Buffy The Vampire Slayer

Last year EA (and developer The Collective) had a sleeper hit with its Xbox exclusive, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer", and fans of the game and the series it was based on had high hopes for the sequel. The game had a compelling storyline and immersive gameplay, and the combo-based fighting was well done and generated many hours of addictive gameplay. "Chaos Bleeds" is the next in the Buffy video game series, and this time was developed by Eurocom. Now the game has gone multiplatform and, like few games following this path, it has managed to do so quite nicely.

The story, for those who are not fans of the series, takes place during one of the more recent seasons of the television series. Kakistos, a powerful vampire, is again bent on destroying the vampire slayer, Buffy. Along with this you learn that Spike, Buffy’s rival from the first game, is now her partner and that Buffy herself died and was resurrected. Those who do not follow the series need not fear, the game fills in the blanks where necessary.

Even though the game follows the same layout as the last Buffy game, the gameplay is still somewhat different than it used to be. Buffy’s attack combos are still in order and of course she has learned more moves since her last encounter. The moves are easy to execute and it still feels great to kick vampire butt. However the controls do not seem to be as responsive as before. That being said, and before a deluge of negative responses comes out, the gameplay in "Chaos Bleeds" is not sluggish, it’s just not as responsive as in the previous game. However, after about 20 minutes of play any gamer could pick up the slight change in controls and adapt to it.

Along with some new fighting skills, Buffy can also block, which helps tremendously. Weapons are readily available such as the handy shovel, crossbow, holy water, and hellfire. Now, however, there are some added extras such as a battle axe, which is great fun to swing at enemies. There is also an added surprise : you can fight as Buffy’s friends during parts of the game. Some of the playable characters include Xander, Willow, Spike, and Faith. Each character has certain moves and playing them is a nice change. For example, Willow can use magic spells on her opponents, frying them with fire or blasting them back. Although some of these characters are not as strong as Buffy, including them in the game allows more interaction with the cast members and is a very nice element.

One new addition to the game is the multiplayer aspect. Gamers can play "Quake" or "Unreal" style games, such as Domination and Slayer. Domination is basically one player taking control of certain areas, while Slayer allows a gamer to play as the vampire slayer while another player controls a number of monsters. This is a nice addition and can be lots of fun, provided you have the right friends to enjoy it with.

As for the graphics, the visuals have improved, but only marginally. The graphics are slightly sharper and brighter than they were in the original game, but the basic essence of the level and character design is still there. One questionable element of the environment is the player’s inability to destroy nearly everything in the room. In the previous "Buffy" almost every table, chair, and box could be broken to uncover stakes, potions and such items. "Chaos Bleeds" has fewer interactive objects, which may not necessarily be a bad thing.

The game’s audio element again lives up to a high standard. Buffy uses her witty humor during gameplay and cut scenes. The cast from the series reprise their roles and bring their own style of humor and dialogue to the game. The characters carry out their part very nicely and the acting is convincing enough that you’ll be engrossed in the storyline.

In conclusion, "Chaos Bleeds" is as good as, and in some cases better than, the original. Continuing the "beat ’em up" style of the first game and adding to it a multiplayer feature as well as the ability to use different characters, "Chaos Bleeds" is a great multiplatform game—finally PS2 and Gamecube owners can enjoy what Xbox owners liked so much last year.

Ratings (1-10) :

Graphics : 7.5. Not much improved since last year, but there is still some noticeably better color and texture here and there.

Sound : 9. Very good acting. The original cast members play their roles quite convincingly and enthusiastically.

Gameplay : 8. Very similar to the first game, which is a good thing—the gameplay was great in the original.

Story : 8. Fans of the series may give this a perfect 10, but the everyday fans may just find it good enough to keep you wanting to find out more.

Replayability : 6. The unlockables such as cast interviews and such can generate some replayability, but most will come from your ability to team up with different buddies in multiplayer and beat the hell out of each other.

Overall : 8. This game recaptures the same element as its predecessor with some improvements. It may not have the same effect that its predecessor had when it came out, but it’s still a well executed title.