Topic: Bloodrayne Betrayal

[C Belmont]

I'm hoping it sells well

Me too, because if it does sell well it could make a console 2D castlevania look more viable to Konami and give Operation Akumajo some extra ammunition. Although I'm probably still gonna skip it myself just because of the gore in the game & the immature pride which Wayforward seems to have for that particular aspect.

[Vampire Killer]

How are your rankings, VK? I can't seem to get any higher than a C. I range from C to F on every level. Do I suck at the game that bad or is it this unforgiving for everyone?

I'm the same, C's to F's across the board (mostly F's ) Sadly, I "feel" like I'm kicking butt too. Guess not.

I think to get a better score, not dying while getting through a level as quickly as possible (and collecting some treasures along the way to boost score), is key. When it comes to scoring, the game is quite unforgiving.

Me too, because if it does sell well it could make a console 2D castlevania look more viable to Konami and give Operation Akumajo some extra ammunition. Although I'm probably still gonna skip it myself just because of the gore in the game & the immature pride which Wayforward seems to have for that particular aspect.

IDK, for what it's worth, the game really isn't that gory. The Dishwasher is much much worse (my wife can't even wath me play that game, lol). Not really a valid argument for not buying BloodRayne IMO, unless you just can't stomach the animated blood (like it makes you feel ill to look at). The gameplay itself, blood or no, is superb though. Feel like you'd be missing out.

If you can't stomach it, that sucks, but I kinda understand. As much as I enjoyed the Dishwasher, that game can be a bit too much in the gore department for me at times, so I don't play it as often.

[Sindra]

Christ, scoring on this is brutal. Does anyone know what the time/health bonuses have to be to achieve them? Seems like they're the only way to guarantee anything higher than a C. ;_;

[Oralox]

So VK...

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Is the Last Boss Fluttershy?
Fluttershy - you're going to love me!

[Vampire Killer]

GASP, how did you know!?

[sad6666]

When I knew about this game, this was the first place I thought of for some opinions about it

I downloaded it, and I'm really enjoying it... so CVish. I got the chance to get the game rip soundtrack, I know it's not SOTN but it's ok. It also has all of the game tracks in NES version, that was a nice touch. Is it an unlockable or something?

Also, I may say it is a hard game, but I'm sure all of you guys are not really having that much trouble. I'm progressing nicely, without frustration so far (but dying many many times) and I think that's because of the CV experience through all these years.

[Vampire Killer]

Major spoiler below....

















No, seriously......
























I warned you.....

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Hidden within the game are a Boy and his Blob.

If you want to know where......

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Last stage. When you reach the first fountain, do a high jump and wall-climb till you reach the two large spinning blades. Air-dash between them, then jump off of the 3 treasure boxes (down + X). Rinse repeat till you reach them.

[Gunlord]

Wow, now THAT is interesting.

[darkmanx_429]

Is there a pkg out for it yet?

[whitedragon_nall]

Well, I beat the game a few minutes ago. The platforming, which is easily my favorite part, becomes simply brutal later on. Some of them really teeter on the edge of impossibility. SOOO satisfying when you pass them though. This is one hell of a game and everyone who can buy it definitely should.

Ending spoilers:

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Watching the castle explode in the background brought a smile to my face. So reminiscent of Castlevania endings.

[Vampire Killer]

Well, I beat the game a few minutes ago. The platforming, which is easily my favorite part, becomes simply brutal later on. Some of them really teeter on the edge of impossibility. SOOO satisfying when you pass them though. This is one hell of a game and everyone who can buy it definitely should.

Ending spoilers:

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Watching the castle explode in the background brought a smile to my face. So reminiscent of Castlevania endings.

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No joke!! Some of the platforming for stage 13, like where you have to kill those 4 mummy-like things, all in mid-air while hopping from fly to fly (and a falling platform) was evil. Loved it though!

Yeah, was cool how it exploded instead of just crumbled.

[whitedragon_nall]

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No joke!! Some of the platforming for stage 13, like where you have to kill those 4 mummy-like things, all in mid-air while hopping from fly to fly (and a falling platform) was evil. Loved it though!

Yeah, was cool how it exploded instead of just crumbled.

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HA! That was easily the most frustrating part for me. I lost track of how many tries it took me to pass that. I was sooo thrilled when I got the first 2 enemies, thinking it was over after that...then 2 more spawned. The game definitely requires patience.

I've been collecting Red Skulls that I missed on my first playthrough and still can't improve my level scores. I think I need to utilize the explosives better and use that technique Rayne has where she can "feed poison" enemies and make them blow up.

[Vampire Killer]

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HA! That was easily the most frustrating part for me. I lost track of how many tries it took me to pass that. I was sooo thrilled when I got the first 2 enemies, thinking it was over after that...then 2 more spawned. The game definitely requires patience.

I've been collecting Red Skulls that I missed on my first playthrough and still can't improve my level scores. I think I need to utilize the explosives better and use that technique Rayne has where she can "feed poison" enemies and make them blow up.

I've been able to get an A rating (between 75,000 - 99,999) on a few levels thus far, and B on a few more. So far getting B's doesn't seem that difficult, you just have to know the level.

Here's some more hints for getting better a score that have worked for me...

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1) Finishing each battle (the ones that lock you into a particular area until all enemies are defeated) within the time alloted is key.  Some are harder than others. In case some of you haven't noticed, during each battle there is a small timer counting down you can see under your score, al-la Ninja Gaiden.

2) Dash through as much of the level as possible to get a better overall TIME BONUS score.

3) Take as little damage as possible, and try not to die.

4) Dash + Slash is your friend. It packs some power for a single hit, and will decapitate and of the normal sized enemies (like the Vampire Males and the Bladed Arm guys that slide along the floor). Correctly utilizing this move can "cut" down on the time it takes to finish off your enemies.

5) Those Fat Blood Filled Guys can be grabbed after they are stunned. The easiest way to do this is to use the Dash + Slash. You will see them stagger back a few feet. If you're close enough in front of them while staggering you can grab them.  To get the time bonus for certain battles, utilizing this to kill them faster through explosion can save a lot of time.

6) The time bonus at the end is fairly forgiving, allowing you to get most of the treasures along you path. This really helps to boost your score.

7) Use your gun when you have to.  Once you've collected enough red sculls, you'll have enough bullets to play around with. USE THEM for quicker kills!

I've found that to get the time bonus for some battles, you really need to utilize to explosion correctly. Say you have 5 or 6 guys lined up in a row. From one side of the screen, shoot the majority of them down with a single shot, then slash + grab the guy closest to you then explode him. If they're close enough, all the remaining enemies will blow up as well.

9) Those annoying as hell frog things (the ones that electrocute you when they touch you) can be killed in a single hit with Dash + Slash.

I'm far from perfect at the game, but I'm getting better. So far my highest single stage score is around 95,000. Getting a "Dhampire" rating requires at least 100,000. So close yet so far.

[whitedragon_nall]

Thanks for the tips! 

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I noticed the countdown timer and am getting better at killing all the enemies within the limit. I had no idea those big, fat guys could be grabbed though.  They aren't much of a threat, but just have a lot of HP. Grabbing them will save a ton of time.

I've made decent headway towards the Red Skulls, so my HP and ammo are better. There are still some skulls that baffle me though. Right at the beginning of stage 13 (I think) there is a pathway off to the left where it looks like you must bounce from treasure to treasure, over a huge pit of slime, past those bird killing things, all while avoiding the Medusa Head wannabes. I assume there is a skull over there, but I have yet to reach it. It looks like you can fly over to point right before the bird killers, then continue hoping from treasure to treasure as Rayne, but no matter how many times I try...I fail.     

[Vampire Killer]

If you haven't done it already, here's how to get past that area...

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There are two of the Bird Killers in a row, then a LARGE span, then a platform near the acids surface.

1) Turn into a raven, then fly as close as possible to the Bird Killer w/o it triggering. If it flashes once or twice you're good, but any more than that and you're toast.

2) Once back in humaniod form, dash left as far as you can, then do a 3 hit combo w/ X, then a upwards slash, all while pressing left.

3) Land on platform w/o panicing and accidentally walking into the acid like a bonehead 

Good luck, you'll need it.

I've been able to get S rank on a few stages (1 & 3), and A on a few more. Some of the fights are like puzzles.

My only complaint about the game is how fekin long it takes to stand up. Seriously, wth!? And nailing the instant stand up is neigh impossible. They really needed to offer a little leyway in the time alloted to press the jump button (like within the first full second), or have made it so that you could continuously press the jump button to make youself standup faster. I think that would be preferable.

A move wherein you can perform an instant counter-attack as you stand up would have been nice, as the enemies have a REALLY annoying tendency to perfectly time their attacks to hit you the moment your invincibility frames end while getting up. Like if you hit X at just the right moment, you would do some powerful auto-counter to which ever enemy was attacking you.

I suppose that, like the rest f the game, the knockdown is so annoying as a means to teach you to not get hit, but give us a break. There's only so many tricks an old dog can learn.

The only other issue I've had is that I feel some of the frames should allow for cancelation into either a dash or a gunshot.

Other than that though, the game is excellent. I heard that Destructiod.com gave it a 2/10. Fekin BS, that is!  Guy has a history of low-balling games that he lacks the skill to play well. Douche move if you ask me.

I'd rate it a 9/10. Would have given it a 10/10 if it weren't for the timing being so extremely exacting in a few areas where it needs a little leyway. But just a little. Too much and it would ruin the feel of the game. As much as I loved the Dishwasher, it felt too loose at times. BloodRayne feels solid, like it has weight to it, if you know what I mean.

Anyhoo, I feel bad because I know I need to get back to my artwork, but I can't stop playing this. Like a damn drug it is!!































One last secret.....

Everyone who has this game should do this, as it makes the games music A LOT better. If you look through the Concept Art, you'll see a code. Press all the buttons displayed (Lstick & Rstick, LB  & RB, LT & RT, Back & Start) simultaniously on the map screen to switch the game music to 8-bit. No joke, music sounds incredibly Cv-ish this way!