BloodRayne [GC]

Graphics
The visual side of BloodRayne is very solid. The game uses an impressive 3D engine built by Terminal Reality to draw big, detailed locales with inspired architecture, above average texture clarity and more. In early stages, gamers walk through swamps filled with misty waters complete with broken down structures, riddled with holes and cracks, which float in water. Later the heroine progresses through candlelight cathedrals with gothic hangings and demonic paraphernalia -- it's very stylistic.

Meanwhile the main character, from the sexy, revealing leather outfit, to the hip hair clips that swing with real physics as she jumps around, is well designed, though quite obviously way over the top. She looks the part of a vampire sex kitten. Some of her animation is equally impressive, particularly seen in slow-motion view a la The Matrix. Other animations, especially for running forward, seem a bit on the stiff side and there is the very occasional view in which she appears to be floating inches above the ground, not walking upon it. The enemy characters, meanwhile, are downright disgusting -- the spidery things that chase gamers around in the early stages still give us chills. It's the Nazi leaders later in the experience that come off more as goofy than anything else, but perhaps that is the point.

Terminal Reality has tried a lot, whether it always works or not. The worlds are varied. They are filled with objects that feature full damage models. Just about everything in the game can be carved up, blown up, or fully destroyed, from book shelves to cabinets, tables to chairs, and more. There are cloth physics. Sheets of Nazi covers hang from walls and if gamers want they can tear them up with BloodRayne's claws -- her primary weapon -- or simply walk through them, at which point they will sway and move back and forth. The texture quality on these pieces of cloth isn't spectacular, but we're impressed that the feature is in the game nonetheless. Lighting effects are everywhere, from the real-time torches that flicker about in environments to the many guns the vampire can rain upon foes, all of which illuminate the immediate area in flashes and bangs. Most impressive of all, easily and without doubt, are the particle effects and subsequent environmental influences -- basically, the gore. BloodRayne is one of the most violent titles in existence and it does its job well -- the blood and guts in this game are executed brilliantly. Particle blood sprays in every direction, body parts are dismembered and thrown into the air, and the floor becomes drenched in red, realistic blood as the female avenger dices and slices. The engine itself spits out tens of enemies on-screen at once, too, which often results in a virtual blood bath of guts and body parts, drenched flooring and splattered walls. It's a mess, but it's done so well that there is a tangible sense of accomplishment having bested a group of Nazi scum, especially when playing in slow time.

On the other hand, the framerate isn't always steady -- there are drops here in there depending upon the architecture detail and the number of enemies on-screen. Massive explosions -- bombs thrown by enemies, also cause the fluidity to chug for a second or two before it can repair itself. Some of the models are terribly low in polygons to the point where they seriously look edgy. There is clipping at points. Some of the texture work is blurry and unrefined. And then there is the camera, which sometimes gets in the way of the action, a disappointment. There is bad here for sure, but the good generally outweighs it.

Sound
The audio presence in BloodRayne is probably its weakest element. The game's music is moody and fitting for the environments and there are specific scenes in which some of the sound effects manage to scare too. But the one-liners are usually poorly acted and unnecessary. BloodRayne is known to casually spout out lines like "You bastard!" to enemies simply for the point of cussing. She sometimes talks to herself long after an enemy encounter has ended. The 'F' word is also frequently used for no innovative reason. People buying the game for its 'Mature' rating alone will probably laugh with glee at some of the profanities in place, but the rest of the title, for all of its cliches and borrowed inspirations, somehow comes off as smarter.

More troublesome, though, is that there are very rare audio pops -- almost glitch-like noises, that happen every once in a long while during fights.

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