BloodRayne: Betrayal- Xbox 360

BloodRayne: Betrayal is a game that looks better than it plays. The silky-smooth 2D sprites can’t make up for frustrating controls and its platforming emphasis with said controls is equally irksome. Gamers hungry for a challenging title might enjoy it,...

One thing concerns me about BloodRayne: Betrayal. Many gamers won’t give it a chance because of the BloodRayne moniker associated with it. But it would be a mistake to ignore a game like this. Betrayal isn’t for everyone, but for classic gamers looking...

If you're a fan of classic Castlevania games and are looking for a good (but fair) challenge, look no further than BloodRayne: Betrayal. Even if you feel duped by the past games (and movies), this new 2D action game packs more moves than you'll know...

Fluid animations, appropriately bloody combat, frustratingly difficult

Imprecise controls, slippery platforming, frustratingly dif

Brandon Cackowski-Schnell is a regular contributor to GameShark and is the cohost of Jumping the Shark , GameShark.com's official podcast and co-founder of No High Scores.

Gorgeous visuals ; Boss battles ; Satisfying combat

Punishing in later levels ; Backgrounds can be bland ; Controls too lose for precision platforming

I will admit that I was one of the people who really enjoyed the original BloodRayne games. They were cheesy and not the best action games, but I did find them enjoyable. With so many years passed, you may be wondering why anyone would bother to...

Making enemies explode is fun ; Striving for high scores is satisfying

Major control issues hound you in combat ; Painful platforming sequences ; Difficulty spikes quickly halt your progress

With practice and determination, you can come to grips with the cumbersome controls. And once you overcome the handicaps, Betrayal can be a lot of fun. Each of the 15 levels tracks your score, and though you can squeak by with an F rating your first...

BloodRayne: Betrayal is a game from a parallel universe -- one where 3D games never took off and 2D action games continued to reign supreme. It's not surprising that such a game would come from WayForward, a developer that's proved their 2D chops again...

This game allows you to mindlessly kick the crap out of things while playing as a badass vampire chick. If that sounds like something you'd like, then BloodRayne: Betrayal will not disappoint. And if this doesn't sound like a great way to spend a fall...