What makes some game good? Usually, its the amount of options it gives you, along with variety in missions and value of replay.
Bloodlines game, despite being developed almost 20 years ago, has no match when it comes to these key elements.
The game has over 100 ways for players to complete it.
I am not even exaggerating.
First, there are three basic combat ways: unarmed, melee and guns.
Melee alone offers many different weapons that you can complete the game with. You can complete the game using knife, or just baseball bat. Or you can use sword.
When it comes to guns, there are plenty of guns, some better than the others, of course. But you can complete the game using almost any gun, although it might be slightly difficult with the weakest guns.
You can complete the game with fists alone. In fact, this game lets you increase fist damage greatly. You can beat everyone in game with fists alone, assuming you invest points into fists.
Other than these 3 basic forms, you also have claws, so I guess thats 4th option.
Certain vampire can transform into some create with claws, so you can beat the game with that too. I am just not a fan of protean discipline because combat is boring and repetitive with it.
The game also lets you choose which skills to upgrade.
You can play as tank, invest into defense and be really hard to kill. However, keep in mind that you must have some form of damage too. Maybe 1 or 2 points in melee or unarmed.
You can play as half-defense half-damage character.
You can also go as full damage.
The game also has disciplines, which is something like vampire magic.
Certain disciplines can be used to beat the game easily.
Celerity slows down time. At higher levels, time becomes so slow that you are moving faster than any enemy. It even slows down bullets, letting you dodge them. You can combine celerity with fists, guns, or melee weapons. They all work good.
Another discipline which is really overpowered in the game is Blood strike.
There are several reasons why this discipline is overpowered.
First, you choose Tremere, they have blood strike for free. You dont need to spend any xp to get it.
Second, blood strike can be fired repeatedly and quickly, and it can kill any boss in the game easily.
Third, blood strike doesnt need to be upgraded. It is always the same and does huge damage throughout the game.
Fourth, since game lets you cast disciplines with right mouse button, and attack with left mouse button, you can attack with your regular weapons while using blood strike at the same time.
Animalism also has similar discipline to blood strike, but it is at level 2 of animalism.
Next, there is domination, which you can use to convert enemies to your side during battle. Domination also has some damaging abilities, such as suicide, which does solid damage to enemies, but its not as good damage as blood strike.
Fortitude is another powerful discipline that can make you almost unkillable. You simply invest in defence and fortitude, and you will be very tanky.
Next, there is potence. Potence increases your damage in melee or unarmed.
The game offers 7 clans. All clans have different playstyle and different disciplines.
Malkavian are crazy and often hear voices. They also mess up dialogue in the game, so better not go with them for first walkthrough.
Ventrue are high class and refuse to feed on rats.
Nosferatu are deformed and must hide from humans.
Gangrel can transform into some creature, but its not much fun to play.
Tremere have blood strike which makes them the most over powered clan in the game.
Toreador and Brujah have celerity, which is also overpowered and makes game easy but fun.
The game also has multiple stories you can choose.
You can side with anarchs, the prince or the eastern vampires, each having different ending.
Your chat in the game also affects you. If you are nice to prince and do what he asks, you can get lots of money from him and free blood packs in the apartment he gives you.
The game offers great variety of enemies. Humans, gangs, soldiers, cops, vampires, werevolves, some strange magicians, crazy people... to put it simply, at each mission you can expect a different and unique enemy. Bosses are also all with unique powers. You will always be wondering "whats next" during first playthrough.
The game has replay value like no other. In fact, many people completed the game for over 50 times.
Its simply because each clan has 3 ways of combat, plus combination with disciplines, plus many different weapons and disciplines that can be used to beat the game. When you complete the game once, you get desire to play again as different vampire, or with different stats, weapons...
I am looking forward to Bloodlines 2, game which is currently in development.
I hope it lives up to the original game. The expectation is high and standard is high too. But they should be able to do it if they copy most of original game's combat and improve it.