Feedback on Blood2: Nightmares

The Blood2 Community greeted the release of Blood2: Nightmares with open arms. And why shouldn't they? I've played it and have found it to be an interesting and well-paced addon. The only concern with the addon in fact, has been with its rather meagre length. Nonetheless, we've received a ton of feedback on what the Bloodites think of Nightmares. Here's a basic rundown of it all:

From: Rob Black
Subject: The Nightmares Add-on

The levels are well laid out and the atmosphere is well above what I expected...the storyline is good and the combat shotgun kicks a$$


From: Gehenna
Subject: Nightmares

I picked up a copy of B2 Nightmares and thought I'd send it my review since I beat it already:

Well if you were dissapointed with the look and feel of B2 and wished it was more like Blood 1 then you will be happy to know the Nightmares team has come closer to making that a reality. The cultists, the comedy and the in-jokes are back but not as much as you may have hoped. After playing the first level I sat back and said "Why the hell didn't they make all of Blood 2 this way?" But this add-on while being truer to B1 had a lot of short comings.

The levels are brighter and more comical than those of B2. I was happy to find the cultists back and cooler than ever along with that dark humor that made me go back to B1 again and again. But the levels were no bigger than those in the full version of B2. Another expectation down the drain.

The new weapons are great you'll especially love the vulcan weapon. But the most anticipated weapon, the Flayer, left much to be desired. The Flayer will attatch itself to a wall and begin pulling chunks of flesh out of it's victim. While this may sound like an amazing sight its almost always obscured by the green magic swirls that attatch the flayer to the wall. They swirls seem to distract you from what's actually happening to the victim.

I did enjoy playing the add-on but I was always frustrated by the shortness of the levels and the relative ease in solving any obstacles I ran into. I was able to get through the whole six levels in 2 hours. I think if anything this add on will leave you wanting more and realizing what Blood 2 could have been if it had been taken less seriously and given the full B1 treatment. I hope when and if there is a Blood 3 we'll finally get what we wanted from a Blood sequel. Thanks for letting me vent!


From: WM
Subject: B2N

Ah, the "Nightmares" mission pack hath been wrought upon us in all its glory. Well, I beat it last night. Here's what I think of it.

MAPS

1. Cold Cold Grave - Caleb
The map didn't run very smoothly on my system. Overall it was a good map, and adding a hedge maze based on "The Shining" was a nice touch. But it was still kinda . . . well, dull. My least favorite map in the set. The robed cultists were great, but the map design and decor just didn't impress me too much.

2. Iota Eta Pi - Ophelia
Ophelia, wanting to join up with the Cabal, has to destroy her college photo album to get rid of any proof that she was ever a sorority girl. In the meantime, the sorority house has been invaded with zombies searching out "Some student who developed a reanimation serum." Heh heh, nice Lovecraft reference - see also, "Herbert West - Reanimator" by H.P. Lovecraft. It also shows that Ophelia went to Miskatonic University in Arkham. :) This map was a lot more fun than its icy predecessor, and ran much smoother as well. Enemies such as the bone leeches and thief spiders have been very well placed (they really oughta decrease the number of taps it takes to get them off, though.) The sorority house is a fun, fast level with a lot of action and a lot of references to the old sorority slasher films we all know and . . . er . . . "love."

3. JoJo's Big Adventure - Ishmael
Ishmael was once JoJo the circus boy - an often mocked circus freak with a lot of tattoos. One day Tchernobog spoke unto him to be free and kill all resistance, and the rest is history. This is THE best single player first person shooter map I have EVER seen as far as design and action. I was enthralled from beginning to end. Start in a circus tent, swim through the merman's tunnels (avoiding the damned bone leaches yet again), take a ride through the Tunnel of Bloo - er Love . . . and a great showdown with a Drudge Priest while on top of a circus tent! The circus atmosphere was so well-done - the most professional appearing Blood 2 map since possibly the Cathedral (and Iota Eta Pi, heh heh). This is a long, ambitious map that I know I'll be playing again and again. It's an instant classic, and by far the best map in the Nightmares add-on pack. And the surprise showdown in the parking lot was an excellent touch too. (hint - when things get tough, the tough shoot the cars.)

4. Spooky Mansion - Gabriella
This map ran pretty good as well. Gabriella has to spend a night in a haunted mansion. Your mission - find the bed and get some beddy-bye. Er, yah, whatever. The gremlins are a lot of fun here, but everything else here is pretty standard. There's a trap where your shut in a small room while the little hands strangle you. Once again, less taps to get the little bastards off would be really nice. There also doesn't seem to be nearly enough ammo in this map either. It's mediocre pretty much. But it ran better than Cold Cold Grave.

5. Westworld - Caleb
What's with the Caleb maps? Both Westworld and Cold Cold Grave run slow and boggy, and the framerates crawl along. Huh? Wutzgoinon? Ah now this I've been waiting for - Caleb in a wild west town playing shoot-em up with the robed cultists. This map was very realistic and a lot of fun, but like Cold Cold grave it didn't run very well. Also, in this map Caleb has another face off with the other members of the Chosen. The reasoning behind it isn't given, and Ishmael was WAAAY too easy to kill. Nice touch - Caleb will pick up whisky bottles and glasses if you walk over them and comment about "drinking that hangover away," and how "this is the best level he's ever been in," heh heh. Second only to JoJo's Big Adventure, this map was really good too.

6. Caleb vs. The Nightmare.
The opening arena battle is pretty fun, and the Nightmare's "Throne Room" or whatever is cool, but the Nightmare is NOT. It looks like some kinda giant warthog. Ho Hum.

STORYLINE
The story is told much better than Blood 2's. It's more cohesive and logical, even though it has its share of plotholes. The Chosen start out sitting around a campfire, yet they don't notice Caleb's vanished. But overall it's a much better case of storytelling. The humor is handled much better too. Several jokes had me smirking, including Caleb in the sorority house saying to Ophelia, "Hey, this looks like some kinda frat house . . . hey wait a minute . . ." and the loudspeaker message that plays in JoJo's level that says "After seeing JoJo the circus boy, you will believe a potato can fly!" The ending was a letdown, not because of the dialogue, which was strong, but because there was no movie to it. Just a fade out with the blood of the Nightmare glowing and then the "marching Chosen" from the end of Blood 2 animation. All of the movies up to that point had been really well done - once again, much better than Blood 2 - and it was deserving of a better ending animation. The story's nothing deep, but it is a lot more fun, and it does make a lot more sense than Blood 2's.

NEW WEAPONS
1. Flayer - disappointing animation. It's anchored wherever you were standing, opens a porthole, and shoots out of it. I wanted the Hellraiser chain - the one that strikes quick, pulls back, strikes again, etc. This one just gouges in and sits there till the enemy's dead (or its power runs out). Watching it retract back into its wormhole with a big chunk of enemy still on the tip is cool though. Apparently the secondary fire lays a sort of trap, but it never worked right when I tried it. Interesting, but I'll stick with the orb thankyaverymuch.

2. Combat Shotgun - what? Where? I never found it. Guess I oughta looked harder, huh?

GREMLINS
The Gremlins are awesome little buggers that fart, giggle, flip you off, and be nuisances in general other ways. The little rocks they throw seem to do WAY too much damage though. I don't want to lost 20 health points from a thrown pebble.

ROBED CULTIST
He rocks. Nuff said.

MULTIPLAY AND NEW UPGRADES
Get some servers going that ping decently for me and I'll tell ya. :p

OVERALL OPINIONS
Blood 2 - Nightmares shows a level of professional execution and crafting that Blood 2 in many ways didn't come close to. The levels are better, more interesting, and just more fun. The new weapons don't add much, but the addition of the Gremlins and the robed Cultists makes for some great new (and nostalgic, heh heh) enemies. The storyline makes a lot more sense, and the cinematics are a lot better.

On the downside, though, the six new single player levels are not HUGE by any means. They're normal sized. JoJo's Big Adventure seemed to be the longest, and I don't think it took me any longer to beat it than to beat the Cathedral level in Blood 2.

As for the new multiplay levels - well, for most the multiplay doesn't play acceptably to this day, so if this addition is Lith's last patch and it doesn't work, you'll be wasting a good amount of your money by buying this thing.

I got it for the single player myself, and it was satisfying - but way too short. It mighta been a four hour experience maximum. I'd really like to get more for my $19.95.

In the end, it shows that Monolith truly could have created a Blood 2 that would have kicked ass and taken names beyond anything Blood 2 really did. But the 6 level factor reveals something else - Monolith either doesn't have the time, or doesn't want to take the time, to truly make the Blood 2 experience - in any incarnation - the best it possibly can be.

This is truly a great add-on - it's a shame it's just TOOOOOOOOOOOO damn short. $15.95? maybe. $12.95? Oh yeah! $19.95? I'm not too sure on that one . . .


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