BR2 begins seventy years after the events in the first game. If you recall, the last time we saw our buxom, red-headed "Dhampir" (half human, half vampire) she was back in 1935 slaying villainous Nazi scum by the droves. We thought her father, Kagan - a powerful Nazi sympathizer, had been killed by a bomb. Silly vampire slayers... bombs are for kids. Cheated out of killing Kagan herself, Rayne has spent the last seventy years hunting down his offspring, which there are a-plenty. In the intervening years, those who haven't fallen to her bloody blades have formed "The Cult of Kagan," determined to create a world where vampire's reign and humans are cattle. To help in their quest, her siblings have created a substance called "The Shroud," which renders the sun harmless to vampires.

Now, if imitation is truly the sincerest form of flattery, then the folks at Terminal Reality must really, really love the Blade movies. Granted, this story ain't the most original one we've seen, but hey... we're talking about a game that has more blood per minute then a Quentin Tarantino film. Make that all of Tarantino's films - combined. Type A Positive blood is actually Rayne's co-star in this game as it has just as much "screen time" as our Victoria Secret huntress does.

is all about the fighting. But this time around there's improved combat, new moves, and some fancy combos. As before, Rayne carries with her two Ginzu-like blades that are strapped to her forearms. Although they're still hinged, you cannot spin them around as a weapon, ala the first game. That's not to say they're no less effective however! As you progress through the game you unlock additional moves that add to their overall effectiveness. When combined with her jumping blade attacks, the myriad of combos available on the "Moves List" adds up quickly. In total, there are over 30 different combos to be had.

Unfortunately, because this is a port from a console, trying to hit all the requisite keys on a keyboard makes it very difficult. Even though you can remap the keys to your liking, this game begs to be played with a gamepad. Unfortunately, even that is cause for concern since the gamepad camera implementation makes using it nearly useless. Ironically, the default camera setting is a bit wonky due to a certain degree of drift, and its penchant for moving too fast.

Rayne's infamous harpoon, a light throwing-knife attached to a retractable chain, is back - and more useful than ever! Tossing enemies into background objects - like the horns of a stuffed and mounted rhino head, or all the spikes conveniently placed amidst the decor, impaling them in the most gruesome fashion will become an art form. Fortunately, the game's physics errors on the side of forgiving as it "nudges" the flying bodies in the right direction and displays the carnage in a Max Payne slow-motion effect. But you'll actually need to become proficient with this weapon in order to complete the assortment of rather difficult "Killing Puzzles" found throughout. One such "puzzle," which would undoubtedly make the aforementioned Quentin Tarantino proud, involves tossing bodies into the back of a garbage truck in order to - ahem - clog it up. This makes the truck explode, and unblocks an entrance you need to get through. The downside to this though is that the harpoon actually becomes the handiest weapon to use. So much so, that you can almost go through the entire game using nothing else. But what fun would that be?

Another new set of weapons are the dual wielding Carpathian Dragons. These handguns enter the game a few hours in, and they're actually powered by Rayne's blood. As she fires them she has to be sure to "feed" in order to keep them full. By pressing the right mouse button during her regular feeding, long needles are injected into the body of the victim refilling their reservoirs. Once you gain enough experience using a particular weapon, they become upgradeable with a more powerful mode. Each of the six base weapons has two upgrades each.

Rayne also has a slew of new powers and abilities. BR2 uses a nearly identical acrobatics mechanic as Prince of Persia: Sands of Time, which allows Rayne to climb and swing from poles. While on the pole she has several different directions of movement, permitting her to fire away with the Dragons from a vantage point that won't get her killed. While a neat feature, it felt set up as a gimmick rather then a useful game play mechanic. The same can be said for the rail sliding ability - which is nothing more than a skateboard "grind" feature, without the skateboard.

Blood powers and dhampir visions play an important part in Rayne's combat and navigation skills. At the start of the game she inherently has Aura Vision (night vision), Dilated Perception (slows down time) and Blood Rage (gives kicks and blade attacks greater damage). She will gain other powers as the game goes on, like Blood Storm, a blood tornado that surrounds Rayne and destroys all nearby enemies. Or Ghost Feed, which sends out a ghost version of herself to feed on enemies. All these powers except Aura Vision need "Rage" to use and each power will drain the Rage Meter while in use. In order to recharge the meter, you need to execute fatality moves. Fatality moves let Rayne end her feedings in a spectacularly gruesome way. There are 12 different fatalities depending on how you approach a victim and which secondary key you press.

BR2's graphics and animations have been overhauled since the first game. There appears to be a much higher polygon count, making Rayne look hotter then ever, and her cavalcade of death look all the more grisly. Obviously, the physics engine has had a major overhaul as well, since you can now destroy nearly everything in sight. Sound effects and music are all descent, including the gushing of blood. Even the voice acting is passable.

If fighting games are your thing, or you're just a huge Rayne fan - and judging by the sales of the first one there are a lot of you - you'll love this game. However, if you don't like eviscerating enemies in ways that give Mortal Combat a run for its money, or just don't care to get your groove on by a virtual vixen... then you're likely to get bored with BR2 about an hour into the slaughter.

Our Final ScoreMediocre

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