Those of you in your 20s or 30s may recall the short-lived trend where a game would launch with certain features that were already developed and ready to go, purposely blocked off. This day one paid downloadable content pissed everyone off because it wasn't like a special expansion or anything that was released later on. This was developed simultaneously with the main game but intentionally left out so people had to pay for it and/or prove they had the initial copy and didn't buy it used or rent it (in the case of, "Batman: Arkham City," with its Catwoman DLC code). This trend pretty much died out some time ago as gamers vocally opposed it and companies found other ways to nickel-and-dime us that caused less protest (like making your game, "Free," but charging for battle passes, cosmetics, and so forth, but I digress). That said, it was just announced a game in development Hell for years, "Vampire: The Masquerade--Bloodlines 2," was finally to be released this October--yah! Oh, and of the playable vampire clans, you only get four with the other two locked off for half the cost of the game ($30 for the DLC and the game is $60 on PC)--boo!
The original, "Vampire: The Masquerade--Bloodlines," came out two decades or so ago and was a great, but buggy, first person RPG. It used the same engine as, "Half-Life 2," and was overshadowed heavily by that game. The studio behind it, Troika Games, also made the amazing RPG, "Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura," beforehand. When, "Vampire: The Masquerade--Bloodlines," flopped commercially Trokia went out of business. The game became a cult hit, however, and folks were excited when a sequel was announced a chunk of years ago. Then, "Vampire: The Masquerade--Bloodlines 2" was in development Hell for some time. After a lot of changes in who was even working on the damn thing, many wondered if we'd ever get this game in a released form. Then, it was just announced it is coming so soon! It was weird to get that good news followed by the annoying news.
A third of the theoretically playable clans cost an extra thirty dollars on the first day. Should you like to be a Lasombra or Toreador vampire, pay up. Toreador's are fan-favorites along with Malkavians (and apparently a disembodied Malkavian is in your character's head and you get to play as him in dream-flashbacks to the 1920s, so that's kinda interesting), resulting in DLC seeming extra crass. It is not just a cosmetic shift from the vampire clan you choose, either; it heavily impacts the game what vampire clan you play. If this were the best game, ever, people could maybe overlook this awful day-one DLC that results in you paying ninety bucks for the whole game. However, early impressions of gameplay seem...mixed, at best. If this is the sort of game that everyone reviews as being a 6/10 or 7/10 (with a 5/10 being average) then I doubt many people will want to even buy the base game, let alone pay extra for the, "Bonus," features. If it is considered objectively, "Bad," then it could be a huge bomb.
When, "Vampire: The Masquerade--Bloodlines 2," drops I hope it won't be a mediocre game trying to coast off the love of fans nostalgic for the original game. I hope it will be amazing and impress anyone who plays the tabletop iteration that inspired the PC game, the original game fans, and anyone new to the franchise. I also hope that the game is fun without having to shell out another thirty bucks, and the day one paid DLC really does just feel like some fun bonus content for those who want more game. I am hoping for a lot of things, and I don't know if they can all happen. Expectations for, "Vampire: The Masquerade--Bloodlines 2," are sky-high, and so is the price. I hope for the sake of everyone involved in making and publishing the game, it can deliver. I'm gonna wait for the eventual price drop/bundle deal/"Complete Edition," release to ever try it out, though.
