BLOODRAYNE

Since the release of TOMB RAIDER all those years ago, there have been attempts by almost every company to come up with something that will be accepted by the public as well as TOMB RAIDER was. While many have failed, Majesco plans to leap ahead of the TOMB RAIDER franchise, as well as surpass it on many levels.

"In the years between the World Wars, Agent BloodRayne works as a killing machine for The Brimstone Society--a top secret fraternity that hunts down and destroys supernatural threats," says Product Manager Liz Buckley, who has overseen releases such as COOL BOARDERS 4, TWISTED METAL 4, and EVERQUEST: RUINS OF KUNARK. "Two missions, five years apart, turn out to be connected by one man. For years, this man has been searching the world for powerful occult artifacts to bring Germany into a new age of domination. Agent BloodRayne must face this man's elite Nazi army to prevent them from releasing creatures of unfathomable terror onto the world in their unwavering quest for the artifacts."

While playing, you must help Agent BloodRayne through the backwater bayous of Louisiana, an Argentinean sub-bay, and a vampire-infested castle in Germany.

"She finds more than an isolated outbreak of mutated humans and swamp creatures," says Buckley. "She catches a glimpse of a much larger plot -- a plot perpetrated by her soon-to-be nemesis, Jurgen Wulf, to find powerful artifacts that will enable the Germans to rule the world."

But what does Majesco think of this game being compared to TOMB RAIDER?

"As a female main character, it's inevitable that BLOODRAYNE will be compared to TOMB RAIDER," Buckley says. "However, the games are incredibly different and BloodRayne's feature set has a lot more to offer. The character BloodRayne is much more of an anti-heroine and unlike TOMB RAIDER, the emphasis is not on adventure, stealth or puzzle solving. BLOODRAYNE offers a great deal of fast, non-stop combat in the vein of a John Woo movie or THE MATRIX. We don't want players to spend time wandering around looking for ammo boxes or solving tedious puzzles. We want them constantly challenged to stay alive."

BLOODRAYNE

© Majesco

To avoid being considered a TOMB RAIDER clone, the developers had to come up with new ideas and gameplay elements to keep gamers with BLOODRAYNE.

"BLOODRAYNE has several gameplay elements that make it a unique title," says Buckley. "Because she is a half-vampire, feeding is an integral part of the gameplay. Players must endure fast-paced, non-stop combat while maintaining her health (she's not invincible). She can feed in 1 of 2 ways-close range she can jump on her victims and wrap herself around them, and long range she can throw her harpoon knife out to reel them in and feed on victims on the ground. "

Agent BloodRayne also has 3 different types of vampire visions, which players will have to use throughout the game. Her Aura Vision lets her navigate through levels, and also determines which of her victims will give up the least amount of struggle and give her the best meal. She has a sniper mode, called Extruded View, which allows her to zoom in on targets. Agent BloodRayne also has Dilated Perception, which allows her to slow down time so she can evade attacks and dodge bullets.

"Another standout combat element of the game is Blood Rage," continues Buckley. "BloodRayne fights with a combination of swords and guns, which there are more than 30 in the game. To balance the combat out, we give players "credit," so to speak, for using her swords. When they do, they build up BloodRayne's Bloodlust meter. When this is full, a player can trigger Blood Rage which essentially is her berzerker mode. This opens up a whole new set of deadly attacks which are 3 times as powerful as her regular ones. Time slows down a bit, the screen tints red and the fog thickens. It's quite an event."

BLOODRAYNE

© Majesco

With all of the other 3D action games on the market, BLOODRAYNE looks to stand above the rest.

"BLOODRAYNE is a fast-paced, intense action/horror game with a super-sexy, super-lethal, supernatural heroine," Buckley concludes. "The game is challenging, fun and plenty gory."

BLOODRAYNE hits shelves October 15th for GameCube and Xbox, and on Halloween for Playstation 2.