Activision made the ghastly mistake of releasing Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines on the same day as Half-Life 2, effectively murdering the game's chances of even minor monetary success. The shortened development time didn't do Bloodlines any favors as either, as the game was shipped with a bevy of glitches and bugs that Troika had little to no time to fix. Time has been kind to Bloodlines however, as a community of dedicated fans have released patches that have restored the game to working condition - and even improved the original design in some cases - making a reevaluation all the more important as Troika's vampire sim is hands-down one of the greatest undertakings in gaming. Featuring a class-based selection of characters, an intricate and layered conversational tree, grimy and Gothic visuals, and excellent characters across the board, Bloodlines is a triumph in narrative and design. There's a lot that current developers can from Troika's work on Bloodlines, and with the game's availability on Steam, there's simply no excuse for not giving this one a go. Go give it a whirl, you won't regret it. Are there any we missed? Let us know your own personal favourites in the comments below!
