Games to Enjoy Over the Holiday: Zelda, Robocop, and More

Platform Availability: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Switch, Windows, macOS, Linux. (Note: Steam Deck performance may vary.)

Current Pursuit: Expanding my vampire coterie.

I’ve had Vampire: The Masquerade – Coteries of New York just sitting there in my Steam library, waiting for the right moment. Well, that moment arrived when I decided to dive back into the original tabletop RPG that the visual novel draws inspiration from. It was the perfect time to give this game a whirl.

And wow, I’m so glad I did. Coteries of New York is turning out to be a treasure trove of ideas for my tabletop campaign, keeping the rich, layered world of the game vivid and lively in my imagination. Vampire, the tabletop RPG, is a complex beast. These characters aren’t your typical heroes; they’re more like tormented souls grappling with their own dark realities. Plus, the game is packed with intricate lore and unique terms that can be a bit of a challenge to get fully embedded in your mind. Sure, you can dig through the rulebooks while you set the mood with some haunting music—I highly recommend Soma FM’s Dark Zone for those atmospheric late-night sessions—but there’s just something uniquely beneficial about immersing yourself in a piece of creative media that brings the lore to life.

What’s really grabbing my attention is how Coteries of New York stands apart from other Vampire titles out there. As a visual novel, it offers a refreshing shift from the more intense, action-packed games I usually find myself playing. This format really lets me sink into the dark, gothic feel of the World of Darkness setting, even if I do wish it leaned a bit more into RPG mechanics, similar to what you see in Werewolf: The Apocalypse – Heart of the Forest. That game, set in the same universe, skillfully fuses visual storytelling with role-playing elements.

Even though it could use more traditional gaming elements, Coteries of New York excels in capturing that eerie, oppressive atmosphere that a good World of Darkness experience demands. My storyline follows the Toreador character, Lamar, who’s been exploring the underbelly of New York with his Malkavian friend, Hope. There’s a whole cast of vampires out there, each from different clans, waiting for me to encounter. If the writing in Hope’s storyline is anything like what’s ahead, I’m in for more captivating tales on the shadowy streets of the city. — Claire Jackson