Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines II

If you’re planning to go to Berlin in 4 weeks to play Bloodlines 2 at the PDXCon you are out of luck:

Paradox has announced Vampire: The Masquerade: Bloodlines 2 will not be playable at PDXCON as originally expected

"however, Paradox is making it up to attendees.

Everyone who attends the event will be given not only a first look at Bloodlines 2 content never before shown in public, but also a free Steam code for the game. Attendees will also have the opportunity to meet the game’s creators including Brian Mitsoda."

Found at VG247, but similar pieces were posted all over the interweb.

I had Bloodlines 1 installed for a couple of years, but never played more than 30 minutes. I was impressed by the facial animations for such an old game tho. Like MASS Effect Andromeda but better (or actually good).

You should really resolve that with the Unofficial Plus patch installed. Everyone should at least play it until they’ve finished the Ocean House Hotel mission.

Same here. I’ve tried several times, usually with the latest patch installed (which was always different every single time I tried). But I never get past the initial starting area. They don’t have a big hook right at the start. I personally don’t like Vampire fiction in any way, with the possible exception of Interview with a Vampire, so that’s the other factor with me.

As a result, it’s one of the big glaring classics that sits in my backlog, along with Baldur’s Gate 2.

It’s one of those games you really have to push yourself to play until it clicks, at least it was for me. I bounced off of it a number of times before it stuck.

Huh. I remember falling into it like a rabbit hole, or in love.

Same here.

If you want a bit more of a hook, I find Malkavians a bit more interesting. Everything is about warped, and it’s fully of veiled reference that you only get after the fact, or if you have played the game before.

Yeah, for me the hook was that it was basically Deus Ex with vampires. That and several seasons of Buffy was more than enough to pull me in.

Delayed x months

Sorta glad as Q1 was just crazy full.

It would be drowned by all the AAA releases around that time. I’m betting this time (Halloween-ish) next year.

Soooo Q3 2021?

I’ve got fond memories of the original (with that fan patch of course). Obviously act 3 was pretty much a travesty, but the beginning was great.

But my anticipation isn’t so great that I’m actually saddened by a delay. I’d rather it be good and the franchise successful so we get more stuff down the road. Seeing as it is Paradox, we know there will be plenty of DLC.

What kinds of DLC do you expect we will get? New nations/factions? Iron steamships?

I know you’re kidding, but that reminded me that there is actually a bizarre vampire/steamship book written by George R R Martin of all people. So maybe we’ll get that as the first DLC.

Oh man, I forgot all about Fevre Dream. I wonder if it’s worth reading (I only made it a couple books in to ASOIAF).

I read it about 15 years ago and I remember it had an interesting take on vampires, and that the main captain character seemed like he was pretty much GRRM, but as a steamship captain.

I didn’t love it so much that I’ve ever felt compelled to go back and re-read it, but the man can generally spin a pretty entertaining yarn, and if you find the genre entertaining I doubt you’d regret reading it.

Would that be the “18th century riverboat vampires” genre, because if so I would like a catalog of every entry, thank you.