BloodRayne [PC]

Gameplay Majesco's BloodRayne for PC is a shameless cross of Blade and The Matrix with a healthy dose of Castle Wolfenstein thrown in for good measure. The title stars sexy heroine BloodRayne, a half human-half-vampire agent hired by a secret organization known as the Brimstone Society to wipe out a Nazi conspiracy. The story makes no apologies about its inspirations and, probably because it doesn't take itself too seriously, it works.

BloodRayne is a 3D action game in every way, shape and form. Players control the limber vampire girl as she makes her way from the darkly lit swamps of Louisiana in search of spidery beasts to her eventual confrontation in the industrial German factories with several Nazi leaders. The game unfolds in linear style, leading BloodRayne from target to target for the kills, or to accomplish basic goals such as planting a bomb on a Nazi-controlled radio setup, or figuring out a way through a warehouse to the next location. There are breaks in the routine -- boss fights, obstacle challenges and more; at one point the character must take control of a giant mech-robot and blast her way through a level, and these are well paced, welcomed additions. In-game puzzles are practically nonexistent -- the focus is definitely on the many encounters the fast and well-equipped heroine has with hordes of ruthless enemies, all of them primed and ready to be butchered in an exaggerated, grotesque manner that's sure to please the bloodthirsty.

The character can perform a variety of different death moves and utilize a wide selection of powerful weapons. When playing with a controller, as in the console versions of the game, control feels tight in some regard and loose in others. For instance, the process of manipulating the character about the worlds is intuitive. The developer has employed a dual analog setup -- the main stick moves BloodRayne (forward, backward, left and right) and the other controls her direction as well as the camera. It's the latter that's flawed. Often times, manual or not, the camera is in the wrong place at the wrong time and occasionally it jumps out of whack in a corner, or in a confined corridor, and during similarly small, claustrophobic areas. There are times when it definitely gets in the way, which is mildly frustrating, but because this happens fairly infrequently it's not as troublesome as it could have been.

Now throw the PC controls of mouse and keyboard into the mix, which usually seem more fitted to an action shooter, especially when enemies appear both above and below you. Unfortunately, the camera goes even crazier when given the fast control that a mouse provides. There are times when you'll try to move to one side fast and find the camera pointing in a direction that you would never have predicted. Actually preforming moves in melee combat can be a bit confusing. Sometimes you'll pull off the moves you'd like to, and other times you won't. It's rather annoying to fight floating wormy monsters that you need to cut in half and you can't get BloodRayne to do that move specifically. In the case of melee combat, the controller is really a better tool. Too bad we can't get the best of both worlds.

Terminal Reality has spent a great deal of effort making BloodRayne a force to be reckoned with, and this is definitely noticeable. The character can jump onto enemies and suck their blood, a very satisfying maneuver if a bit cheesy, not only because you can rotate the person you've grabbed and use them as a shield while sucking blood, but also because it gives you health. She can also shoot forth a sharpened chain and rip into foes, pull them closer and feast upon them -- another nasty, but enjoyable move. There are many more, too. BloodRayne can leap and spin, which enables her to break through doors; she can jump and shoot forward her death chain, which serves to damage enemies; and she can flip left or right and dodge out of harm's way. Then there are the weapons -- everything from shotguns to rocket launchers. On top of everything else, she has vampire-specific abilities, from the option to slow down the world in a very "bullet-time" borrowed effect that can be slick, but sometimes actually can screw you up as your moves take much longer to pull off, screwing up your timing and aiming. The character can even use her vampire sense to see through walls and where her next major enemy hides. The sheer selection of abilities is, quite frankly, very impressive, not to be shrugged off as an extra, and they all play a very integral part in the action of the experience, which smacks of smart design.

There are some layout oddities, which disappoint. For starters, some of the levels themselves are a bit on the disorienting side -- some of the locales look the same and there are points, particularly in later stages, where players may find themselves scratching their heads in wonder of what to do next and often wandering back and forth across large levels. For example, we found ourselves stuck at one point in the game where a piece of flooring collapses to an underwater area below -- a problem, because BloodRayne is damaged by the liquid. We searched for more than an hour before we figured out a way past the obstacle and the experience is best remembered as a kink in the otherwise well formed armor of the action sequences the game has to offer. Also, the game's compass, located in the corner of the play screen, is designed to show BloodRayne where she must go next, but it occasionally sends her directly into walls and it's up to players to discover the correct way around them -- a bit of a stupid system, as far as we're concerned.

Encountering armies of enemies and dynamically devising new ways to dispose of them using BloodRayne's arsenal of options is the title's main appeal, perhaps only outdone by the effects her deadly weapons erupt in violently crude showings. Bodies are exploded, limbs torn apart, and pools of blood splattered as the heroine rips through gangs of undead monstrosities, spider beasts, Nazi soldiers and fights against gigantically oversized boss entities. Call it a guilty pleasure, but it's fun. For some gamers BloodRayne will be more than enough, in spite of its comparatively short play through. But those expecting deep, engaging puzzles or levels meant to inspire are in for a disappointment. The game is much more about the next enemy encounter, the next bloody fight -- not about moving stone blocks to trigger a door. That's not a bad thing -- just a consideration.