Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Chaos Bleeds
Rating:  -
Fans of the show will absolutly love this game. It brings almost all 7 seasons into the game along with a new twist. You get to be everyone in the "scooby gang" and have lots of uber-vamps to kill. This game is totally worth it.
Rating: -
This game is full of levels, characters, and has a great story line. Chaos Bleeds was originally an episode in season 5 but never made it.Basically if you watch all of the story line parts it's almost like a new buffy episode. Of coures you have to beat the game to see the what happens. I beat it and will probably play it again to discover more secrets and extras! I think everyone who loves these kinds of video games will love this one. You don't even have to be a buffy fan to play. A+ Game!
Rating:  -
I'm a fan of the show, and I like this style of game. The puzzles are pretty straightforward. The AI is good, the music and sound effects sometimes drown out the one liners of the characters.
I ended up breezing through this one. The Mall level was the hardest, but it was fun to play.
This game breaks no new ground, or deliver anything unexpectedly spectacular, but it was a good solid play, and a helluva lot of fun. Just wish there were a few more levels to this.
Rating: -
If you're a Buffy watcher, and even a casual gamer, Chaos Bleeds is a must. It's a way to fight vamps in the shoes of all of the Scoobies -- quipping and slaying along with Buffy, trembling a little but doing the right thing as Xander, wandering along in a dreamy magical daze with Willow, or resignedly fighting the bad guys with cool-as-a-cucumber Spike and Faith.
The characters are beautifully rendered and realistically written, and the voice acting is superb across the board. Many of the actors reprise their onscreen roles here, with a few exceptions (the girl who voices Willow is a little more dazed and ditzy than Hannigan, but I thought she was hilarious and wonderfully performed, so I didn't care), and while Buffy isn't played by SMG, the girl who voices her is outstanding -- the voice may not be Sarah, but it's definitely Buffy, if that makes sense. The supporting actors are just as good, with original actor returnees from the show including the characters of Tara, Ethan Rayne, Sid, and Kakistos.
The story is set in what for me were the glory days of Buffy, sometime around Season 5, and is top-notch, on par with any televised Buffy episode. Throughout the course of the game, the player gets to step into the shoes of a different member of the Scooby gang in turn, periodically returning to play as Buffy once again for continuity's sake. The supporting characters, both good and evil, also make for some fun gameplay, especially Sid the Dummy, who's challenging and very funny to play. Each character speaks his or her thoughts aloud, or quips when making a new discovery or kill, and they really bring the characters to life -- Buffy's bright and spunky, Spike is gruff and slyly humorous, Faith is tough and sexy, etc.
In addition to getting the chance to play as Willow, or Buffy, or Faith, etc., my other favorite aspect to this game was the size of its universe. You really get to explore the streets of Sunnydale, the Magic Box, the "Factory," the famous Sunnydale Cemetery, as well as several other terrific locations (all creepy: the hospital, the zoo, an abandoned mall).
Some of the boss battles are TOUGH, but always doable, and each victory unlocks a new fun extra -- an interview, an outtake, etc. (Amber Benson [Tara] is very funny in her voice session, and wonderfully creepy in her unexpected scene as a villain as well.) The camera can be exasperating, and very occasionally will annoyingly block your view just when you need it most, etc., but for the most part the game is graceful and a joy to play. Best of all, from a gameplay point of view, the battles are not just button-mashers -- you have to think, and act, and often specific spells or slayer moves are needed for best effect (Buffy kicks, throws, punches, stakes, and swordfights -- cool!). The enemies are really scary too, with vamps, corpses, weird mummy-types, witches, wolfmen, and more (and of course the vamps are amusingly witty as always -- especially when staked). There is a lot of violence, but it's pretty cartoonish, so I'd recommend it for teens, or mature early teens, and up, or at a parent's discretion. If they watch the show, I'd say they can play the game -- the violence is exactly on par with what was televised.
Chaos Bleeds is a lengthy and really immersive game, so I'd recommend it as a purchase versus a rental for anyone who's a fan of the show or even just an avid gameplayer. It also offers a high replay value not only because it's incredibly fun to play, but because the better your score, the more extras you unlock -- so as you perfect your scores on replay, you can play as different characters in the two-person mini-games, or see different interviews, etc.
Overall, this ia wonderful, witty, and often surprisingly scary game that manages to truly capture the essence of the TV show. Those who don't know the show may find themselves addicted after playing this, and those who already love the show may never put it down. It's a great example of the kind of game that blurs the lines -- while there's a lot of combat, it's an adventure game at heart, and really brings that universe to life.
One of the best games I've ever played on the Gamecube.
Rating: -
I am a fan of the show, so i was really excited to pick up the game. I was glad the developers added some puzzle solving in with the fighting.
The environments and levels are very detailed and for me, this was one of the best features. The voices are also terrific(sometimes i forget its not Sarah Michelle Gellar talking). You also play as six characters, all with a variety of moves. The only reason i gave it four stars is that some of the levels are very frustrating and confusing. the first time through it took me nearly an hour to beat the second level. if you forget to pick up an item at the beginning, youll find yourself backtracking, because youll need it later. for example in the 7th level(Sunnydale High) youll need to go upstairs, downstairs, up etc. then go to another building, then back to the beginning, and thats just the first part. Aside from that the levels are straightforward (all doors are locked except for the ones you need to go through). I would recommend this game whether you are a fan of the show or not. it is worth the money
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