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Fun Enough, But Could Have Been Better

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 41 / 43
Date: September 15, 2003
Author: Amazon User

"Chaos Bleeds" is a very entertaining game, with good graphics, a reasonable level of difficulty (if I say that, it probably means hardcore gamers will find it too easy), and mostly good voice acting.

Several of the original cast members provided the voices for the game, which is awesome. Unfortunately, Sara Michelle Gellar (Buffy), Alyson Hannigan (Willow), and Emma Caulfield (Anya) weren't available. Sound-alikes were used, ranging from good (Buffy) to mediocre and affected (Willow) to downright lame (Anya).

Another problem is that the inventory system is a real pain to use. Instead of being able to pause the game and go to an inventory screen, you have to scroll through every item in your inventory to get to the one you want. There are times when you're carrying ten or more things, so this can get really cumbersome.

One last complaint -- the game's multiplayer mode stinks. You can't play the actual *game* multiplayer; instead, there are lame minigames (for lack of a better word) for two players. If they had been good minigames, that might have been cool; but they're not.

Other than that, it's a really good game that should appeal to anyone who likes horror video games, as well as Buffy fans. The characters look like themselves, the dialogue is well-written, and the cutscenes and overall plot are compelling.

The game also has enough extras to put many DVDs to shame, including unlockable interviews and voice-overs from several cast members.

Bottom line: even if you're not a Buffy fan, this game is worth checking out. And if you are a Buffy fan, it's a must.

Garbage game design, good acting and script.

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 20 / 23
Date: October 24, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Chaos Bleeds plays, well, much like an episode of the TV show. The scripting is sharp and the characters lovable, but in terms of a video game, the mechanics and progression of this game are just about rock-bottom.

First the good points: With the involvement of Joss Whedon and a large number of cast members from the show (including Eliza Dushku, James Marsters, Nicholas Brendon and Anthony Stewart Head), it's not surprising that the script and acting are substantially more enjoyable than that of most video games. The voice actress standing in for the absent Sarah Michelle Gellar does a fine job, though Alyson Hannigan's replacement just can't nail that elusive Willow charm. Perhaps they should have tried approaching Amy Acker (Fred in the show Angel) for the role instead? However, I agree with a previous reviewer -- the dialogue is very poorly paced. Huge gaps of air permeate the lines, in direct contrast to the brisk and enjoyable comic timing of the show. I suspect this was because of the overly slow subtitles, which are routinely one to two seconds behind the spoken dialogue.

But if I was having fun watching this game, playing it was another matter. Yep, we have another franchise game whose mechanics were underdeveloped. The camera in this game is horrible, whizzing around and around, blasting 180-degree axial shifts so that your controls get completely reversed. The designers don't seem to realize that in a 3rd-person fighting game, you can't have moves that require both analog-stick and button combinations because the game engine becomes constantly confusing. For example, to execute the multi-hit flying kick, you have to hold up and then hit a button. What if you're facing right instead? This practically means you can only execute this move when you're facing an enemy that's "above" you in the 3-D environment, and with the camera firmly out of your control, that's impossible for the player to orchestrate. And your character moves at about half the speed of your enemies. The moves just don't allow for much player control, and since this game always pits you against at least two (sometimes four or five) enemies at the same time, it feels like every character is fighting like Tara. Oh yeah, and there's no way to break blocking enemies short of using a weapon. So if your weapon broke before a certain fight, you're basically screwed, because later enemies will delightfully block you to death while its comrades beat you to a pulp. Most fights also require that you switch between items in your inventory all the time, and this game has one of the most awkward inventory systems I've seen. Items shift in position as you tap the D-pad, so you always have to look desperately for what you want. Inexcusable.

The levels are overlarge, and incredibly repetitive. I'd thought Syphon Filter: The Omega Strain made you run around a lot, but it's no comparison to this game for backtracking. I finally lost my patience during the "Xander High School" level where after playing the level for an hour and a half collecting UV filters, fumigation bombs, "alien gun" ammo, magic hats, keys, key cards, passwords...only to be unable to beat the final boss of the level. And thanks to the lack of true save points ("continue points" only work until you turn the machine off), I know I'll have to replay the entire dreary level the next time I put this game on. And that is just enough to make me send this game to the second-hand bin.

My last gripe is with the graphics. This game looks like it's one or two generations behind the competition. The cut scenes look cheap and pixellated, as if they'd captured the footage using too low a data rate. To give them some rope, they'd included a good amount of video footage from the making of the game into this disc, so maybe they ran low on storage. The bonus materials, consisting of interviews, voice-over sessions and outtakes of the cast of the game, are a blast and essential viewing for Buffy fans, so perhaps it was a reasonable tradeoff.

So this game really plays more like an unusual edition of the show. While there's fun to be had on that level, as a video game, this one really leaves plenty to be desired.

A must own for fan and non-fan alike!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 10 / 10
Date: August 28, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Yes! A game to heal my Buffy Blues. Most of the characters are voiced by the original actors and the ones that aren't are not half bad. This game is loaded w/ great extras that any Buffy fan would chew an arm off to see. The game play is smooth, the rendering is actually better than I expected, and the story is as enjoyable as watching an episode of Buffy. Most important for me is the actual ease of game play. I'm not a button-gammer. I don't do very well with games that make you use all of the buttons on the controller. However, I can do this game. Maybe that's because it's Buffy, but I have no frustration utilizing all the commands available. This game is great and you can have up to 4 players! Outstanding is what I say! Buffy lives!

Solid Action Title That Captures Much of the Series' Spirit

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 10 / 10
Date: September 09, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Let's get this right out of the way...there is nothing truly groundbreaking in this game, in terms of graphics, sound, or general gameplay. That said, it's still a solid action/puzzle title that captures much of the postmodern spirit of the fabulous series on which it was based. I'd rate it about an 8.3 out of 10.

I'll get to the gameplay, etc., in a moment, but will first comment on the story. It does have more of a comic-book feel than the series generally does, but by videogame standards, it's well above-average, and really quite entertaining, mostly in the comedic sense (self-referential humour fully intact). Given that the villain is essentially Ethan Rayne, though, don't expect much in the way of emotional resonance...it's BtVS-lite in that regard. Now, onto the gameplay...

The fighting engine is remarkably deep, at least for the Buffy and Faith characters, which you play 65% of the time. The various combos available to you seem endless, though you'll probably do reasonably well with mindless button-mashing, so it's equally suitable for novices and more advanced gamers who like to mix it up. The staking effect is extremely satisfying, especially for fans of the series. Willow's more enjoyable to use later in the game (the Mall stage), with all of her spells firmly intact (though you'll likely fall back on the homing missle most of the time), Xander's relies more on weapons (of which there are an abundance), Spike inflicts the most damage, and Sid (used only in half of the hospital stage) is a riot to behold, with his rapid fists of fury.

Character models are good but not exceptional, and the voice work is generally solid (Anya's voice double being the only one totally off-the mark, and Willow's, though well-intentioned, sounding too much like an affectation). The backgrounds capture the series set design nicely, and the music, though somewhat repetitious (but in a quiet, subtle way), feels entirely appropriate and quite cinematic. Yes, the one-liners (usually about three-to-four for each function, such as commenting on a locked door) grow tiresome, but once you've familiarized yourself with the stages, you'll be able to keep them to a bare minimum.

As per usual with third-person fighting games, the camera is somewhat unwieldly (the only game with a near-perfect camera, IMO, is "Zelda: The Wind Waker"), and the inventory (weapons, health meds) scroll (using the control pad) will be difficult for some players to manage in the heat of battle (there's no perfect way for programmers to deal with this, really). Some puzzles in the game will frustrate upon the initial play-through (you may find yourself wandering around aimlessly on more than a few occasions), but most follow a straightforward logic and usually have precedent earlier in the game (such as in the Zoo reptile area, where you much grab the top of an escalating cage door on TWO occasions). The latter stages of the game are something of a fetch-fest, but a limited number of unlocked doors (hint: in the high school, only the doors with signs beside them and main passageways open) generally give you an indication as to where to proceed...pick up everything in sight before leaving any room.

The Multiplayer mode is well-presented, with 26 characters available (if you can unlock them all, in Story Mode), most notably series creator Joss Whedon himself. There's a definite insane randomness to the pickups in this mode, but it certainly allows for a lot of variety.

And finally, any BtVS fan is gonna love the extras: a series of candid interviews with Joss and cast members, voice-over sessions, and amusing outtakes.

So if you're a huge BtVS fan, buy it. If you're a fan of action/puzzle fighting games, give it a good long rental, and then decide if you'd like to add it to your collection.

buffy 2 will be better than the first

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 27 / 44
Date: July 10, 2003
Author: Amazon User

compared to the first xbox game, Buffy 2: Chaos Bleeds will be a game to watch out for. since the Buffy series ended, this will act as a 'season 8' for the major buffy-heads. the game itself looks remarkable. decent graphics, great story, great features. you can play as buffy, willow, xander, faith, or spike. there's a multiplayer mode and some great puzzles and whatnot. judging from the screen shots and other reviews, this game won't disappoint. 5 stars.

Not too F'n bad!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 9 / 11
Date: October 03, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Wow, who would've thought that the original Buffy game could be improved upon? Well, me, for starters. This game is a complete improvement over the original in every possible way (and the original was a good game). Improved and more challenging level design, multiple characters to control (most with their own unique combat system), a "level checkpoint" system, so you don't have to play the whole level over if you die, a rating system based on your performance in each level, unlockable extras (interviews and voice over videos), a more inriguing story, and better lighting effects. This game really has everything you'd need to make a great game. There's outstanding voice acting by most members of the original cast (Missing in action are Sarah Michelle Gellar and Allison Hannigan, but their replacements are pretty good), and LOTS and LOTS of vampire dusting goodness. There's also quite a few little inside joke/easter eggs for the Joss Whedon fanatics out there. For example, in one level Buffy must investigate a movie theater, and all of the movie posters on the walls are movies that Joss Whedon wrote (Alien Resurrection, the Fly, etc.). The really took their time developing this game. Some of the cooler levels include: Willow visits Sunnydale mall on what can only be decribed as "Vampire Day," Spike returns to The Initiative and comes face to face with an old enemy, and Faith must face a mysteriously living Kakistos, the only vampire she was ever afraid of. I'm telling you, this game was MADE for Buffy fans. For those of you NOT familiar with the series, it's still a great button-mashing, story driven fighting game. Extremely addictive, and immensely satisfying. Minus one star for a sense of repetition after a few levels.

STAY AWAY!

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 14 / 25
Date: October 19, 2003
Author: Amazon User

This game is bad, in a really bad, awful way. First off, the controls are terrible. For a combat game that requires a good amount of fighting at times, the game designers pretty much wrecked the game by not putting enough thought and execution into a proper control system. Not only do you spend most of the time jumping and punching into the air and missing your targets, but any time you try to use the Holy Water or Hell Fire, 9 times out of 10, it won't hit it's intended enemy. And here's the worst part, the inventory system. Playing through levels you can accumulate weapons and med packs. However, lets say you are using a battle-axe on an attacker, to finish the enemy off, you have to stake them, so you hit the special stake button. Now you are left with just the stake and you may have more enemies to fight and are forced to run around while you navigate to your battle-axe, which quickly becomes tedious. Why couldn't they have simply made one of the buttons (like L2) a simple "back" button, like back to the weapon I prefer because I was kicking butt with it!?!?! Another problem with the game, the save system, or lack of save system. This game has save points, which is great, but it won't let you save your save points to the memory card, so if you run out of time or get frustrated because you can't beat the boss at the end of a level, the game makes you play the whole level over again. This is simply unacceptable. The people who "ok" this lack of a proper save system simply have no respect to the gamers who buy their games. Show some love for these people who pay good money and let them save at whatever point they are at. This way the game becomes one the gamer looks forward to coming back to playing and not one they are dreading to have to replay 40 minutes of a level they have already been through. Lastly, the boss battles. The boss battles are typical harder to kill than normal enemies with the added hook of finding the trick that will defeat them, because your normal weapons have no affect on them. I have two problems with the Buffy boss battles: 1) in general, I hate games that let my weapon of choice only work up to a point and then just arbitrarily dictate, this weapon that worked great here no longer works here. I think the game designers are just being lazy and are trying to make the boss harder by just handicapping the "hero." Devil May Cry is a perfect example of a boss battle that does the opposite. They make the boss tougher, not the gamer weaker. All game designers should work towards this goal. 2) Camera angles. The camers views are pretty bad throughout all levels, but because the normal enemies are not that hard, you can work around it. In the boss battles, the camera becomes a bigger problem than the boss. It's fine for the boss to shoot at me, but is it really fair for me not to be able to see the shots coming at me? What's the point of being able to run and jump and dodge if I'm not given a chance to do these things? At the end of the game, the camera view becomes the biggest problem because there are literally 4 different attacks you have to defend to accomplish the intended goal. Again, once you KNOW what you have to do, it should be straighforward on how to complete the task. When the camera angle and sluggish controls prevent you from completing the goal, you are no longer fighting a boss battle, you are fighting the game itself. It's at this point you are no longer having fun and now feel like you waisted $50. Stay away from this game and try something else.

Buffy's back! Sort of! But that's good enough!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 6
Date: August 18, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Ok, yeah so from what I hear this will be an excellent game, but it won't be like an "8th season" as told by a previous reviewer. Actually it's a "lost episode" that takes place in season 5 (that's Glory's season) that you actually play through and even get new witty dialogue from joss whedon. It's like puddin' in my ears it's so good! Who cares if the game [is bad] or not, if youre a big Buffy fan like me you'll want to get this to play through the new episode from season 5 that you didn't get to see! 5X5 B!

At this price...go for it!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 6
Date: January 31, 2005
Author: Amazon User

This is a pretty good game (With unlockable extras aplenty) and with the help of some online walk throughs for the last few levels (and the hubby beating some of the bosses for me) I managed to beat it in less than a month. But...however...I do agree with most of the other viewers on the whole camera angle/ lack of being able to save on the continue points situation. Anyway...I also think that we should've been able to play as Sid longer (you pretty much only get to play him for like half a level) and also Faith only gets one level while all the other characters you can play in more than one level. No big deal...cause they are both unlockable characters for the multiplayer games. While some people werent too crazy about the graphics...I liked them, especially the cemetary level. It goes without saying that if you are a Buffy fan that you wont be disappointed. (Gotta love the one-liners). And even if you arent a Buffy fan and you like fighting games, pick this one up. Cant go wrong at this price. :o)

Pretty much what you'd expect from a licensed product -- SPOILER ALERT

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: July 04, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Buffy fans love the TV series because it was a labor of love. Unfortunately, licensed products like video games too often aren't.

/Chaos Bleeds/, for example, has a great story line and universally interesting settings, and the dialogue and cut scenes are very reminscent of the show. The game play itself, however, ranges from okay at best to abysmal at worst. There are too many cases of "guess what the designer was thinking" in solving levels, making for lots of wandering around, trying to use the action key in overly dark corners, hoping to find something you missed and that it might somehow relate to something else you saw three or four chambers before--all while trying to survive endless vampire attacks.

The Adam section is particularly disappointing. For example, in one room, the only way to progress is to use an EMF grenade on the cyborgs, but several rooms before, an EMF grenade has absolutely no effect on an identical cyborg. (There are several such frustrating contradictions of game logic in other places.) And the battle with Adam himself is the worst: Who could have guessed that his only vulnerability would be dropping barrels on his own head? Shades of Donkey Kong!

Finally, the game's ultimate battle left me swearing I'd never buy another Vivendi-produced game again. There just isn't enough control of the character, nor enough cues to the enemy's spellcasting, to make the battle feel like much more than sheer luck. (By contrast, Willow's final battle is probably too easy, which makes it seem TOO mechanical.)

As for multi-player mode, hah!

Still, much of the game provides a sense of welcome visit to the Buffy-verse. If you can get a copy cheap, and you love Buffy, you'll probably find it worthwhile. But as far as games go, there are certainly better ones out there.

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