spices and plants for brewing your own potions. The Night and day cycles are so cool. Stars shine bright, guards light their torches. It's absolutely fantastic.

And the best thing is.....you can be a Vampire ! A Vampire can bite you and give you the embrace. Afterwards you can't og out in daytime and so on.

With one of the Add-ons you can be a Werewolf too.

[LaCroix]

Originally Posted by Lucita

Morrowind is still one of the best games around....the Gold Edition with the Add-ons included shouldn't cost that much anymore.

I love the fact that you can do next to everything in this game, you can dive for pearls, pick up spices and plants for brewing your own potions. The Night and day cycles are so cool. Stars shine bright, guards light their torches. It's absolutely fantastic.

And the best thing is.....you can be a Vampire ! A Vampire can bite you and give you the embrace. Afterwards you can't og out in daytime and so on.

With one of the Add-ons you can be a Werewolf too.

You can be a Vamp???

Im getting this game

[Cryos]

Morrowind player here too. Played that for aaaaages. I couldn't really get into those expansions though, especially the tribunal, everything was killing me with those damned adamantium paralyzing weapons. I really should try blood moon and be a werewolf. Wish the player models weren't so butt ugly, though.

I have another recommendation too, System Shock 2. Now, those of you who've played that know it's not open-ended at all, and it has no third person aspect, but I dunno, if you want a good rpg and action mix, thats a classic. It's -old- now though. Were talking polygony models, but it still has an atmosphere that can have you crapping yourself scared. I would link you to an abandonware site, but I recently discovered that the creators, looking glass works, have stated that it is -not- abandonware, and therfore abandonware copies are illegal. But if you believe in gameplay over graphics you could look it up. It's also more sci-fi than fantasy or modern, It's not really similar, but I just thought I'd take a shot in the dark at what sort of game ties in with those who like morrowind and VTM:bloodlines.

System Shock 2s gameplay is like... think Deus Ex, without having to wait a year for your aim to focus in, sheesh. Theres no character interaction though, save through the logs of dead crew. Heres a review if it has your attention http://www.the-underdogs.org/game.php?gameid=3924 can't guarantee I'm on the right track, but I just thought I'd recommend it anyway , personally I loved that game. And I'm glad I found it so long after it's original release.

[Lugaru]

Just wanted to add: I downloaded and played the punisher demo yesterday. Of course this game is not an rpg but lets say theres a lot more... interactivity... than in your average shooter. Only problem is that the demo was WAY too short... 10 to 20 minutes tops.

[termos]

Originally Posted by LaCroix

You can be a Vamp???

Im getting this game

It's kind of hard to become a vampire, particularly if you've finished the main plot, but it can be done. There are three clans and the clanless. The clans are Quarra, Berne and Aundae and they all have a few quests for you to do. With a little divine intervention, you can be cured and continue with the game.

Werewolves are also pretty interesting and powerful, but they only appear in the Bloodmoon expansion.

I wouldn't recommend Morrowind to everyone. It's great for people like me, but some people just don't see the fun in it.

[Nietzscheserbe]

Nocturne was a great game, although the controls where horrible. It was mostly third person, but if you switched on your Night Vision, you were in First Person mode for limited time. Its prety creepy fighting zombies in a small town in texas, with night vision on!! Plus the game has Zombies, Vampires, Werewolfs, Gangster Zombies and more Zombies. The plot though is pretty linear and NPC interaction is limited to whatever involves the plot.

[buddybird]

Guy, I appreciate your input. I was wondering if there are any current games similar to Bloodlines?

Thanks again for all your input.

[Cl1t_YeastHood]

Its dated and i havent played the sequel, but Deus Ex is in a similar genre as bloodlines.

Its a few years old and is set in a cyberpunk world instead of a gothicpunk setting, but you build your character as the game progresses, choosing skills and nanotech bio upgrades with xp, its first person and you can optimize your character for different styles of play (stealthy, unarmed, shooty shooty)

Its definitly more action than RPG if thats your bag

[Maxinion]

Completely forgot about that one. Deus Ex and Deus Ex 2 to a lesser extent are very similar to Bloodlines, though more heavy on action than rp.