Prepare sizeable servings of Namco - Sega - Wow Entertainment (aka the House of the Dead clan). Combine with a PS2 console and a GunCon2 (or two) and mix. What do you get? Vampire Night. Packing those silver bullets and your long trench coats, you set out as a vampire hunter extraordinaire - getting ready to administer some justice to those creatures of the night. Plug in your weapons ladies and gentlemen of the couch-sharpshooter crowd - it's time for a new round of light-gun action.

Would it be stating the obvious to say that Vampire Night is centered about the elimination of vampires? I guessed it probably would, but I thought I kind of had to mention it as I addressed the backdrop to Namco's latest addition to their GunCon 2 collection. You and/or another player begin this title with one goal alone - annihilate the evil, malicious vampires. Along the way you will rescue a young girl and protect her (and yourselves) from the armies of the undead.

The main mode of Vampire Night is arcade mode. With the slick new GunCon 2 (complete with Start, Select, A, B & directional pad) in hand, you will be guided through the game via preset camera angles (you don't get a choice of where to look). But don't let the guided nature fool you, you will have plenty or targets of keep track of and eliminate before they eliminate you first. Each field has a boss to culminate the experience, and many more powerful monsters have "weak points" which will be demonstrated to you via a diagram when you first encounter them. Be forewarned, the game is short - once you get the hang of it, you may even be able to finish the mode in an hour or two. There is an RPG addition where you can buy and upgrade weapons which would have been interesting had it been further explored. The real trick is making sure you always have a fully loaded weapon, and since there's no limit on ammunition - a correctly poised finger on the reload button will keep you at full speed.

The most enjoyable aspect of Vampire Night, in my opinion, is being able to play simultaneously with a friend on the same screen rather than a split screen mode. Like most shooters, you really don't have control of the angle you're facing - but it's nice to be able to shoot at the same screen as your player without having to have two consoles and two TVs. At the end of each field you (and your partner, if applicable) will be given an accuracy rating based on your performance. 

Another pleasant facet of Vampire Night is the addition of perhaps more detail to plot than is usually bestowed up games of it's kind. Each field "title screen" has an interesting backdrop of arcane looking diagrams and words - along with quotes. There are also brief introductions to the characters (both enemy and ally), which will give you an idea of why you're doing what you're doing - and the reasons why others oppose you. While the writing won't win any Nobel prizes and is perhaps not the most creative piece of vampire work on the block - it is refreshing and it made the experience stand out as more than just run-n-gun.

Graphics for Vampire Night are also a step apart from what I usually expect of games of this type. While some creatures may be repetitive and/or a bit of the blocky side - they are not abysmally bland targets either. The whole setting does give the appropriate neo-Gothic air in it's own way and it at least doesn't feel too overdone. Once again - you really have to look at the genre and what the standards usually are to understand.

Overall, Vampire Night toes the line for value - largely depending on how much you love the genre. Replayability may be a major sticking point after one plays games like Time Crisis 2 with it's multiple modes and mini-games. However, on the flip-side, if you really like light-shooters and are looking for something different than a modern setting, you will probably find the game a breath of fresh air. Plus, it's also a great excuse to get an extra GunCon 2 if you already have Time Crisis 2 and don't want to buy the same game twice. 

Gameplay: 7.75
Vampire Night, like most shooters, is fairly straightforward and can be completed in a relatively short amount of time. The additional RPG mode adds a little to the title, but once you've beaten it, there's not a lot of motivation to replay - other than to perhaps increase your accuracy ratings. The best plus is being able to have two players shooting at the same screen instead of a split screen mode.

Difficulty: 8
The game is only as difficult as your manipulation and mastery of your GunCon 2.

Concept: 7.5
As far as shooting games go, it's nice to have something with a little more depth. As far as vampire stories go, the plot is a bit on the generic side. Personally I think the good outweighs the bad when it comes to what Vampire Night brings to the sometimes simplistic shooter genre.

Overall: 7.9
While I felt Vampire Night was overall more enjoyable and was more in-depth than many other shooters, Vampire Night just doesn't offer as much replay value as it could have. This is especially harsh since the game is so short. However, if you only have one GunCon2 and would like to add another, or you're just a shooter fanatic - this is worth the purchase. Otherwise, give it a rent.