So, for some reason I completely missed Vampire: The Masquerade -- Bloodlines when it came out in 2004. That's probably a *good* thing, though, since it was apparently buggy as shit and darn near impossible to finish.

Fastforward to now, though, and we get a thriving community of committed PC gamers who have written patches galore for this thing (as well as some SEVERE mods that I'm dying to sink my teeth into...tee hee...once I'm finished with the canon game).

I have a soft spot for all things World of Darkness (the White Wolf dark urban fantasy role-playing world), since Vampire: The Masquerade was the very first tabletop RPG I ever played. As a quick tangent, I didn't play D&D in my youth--that actually came *after* V:TM. I badly wanted to, but the boys at my high school who played wouldn't let me play with them--they were suspicious of my intentions b/c I hung out with the 2nd tier popular people. Oh, well.

But, yeah--Vampire: The Masquerade. I can't tell you how many nights on my weekends during the 90s were filled with epic gaming sessions with my coterie of RPing friends. I even delved into LARPing a time or two within this system/world (on one occasion in full vampire costume). My very first character was a ninth-generation Tremere from 16th-century France named Nikita who had fallen into torpor and was interred underneath Versailles Palace. Since I had never RPd before, the GM set up my whole background, which nicely replicated someone awakening confused from over 300 years of slumber.

I was, to say the least, absolutely thrilled when I started playing Bloodlines last week. It has been a complete flashback of a good chunk of my 90s experience (since for a good 6 years of that time I was a hardcore RPG devotee, and particularly into the urban/gothic/gritty/fantasy milieu that the World of Darkness so richly created).

From the music (90s goth/industrial with some pieces from legit groups, such as Ministry and Lacuna Coil), to the voice acting, to the evocative and atmospheric art, this game is a must-have for anyone into the WoD scene, computer RPGs, or vampire fans.

The designers have done an excellent job of capturing a kind of twisted, darker, gothic, grittier Los Angeles. From towering skyscrapers to gothic cathedrals (complete with gargoyles) to seedy red-light-esque districts, you can perfectly imagine vampires and other night dwellers inhabiting this cityscape.

The nightclubs are pretty well-done.

Nothing at all suspicious about this guy, straight-up sporting a katana in the middle of a bar!

Lucky me! I got to meet the Prince of Los Angeles and his Sheriff (he's the super-tall scary-looking guy):

Um, Mr. Prince? Trump called and wants his decorator back:

Overall, a sumptuous, gorgeous, and highly-immersive gaming experience with a 90s throwback flair. Oh, and it has a good story, to boot and several truly poignant moments that really got me in the feels (more about that later).