Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 Launches to Mixed Reception, Echoing past Concerns
Berlin, Germany – vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 released today, september 14, 2023, to a largely critical reception, fueling pre-launch anxieties surrounding its tumultuous progress.Initial reviews and player feedback indicate the game is plagued with bugs, performance issues, and questionable design choices, prompting comparisons to the famously troubled launch of the original Bloodlines in 2004 and, more recently, Duke Nukem Forever.
the game’s release follows over a decade of development hell,including a complete change of developers in 2019. Concerns over the game’s quality were amplified by a lack of pre-release review copies widely distributed to media outlets. Many potential buyers are adopting a “wait-and-see” approach, mirroring sentiments expressed online prior to launch. @CandyAtheistOG on social media predicted “Duke nukem Forever-level garbage” due to the “hellish development work.” Others plan to hold off purchasing until a patched version, possibly including planned DLCs, becomes available at a reduced price.
Review scores are currently mixed, with Metacritic showing an average score in the 50s for PC. Eurogamer’s review highlighted technical issues and a lack of polish, while PC Games (Germany) noted shortcomings in the role-playing elements despite acknowledging some strengths. The game is currently available on PC via Steam and Epic Games Store.Players are encouraged to share their experiences in the comments section on PCGamesHardware.de, requiring account registration and adherence to forum rules.
