They made Rayne allergic to water, so naturally the entire first part of the game takes place in water-logged Louisiana. This becomes rather tiring very quickly. It's especially annoying to deal with, as you are expected to run quickly on telephone wires whilst being shot and dealing with the games lag in out-door areas. The Argentinean levels are fairly good until you reach the cavernous temple where you have the typical "run on a thin wire and die if you fall" bit. What is completely inexcusable is the lack of saving; instead the game uses console-like save points. These are badly placed, and you find yourself having to repeat the most tedious parts of the game over and over again. The game also suffers from uneven difficulty. There are several places where it is impossible to complete the level without cheating. The mech battle in Germany is just ridiculously hard. Having to take out 4 of the things to advance is just nonsense. This is especially hard, since, like much of the rest of the game, controls are less than accurate. There are many times in the game when it is impossible to move because Rayne just freezes.

Having said that, if you go into it with low expectations, there are patches of fun. It is especially amusing to engage the "insane gibs" cheat. When you hit a baddie right, he explodes into loads of bits. When the game is good, it's decent, and some of the maps in Argentina and Germany are jolly good fun.

In the end, Bloodrayne is no Redneck Rampage, but it's also no Max Payne, either. If you can manage not to pay much for it, and have the patience, it can provide for some fun times. I would recommend you have the cheats on hand to get you through the annoying bits. It's cheesy, camp, and daft as hell, but like c-grade soft-porn vampire movies, it can be a laugh at times.

It is a bit disappointing that Aspyr have released yet another sub-par game. First the buggy and dull Spyhunter, then this. Hopefully their next release will be a bit better.

Rating: 2