What with a constant influx of first-person shooters coming onto the market the publishers have been trying to think of ever more interesting stories to pedal through the game making machine. BloodRayne appears to be one such title. It places you in the role of a sexy, half human, half vampire, killing machine during the years between the two World Wars who is fighting the Nazis, who in turn are trying to unlock the root of all evil! If nothing else this sets the game out as highly original. But how does it fair in this highly competitive market?

In the game you play Rayne, a psychopathic, PVC clad, super vixen who is asked by a secret order of people to travel to Louisiana to find out what has happened to a village of people who have been turned into zombies. This opener leads you into a story that takes you on to Hungary and then onto Germany. All the landscapes are nicely contrasted with variation in look, feel and ambiance.

To travel through this terrain Rayne is equipped with her vampire strength and agility, two large blades attached to her arms, her bloodsucking capabilities and any weapon she can get her pretty little hands on! She also has the ability to go into sniper mode, slow time down and go into a Bloodrage, which lets her kick some ‘serious ass’. For a few levels you also get to drive a Robocop style armoured vehicle (from the 1930s). This allows for a complex, yet gratifying, control set. The game utilises all of the controls on the pad but in a way that is relatively easy to pick up. The array of weapons and controls allow for a very varied way of maiming your victims and when coupled with the various recognisable and unrecognisable creatures to kill you’ll be there for hours trying to see every move.

The graphics in this game are not of the highest standard but they more than adequately do the job: they are slick and fast. You can have several creatures in view with out feeling any slight sense of sluggishness or strain on the PS2. The various landscapes are varied but, with only three, can sometimes get a little dull. Where the game really excels graphically, are in the shape of the alien creatures that have been created. They are varied and vicious, and impressively they will attack both you and the Nazis. The only real let down in that department is the final boss who looks like an old wicker basket, not very scary in the least.

The sound is unobtrusive yet powerful. It evokes a sense of foreboding and worry without invading the game. It is darkly gothic and works well with and against the graphics, which all at once remind me of every Vampire B-movie I’ve ever seen.

So in brief, does this game present us with any real competition? I was sceptical at first but on playing it I found I couldn’t put it down. It is fast-paced, action-packed, appealing to the eye, original and incredibly gorey. What more could a person want from a game? The settings of the game are well chosen and form a good base for the game play that is both varied and playable. The ability to replenish your health by sucking the blood of others is particularly wonderful (okay, now I’m concerned – Ed). The ambiance of Rayne when she goes into a Bloodrage is incredible with a foggy red tint to the screen, and some side slashing moves. This game may not be for everyone but it was definitely a pleasant surprise and if you like that then you’ll enjoy this.

85%

By Chris Monk