Bloodlines bites Half-Life 2's release date

Since last fall, the release date of Half-Life 2 was put on hold because its Source engine had been compromised by hackers. An oft-overlooked consequence of the attack was the delay of the other game to use the Valve-developed Source engine, Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines. Even though the game dropped its multiplayer functionality, the Source code theft also caused enough concern to put it in ship-date limbo as well.

So it is more than a little ironic that the first two games to use the Source engine are going to be released on the same day. Activision and developer Troika have announced that Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines will join Half-Life 2 on store shelves on November 16, alongside Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, Need for Speed Underground 2, Call of Duty: Finest Hour, GoldenEye: Rogue Agent, and several others.

Set in Goth-role-playing game company White Wolf's World of Darkness, Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines is an all-new adventure. While set in the same realm as 2000's Vampire: The Masquerade - Redemption, Bloodlines has an all-new storyline. Naturally, it will involve a boatload of undead bloodsuckers--each of whom belong to one of seven clans. Players will create a character from one of said clans, and then go off into the darkness as the game's story unfolds.

Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines is PC-only, rated "M" for Mature, and will retail for $49.99. Denizens of the night who can't wait until next Tuesday to learn about the game can sink their teeth into GameSpot's near-final impressions.