Difficulty:

Just Right

Time Spent:

20 to 40 Hours

The Bottom Line:

"Underappreciated"

Those familiar with the pen and paper version of the Vampire: The Masquerade™ universe, know that it is all about the darkness, the plot twists and the conspiracies behind everyone's back.
Those not familiar with it, will still appreciate this game which is just what a Vampire: The Masquerade game should be : a dark game about vampires.
Filled with powerful characters, it exposes the player to a darker aspect of nightlife, one filled with creatures that drink blood and never die of old age - instead, most of them plan on taking over the world, one small piece at a time, and the player will be a small pawn in their plans. The conspiracies and machinations are there, of course - it wouldn't have been a V:tM game without them.
The NPCs are memorable graphically as well, with the way that they sway and their eyes move around, shining as if they were alive.
The music score is amazing, and matches the eerie atmosphere of the game, while the songs played in the clubs made me want to dance along with the NPCs on my screen. I found that the radio shows were a nice extra touch that made the world feel alive and interesting.
In character creation, all the Camarilla clans are available, although the choice doesn't have much impact in the storyline. It is rather a matter of personal taste in game play, although it gives the game re-playability value. The Malkavians will get different dialogue options than everyone else, but that is because they are all - literally - insane.
The game has a good amount of role-playing, combat - which can sometimes be avoided by good role-playing - and sneaking around so there is a little bit for everyone.
As the game progresses the player also gets to move on different locations, such as Santa Monica and Hollywood - although the game's maps are fictional - , which is a nice change of scenery.
There are four different endings, depending on what the player chooses to do near the end of the game, which makes you feel like you are really making an impact in the world.
The biggest downside of this game is the bugs, however there have been patches that fix these issues (an official one and many unofficial ones made by players that also unlock some extra features), so in the end there are no significant issues.
I think that this game is underrated because it is very specific and close to the pen and paper version of it's universe, however it is an amazing gaming experience and everyone should try it out.