I love this game with such a deep and genuine affection that I can hardly put it into words. I don't think any other game has ever given me such an enjoyable and immersive experience, and I'd like to think I've played quite a lot of different games. There's something truly special about this one. It's hard to describe, but you really get to experience it when you just launch the game and start playing.

The atmosphere of the locations, the perfectly fitting soundtrack, the overarching story, all of it comes together to create an experience unlike anything else. The game somehow manages to make up for all its gameplay flaws and technical issues (let's be real, the game has aged pretty poorly and desperately needs fan patches) by making all of its strengths shine even brighter. It's genuinely hard for me to imagine a game today that could combine such great dialogue, interesting side quests, and look THIS stylish all at once.

Maybe there's a bit of nostalgia speaking here, since this was one of the first RPGs I ever played, along with my general love for vampires and the VTM setting. But I genuinely believe this is one of the best gaming experiences I've ever had. And purely in terms of aesthetics, this is THE game that has impressed me the most.

If you're wondering why the sequel has people upset, play this and you'll understand.

Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines is one of the greatest RPGs of all time, and the textbook definition of an unpolished gem. It's a flawed masterpiece that still deserves your attention to this day; if for nothing else, the fact that it remains the best vampire-themed game of the last two decades, as well as an incredible urban fantasy/gothic horror experience in its own right.

Sure, the graphics may feel slightly dated and the combat was already kind of janky when the game originally launched back in 2004, but its excellent character writing and atmosphere, sublime soundtrack and dozens of memorable side quests more than make up for whatever the game may be lacking mechanically. This is how you do a proper Vampire the Masquerade RPG; it's everything that Bloodlines 2 is not.

(Don't let my low play time fool you, the game just didn't track it due to being run with the unofficial patch.)

Still good 20 years later. Very buggy and needs the unofficial patch but its a game I will think about for a while. It has colorful characters, cool clan selection that give gameplay bonuses OR negatives, great quests with multiple ways of handling them and interesting locations.

Definitely has some issues and frustrating parts, but it kind of adds to the experience. You can feel the devs through the game. It oozes 2004 vibes like nobodies business