Fans of high-quality singleplayer RPGs certainly have a lot to look forward to over the next couple years. CD Projekt Red is planning to launch Cyberpunk 2077 and another unknown title before 2021, and Bethesda still has both Starfield and The Elder Scrolls 6 in their development pipeline.
However, if that isn't enough for you, we have some good news now: at GDC 2019, Paradox officially announced the highly-anticipated sequel to Vampire The Masquerade Bloodlines; one of the gaming world's most beloved (if a bit clunky) RPGs.
The sequel, which is being developed by Hardsuit Labs, has aptly been named "Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2." While we don't have any real gameplay yet, Paradox and Hardsuit have published a brilliant-looking cinematic trailer for you to sink your teeth into - watch that above.
As a massive fan of the original Bloodlines, I can safely say that Hardsuit Labs has nailed the theme with this trailer. It remains to be seen whether or not the gameplay will follow suit, but things are looking pretty good for now.
So, for somebody who has never played the original game, what exactly is Bloodlines 2 and why should you care about it? Put simply, it's an action RPG that offers a darker, grittier, and more modern take on traditional vampire mythology (no, there aren't any sparkles).
Instead of hiding in stereotypical castles and crypts, vampires in the Bloodlines universe dwell amongst modern humans, living in high-profile mansions, apartment buildings, and run-down slums throughout the world. To keep their true natures hidden, vampires rely on powerful blood magic and a social code known as "The Masquerade."
The Masquerade in Bloodlines 2 will be a set of behavioral guidelines that players can follow (or not, if the original is anything to go by) to retain their humanity and prevent their primal urges from taking over. That probably means you'll be expected to make quite a few tough moral decisions throughout the game.
The following excerpt from Bloodlines 2's Steam store page describes this system more eloquently than we can:
Immerse yourself in the World of Darkness and live out your vampire fantasy in a city filled with intriguing characters that react to your choices. You and your unique disciplines are a weapon in our forward-driving, fast-moving, melee-focused combat system. Your power will grow as you advance, but remember to uphold the Masquerade and guard your humanity... or face the consequences.
Bloodlines 2 will be a first-person title with a zone-based world. This means that instead of trekking around a single open city environment, you'll be exploring various somewhat-open instanced hubs throughout Seattle where you can take on quests, battle enemies, and meet new characters.
Character customization will be a major focus this time around, so players can expect to have access to a wide range of outfits, skills, magic spells, and weapons to toy around with.
If Epic's recent trend of snapping up good-looking games and making them exclusive to their own storefront has you concerned here, don't worry.
Paradox has already clarified that Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 will be available for PC on the Epic Games Store, Steam, and even Good Old Games if you prefer your games DRM-free. Naturally, it will also arrive for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One players.
In fact, you can pre-order the title on your platform of choice right now. The standard edition is $59,99, though you can up the ante with the "Unsanctioned" edition for an extra $10 if you want some neat digital goodies.
The Blood Moon edition gives you the same benefits as the Unsanctioned version, but it will also net you the game's Season Pass; whenever that launches.
Speaking of launch dates, we have a somewhat-concrete release window for Bloodlines 2 - Paradox hopes Hardsuit Labs can get the game out sometime in March 2020.
https://www.techspot.com/news/79315-paradox-announces-vampire-masquerade-bloodlines-2-gdc-2019.html
