Add one part sexy vixen, one half vampire, five parts whoop-ass, and mix. For flavor, throw in some mutated people, freaky bugs, and some nazis and you’ll wind up with BloodRayne, Majesco and Terminal Reality's new action-packed third-person shooter.

The story is set during World War II and begins in a darkened alley. We see two hooded figures observing from a rooftop as a woman scantily covered in leather and brandishing two wicked blades on either arm, makes short work of an evil mutant.

The first part of the game is set in a rural Louisiana bayou where something has mutated the locals into bloodthirsty, well… mutants. Rayne’s job is to find out what caused the mutation and rescue any residents that escaped the mutation. She soon discovers that there are mutant nests scattered throughout the town and she must destroy them all – not an easy task when the backwater swamps of this bayou are harmful to Rayne.

After the bayou, the real action begins. The setting shifts to a Nazi stronghold where Rayne is charged with the task of eliminating the Nazi leaders who developed the mutating process.
Controls
Bloodrayne gives players several controller options allowing for a variety of styles to handle Rayne. While one might think that this leads to complicated controls, each set-up is remarkably simple. For all options, the L button controls all of Rayne’s hand-to-hand attacks, and the R button controls all of her ranged attacks.

Gameplay
Once you find the controller configuration that works best for you, I recommend going through the training. Its 5 minutes of play that gives you all the same information gained from reading the manual. Once that is done, the beginning levels are designed to help you hone those skills.
Warning

The real fun is increasing Rayne's health… There are no "power-ups", no "hearts" to pick up, when Rayne is feeling a bit under the weather, all she needs to do is jump on the nearest body and drink to her hearts content. It gets even better when she obtains her harpoon (aka Scorpion form Mortal Combat). I’ll let you find all the fun ways to use it. Rayne has some extra powers that you learn as you go. She can aim her ranged weapons at two targets at the same time – this is an automatic feature, just move between two enemies and you’re set. She also has an “Aura Perception” which can be turned on or off using the control pad, this gives her the ability see the health and location of enemies that may be hiding behind walls, it also points her in the direction for her ultimate goal for the scene. There are more powers that you discover later in the game so I won’t spoil them, but I have to say, slowing time is pretty darn cool...

The only faults I have with this game, and they are minor, is the propensity for bad one-liners; I have to agree with other reviewers who hoped these had ended with the Schwarzenegger films. The other fault, you have to watch in order to even catch it, which is why I consider it minor, during the dialog scenes before and after each stage, there is some gratuitous motion for the "bust-shots" on Rayne and any female she may be talking to. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for a good bust-shot on my well-designed female characters, but giving them bounce is just tacky.

Graphics
The look of this game is top-notch. From the character motion to the dilapidated houses, the graphic designers on this game deserve kudos. You can really see the attention to detail when you watch Rayne bounce off a wall that she can’t break through, or as she rolls on the ground after landing from a jump. The quality is in the details, and this game is quality.
Bloody Mess

Sound
The dialog scenes are well done. The music is fair, but the games look and feel are enough to more than compensate for a lackluster music backdrop. Once you learn to tune out the one-liners, this game is all about kicking butt and taking names.

Final Thoughts
This is a must-play game that gives the modern gamer a new chance to stomp on the third Reich. If you are a vampire fan to any degree, you will love the story and style of Bloodrayne.