Second, Nightwalkers are virtually impossible to kill. When you're spotted, you're dead. Weapons through much of the game are worthless. It takes a full clip of the automatic rifle or the submachine gun to take down one of these Drac-pack refugees, while they move so fast that they seem to be beaming from one place to another and can kill you with two swipes, the first of which generally incapacitates you. And once one gets you in its sights, it goes on the hunt until one of you is dead, so there's no running away or hiding. A sniper rifle and a UV knife show up later in the game and make killing Nightwalkers easier, although these new-and-improved devices require rare ammo (yes, even the freaking knife) and disappear at the end of each level. At any rate, vamp numbers rise so dramatically that it's suicidal to fight them no matter what weapons you possess. And even though Nightwalkers are so deadly, being hunted by them feels very artificial. Vamps never talk to one another, shuffle their feet, cough, wander over to see what might be lurking in the shadows, or even mutter about noisy rats. Instead of any interaction, you get a flashing-eyes special effect that lets you know you've got a couple of seconds to get under cover.
Level design causes more headaches. Paths forward are relentlessly linear in the campaign missions. Even though street scenes in the game appear wide open with all sorts of alleys to explore and ladders to climb, you're hemmed in by invisible borders. Everything is also so dark that it can be tough to figure out which way to go. Shadowy visuals boast incessant rain effects that set an appropriately depressing mood, although the scenery is so murky and indistinct that fine details are swallowed up by the gloom. You often can't even be certain of the presence of vampire sentries until you get so close that they can spot you. Night-vision and necroscope goggles can pierce the blackness, but the battery powering them runs down every few seconds. You spend more time waiting for recharges than you do hunting down hidden ladders and vamps. Sound effects don't help, either. Vamps frequently don't say anything when they spot you, and their footsteps are so muted that they might as well be walking on air. The only noteworthy aspect of the audio in the whole game is the squelching sound of a vampire mowing down on your carotid artery--and, of course, you hear that only during the brief cinematic that plays every time you get killed.
The sniper rifle and necroscope make for a devastating combo, at least while you're on rooftops a mile away from any Nightwalkers.
Gameplay modes outside of the campaign are unimpressive as well. Trial missions that give you short objectives to solve, like playing tag with all the other members of your team or grabbing a weapon from under the nose of a vampire, are often more entertaining than the full-blown story levels. Still, they're too short and limited to be all that involving. Multiplayer is dull, and the Live server is sparsely populated much of the time. The only multiplayer option that stands out is Death or Nightwalker, a deathmatch variant where a killed player can turn into a vamp. Of course, all this does is give the player the absurd speed and strength of the vampires in the game, so games end up totally unbalanced. It's probably best to stick with the uninspired alternatives, which include deathmatch, team deathmatch, and a capture-the-flag clone where you capture a flame.
It's entirely reasonable to look at Vampire Rain's concept and hope for something good to come of it. It may be a Splinter Cell also-ran, but the bloodsucking enemies and gorier moments give it a sufficient level of intrigue for the horror crowd. Too bad that any unlucky souls forced to trudge through this masochistically awful adventure would likely drive a stake through their own heart less than an hour in. Here's hoping someone sees the potential in future genre mash-ups like this one--ideally someone with a better game design.
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Where to buy
Vampire Rain (Xbox 360):
$24.99 - $29.99
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$24.99 | Yes |
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$29.99 | Yes |
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