Vampire Rain
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| Vampire Rain | |
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 NA Boxart of Vampire Rain |
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| Developer(s) | Artoon |
| Publisher(s) | AQ Interactive (Japan, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan) Microsoft Game Studios (Canada, United States, PAL Territories, Singapore) |
| Platform(s) | Xbox 360 (Current) PlayStation 3 (TBA) |
| Release date |  January 25, 2007   June 21, 2007 June 29, 2007  July 3, 2007 |
| Genre(s) | Action Stealth |
| Mode(s) | Singe Player Multiplayer |
| Rating(s) | CERO: Z ESRB: Mature (17+) PEGI: 18+ |
| Media | DVD-DL |
| Input methods | Xbox 360 Controller |
Vampire Rain is a video game for the Xbox 360 and in development for the PS3 as Vampire Rain: Altered Species[1]. It was released in Japan on January 25, 2007 and released in North America on July 3, 2007.
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[edit] The Story
Vampires, known as Nightwalkers, were found to be responsible for the disappearances of civilians in the United States. The American Information Bureau raises a black ops special forces unit and are deployed to the streets of Los Angeles, California, where it was raining. The rain was said to hamper the Nightwalker's vampiric abilities.
[edit] Gameplay
Vampire Rain is a stealth-action game similar in nature to the Splinter Cell or Metal Gear Solid series. Players are tasked with navigating their character through city streets, while avoiding the vampire enemies that patrol the streets disguised as ordinary human citizens. Players will often have to take alternate routes, such as climbing onto rooftops or through alleys, to avoid enemy encounters.
Unlike most stealth-action games, Vampire Rain places heavy emphasis on pure stealth. Enemies are extremely fast and can kill the player in 1 or 2 hits. Additionally, for the first 1/3rd of the game, players lack any weaponry that can kill vampires effectively. Any attempt to initiate combat generally results in the player's death. Also, unlike most stealth games, there is no effective means to hide or escape once an enemy has spotted the player, which usually results in the player dying soon after being spotted. Successful completion of many missions generally requires total avoidance of enemies by figuring out the correct route to pass through the mission area without being detected.
Later in the game, players are given high-powered weapons which prove more effective against the game's vampire enemies. Also, there are a few pre-scripted action sequences that involve fighting against multiple enemies, generally with the assistance of teammates or special environmental hazards. Your arensal includes a handgun, sub-machine gun, assault rifle, shotgun, sniper rifle, anti-armor rifle and a UV Knife used to stab an enemy from behind for an instant kill. On Xbox Live players may play as a nightwalker gaining all the advantages they had in the single-player but you may use UV Mines as traps to use against nightwalker opponents. Online multiplayer involves 8 players in standard modes like deathmatch, team deathmatch and capture the flame and the unique mode death or nightwalker which allows you to become a nightwalker and fight your opponents with extreme speed and power. All the firearms are available online and the gameplay is handled like the single-player. There are many other modes as well like Destroy.
[edit] Foes
Feeding on human blood, Nightwalkers multiply by transforming their victims into creatures of the night. A Nightwalker's heightened senses and superhuman strength make it a formidable opponent that even a well-trained member of the Special Forces would think twice before engaging in combat. An entire group of Nightwalkers can be destroyed by taking out the leader that spawned them. Known as a Prime Walker, this leader is exceptionally intelligent.
The Vampires, or Nightwalkers, are your only enemy for most of the game, and come in numerous appearances like teenage boys or girls, large well-built men, or girls that resemble prostitutes. Upon sighting you, they will turn into zombie-like creatures and attack at extremely high speeds dealing very high damage, normally killing in two hits. They can normally be killed before one clip of ammo is used, if all the shots fired hit home. Basically, all contact should be avoided at all costs, and the game normally provides cover and alternate routes so that this is possible. You will also encounter genetically enhanced soldiers with the same firearms as you. They can jump incredible distances and can survive more rounds than a normal human. They are however a lot weaker then the nightwalkers making your weaker weaponry much more effective.
[edit] Characters
John Lloyd: The only member of the team who has actually faced the Nightwalkers before in combat, Lloyd knows what the creatures are capable of. Armed with experience and knowledge gained from the field of battle, he's cool under pressure, and extremely lethal. He's a man of few words.
Hank Harrison: A reliable leader. He's a demolitions specialist with an extensive knowledge of explosives. This is his first Nightwalker mission.
Claire Kelly: An expert sniper. Though prone to sarcasm, Kelly is level-headed and highly capable.
Duane Hanson: He's been scared of Nightwalkers ever since he learned of their existence.
Eric Russell: Harrison's closest friend and comrade-at-arms. Leading an advance recon team, he infiltrated Point E9 prior to the insertion of Harrison and his men to provide mission support.
Colonel Dixon: Dispassionate and cold, he will sacrifice anything (or anyone) to eliminate the Nightwalker threat once and for all.
Dixon's Aide: A captain currently serving as Dixon's aide-de-camp, who has serious doubts concerning the colonel's motivations.
Charles: The final of the elite walkers the player must defeat. Possesses the ability to fly.
Margret: An elite walker that uses a sniper rifle
James: The walker who had killed the members of Lloyd's team prior to the game.
Edward: Edward is the first elite walker that the player encounters in battle. Using a shotgun as a weapon the player can defeat Edward by making him step upon the UV mines.
Monique: Lord Hessler's right hand woman. Monique confronts the player once Charles is defeated. A natural vampire.
Lord Hessler: A natural vampire who stumbles upon a young Monique in his journey to find "a place just over the ridge".
[edit] Reception
For the large part, the game was poorly received. Reviews ranged from the lukewarm to the scathing. GameStats tallies the review average as 3.6/10;[2] GameRankings tallies the review average as 40%;[3] and Metacritic tallies the reviews at 38/100.[4]
The reviews criticized Vampire Rain's enemy AI, controls, health meters for both the protagonist and enemies, and multiplayer modes. The game was also criticized for having elements derived from Metal Gear Solid and Splinter Cell but with much less appeal.[5]The game was criticized for being too hard and for the linear level design.
ScrewAttack.com awarded it a SAGY for worst Xbox 360 game of the year.
Gamepro's "Top Ten Worst Games Of 2007,"[6] it and Bullet Witch were placed at #6, but Gametrailers thought Bullet Witch was average[7] while Vampire Rain was a disaster.[8]
In Japan, however, the game was more well-received, with Famitsu granting the game a score of 32/40 (two reviewers scored the game 7/10, and two reviewers scored the game 8/10). [9]
[edit] References
- ^ Ignition and AQ Join Forces to Bring Vampire Rain: Altered Species to North America and Europe. Retrieved on June 3, 2008
- ^ GameStats: Vampire Rain
- ^ GameRankings: Vampire Rain Reviews
- ^ Metacritic: Vampire Rain
- ^ IGN: Vampire Rain Review, Part 1
- ^ GamePro.com Video: The Worst Games of 2007: Part 1 - GP Original Series
- ^ Gametrailers.com - Bullet Witch - Review
- ^ Gametrailers.com - Vampire Rain - Review
- ^ Kotaku Magu: This Week's Famitsu Scores
