Vampire Rain

Infobox VG
title= Vampire Rain


caption= NA Boxart of Vampire Rain
developer= Artoon
publisher= AQ Interactive (Japan, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan)
Microsoft Game Studios (Canada, United States, PAL Territories, Singapore)
Ignition Entertainment (PlayStation 3)
distributor=
designer=
series=
engine=
version=
released= Xbox 360 flagicon|Japan January 25, 2007
flagicon|Hong Kong flagicon|Macau flagicon|Taiwan June 21, 2007
flagicon|European Union June 29, 2007
flagicon|Canada flagicon|United States July 3, 2007PlayStation 3 flagicon|Japan August 21, 2008
flagicon|United States September 2, 2008
genre= Stealth action, Horror
modes= Single Player
Multiplayer
ratings= CERO: Z
ESRB: Mature (17+)
PEGI: 18+
platforms= Xbox 360
Playstation 3
media= DVD-DL
requirements=
input= Xbox 360 Controller

"Vampire Rain" is a video game for the Xbox 360 and PS3 retitled as Vampire Rain: Altered Species [ [http://ps3.ign.com/articles/877/877938p1.html Ignition and AQ Join Forces to Bring Vampire Rain: Altered Species to North America and Europe.] Retrieved on June 3, 2008] . It was released in for the Xbox 360 in Japan on January 25, 2007 and in North America on July 3, 2007. The PlayStation 3 version was released in Japan on August 21, 2008 and in North America on September 2, 2008.

Plot

Vampires, known as Nightwalkers, were found to be responsible for the disappearances of civilians in the United States and in other countries. The American Information Bureau raises a black ops special forces unit which is deployed to the streets of Los Angeles, California, where it was raining. The rain was said to hamper the Nightwalker's vampiric abilities.

Gameplay

"Vampire Rain" is a stealth-action game similar in nature to the "Splinter Cell" or "Metal Gear Solid" series. Players are tasked with navigating their character through city streets, while avoiding the vampire enemies that patrol the streets disguised as ordinary human citizens. Players will often have to take alternate routes, such as climbing onto rooftops or through alleys, to avoid enemy encounters.

Unlike most stealth-action games, "Vampire Rain" places heavy emphasis on pure stealth. Enemies are extremely fast and can kill the player in 1 or 2 hits. Additionally, for the first 1/3rd of the game, players lack any weaponry that can kill vampires effectively. Any attempt to initiate combat generally results in the player's death. Also, unlike most stealth games, there is no effective means to hide or escape once an enemy has spotted the player, which usually results in the player dying soon after being spotted. Successful completion of many missions generally requires total avoidance of enemies by figuring out the correct route to pass through the mission area without being detected.

Later in the game, players are given high-powered weapons which prove more effective against the game's vampire enemies. Also, there are a few pre-scripted action sequences that involve fighting against multiple enemies, generally with the assistance of teammates or special environmental hazards. Your arensal includes a handgun, sub-machine gun, assault rifle, shotgun, sniper rifle, anti-armor rifle and a UV Knife used to stab an enemy from behind for an instant kill. On Xbox Live players may play as a nightwalker gaining all the advantages they had in the single-player but you may use UV Mines as traps to use against nightwalker opponents. Online multiplayer involves 8 players in standard modes like deathmatch, team deathmatch and capture the flame and the unique mode death or nightwalker which allows you to become a nightwalker and fight your opponents with extreme speed and power. All the firearms are available online and the gameplay is handled like the single-player. There are many other modes as well like Destroy.

Reception

For the large part, the game was poorly received. Reviews ranged from the lukewarm to the scathing. GameStats tallies the review average as 3.6/10; [ [http://www.gamestats.com/objects/791/791123//articles.html GameStats: Vampire Rain] ] GameRankings tallies the review average as 40%; [ [http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/931221.asp?q=vampire%20rain GameRankings: Vampire Rain Reviews] ] and Metacritic tallies the reviews at 38/100. [ [http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/xbox360/vampiresrain?q=vampire%20rain Metacritic: Vampire Rain] ]

The reviews criticized "Vampire Rain's" enemy AI, controls, health meters for both the protagonist and enemies, and multiplayer modes. The game was also criticized for having elements derived from "Metal Gear Solid" and "Splinter Cell" but with much less appeal. [ [http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/807/807096p1.html IGN: Vampire Rain Review, Part 1] ] The game was criticized for being too hard and for the linear level design. The game was praised though for its eerie music used. [ [http://nzgamer.com/x360/reviews/536/vampire-rain.html NZGamer.com's Vampire Rain Review.] Retrieved on August 29, 2008.]

In Japan, however, the game was more well-received, with Famitsu granting the game a score of 30/40. [ [http://kotaku.com/gaming/kotaku-magu/kotaku-magu-this-weeks-famitsu-scores-229896.php Kotaku Magu: This Week's Famitsu Scores] ]

GamePro listed the game, along with Bullet Witch as number 6 of Top Ten Worst Games of 2007. The list featured both games CDs being snapped in half and blended.

References

External links

* [http://www.microsoft.com/xbox/vampirerain/ Official Microsoft Site]
* [http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/v/vampirerainxbox360/default.htm Official XBOX 360 Site: Vampire Rain]
* [http://www.aqi.co.jp/product/vampirerain/ Official Altered Species Page] ja icon
* [http://www.alteredspecies.com/ Official Altered Species Page] en icon
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