Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Chaos Bleeds (Xbox, 2003)

Chaos Bleeds is a great continuation of the 1st Buffy game, familiar yet new and different. The fighting system has been bulked up quite a bit, with approx. 150 combinations ranging from hand to hand to weapons. The variety of weapons is also a nice addition to the game and a need one since you play through certain parts of the game as other characters. Just a note here, this isn't a "Squad" type scenario, at certain point in the game you will meet up with another character and after a small cut scene you will proceed with that character. The challenge to this is that each character has a very different way of combating the baddies, so it would behoove you to learn what they are skilled at. An example would be Willow, shes a witch, so it stands to reason that her forte' is magic, Xander isn't the most physical guy in the world, but put a crossbow or battle axe in his hands and he can hold his own. This will all be explained, and played out in the first mission, The Magic Box" which i liked because it's a tutorial, but counts as part of the game, it gives just enough info to get you on the right track. All the main characters are available, and Sid the dummy is hilarious, Buffy followers will be tickled to see him making an appearance. All the usual secret items, potions, and a new list of unlockables are present, ranging from interviews with the cast to new charecters for MultiPlayer mayhem. On the topic of MultiPlayer, I have to admit this is one welcome addition to this game, divided into 4 modes, Survival, Bunny Catcher, Slayer Challenge, and Domination, it gives the gamer a great variety of multiplayer fun. From simplicity, so to speak, as Bunny Catcher where the one who has the most points after catching bunnies wins, to Slayer challenge which is an all out battle royal to see who's the best. Be warned, Bunny Catcher is not as easy as it seems, some bunnies are good, and some bunnies are bad. All in all there is enough here to keep you satisfied for a good long time, unique power ups, bonuses and the usual Buffy humor make this one of my favorites.I really liked the the 1st game and this is a fantastic follow up even though it has a few problems. HDTV compatible, visually Buffy is above average. Everything is crisp and clean, I think the female charecters look a little too "wide-eyed" in my opinion. That being said, the "Effects" look great, dissintigrating undead, spell effects, etc..The environments are nicely done with some nice shadow effects throughout. Keep in mind Chaos Bleeds was developed by Eurocom Entertainment and Vivendi Universal, not the team from the original BTVS, so it's a different engine. The unforgivable part of the visual aspects of this game is the less-than-adequate camera movement, in tight areas it's impossible to spin the camera around or re-center yourself, and in some battles it becomes a real pain. All in all, its a great game.

If you are a fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, (t.v. show not movie) then this is the game for you. The game has all the familiar faces you would expect to see, plus a few extras you might not expect to see. The game is set in season 5 as a sort of "untold story". The game plays pretty well with some good fighting moves and a few different combos you can get as well as a decent amount of different weapons to arm yourself with. As you play, you get to control quite a bit of different characters. You start out in the magic box where Giles and the rest of the crew are. The first level is a kind of tutorial for the characters where you get to play: Buffy, Willow, Xander, and Spike. Later you get to play as Faith and Sid the Dummy on a couple levels as well. There are also a few side games/multiplayer games that let you play as even more characters from the show, as well as some monsters (you have to unlock most by finding secrets throughout the game).

Over all, I would give this game 5 stars mostly for the fact that it is a good solid 3rd person action game with a good story line. And if you are indeed a Joss Whedon/Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan, it will only add to your enjoyment. Some, but not all, Actors reprise their roles adding voice overs for their respective characters, which seems to add a sense of nostalgia if you are familiar with the show.

The only negative thing I have to say (and it's not that big of deal) is that you have to play for 1 -2 hours between saving spots every level since you can only save once you have beaten a level. So make sure you have some time to play because some levels take some figuring out to beat. I recommend finding a walk through to have available just in case.

If you love Buffy the Vampire Slayer, you're definitely going to love playing this game!

A great thing about this game is that at the beginning it explains how you do certain moves, open doors, and things like that. Also the voices of the characters are authentic. Spike, Giles, Xander, Tara, Ethan Rayne, and Faith are all voiced by the actual actors. The actresses Sarah Michelle Gellar and Alyson Hannigan (Buffy and Willow) were not available to do the voice overs, but the characters in the game are still very very well done, very close to the original actresses, you can barely tell the difference. Two characters that you get to see again is Sid the Dummy and Kakistos.

The levels get harder and harder during the game, and sometimes it gets a little tricky to complete one of them. On average it takes between 1 hour - 2 hours to complete a level. During different levels you can also play different characters, you don't get stuck with playing as Buffy the whole game. And as you beat each level you unlock bonus features like interviews and voice overs from the actors.

Give it a try!

If you're a fan of buffy like I am you're gonna have a good time with this game. I can't recommend it to everyone, but it's def a lot of fun. It is, however, VERY tough at parts. If you like this type of game, go ahead check it out. But there are better 3rd person action games out there.

great games for a great show, there is nothing i dislike about the product and everything about it brings the show to you, just like the show did. if you like the show the 2 xbox games are the best way to go since they fit in the story line perfect