Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines 2 review – an interestingly toothless piece of noir fiction

Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines 2 is a long-awaited sequel to the 2004 cult classic, set in the dark and gritty world of vampire politics. The game follows the story of a newly turned vampire who wakes up in a Seattle basement, with no recent memories and a strange sigil on their hand. The player must navigate the complex web of vampire factions, feeding on mortals, and solving murders alongside a voice in their head, Fabian, who acts as a 1920s-style detective. The game's development was plagued by issues, resulting in an "interesting almost-failure." The two narratives – the player's violent vampire rampage and Fabian's detective work – feel stitched together awkwardly, creating a disjointed experience. The game's contrast to the recent successful adaptation of "Interview with the Vampire" on AMC is stark, as the latter is a "masterful, frightening, sexually charged and deftly comic reimagining of vampire mythology," while Bloodlines 2 is merely "OK."