Vampire games go for the jugular

Creatures of the night make for good baddies in games, so why aren't there more virtual vampires to slay, wonders Daniel Etherington of BBCi Collective in his weekly games column.

Many have been rude about the latest Kain instalment

Vampires have long been popular in films, books and TV series, so it is surprising there have not been more games featuring them.

Sure, there have been titles that have included bloodsuckers - forgettable Buffy spin-offs, Vampire Killer, Vampire Night, etc - but vampires have never had the strongest presence in games.

A few game franchises do stand out, however. There is the Castlevania series, popular since its 1987 appearance on NES.

After nearly making it into 3D on Dreamcast, the series has powered along in the 2D realm. Until now, that is, with the prequel Lament Of Innocence.

It is an intriguing transition in that it feels so like its forerunners, despite the fundamental shift into three dimensions.

The process of exploration, the sense of scale within the environments, the difficulty of your foes, all seems reassuringly familiar.

The undead

As in most of the previous games, the granddaddy of culture's vampires, Dracula, is the main adversary of your character, Leon Belmont, a New Romantic goth rocker - sorry, nobleman - from the 12th century.

Gloomy confined spaces full of creatures lined up to be slain basically work very well in games Discuss this story on BBCi Collective

Dracula is surrounded by hordes of other vintage monsters, skeletons, zombies and whatnot, but contending with the unholy games of the vampire lord is the aim of the game.

It is fun to delve into the origins of the feud between the Belmont family and Dracula in Castlevania, but vampire gaming also allows for a neat reversal wherein you can play undead.

The mediocre BloodRayne offered this, with the heroine retaining a virtuous status thanks to her killing of Nazis. But, otherwise, there is the Legacy Of Kain franchise.

Now, many have been rude about the latest Kain instalment, Defiance, but I love all this twaddle.

Edge said; "You get the impression that the only person who cares about Kain's legacy any more is the writer."

But, as with any pulpy fantasy franchise, if you have played before you want to know what happens.

Kain, the titular vampire, and Raziel, his former lieutenant-turned-resurrected-eater-of-souls, are locked in a wonderfully silly epic story about fate and the struggle to elude it.

The play in Defiance might feel strangely old-fashioned but it looks grand, and there's something perversely satisfying about being in charge of Kain as he drinks his bloody fill.

It is a tough call to say what's more fun - killing the vampires or being them. Either way, all this gothic horror stuff is great.

Gloomy confined spaces full of creatures lined up to be slain basically work very well in games.

Castlevania: Lament Of Innocence is available now for PlayStation 2. Legacy Of Kain: Defiance is available now for PlayStation 2, Xbox and PC.