Forward: In the annual deluge of holiday titles it's an unfortunate reality that many of these games are rushed to make release, or end up simply overlooked due to sheer volume. Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines suffers such a fate in being the first Source engine licensed game, and released only days after Half-Life 2, fighting an uphill battle the whole way. Set in a dark alternate reality of Southern California where night rules and the things that go bump are real. Humankind floats through the ages controlled and influenced by the unseen vampires and monsters, blinded to the truth by their disbelief and superstition. You are one of these monsters after being sired through The Embrace, the way in which a vampire's unlife begins, and you'll be left to learn the hard truths of the night.