Bloodrayne 2 review

It’s taken seven months for BloodRayne 2 to reach European shores, after being released in the US back in August 2005. Quite why it’s taken so long is anyone’s guess, but the important question is, was it worth the wait?

Now, that depends. Why? You’ll have to keep reading to find out.

Still here? Ok, let’s get down to it. Players take on the role of Rayne, a half-human, half-vampire who’s intent on killing every offspring of her evil father. Yes, you read that right, and yes, that does constitute as the game’s plot. Admittedly there is a bit more to it than that, but it’s pretty generic stuff, and nothing really worth mentioning. What it essentially comes down to is an excuse for Rayne to go around killing people, and that’s the essence of the game right there.

Squeamish? Look Away Now…

Right from the training level you’ll be decapitating people, drinking their blood, kicking them in the face and impaling them on various objects. Blood flies everywhere, as do the limbs of the hapless souls (or rather soul-less) you’re disposing of.

Obviously it’s not entirely realistic, and isn’t really that disturbing, but it still makes the GTA games look remarkably tame in comparison. Seeing as the game mainly consists of fighting and killing, the combat is one of the most important aspects of the gameplay. Unfortunately, due to the limited range of moves on offer and the constant need to fight people, it all gets very repetitive and, dare I say it, not very fun.

To begin with you’ll think it’s great fun hacking away at people with your blades, or hurling them into fireplaces to watch them burn alive (or maybe that’s just me…?). However, enemies are around every corner, and there isn’t a great deal to do besides walk around and kill them.

With fighting being the only real ‘action’, besides a bit of jumping/climbing, the boredom soon sets in. New moves are unlocked as you progress throughout the game, and Rayne gets her hand on some interesting weapons, such as guns that use her blood as ammunition. The trouble is though that all of this can’t disguise the fact that you’re repeatedly hammering the ‘attack’ button over and over again, disposing of the same look-alike enemies, in room after room and in level after level.

In Control

Guiding Rayne around the various environments, and the ease at which you can do this, depends on whether you have a gamepad or are just using the keyboard and mouse. Ideally you’ll want a dual-analogue controller, although even then there’s a shocking lack of camera control. Not being able to rotate the camera around Rayne gets irritating, especially when walls and the like start to obstruct your view.

There’s nothing wrong with using the good old keyboard and mouse combo, but it does feel a bit clunky. It’s also worthy to note that the number of buttons on your controller could be an issue. If you don’t have enough buttons, you’ll be forced to keep switching between gamepad and keyboard controls in order to pull off certain actions or moves. It’s not a huge problem, but it can get frustrating.

Easy on the Eye

Easy on the controls it might not be, but BloodRayne 2 is certainly easy on the eye. Even with effects turned off and settings down low, the game looks clean and runs smoothly, with decent draw distances and solid looking characters and environments. Only the odd bland texture and the generic character models let the visuals down.

Rayne herself looks fantastic with lots of detail, and in the impressive cut scenes the game’s really brought to life. The vast majority of objects in the levels can be destroyed or broken into pieces, yet there’s no hint of slowdown when this occurs. It all makes for a flowing transition through the levels, with everything looking good and no jerkiness or stuttering.

Not So Sound?

Sadly the aural aspect of the game is not quite as impressive, although that’s not to say it’s terrible. Competent voice acting accompanies the cut scenes, along with some lines of speech as enemies attack you, or you attack them. Admittedly, the first time you hear someone you’re attacking shout “Argh! My arms!” you might chuckle to yourself, but after the hundredth time it gets pretty irritating.

The lines of speech get repeated so often, by almost every set of enemies you come across. A bit more variety in their cries of anguish would have been nice, or just making them not speak quite as much. Music and sound effects are unremarkable, although they do the job well enough.

Problems

The main problem with BloodRayne 2 is its difficulty level; it’s all just too easy. The enemies only ever become challenging when a group of them surround you, and even then it’s easy to single one out and pick them off one at a time. With the main attacks consigned to just two buttons, executing moves powerful enough to dispatch your foes is simply a case of hammering either of these buttons. This doesn’t exactly make for challenging gameplay, and you’ll find yourself romping through the levels with remarkable speed. It’s also surprisingly difficult to die in BloodRayne 2.

As you get attacked your health meter deteriorates, and firing your blood-powered guns does the same after its own ammunition is depleted. Replenishing these meters is a case of ‘feeding’ on your enemies, done by the press of a button. This essentially makes every enemy not only a health source, but an ammo source as well. Consequently, you’re never far away from stocking up on health or ammo, and the less-then-challenging gameplay means it’s all just too easy.

So, back to the original question. Was it worth the wait? Well, if you’re after a simple and enjoyable hack and slash game, with lots of violence and blood, Blood Rayne 2 will be ideal, and yes, it’s worth playing, if only via a rental. For anyone after a deep, challenging game with lots of replay value however, I can’t really recommend Blood Rayne 2, and you’d be better of looking elsewhere. An enjoyable game, but nothing more.