BloodRayne (series)
Encyclopedia
BloodRayne is a franchise that originated in two video games developed by Terminal Reality
and inspired several motion pictures and a comic book series.
Both BloodRayne and Svetlana may have been inspired by the character of Durham Red
from the comic book
2000 AD
, although that has been frequently denied by the TRI representatives when discussed on bloodrayne.co.uk forums. In a posting then on the then active BloodRayne.uk.co fan forums Joe Wampole, a developer for BloodRayne had this to say,
, is a horror-themed third-person action video game released on 15 October 2002 for Nintendo GameCube
, PlayStation 2
, Xbox
and on 9 September 2003 for PC
. A Mac
port was done by Aspyr and released on 6 May 2003, but was plagued with technical problems not seen in other versions, which caused fans to be upset and reviews to be harsh.
It is set in 1933 and 1938, just before World War II
. As an agent of the Brimstone Society, Rayne is sent to a variety of locations (a small swamp town in Louisiana, a Nazi fortress in Argentina, and an ancient castle in Germany) to battle supernatural creatures as well as the Nazi army.
and September 6, 2011 for the PlayStation Network.
, but it is currently on hold until BloodRayne: Betrayal sees release.
. Little was known, except that it supposedly took place immediately after BloodRayne 2, and would feature a two-player cooperative mode, which would have made it the first game in the series to do so. The game was to cover Rayne's unknown history, and return some old characters (Mynce, Kagan, butcheress etc.) and develop new characters. However, financial difficulties forced Majesco to cancel BloodRayne for the PSP.
as Rayne and Ben Kingsley
as Kagan. The film is set in the 1800's and follows Rayne's quest to stop her father Kagan's nefarious schemes to slaughter mankind.
The film was directed by Uwe Boll
, who directed two other video-game-to-movie adaptations (House of the Dead and Alone in the Dark
) which were panned by critics. The film received poor reviews, and was declared "an absurd sword-and-sorcery vid-game adaptation from schlock-maestro Uwe Boll, featuring a distinguished (and slumming) cast." by Rotten Tomatoes
reviewer consensus.
as Rayne and directed by Uwe Boll.
as Rayne and directed by Uwe Boll.
. They are, in chronological order:
"BloodRayne: Plague of Dreams" was a three-part bi-monthly miniseries first published on 20 September 2006. It was written by Troy Wall with art by Mark Robinson and Stacie Ponder.
Comics
Terminal Reality
Terminal Reality is a video game development and production company based in Lewisville, Texas. Founded in 1994 by ex-Microsoft employee Mark Randel and former Mallard Software general manager Brett Combs, Terminal Reality develops a variety of games including racing games , 3D action games , and...
and inspired several motion pictures and a comic book series.
Influences
BloodRayne appears to be heavily inspired by Nocturne, an earlier third-person survival horror game by Terminal Reality. The character of BloodRayne is similar to a character in Nocturne called Svetlana, another half-vampire supernatural hunter. In early beta screenshots of BloodRayne, BloodRayne's appearance and costume was almost identical to that of Svetlana's. Additionally, some enemies in BloodRayne (such as the Daemites and bat vampires) originally appeared in Nocturne. The final act of BloodRayne also takes place in the same location (Castle Gaustadt) as the first act of Nocturne. Finally, the concept of the Brimstone Society is very similar to the Spookhouse in Nocturne; and the voice of the Brimstone Society agent from the BloodRayne introduction movie is done by Lynn Mathis who also did the voice of Stranger, the protagonist of Nocturne.Both BloodRayne and Svetlana may have been inspired by the character of Durham Red
Durham Red
Durham Red was originally created in 1987 as a female sidekick and lover for Johnny Alpha in the long-running British comicbook series Strontium Dog. She was a sexy bounty hunter with a mutation that gave her a vampiric lust for blood.-Publication history:...
from the comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
2000 AD
2000 AD (comic)
2000 AD is a weekly British science fiction-oriented comic. As a comics anthology it serialises a number of separate stories each issue and was first published by IPC Magazines in 1977, the first issue dated 26 February. IPC then shifted the title to its Fleetway comics subsidiary which was sold...
, although that has been frequently denied by the TRI representatives when discussed on bloodrayne.co.uk forums. In a posting then on the then active BloodRayne.uk.co fan forums Joe Wampole, a developer for BloodRayne had this to say,
"Durham Red looks like a cool character but we've never heard of her. It is coincidence that her and BloodRayne look so similar.
The symbol on the hair is similar but looks more like a target, while Rayne's looks a little like Prince's symbol. Also, it looks like Durham is set in some alternate super sci-fi future.
I think it is just natural to put a vamp chick in black leather and either color her hair black or red."
BloodRayne
BloodRayne, developed by Terminal RealityTerminal Reality
Terminal Reality is a video game development and production company based in Lewisville, Texas. Founded in 1994 by ex-Microsoft employee Mark Randel and former Mallard Software general manager Brett Combs, Terminal Reality develops a variety of games including racing games , 3D action games , and...
, is a horror-themed third-person action video game released on 15 October 2002 for Nintendo GameCube
Nintendo GameCube
The , officially abbreviated to NGC in Japan and GCN in other regions, is a sixth generation video game console released by Nintendo on September 15, 2001 in Japan, November 18, 2001 in North America, May 3, 2002 in Europe, and May 17, 2002 in Australia...
, PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
, Xbox
Xbox
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
and on 9 September 2003 for PC
IBM PC compatible
IBM PC compatible computers are those generally similar to the original IBM PC, XT, and AT. Such computers used to be referred to as PC clones, or IBM clones since they almost exactly duplicated all the significant features of the PC architecture, facilitated by various manufacturers' ability to...
. A Mac
Mac OS
Mac OS is a series of graphical user interface-based operating systems developed by Apple Inc. for their Macintosh line of computer systems. The Macintosh user experience is credited with popularizing the graphical user interface...
port was done by Aspyr and released on 6 May 2003, but was plagued with technical problems not seen in other versions, which caused fans to be upset and reviews to be harsh.
It is set in 1933 and 1938, just before World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. As an agent of the Brimstone Society, Rayne is sent to a variety of locations (a small swamp town in Louisiana, a Nazi fortress in Argentina, and an ancient castle in Germany) to battle supernatural creatures as well as the Nazi army.
BloodRayne 2
BloodRayne 2s plot features Rayne confronting her father vampire, the King of Vampire, Kagan. Denied the pleasure of killing him herself, Rayne spent the last 60 years after the War seeking out and destroying Kagan's other offspring. These offspring, Rayne's half-siblings, have banded together to form a group called the Cult of Kagan. The Cult has created "The Shroud", a substance that can render sun rays harmless to vampires, allowing them to surface at all times of the day, and twists nature into a nightmarish perversion (trees dying almost instantly, grass catching on fire, corpses twitching). Using "The Shroud", the Cult has pledged to create a new era of vampire supremacy, continuing Kagan's legacy.BloodRayne: Betrayal
BloodRayne: Betrayal is a downloadable sidescrolling game, slated to be released on August 31, 2011 for Xbox LiveXbox Live
Xbox Live is an online multiplayer gaming and digital media delivery service created and operated by Microsoft Corporation. It is currently the only online gaming service on consoles that charges users a fee to play multiplayer gaming. It was first made available to the Xbox system in 2002...
and September 6, 2011 for the PlayStation Network.
BloodRayne: The Shroud
BloodRayne: The Shroud is in development for the Nintendo 3DSNintendo 3DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo. The autostereoscopic device is able to project stereoscopic 3D effects without the use of 3D glasses or any additional accessories. The Nintendo 3DS features backward compatibility with Nintendo DS series software, including Nintendo DSi software...
, but it is currently on hold until BloodRayne: Betrayal sees release.
BloodRayne PSP
Majesco announced that one of their upcoming games was going to be a BloodRayne game for the PSPPlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
. Little was known, except that it supposedly took place immediately after BloodRayne 2, and would feature a two-player cooperative mode, which would have made it the first game in the series to do so. The game was to cover Rayne's unknown history, and return some old characters (Mynce, Kagan, butcheress etc.) and develop new characters. However, financial difficulties forced Majesco to cancel BloodRayne for the PSP.
BloodRayne (2005)
BloodRayne was released in 2005 starring Kristanna LokenKristanna Loken
Kristanna Sommer Loken is an American actress known for her work in both film and television, and as a fashion model.-Early life:Loken was born in Ghent, New York, the daughter of Rande , a model, and Merlin "Chris" Loken, a writer and apple farmer. All four of her grandparents were born in Norway...
as Rayne and Ben Kingsley
Ben Kingsley
Sir Ben Kingsley, CBE is a British actor. He has won an Oscar, BAFTA, Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild awards in his career. He is known for starring as Mohandas Gandhi in the film Gandhi in 1982, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor...
as Kagan. The film is set in the 1800's and follows Rayne's quest to stop her father Kagan's nefarious schemes to slaughter mankind.
The film was directed by Uwe Boll
Uwe Boll
Uwe Boll is a German director, producer and screenwriter, whose work includes several films adapted from video games. He finances his own films through his Boll KG production company. He is often cited as the worst director of all time.-Early life:...
, who directed two other video-game-to-movie adaptations (House of the Dead and Alone in the Dark
Alone in the Dark (2005 film)
Alone in the Dark is a 2005 horror film, loosely based on Infogrames' popular video game series of the same name. It is directed by Uwe Boll, and stars Christian Slater as supernatural detective Edward Carnby and Tara Reid as the scientist assisting him...
) which were panned by critics. The film received poor reviews, and was declared "an absurd sword-and-sorcery vid-game adaptation from schlock-maestro Uwe Boll, featuring a distinguished (and slumming) cast." by Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
reviewer consensus.
BloodRayne 2: Deliverance (2007)
BloodRayne 2: Deliverance was released in 2007 as a direct-to-DVD film. Starring Natassia MaltheNatassia Malthe
Natassia Malthe is a Norwegian model and actress.-Biography:Natassia is the younger of two daughters. She was born in Oslo, Norway. She is half Filipino. She is usually credited by her birth name however is sometime credited as 'Lina Teal'...
as Rayne and directed by Uwe Boll.
BloodRayne: The Third Reich (2010)
BloodRayne: The Third Reich was released in 2010 as a direct-to-DVD film. Starring Natassia MaltheNatassia Malthe
Natassia Malthe is a Norwegian model and actress.-Biography:Natassia is the younger of two daughters. She was born in Oslo, Norway. She is half Filipino. She is usually credited by her birth name however is sometime credited as 'Lina Teal'...
as Rayne and directed by Uwe Boll.
Comics
As of September 2007, seven BloodRayne one-shot comic books have been published by Digital WebbingDigital Webbing
Digital Webbing is an American comic book publishing company founded by Ed Dukeshire.-History:Digital Webbing's core publication, Digital Webbing Presents, begun in 2001, is a 32- to 56-page anthology title featuring stories from new creators generally culled from Digital Webbing's website community...
. They are, in chronological order:
- Skies Afire
- Seeds of Sin
- Lycan Rex
- Dark Soul
- Twin Blades
- Tibetan Heights
- BloodRayne RAW II
"BloodRayne: Plague of Dreams" was a three-part bi-monthly miniseries first published on 20 September 2006. It was written by Troy Wall with art by Mark Robinson and Stacie Ponder.
External links
Films- BloodRayne film website
- BloodRayne at Rotten TomatoesRotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
- BloodRayne 2: Deliverance at Rotten TomatoesRotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
- BloodRayne: The Third Reich at Rotten TomatoesRotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
- GameSpot's report on the "debacle"
Comics
- BloodRayne at Digital WebbingDigital WebbingDigital Webbing is an American comic book publishing company founded by Ed Dukeshire.-History:Digital Webbing's core publication, Digital Webbing Presents, begun in 2001, is a 32- to 56-page anthology title featuring stories from new creators generally culled from Digital Webbing's website community...
- Echo 3 Worldwide