This was my introduction to the world of Vampire The Masquerade. The disc copy was sitting in a stack of discarded computer games at a friend’s house and he flippantly said “it’s not very good, there’s a long boring story to get through, you can have it if you want” in short, he didn’t have patience for the dark ages lore and never made it to the modern nights section. I was blown away entirely by this gaming experience and became completely immersed in VTM lore books because of it. And to this day, I’m just aghast on why World of Darkness hasn’t been cranking out VTM games on the regular with this story quality.
I played Vampire Masquerade Bloodlines in 2004 and buyed this redemption on a Green paper special reduced edition from germany in 2005. I liked redemption and tried to play it but I had a bug in the early 30% of the game with some big giant rats in a dungeon? I couldnt pass the level and the giant rats wouldnt die. I was so sad I couldnt play more.... Then I switched to Sherlock Holmes silver earring and forgot about redemption but had it always on my shelf just because I respected Bloodlines and paid also respect to the first real game because people on the internet said it is a must have. I trusted them. Back at that time there were no lets plays or walkthorughs, at least I cant remember. Well here we now. I fantasized about a next game in my head for Bloodlines and had the crazy idea about a game where you start from the beginning or end and live thorugh all human history era with real history events but only vampires trying to surive. Turns out this game had already mind breaking concept and storytelling design and dialogs hahha I will try to play it again but I am very sure those games will not run on W10 or W11 even if I buy it on GoG. I dont use my main pc since I dont like windows but I have a 10 year old laptop which I use daily 10 hours to watch youtube and do my daily stuf on linux. Maybe it runs here. Or I watch it here on youtube but I would say playing it on big screen without youtube has more real experience like for all games.
@@AmericanMephistophelesI still play it to this day every time I do a new game and begin with it from zero just awesome in every way, played it with low humanity, high and middle and each gives a you a different ending story, the gameplay and graphics for its time was so advanced overall rating 10/10 compared to today games as story and gameplay
2:59:34 "Ass'amite stupid name." Classic Malkavian insight, just casually dropping knowledge they should not know in a way you would only notice if paying attention.
It's a late reply, but he also told Lily where her sire is. A while later, when he gave you the code he also mentioned that he sent a message to "Bill" that being Wilhelm. What the lunatic said made a lot of sense, we just didn't understand it, as it is often the case for Malkavians.
This was one of the best stories ever told through a video game. When he was just a crusader, when he speaks to the knights of St John, all of the conversations between him and Anezka, when he turns for the first time, his fall from grace, when they go from medieval ages to modern ages, when he picks up the gun an inspects it for the first time, when he sees the modern world for the first time. So many memorable moments from one game. IMO, the only other games that had gripped me like this was Secret of Mana, Final Fantasy 4 & 6 & 10, Chrono Trigger, Warcraft 3, and Mass Effect 1 / 2 / 3.
The gameplay is quite forgettable, but the story is of timeless quality. My channel also offers the Mass Effect trilogy + WC3, if you have sufficient time at hand.
Man, that story and voice acting was just in a class of its own, especially for its time. Haven't experienced anything like it ever since. I should play it again, it's already been a while. Just finished a Bloodlines + Clan quest mod replay a few months ago. Fun fact: Maggie Baird, the voice of Anezka, is the mother of Billie Eilish. Not sure how I feel about that, but it's certainly an odd bit of trivia. 😄
@melgibsonafter5beers329 i hear good things about bladur's gate 3, but i haven't gotten around to trying it out yet. too much work these days! i guess it'll have to wait until my retirement. 😅
William gives a great breakdown of Caine in the Cappadocian monastery, -"[Caine]... free from plowing the earth for food, and set a mark on him that he would live forever". That's a pretty cool interpretation and skilful adaption.
@@quintessenceofgames Redemption was my introduction into Vtm. And I think it's even better than Bloodlines. Neither has great combat, but it's the lore and atmosphere that's important. I like Swansong for it's confrontations, which are mostly more tense than direct combat anyway. I would love to see another RPG(point&click) entry a la Vtm Redemption.
I like VTMR better, too. What Wilhem mentions is only one of the beliefs some Kindred have, some considered it a blessing, others a curse. The tabletop offers different moments like that, too. Some things are left open to interpretations and beliefs, for the player and in the story, too. The unreliable narrator is used, too. Most Kindred history is passed mouth to mouth, as it was in the past in all cultures and before writing was invented. The setting was well immersed in itself. Like VTM Gilded Cage is a great book about exploring different views of all types of groups that exists among the Kindred, it's also about manipulation, create small sects, treachery and politics. If the setting is understood well, you make great VTM games, what VTMR and VTMB do. The story of the 1st Hunter: The Reckoning video game did it well, too, I couldn't play the other 2. Under Paradox ownership, not White Wolf anymore, I played the VTM visual novels and WTA Heart of the Forest, they're good and that WTA game was the best, it understood the lore, mood and setting well.
@@jron7682 The visual novel is very much catering to new "players". I found them a bit of a drag to get going, and practically over when things got proper interesting. I don't like how the universe is getting more and more fantastical. It's being to get that Warhammer feel, where everything is over the top for the sake of being over the top. Then quickly is degenerates into topping what came before it. I need the WoD to be grounded some more. It's more interesting when, with suitable suspension of disbelief, we can think that Vampires are actually there in the shadows of our world; i.e. magic needs to be kept on a practical level. I like the Paths, the feast of folly and the Harbringer meta plot. The mystery surrounding it keeps it interesting. The finer details should be kept vague from a storytellers point of view. I could keep talking about this for hours. I very much enjoy discussing the lore and story telling of Vtm. So I will just stop here :)
I absolutely loved this at the time, playing on my first PC. So much so, that I've looked it up again today, nearly 25 years later. Always hoped for a proper sequel.
The pronounciations of some of the czech stuff is really funny. Especially the "Vyšehrad" at 11:22 sound like the informal czech equivalent of "to defecate".
The dark ages was the best part of this game. I would like to play more games like this, where you can go around those eras and experience myths and legends of the time. The struggle between good and evil, between various factions, in a precarious balance. We need more of this stuff.
Secret World Legends would be similar in terms of exploring different regional myths and legends, ranging from Cthulhu-like eldritch horrors to ancient Egypt gods. But unlike The Masquerade you're better off just watching the story, because the game itself is your standard sub-par MMORPG.
At that time, the graphics, sounds, music were great. I played RPG with friends and when this game came out it was a perfect purchase. The story is identical to the books, the clans, the clashes, everything. The gameplay requires some skills that really aren't consistent with the books, but it can't be identical. Now, the story, perfect. The transition between the medial era and the current era showing how Cristhoff dealt with this change was the icing on the cake.
But why: game is still perfectly fine modded. The only con is that you don't have QoL from the last 2 decades of video games since the game initially released.
@@Fenris77 I did play it on Windows, and besides checking PCGamingWiki I only used the mods linked in the description, which consists of upscaled textures + a better UI.
I am Japanese. I played the Japanese version of this game 20 years ago. The scenario is very good. However, I was a little dissatisfied with some of the heavy weapons hitting me and my party.
this run of VTMR is looking pretty crisp with that mod installed. this game has such an amazing campaign although the multiplayer stuff was kind of a bust. Hopefully vampire the masquerade redemption reawakened does this story justice.
I remember playing this game long back then, but I never came to far in it - I kinda ended up being blocked some place at the beginning, and usually I was not bad at games, but I must have missed something, that could be done to further move on. I recall it was the first boss or something that I just could not get pass.... Or did the game crash at that point, that might be the reason as well, but I recall having some kind of a problem. So I never got any further really, I guess defeated at the first level - so I do not know much more about the game. But the seemingly love story between the 2, I wondered what further would happen on that. Although just a game, but overall, I never got any further overall feel on things as I never got any further. Actually thinking about it, I think the game crashed at the boss.... I think that was what stopped me from further moving forward. But.... not entirely sure.... Who knows, the game was said to be pretty buggy, it is a long time since, and.... yea.... well.... Not going to waste my time with playing it - I am pretty much done with gaming.
I could sware that 20 years ago when I was playing this game it had astonishing graphics. In 2024 I look at it's graphics and the only thing that comes to my mind is "what a piece of crap this is"... 😢
This was my introduction to the world of Vampire The Masquerade.
The disc copy was sitting in a stack of discarded computer games at a friend’s house and he flippantly said “it’s not very good, there’s a long boring story to get through, you can have it if you want” in short, he didn’t have patience for the dark ages lore and never made it to the modern nights section.
I was blown away entirely by this gaming experience and became completely immersed in VTM lore books because of it. And to this day, I’m just aghast on why World of Darkness hasn’t been cranking out VTM games on the regular with this story quality.
I played Vampire Masquerade Bloodlines in 2004 and buyed this redemption on a Green paper special reduced edition from germany in 2005.
I liked redemption and tried to play it but I had a bug in the early 30% of the game with some big giant rats in a dungeon? I couldnt pass the level and the giant rats wouldnt die.
I was so sad I couldnt play more.... Then I switched to Sherlock Holmes silver earring
and forgot about redemption but had it always on my shelf just because I respected Bloodlines and paid also respect to the first real game because people on the internet said it is a must have. I trusted them.
Back at that time there were no lets plays or walkthorughs, at least I cant remember.
Well here we now. I fantasized about a next game in my head for Bloodlines and had the crazy idea about a game where you start from the beginning or end and live thorugh all human history era with real history events but only vampires trying to surive.
Turns out this game had already mind breaking concept and storytelling design and dialogs hahha
I will try to play it again but I am very sure those games will not run on W10 or W11 even if I buy it on GoG.
I dont use my main pc since I dont like windows but I have a 10 year old laptop which I use daily 10 hours to watch youtube and do my daily stuf on linux. Maybe it runs here.
Or I watch it here on youtube but I would say playing it on big screen without youtube has more real experience like for all games.
Chris starts the game by rizzing up a nun. I’ve never seen a better characterization of a Frenchman.
:D
😂😂😂
Ya wouldnt?
Nuns are hot.
Still my most favorite vampire game. The story was outstanding. A f'ucking crime that we're never got a direct sequel.
A good game requires a good story, This game though has one of the best stories there is. Just awesome work.
Yup, and utilizing Early Modern English is just such a nice touch.
@@quintessenceofgames Don't care if the graphics are dated. This has more heart & soul than 90 percent of AAA games that come out nowadays.
@@AmericanMephistophelesI still play it to this day every time I do a new game and begin with it from zero just awesome in every way, played it with low humanity, high and middle and each gives a you a different ending story, the gameplay and graphics for its time was so advanced overall rating 10/10 compared to today games as story and gameplay
@@AmericanMephistopheles99%
2:59:34 "Ass'amite stupid name."
Classic Malkavian insight, just casually dropping knowledge they should not know in a way you would only notice if paying attention.
I didn't notice it during my 1st playthrough.
It's a late reply, but he also told Lily where her sire is. A while later, when he gave you the code he also mentioned that he sent a message to "Bill" that being Wilhelm. What the lunatic said made a lot of sense, we just didn't understand it, as it is often the case for Malkavians.
This was one of the best stories ever told through a video game.
When he was just a crusader, when he speaks to the knights of St John, all of the conversations between him and Anezka, when he turns for the first time, his fall from grace, when they go from medieval ages to modern ages, when he picks up the gun an inspects it for the first time, when he sees the modern world for the first time.
So many memorable moments from one game. IMO, the only other games that had gripped me like this was Secret of Mana, Final Fantasy 4 & 6 & 10, Chrono Trigger, Warcraft 3, and Mass Effect 1 / 2 / 3.
The gameplay is quite forgettable, but the story is of timeless quality.
My channel also offers the Mass Effect trilogy + WC3, if you have sufficient time at hand.
3:55 "Nay, tis nothing... A scratch"
*Dies*
To the abyss wit thee.
*wit means something else than with ;)
Best line in the game: "Art thou deaf woman? My cause is lost!" Makes me laugh every time
My honored lord! My honored lady!
Man, that story and voice acting was just in a class of its own, especially for its time. Haven't experienced anything like it ever since. I should play it again, it's already been a while. Just finished a Bloodlines + Clan quest mod replay a few months ago. Fun fact: Maggie Baird, the voice of Anezka, is the mother of Billie Eilish. Not sure how I feel about that, but it's certainly an odd bit of trivia. 😄
@melgibsonafter5beers329 i hear good things about bladur's gate 3, but i haven't gotten around to trying it out yet. too much work these days! i guess it'll have to wait until my retirement. 😅
I am 40 now and there are very few games out there that were as immersive and addictive as this one.
2:40:01 Hello Tara Strong, never figured you for a Toreador.
Loved this game, it was superb.
Such an underappreciated gem of a title, glad I'm not the only person who thinks so.
28:23 is one of my all time favorite lines in a game! He gave that woman REAL chills!
He got rizz.
Into the abyss with thee!
1:58:17 Top 10 saddest anime deaths 😔
2:59:11 - He is just a man of Tick....Tock..... OH GOD DEV/NULL PREDICTED TIK TOK.
"Pink? Ass-a-mite stupid name."
The writing for this game is criminally underlauded.
William gives a great breakdown of Caine in the Cappadocian monastery, -"[Caine]... free from plowing the earth for food, and set a mark on him that he would live forever". That's a pretty cool interpretation and skilful adaption.
There's a reason why both VtM games are still being played/watched today: their stories are just timeless + well executed.
@@quintessenceofgames Redemption was my introduction into Vtm. And I think it's even better than Bloodlines. Neither has great combat, but it's the lore and atmosphere that's important.
I like Swansong for it's confrontations, which are mostly more tense than direct combat anyway.
I would love to see another RPG(point&click) entry a la Vtm Redemption.
I like VTMR better, too. What Wilhem mentions is only one of the beliefs some Kindred have, some considered it a blessing, others a curse. The tabletop offers different moments like that, too. Some things are left open to interpretations and beliefs, for the player and in the story, too. The unreliable narrator is used, too. Most Kindred history is passed mouth to mouth, as it was in the past in all cultures and before writing was invented. The setting was well immersed in itself.
Like VTM Gilded Cage is a great book about exploring different views of all types of groups that exists among the Kindred, it's also about manipulation, create small sects, treachery and politics.
If the setting is understood well, you make great VTM games, what VTMR and VTMB do. The story of the 1st Hunter: The Reckoning video game did it well, too, I couldn't play the other 2. Under Paradox ownership, not White Wolf anymore, I played the VTM visual novels and WTA Heart of the Forest, they're good and that WTA game was the best, it understood the lore, mood and setting well.
@@jron7682 The visual novel is very much catering to new "players". I found them a bit of a drag to get going, and practically over when things got proper interesting.
I don't like how the universe is getting more and more fantastical. It's being to get that Warhammer feel, where everything is over the top for the sake of being over the top. Then quickly is degenerates into topping what came before it.
I need the WoD to be grounded some more. It's more interesting when, with suitable suspension of disbelief, we can think that Vampires are actually there in the shadows of our world; i.e. magic needs to be kept on a practical level.
I like the Paths, the feast of folly and the Harbringer meta plot.
The mystery surrounding it keeps it interesting. The finer details should be kept vague from a storytellers point of view.
I could keep talking about this for hours. I very much enjoy discussing the lore and story telling of Vtm. So I will just stop here :)
The story is so good! Cant wait for the skyrim modded version! Also Erik's face is hilarious lol
Awesome! played the crap out of this as a kid.
LOL -- Serena sounds so stilted and bored and it really fucking works for me
I absolutely loved this at the time, playing on my first PC. So much so, that I've looked it up again today, nearly 25 years later. Always hoped for a proper sequel.
There will be Bloodlines 2, if they manage to release it at all, but I doubt it'll manage to get close to Masquerade + Bloodlines in terms of story.
The pronounciations of some of the czech stuff is really funny. Especially the "Vyšehrad" at 11:22 sound like the informal czech equivalent of "to defecate".
The dark ages was the best part of this game.
I would like to play more games like this, where you can go around those eras and experience myths and legends of the time.
The struggle between good and evil, between various factions, in a precarious balance.
We need more of this stuff.
Secret World Legends would be similar in terms of exploring different regional myths and legends, ranging from Cthulhu-like eldritch horrors to ancient Egypt gods.
But unlike The Masquerade you're better off just watching the story, because the game itself is your standard sub-par MMORPG.
At that time, the graphics, sounds, music were great. I played RPG with friends and when this game came out it was a perfect purchase. The story is identical to the books, the clans, the clashes, everything. The gameplay requires some skills that really aren't consistent with the books, but it can't be identical. Now, the story, perfect. The transition between the medial era and the current era showing how Cristhoff dealt with this change was the icing on the cake.
Man this game could use a remake in the graphics and gameplay but keeping 100% the story.
But why: game is still perfectly fine modded. The only con is that you don't have QoL from the last 2 decades of video games since the game initially released.
Hi, what mods you like to use for better gameplay in this game? @@quintessenceofgames
I've only been using the mods listed in the description, and I reckon there won't be much, if anything, in terms of improving gameplay.
@@quintessenceofgames i think the second link didnt loaded
@@wlados22 Found a mirror and adjusted the link.
Fun fact: Lily is voiced by Tara Strong.
Aka Harley Quinn.
Oh Christoph^WSerena, my heart is aching for thee. Just the best styled Necromancer ever.
Take me my love !!!
A great game that still holds up today... If one has a computer that allows it that is.
The GOG version still runs just fine on a current-gen PC.
@@quintessenceofgames
Okay but it is the operating system also like Windows.
The game is really old afterall and WIndows is known for being ornery.
@@Fenris77 I did play it on Windows, and besides checking PCGamingWiki I only used the mods linked in the description, which consists of upscaled textures + a better UI.
I am Japanese. I played the Japanese version of this game 20 years ago. The scenario is very good. However, I was a little dissatisfied with some of the heavy weapons hitting me and my party.
Apparently, taken from other sources that came after the game, the canonical decision is to diablerize lucretia. Too bad you didnt do it.
Thanks for uploading this! Watched the whole thing. :) Do you know if Daniel Greenberg is working on anything with modern games?
3:13:01 Comically inappropriate line-delivery delights me.
this run of VTMR is looking pretty crisp with that mod installed. this game has such an amazing campaign although the multiplayer stuff was kind of a bust. Hopefully vampire the masquerade redemption reawakened does this story justice.
I remember playing this game long back then, but I never came to far in it - I kinda ended up being blocked some place at the beginning, and usually I was not bad at games, but I must have missed something, that could be done to further move on. I recall it was the first boss or something that I just could not get pass.... Or did the game crash at that point, that might be the reason as well, but I recall having some kind of a problem. So I never got any further really, I guess defeated at the first level - so I do not know much more about the game.
But the seemingly love story between the 2, I wondered what further would happen on that. Although just a game, but overall, I never got any further overall feel on things as I never got any further.
Actually thinking about it, I think the game crashed at the boss.... I think that was what stopped me from further moving forward. But.... not entirely sure.... Who knows, the game was said to be pretty buggy, it is a long time since, and.... yea.... well.... Not going to waste my time with playing it - I am pretty much done with gaming.
What was the first Boss fight after the Rats?..... Was that, that woman or was there someone before that, a middle boss?....
Sigh seems there is a lot of rubbish in this game, of twisting of the Bible and Catholic stuff.
This game made me want to name my daughter Anezka, her mom wouldn't go for it
this game fucking owns
I could sware that 20 years ago when I was playing this game it had astonishing graphics. In 2024 I look at it's graphics and the only thing that comes to my mind is "what a piece of crap this is"... 😢
If that isn't low-level bait then your metric by which you judge video games is pretty simplistic and binary.
ANEZKA