Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 feels, in many ways, like a flash point. It could reawaken the franchise, or it could be the final death for World of Darkness’ virtual universes. While the TTRPG is still going strong, propped up by ever-popular live-action plays like LA and New York By Night and Alexander Ward’s new spinoff, Project Ghostlight, more recent VTM videogames have struggled to make a real impact. While I will go to bat over Bloodhunt, Sharkmob’s ill-fated battle royale, its struggle to contain cheaters nailed that coffin shut, and while Swansong’s LA Noire detective vibes sounded great on paper, it was more irritating than enthralling in practice. Even Draw Distance’s visual novels haven’t quite managed to keep up the momentum, with the team’s most recent endeavor, Reckoning of New York, earning muted praise. Kindred everywhere feel like they’re shaking their fists, longing for the good ol’ days of Troika’s troubled but pioneering RPG, Bloodlines. A full, long-awaited sequel, then, it’s safe to say that Bloodlines 2 has a lot riding on it.
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