Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines | Troika Games Retrospective 3/3
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- Опубліковано 9 лип 2024
- Support the channel! Get Vampire through my GOG affiliate link: indigogaming.link/VtMB
In the third and final chapter of a 3-part Troika Games retrospective, I will take a look at Leonard Boyarsky, Jason Anderson and Tim Cain's RPG classic, Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines. This series will cover all three games they developed, how they innovated, what didn't succeed and and attempt at the age-old question: "What happened to Troika Games?"
In Vampire: Bloodlines, you play a fledgling vampire caught in a complex power play between the Camarilla, the rebellious Anarchs and the dangerous Sabbat; in a World of Darkness, filled with betrayal, ambition and politics of the night. Based on the beloved pen and paper game. Let's take an in-depth look at what made this game great but also what destroyed its chances of success in this Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines retrospective.
0:00 - Intro
3:36 - Shining a Light Into the World of Darkness
7:50 - Sinking Your Teeth Into Vampire
11:09 - An RPG Masquerading as an Action Game
13:46 - Broken Masterpiece
16:26 - Postpartum, Postmortem
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MUSIC CREDITS
Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines soundtrack by Rik Schaffer
www.wombmusic.net/
'A Dream Within a Dream' by Twin Musicom
'Into the Depths' by Jingle Punks
'Horror Music' by Audionautix
'Right to Be' by Jingle Punks
'Moth' by Silent Partner
'Turnpike' by Silent Partner
'Undercover Vampire Policeman' by Chris Zabriskie
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FOOTAGE CREDITS
Some VtM: Bloodlines gameplay clips from Rotovision:
/ gameswithrojo
Some VtM: Bloodlines gameplay clips from TheGamerReport:
/ @unnamedviewerboss
Some VtM: Bloodlines gameplay clips from Lavinia:
/ @lavinialp
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SOURCES
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vampire...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troika_...
www.giantbomb.com/vampire-the...
www.rockpapershotgun.com/2009...
money.cnn.com/2004/02/02/comme...
www.escapistmagazine.com/artic...
books.google.com/books?id=lro...
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ARTWORK CREDITS
'Ravnos Antediluvian' by Shefango
shefango.deviantart.com/art/R...
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PATREON ► / indigogaming
TWITCH ► / indigogamingchannel
TWITTER ► / theindigogaming
FACEBOOK ► / indigogamingchannel
DISCORD ► / discord
#VampireTheMasqueradeBloodlines #VTM #TroikaGames - Ігри
You can help support my channel by purchasing Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines on GOG, the stablest version of the game out of the gate. Affiliate link here: indigogaming.link/VtMB
Legend says whenever you talk about Bloodlines,someone reinstalls it and makes another playthrough
Already had about 3 people say they were going to reinstall. :)
That's what I'll do when I get home lol
The real trick is to never uninstall.
You confuse it with original Deus Ex ;-)
Never uninstalled that either.
VTMB came into my life at a raw moment: lost parents, lost recent job, homeless, with only a laptop, this game, and Dr. Pepper addiction to help fight the darkness of the bleak winter nights. I had just turned 21.
It gave me the courage to pursue Computer Science branch of gaming design. I owe more than I can describe to this game.
I'm glad a game had such an impact on you and helped you recover from that situation.
I heard that composer made the Hollywood theme based on feelings he had when he was released from custody in the middle of the night and had nowhere to go. He considered getting drunk, getting high or attempting suicide. Maybe I made it up, but I like to think its true. This game seems to attract broken types... Broken game for broken people.
@Mikko Lopez what a dick
May I ask how you went from Homeless, to then having funds to get into Computer Science Branch? Super curious!
@@vishnualcyone9170 HAMERICA, where a homeless can be a president... But seriously, I guess OP homelessness wasn't something like living literally on the street,You can be "homeless", and stay in friends house, hostel or something similar with gov/council help. In UK, in city where I live, we have entire, dozen floor building in Town Centre for homeless or other broken people to accommodate. Of course it's not open for everyone like the shelter, there are requirements, but it's a thing if needed.
Fun fact: this game's setting and atmosphere is so thick it turned me into a sleepless vampire while editing this video. Enjoy!
It's crazy that other 2 games which made more sells that you mentioned I never heard of. In contrast watched Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines playthrough many many years ago. I haven't found any game of this kind that would pull me in ever since. I can't believe there weren't and still aren't more games like that. I wonder how former Troika employees are doing these days. I wish them well; they were amazing; they were probably too ahead of the time, but you can tell they were working with passion and true dynamic depth that is missing in many games of today.
The stupendous soundtrack of this game is a major factor in the atmosphere that you experience while playing this game.
Remember...wherever you go, it is the blood of Caine that makes your fate...
#farewellVampire
Farewell, Vampire.
That sentence always gets me. I've been playing this game since 2006, it never fails to amaze me.
The moon is a mysterious mistress...
Yeah cab daddy Cain!
That was incredibly beautiful, Indigo. Thanks for this video.
Troika was truly one of the greatest game developers of our time, but they suffered a terrible fate in the hands of Activision and Valve.
No game of that era offered such a believable dark world. A true masterpiece, that happens once in a lifetime.
Don't forget that Vampire's silence in a Post-Troika world was due to a hasty sale to CCP in Iceland, which let the ENTIRE World of Darkness sit in a vacuum for multiple years. Almost no new literature, no new games, no multimedia attempts with music/video/show/film. With Paradox Interactive's acquisition and a new edition of Vampire: The Masquerade being released for Pen and Paper, we might be seeing the resurgence this franchise really deserves.
I really want a remake of the game (also finished because there are some unfinished touches that cause bug problems).
Mano, arrepiei com o final do vídeo.
@@Shamino1 hopefully yes, but the first game to emerge: Werewolf The Apocalypse is being developed by Cyanide... and I'm not too hype about that fact.
@@balintszollar Cyanide is a good studio and the two Styx games they made were great, so it's at least in good hands and I believe they'll manage to deliver.
A flawed masterpiece that is annoying to play but offers an experience unlike any other. One of my personal favourites ever. Man, something about these late 90s/early 00s games with self-contained universes and loads of character. I miss it sometimes.
They were genuinely made and not overproduced like today's standards
I found myself getting a little emotional toward the end. If Troika wanted to create a living, breathing, living world then what better legacy is a fanbase that continues to pump blood into Vampire: The Masquerade? x
I'm someone that only discovered VTMB long after Troika had ceased to exist. in Oct 2014 Steam, then bought on GOG's release to get rid of that awful client, in 2016.
It's entirely thanks to that dedicated modding community that I play6ed the game, and wouldn't even consider playing the vanilla version, which is essentially unplayable.
GOG even took thre extremely rare decision to sell it with the community patch installed, as the vanilla game was simply too broken for modern PC's.
Temple, and Arcanum have equally dedicated modding sources, if not so extensive as VTMB, indeed all these games are better modded.
Whether it's just patching bugs, and working on modern PC's in widescreen, or diving deep into the many fan made quest mods of VTMB. I've had many hours of fun modding VTMB.
@@uhurunuru6609 Arcanum, & Bloodlines (haven't yet played TOEE) are considered flawed masterpieces but in my eyes are just masterpieces that are better than games that come out now. Actual role playing game that have role playing in them. I am so thankful for the communities that fixed and kept these games alive.
Uhuru N'Uru I beat the vanilla game without guns (yknow the thing you’re apparently not supposed to do) so it’s definitely possible
Gone, but never, ever forgotten.
Legend is that if anyone mentions Bloodlines, somewhere in the world there will be someone who reinstalls the game. Which is me in this case.
Your comment made me want to reinstall.
*sigh* here we go again *reinstalls*
Which is why I don't uninstall the game. Now.. off to make a new character...
Hopefully the sequel lives up to the original game's charm while improving upon the flaws.
Has it really been 13 years since this game was released? I still remember us siting in our 7th grade classroom reading the magazine articles and talking about this game during breaks between classes. And when the game was finally released and we actually got to play it, man we were hooked. For months we talked about this game and the differences between our respective play-troughs. I'm just, I'm just full of emotions and feelings of nostalgia right now. Thank you, thank you for this video man you brought out some really fond memories there and you really, really made my day.
This is my favorite game of all time. I hardly ever play it because it almost makes me heartbroken when I part from its atmosphere and characters. I always love it when people cover it for any reason, but Halloween is the PERFECT time for it.
I just read an interview with Tim Cain in last month's LEVEL (Czech gaming magazine). He said how tough was to work with Activision - not only that they released the game in the worst time period possible, but they also sent to stores build from 2 months ago by some mistake and refused to release a day one patch which Troika had made.
Yeah I say as much in the video. I read that about the production. If I didn't know any better I'd swear Activision WANTED the game to bomb for some reason.
The only game that broke my heart.
I have finished this game so many times. Definitely one of my top 5 favorite rpg games. My favorite was playing as Malkavian, Toreador and Tremere. This game is amazing and the music is absolutely gorgeous. Every RPG lover should play this game at least once in their life. RP really shined in this game. I watch all videos about Vampire : Masquerade Bloodlines on UA-cam.
As much as this game deserves a sequel, I doubt it will ever get the one it deserves. Too much has changed over the years...
The ending of the video was beautiful.
Now I'm going to tackle ToEE and Arcanum for the 1st time!
Fantastic outro, you did a great job on this series!
Never played Vampire, but holy shit, Knowing that Activision forced them to release it against Half life, halo and metal gear was hearthbreaking.
Honestly, i think after i play Pillars of eternity i will check out these troikas games. Where can i find these fan patches, do you recomend playing with them?
I don't like blaming publishers blindly, but the rushed release and refusal to pay for another month of patches does seem to be the biggest contender for failure here, and that is on Activision's hands.
I recommend getting the Troika games on GOG.com, they come with the latest official patches, if you're looking for a better experience I recommend the unofficial patches too, but there are two strains of patches for Vampire and Temple of Elemental Evil, one which fixes issues, another which adds content as well. If you're a purist you might want to stick to the former (I think it's called True Patch for VtM:B, and there are versions of the Circle of Eight mod for ToEE which only fixes, doesn't change stuff).
i can't recommend this game enough and I think its great to get more people on the wagon.
Play it with mods and updates, it improves MASSIVELY and even gives you new options and all vampire tribes/clans (races) not just the Camarilla. Even the ones that should not be playable in some ways by using the antitribu rules (going against their nature) like the Sabbat evil clans as a good guy or the good Camarilla clans as a bad guy. Check nexusmods, GOG or the steam workshop and also just google those.
Brujah (the rebels and anarchs) are good for starters since they shine on melee combat and have decent health, but keep in mind coming out of stealth surprise attacks (that can crit!) are absurdly powerful regardless of clan, and some clans boost these. Long range weapons were meh but maybe some patches make them better.
It is also heavily recommended after finishing it to make different playthroughs as a Malkavian, the crazy paranoid ones and/or a Nosferatu, the ugly ones that must avoid human contact and thus mastered stealth . This changes the gameplay on many levels. Malks for the unique dialogue and options, Nosferatu for a Stealth Playthrough with different priorities.
Or just play Ventrue (the nobles) and be OP mentally dominating everyone left and right for a speedrun. Have fun!
P.S. DO NOT FUCK WITH WEREWOLVES
www.gog.com/forum/vampire_the_masquerade_series/vampire_the_masquerade_bloodlines_patches_mods_etc/page1 This is a good list of patches and mods. I recommend playing the first time with only wesp's unofficial patch, as it's closest to the original with tons of fixes.
Get it! You won't regret.
Yesterday I was freeing up space on my hard drive and when I saw Vampire I thought it was pointless to delete it because I will just install it again even though I have been playing this game on and off for the better part of a decade. It really is something special.
I have a copy installed in at least 3 drives.
I fell in-love with VtMB. I don't even know how many times I played it. How many times I got nerve wrecked in the hotel or leaping from the chair after hearing a homonculous. The times I stood by Nines and how many I betrayed him. A truly marvelous game. The dialogs, the atmosphere, every little detail on it. I didn't know Troika's history, but it really looked like game industry killing games
I consider Vampire: Bloodlines to be the best written game ever. Possibly 2nd to Planescape: Torment. If you're going to play it now for the first time, of course obtain the unofficial patch, but also feel free to noclip through the sewers and the final combat areas if it's too much of a slog. Which it will be. Other than those areas, the game is absolutely amazing. I also don't think the ending is weak at all. Actually a favorite of mine.
Totally agree about Planescape: Torment and this one. My two all-time game-writing favourites too.
I agree on Planescape Torment and Bloodlines but I would definitely get Redemption on the list. It somehow greatly underrated but story and dialog writing were superior to anything out there at the time! Also if talking of all genres than add Monkey Island 2 and I would say that Witcher 3 is on that level as well.
I thought the combat was fun if you were on the right level and there was allways the option to sneak, you crawl right infront of NPCs and they won't notice if you increase your sneak even just a little bit
Yeah, I don't get it. I loved the ending.
I agree, the ending was really excellent and fit the game well
This is my favourite game of all time. I remember getting into so much trouble everytime I played it on the family computer, which was in the living room and easily accessible to my younger brothers. Being the oldest of three boys, I influenced a lot of their media intake and my parents weren't very happy when I got into the series. The fact that VtMB still has an active modding community is amazing; there are so many different facets of its gameplay that are constantly being enhanced by its avid supporters. With a new game in the series being in development and the creation of text adventure games set in the same universe, I can't wait for how many more people will discover the magic this game has managed to capture.
_"Remember - wherever we go, it is the blood of Caine which makes our fate. Farewell, vampire!"_
Brilliant presentation. Bravo!
For a game to be so broken yet beloved to the point of revival is unheard of. I can't think of any other game other than V:TMB that achieved this.
the troika saga always gets me right in the feels man.
VTM Bloodlines will always have a place in my undead heart 🖤 i miss playing a Malkavian.
Wonderful game and a fantastic video series covering it. Great work.
Thanks very much, glad you enjoyed.
Vampire The masquerade bloodlines is one of my favorite games of all times, i always have int installed on my computer
The funny thing about the quality of a game about Vampires is how much humanity has been put into it... Thank you Troika for giving such unique games.
Together with Final Fantasy 7, System Shock 2, Dark Souls 1 and Deus Ex 1 in my Top 5 of Alltime.
This Game was so refreshing, with so many great Moments and atmosphere.
Great Video and a realy good Series about Troika.
Thanks, DX is still my #1, but VtMB and SS2 are definitely up there too.
You always choose amazing games to study. Only Masterpieces. Nice video! I wish *Dark Seed* could have a remastered HD version.
This is possibly the saddest series on the death of a company I've seen.
Troika were seriously some of the brightest minds in the industry put into the most unfavorable positions.
Every of the three titles released were ambitious and genuine classics despite their technical problems.
It's like seeing that one incredibly talented friend of yours always being put down by outside influences and sometimes even his own ambitions.
"Real people don't say 'hi.' They say 'oh, man! You're a vampire, aren't you?'"
- Brian Mitsoda, probably.
THIS JUST IN: VTMB2 IS HAPPENING
Unfortunatley, the hype is dead. The recent gameplay for Bloodlines 2 looks terrible. They should remove the Bloodlines name from it immediately.
Troika Games was the best Company I've ever worked for.
First play-through I played as Nosferatu, second play-though was as malkavian, and even though I knew the story by that point it was like a completely new game. If it hadn't been for all the bugs at launch I'm sure this would have been a massive hit. It's still an extremely popular game years after release. Those Troika people knew how to write a great story.
It's really one of the few games where a different character build completely transforms the way its played.
The Wesp5 patches are great. Install one of his later patches. Don't forget to tick the plus box before you install it. It will give you lots of goodies. Extra levels, new weapons and a fifth new armor. One of the best things ever is the shortcut a bit into the Nosferatu Warrens.
Bloodlines was the best game ever!
Indeed; Witcher 3 is a great action RPG but Bloodlines was a great RPG period! Despite undeath their characters felt more alive than most/all contemporary game NPCs and it was refreshing to see your character sheet affecting dialogue so often, compared to the simple good/evil checks for Mass Effect or the underdeveloped Axii/persuade dialogue in Witcher. Any day of the week, instead of a flat sandbox, give me an immersive hand-crafted linear story with measurable consequences for replay value. I am ready for another masquerade!
I was among those who bought the game when it came out. I remember an annoying crash in the tunnels below The Society of Leopold. I remember Mira Giovanni's broken dialogue. And probably some other bugs I have forgotten by now. I still enjoyed the game though. Loved the dialogues and interesting interaction with the characters throughout the game. I enjoyed sneaking around.
Unlike many others I don't have that much against the combat system. When not in combat I have gotten used by having the left hand on the keyboard, especially keys e and f. Most of the rest of the close by when needed, like using the thumb to jump. And having the right hand on the arrow keys. When in combat I just switched hands. Left on the arrow keys abd right on the mouse. I'm used of not using the block key because it is not close. But I don't care . I'm used to it. And as the game progress you can still becpme pretty bad ass anyway.
A very powerful video -- I began to feel tears swell in my eyes towards the end, though managed to fight it off.
Genius, pure and simple. I remember seeing this game and asking my friend to get it (I didn't have a PC). It was only after a few years that he borrowed it from his cousin that we dove in.
Then I bought my first WoD books without realizing it was all the same world. So the cycle spun anew.
Both PC games are great, as well as the books. I just bought a new copy of Vampire 20th Anniversary. Now to get some friends to play with me...
Indigo Gaming nervously shuffles side to side. Well I've never played VtM itself and I'm also in the India timezone with a ridiculous work schedule but if you wanna do something on discord once a month...
The game was so great fans with developer back ground fixed almost every issue. When i first played it instantly fall in love with it, spend hours in the beginning area checking every corner not to miss anything. When you have a good / interesting story to tell software glitches & bugs don't matter.
Still replaying it every other year. One of the best games ever created. Flawed? Yes. Does it matter? No.
i've crushed this game front to back and sideways, with all the clans, playing it maybe nearly a hundred times since I first played it in 2006. Every 6 or 7 months, I come back to this game.
Gotta give my thanks to Troika and to the VTMB community for fixing game bugs, creating patches and widescreen version of the game. i just wish some finacially backed up developer pick up this GOLD OF RPG GAMING and turn it into a franchise. With the consoles and powerful PCs we have today, this could be a life changer. Just as it was for me all those times.
One of my favourite rpgs ever. Despite its all issues no other rpg nor video game has achieved the same atmoshpere, same quality of writing and dialogue that vtmb had. Yeah, the combat sucked and the game took a huge dive during the sewers and after the chinatown but despite all that, it is a masterpiece in my eyes. No other game has been packed with so many distinct, unique yet believable characters with actual personality as this one is. Simply, if one wants to see how to build a living world with real atmosphere and how to write actual characters instead of some fucking cartboard cut outs need to check this one out.
I agree. I've never played any other game where I can remember even minor characters by name. Also, even Fallout's radio does not compare to Bloodlines. Deb of Night ftw!
Fallout did just as good for me, it seems to be a part of interplay's legacy
Kotor 2 :)
Vampire Masquerade Bloodlines is legendary, a masterpiece despite its flaws. It has a dedicated cult following for a reason. The atmosphere of VTMB is so unique and immersive. That gritty city 90s vibe. One of my all time favorites for sure.
You had to save the best Troinka game for last.
Anyways, kinda wish some indie dev will make a spiritual successor for Vampire or maybe an Enchanced Edition from Beamdog.
Apparently a couple fans tried doing remakes but were shut down by CCP Games. Ironic since their World of Darkness game was cancelled. Too bad.
WoD online being canceled is one of the biggest disappointments of an MMO world from last years. CCP could create something really new that would please not only excel fans but they decided to just screw it...after merging with White Wolf or something iirc. The MMORPG genre really need new view but sadly CCP failed in it, EVE is propably still profitable but its too niche...and most of other "new" mmos are mostly theme-parks with barely zero new ideas.
What? Boo is outraged! See his fury! It's small, so look close. Trust me, it's there.
Indigo Gaming its going to come back currently werewolf the apocylypse is in development and white wolf has expressed interest in a follow up to vtmb (both world of darkness)
Well CCP doesn’t have the liscence now, time to see if the new owners would let it happen now
There are some youtubers that make you rush to the computer when you see that they've posted a new video. You're one of those youtubers, and this is one of the best series I've seen on youtube. I didn't know that these three games were made by the same developer, even though I've heard tons about Arcanum, own Elemental Evil (but have never played it), and consider Vampire: The Masquerade one of the best games I've ever played. Needless to say, your videos have made me appreciate Troika Games a lot more. Well done, Kindred!
I'm still playing the unofficial patches of Vampire the Masquerade Bloodlines to this very day. It's truly one of the best RPGs I've ever played.
Yes, I remember buying this game and enjoying it more after each patch! The later community patches even recovered some lost missions and areas, if I'm not mistaken. Bloodlines was one of the most atmospheric games I've played and the difference between the character choices gave almost entirely different experiences for each playthrough. The one thing that bothered me was that Troika had made the vampire powers feel a bit too arcade-y, with invisibility only lasting a few seconds at a time and glowing hands after activating the strength discipline. Of course, the modding community made pen and paper mods as well, which remedied exactly those issues. Bloodlines was incredibly immersive and I really hope to play something similar again. The setting would be perfect within a modern style open-world game. One can only dream.
I played as Ventrue and didn't regret it. Social mechanics are something I really enjoy about games.
So sad that this was their last game. They were doing great things. Lots of people talk great things about this game and it's always recommended. Glad it's lived longer than it's original release.
VTMB is one of my favorite games of all time, and it always makes me happy to see somebody speaking positively aabout it
This was and still is my favorite pc game of all time.
Dude. Vampire the Masquerade is INCREDIBLE. Some of the most colorful and interesting writing from any game, ever.
Stumbled upon your channel, looking for somthing to reminiscient of youth. Was surprised due to well-versed and well-written essays about games long-passed. Finally, after all these years someone made justice to most inspiring games of the last decade. Much appreciated!
I went into V:BM a year ago with no predispositions, and it is without a doubt one of the best games I’ve ever played.
The entire Troika retrospective series brought back many fond memories. I feel that a complete playthrough of all these titles patched up is now in order.
This is my favorite game of all time. It's dialogue is more engaging and feels more real than most movies and TV shows.
I loved Redemption, Bloodlines never really got under my skin.
I love them both. I really dug Redemption's Storyteller mode though. That was amazing.
Narration, editing style and pacing, as amazing as troika games. You sir deserve a lot more views, cheers to that.
Your videos are great man. We share a similar taste in games, and while I've played most of the games you seem to enjoy, I'd never given Arcanum a shot until I watched the first part in this video series. Keep up the good work! You've definitely made a fan out of me.
This is hands down one of my favorite games of all time. I couldn't even tell you how many times I've played it. What can I say, I'm a true Malkavian at heart.
Keep arguing with stop signs, friend!
This is one of my favorite games ever. Not only is it a great RPG, it's also very diverse, when I finished it I had a feeling I played several different games. As opposed to the newer trend of putting out games that feel more like just a chapter or a mission than a full-fledged game.
broken or not, the three games are masterpieces, after all this time I have memories of NPCs, unique dialogues, places and adventures, like few other games gave me. definitely three of my most beloved games ever. you make me want to play them again!!!
Thanks for the video. Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines is one of my favorite RPG games of all time! Must have played it through half a dozen times (With the fan patch that fixed most of the issues that plagued the game upon release).
Awesome, you're welcome! Yeah that fan patch is a must, I got stuck behind an impassable gate that failed to trigger because of one of those bugs.
I've lost count of how many times I've finished Bloodlines. I think the only clan I've not played through start to finish with yet is Brujah. Brilliant game. I really wish Brian Mitsoda and the Troika heads could get their current studios together to collaborate and make a proper sequel to the game.
I heard Mitsoda had mild success with his Dead State game. He's working on a new game I don't believe has been announced. Tim Cain and Leon Boyarsky are at Obsidian now, so they're kind of back with most of their original team. I read that Cain isn't really interested in spearheading a brand new project currently, though.
This game is a HUGE part of my teenagehood and I find myself reinstalling it every so often. It has fueled my imagination and left me wanting more. I do hope that it gets a chance at a remake or continuation
Love your videos! A shame that they are so depressing... not because of you, but because of the fate of the developers. People with such a passion for their craft, becoming jobless because of forseeable mistakes made by publishers.
Kind of an unrelated question, but what do you think of Wasteland 2?
I don't mean to be so depressing, but it is sad when great games and great developers go by the wayside yet COD gets pushed into our faces to a Mostly Negative reception on Steam year after year.
I think Wasteland 2 is a worthy successor to the original, I have a lot of (mostly minor) qualms with it, and it's not a Fallout successor like some people make it out to be (in my opinion), but it's a good game.
Tbh it's the same in every media industry, lowest common denominators always dominate sales charts, that's just how it is. I don't even think its because the general public has such a mediocre taste, it's rather just easier to go with what's popular or pushed in your face, since finding hidden gems is time and energy consuming
Thanks for your opinion! I also liked the game and was very pleased with the amount of content (especially compared to Fallout 1), but the whole "town with 2 very different wacky factions" thing was used a bit too often and the story was a bit too campy. Also a bit too buggy, but still a great time.
Can't wait for your next video!
Well, might make ya happy to know that a lot of the devs now run their own studios and seem to be doing pretty well. Maybe some day we'll see them collaborate for another Vampire the Masquerade title. We can dream! oOo
One of the best immersive sims ever made and Troika's stroke of genius, a masterpiece
A wonderful retrospective on one of my favorite games. I still remember how scared I felt when I played through the Ocean House my first time. It was dark and rainy outside, and I intimately remember the foreboding sense of fear and panic that builds as you traverse that haunted hotel.... "He's coming!"
Blood Lines and Freelancer are two fantastic games and I will never understand why some game company hasn't picked the titles up and made more of the franchise. Great vid on this game. Loved it.
But yeah, that was really depressing to hear about what could have been, almost teared up hearing about how amazing they truly were, yet how far they were forced to fall....
'Breaking the mold' is ALWAYS a risk.
But sometimes even a 'not expected' result can be enhanced and revived. Well done!
This game was/is so wonderful. Troika was wonderful. I love their games. I never replay games, but Troika games. So sad :/
2004 was a very rough year for my family. I was 13 at that time and I remembered when Halo launched the same week my Grandmother died. Playing that Halo 2 game kept my sister and I less depressed. It's so sad VTM was overshadowed by other big titles. I recalled seeing VTM on Target Store shelves but never picked it up until 2013 Steam Halloween sale. I finally played it Fall of 2015 and couldn't put it down. I'm glad I picked it up as an adult. There are many themes that the game has I probably wouldn't fully understand as a teenager.
When I stumbled upon this game I had no idea who made it (or that it even existed). It was an awesome surprise to discover it and be surprised by its depth and immersive game world. I never finished the game (got a bit more than halfway through), but it remains one of my most memorable RPG experiences.
Bloodlines is a great game in spite of its flaws. Seeing this video makes me wish a good AAA RPG studio like CD Projekt Red would get ahold of the VTM license.
Well, we got a sequel!!!
I played this game in the late 2000's and I wish I could go back and buy it on release day to support Troika. This game dethroned StarCraft as my favorite game of all time, and I've played SC since 1998. Too bad vampires get such bad rap nowadays.
It's a pity that Troika didn't get to grow and expand as a company. I really enjoyed playing Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines. It was satisfyingly immersive at the time and it still is today.
I started playing this game recently, and I'm simply amazed by the sheer ambition the devs put into it for 2004. This was the same year KotOR 2 was released, and while KotOR 2 is considered one of the best RPGs of all time, in many regards it doesn't hold a candle to VtMBm hell even most modern open world RPGs fall in comparison. The voice acting, the writing, the lore, even the graphics (for a game of these proportions at the time) are all pretty amazing. It's just a shame that the game wasn't truly finished, and was overshadowed by a lot of bugs and an underwhelming ending. It's almost hard to believe that this game could've been an even much greater masterpiece than it already is. I didn't even know it was part of a much bigger series.
Thanks for making this video about this amazing, uderapreciated video game.
Really loved the entire Troika series, and this video was probably my favourite one yet. Great stuff!
Astonishing in all ways, my Friend. Tears were streaming down my face in the end of your Retrospective. You had refreshed my memories about this fantastic story like nobody else ever did before.
I remember we played Vampires with pen & paper and then this game came out and our world has turned ))
Vampire: The Masquerade PnP is great. I just bought the 20th anniversary edition in full color hardback while making this video. I'm trying to get a group together to play. It's probably the best RPG system I've played for role-playing-focused campaigns.
It's the best vampire game made to date and my all-time favourite. This game touches the g-spot of my soul and I feel like reuniting with an old flame whenever I replay it. The setting makes me want to visit LA and every track in the game is ingrained in me. And it has some of the most memorable characters out of every game I've played. And it's straight up punk. I would kill for a spiritual successor but there hasn't been one to date.
I am consistently blown away by your production value. How do you not have more subs?! This must be remedied!.
I am huge fan of Vampire the Masquerade/White Wolf. Fallout 2 and Bloodlines were THE BEST! I would find myself reinstalling these games over and over throughout out the years.
Love this game and it's characters and atmosphere so much. I've even learned to bunnyhop at super speed through the levels, but that still doesn't stop me from stopping to smell the roses of the night. Fantastic video Indigo, you have a new subscriber.
Such an awesome company deserves an awesome retrospective.
Now do one for Bullfrog!
Definitely intend to one day, they made about 24 games though so that will be a big project!
I really enjoyed this game. It is one of the few games that I actually finished.
When I played it years ago it HAD to be patched by both official and unofficial patches to clear some serious bugs but I played it over and over I did a full run through with multiple builds of each clan. In different circumstances I believe this game could have launched a Fallout and TES level franchise.
I played it years after release and ran into a gamebreaking bug as well. It's rush to release really hampered what should have been a classic.
I played it when I was 13 and had little experience with the internet / english and it became the game that tought me how to enable and use developer consoles without understanding a word of what I was typing. (Many people had to teleport out of the leopold scocieties cave due to a bugged area transition trigger. .. )
Still ... I just recently replayed it and while I enjoyed it alot, it also made me a tad sad .. games like MVB can barely be compared to todays games without calling the more recent releases "trash". I miss the "good old days" :|
Best atmosphere ever, can even feel it today, great review btw :D
Great content, I will check this game out.
Thank you for making the series that Troika games deserve.
Such an iconic game they're trying to make a sequel. Hopefully, they stay faithful to the original work and thought that Troika put into this game.
I first played VtM:Bloodlines only three years ago after hearing so much praise for it and it was so worth it. Earlier this year I replayed with a cel-shaded graphics mod and it doesn't look as dated at all with it (ends up looking kinda like the Telltale games), only the animations look a little janky. I knew the development was troubled from reading some articles before, but didn't realise it was that bad. Great video as always!
I recently played through VTM: Bloodlines after a few years, and I was surprised at how well the game holds up after all these years, I think it's a true testament to the world building skill of the developers. All the areas are rich with atmosphere, especially the downtown. The storyline, the characters and the locations made me nearly ignore the shortcomings, and a lot of things are ironed out thanks to community patches. It's sad that circumstances didn't allow the game to reach it's full potential and polish, because we are now left with like you said, a broken masterpiece and a question of what could have been.
All in all Bloodlines is a cult classic that immerses you fully and I can say It has a firm place in the "Will play through many more times" part of my collection.
Troika forever! I am so sad that a studio like that had vanished in history...
Great series of videos. I was just sort of listening to it while cooking but at the end I was sitting in front of the monitor and watching a review totally engaged of a game I have never played (or cared) before. :O
I have played Arcanum, and I'm happy that you covered it with critique and respect. It was truly a memorable and immersive artwork.
I'm looking forward to see more of these video essays. I relly apreciate the hard work and care you put into these. I'ts rare to see similar, not clickbaity or overhyped reviews / essays nowadays.
Well dona and I wish you guys luck for this channel!
What a game. One of my favourite RPGs ever. So many great memories.
Nice editing with the beginning. Music, video and narration all go together real nice.
Man, i loved how you did justice to this masterpiece of a game.
Truly is one of the great immersive sim classics. A shame how it went underappreciated for so long.
Excellent three part series both factual and commentary. Thoroughly enjoyed it.
Appreciate how hard the editing is too, hats off and keep going!
Look forward to seeing the 10000 views mark on your future videos and even better beyond.
Glad you got something out of it. All three videos equal nearly an hour, but it took many many times that to play, script, record and edit it all together. Thanks for your kind words!
I absolutely adore Bloodlines from the first sight. The gameplay gave me what I was searching for, like Deus Ex 1 gave me too.