From various sources, it would appear that Activision simply refused to let Troika master the final code and get everything working smoothly. That is simply unacceptable when releasing what is otherwise a very good title.

Ultimately, Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines had a lot of potential to be of game of the year caliber. It had the best story in a game in a long time and an incredible voice acting effort. Unfortunately, the worst engine coding I’ve seen in a long time, along with simple quality control issues, bog it down. I’d suggest holding out until all these problems are patched. Otherwise, this is a game that is worth playing through three or four times consecutively. It’s just a shame it is such a technical mess.