The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing

I happened to see this game on Steam. Released May 22, 2013. There's a 10% discount right now on Steam, making the new game $13.49, a "Promotional Price" good until May 28. It's an Action/RPG, along the lines of Diablo 3 and Torchlight. There's a Co-Op feature (multiplayer) that is in the midst of being patched for bugs, but the single player game is said to be working great.

You play as the son of the original Bram Stoker character in a fictional Steampunk-style world of 19th century Europe. Most of the game-play is in the open world rather than cramped dungeons. You're accompanied by a beautiful ghost-companion, Katarina, who fights along with you.

The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing on Steam

Here are some Pre-Release game reviews:
Review at GamingNexus
Review at Gaming Euphoria
Review at Softpedia

Good grief, can I justify ANOTHER game purchase?

PS: Here's a link to the Forum, which is buzzing.
Forum on Steam

Curses upon you, lanlynk! I think I will have to figure out a way to justify it for me too! Gaaaaa!

It's a different theme for an RPG, which is a nice diversion. I've been watching the videos. Love the Steampunk look. Apparently in the beginning of Act 2, you get a Secret Lair for forging, enchanting, and storage.

There's suppose to be two more follow-up games coming out in 6 and 12 months.

I love steampunk! I may have to look into this one

Well guys, I wasn't trying to tempt anyone here! LOL But the game does intrigue me. I enjoyed playing the Dracula adventure games, and though this isn't exactly like those, the theme is unique. Most RPGs are fantasy or space.

Anyway, I'm keeping an eye on the forum discussions over at Steam. I usually don't buy brand new games because there are always bugs to work out. It's just a fact and doesn't necessarily say anything about the quality of the game--unless the bugs don't get fixed in a timely manner.

In the case of this game, what I'm seeing is that most of the issues have to do with the multiplayer mode, not the single player. They've already come out with a patch today, and the devs are still working like crazy to help everyone and deal with the problems. I imagine there'll be another patch out in the next couple of days. In the meantime, I'll cool my heels and let the Gamer Scouts explore the terrain.

It's always good to hear that the developers are responding to the players. A little temptation now and again is good for us. It lets us exercise our willpower....or not!

I just upgraded my computer with a new motherboard, snazzy overclocked video card, processor and RAM. I'm thinking it REALLY needs to flex its muscles a bit with a new game!!

Oh, dear. Get thee behind me, Satan!

Hi, this game seemed so good I want to buy it !!!
I went to Steam's website. I created a acct. Now it's time to install thier downloader.They are giving me 5 choices: Modem 56K, DSL>768k,
DSL>768k They have checked DSL/cable2m + Cable Fiber 10mn
I do have Comcast cable. But I'm afraid to choose one. Help Thanks maryjo

Hi maryjo, if you have some idea of the speed of your cable, that would be the best way to determine which option you should pick. But if I were to choose without knowing what your speed is, I would think it would be okay to choose the option that says DSL/cable2m + cable fiber 10mn.

I hope you enjoy the game - I've been reading about it, and it sounds good.

Thanks Marian

Maryjo, I'm clueless, but if you have cable that is what I would pick. Let us know how it works

Thanks for answering me. I don't know what the heck is going on .
1st. It was a pain in the arce getting to the acct.
The 1st. downloader I choose was DSL/cable2m It downloaded ok-then said it could not open because another program was in use So I uninstalled that.
Then I installed thier choise DSL>768k That installed
Then I got this message Steam.exe [main expeption]: error:copying steam new exe to steam exe failed. Win32 erro 32
The process cannot access the file because it is being used by another process Much like the 1st. message
Oh it finally confirmed my email address. Then I noticed the steam icon on the desktop. When I clicked on it it did lots of updates then it seemed I could acutaly buy the game threw paypal. But I don't know if the game would work.After they get the money. I'm very worried about shuting down the anti virus program. Just had a huge virus problem. Think I should just skip this whole steam thing ? It seems alot of hassel for 1 game. Hate to go threw this song and dance evertime I want to play / buy something from them Thanks maryjo

Maryjo, I have used Steam with no problems in the past. But I haven't used it for awhile. Son uses Steam often though.

I don't remember shutting down my virus program to use Steam. Son is not home and won't be until late tonight but I will ask him when he gets home.

I've never had to shut down my anti-virus to download a game from Steam either. In fact, I'm downloading a game right now and didn't have any problems at all. I just start my Steam client from the program on my computer and it takes me directly to my account.

I know lots of other people have issues with not being recognized though.

Thanks Drac

I was pretty sure I'd have remembered shutting down my virus protection as I normally refuse to do that for anything.

I haven't had any real problems with Steam either. I only started using it a few months ago, though. There's never been a conflict with my anti-virus. Eventually, with some help, you'll probably get Steam running just fine. Getting used to the interface makes a difference too. That takes a little time.

Heads-up on the Van Helsing game, though. It's been through 3 patches since it came out on the 22nd. Most of the fixes have been for the multiplayer mode. The good news is that the patches mean the developers are hard at work. However, several people are saying that when a patch comes out, their download for the game starts completely over. Others say the patches affect their current game saves.

This looks like a great game with lots of potential, but it is brand new, and most new games need to have bugs worked out. If you're already having headaches with Steam, I would suggest waiting at least a little while longer before downloading this game. Many players are loving it, but you might not want to deal with the frustration of new-game glitches.

Hello, I've decided to take Steam off for now. Maybe Steam was just having a bad day.
I'll just wait a while and try again from scratch.
A BIG THANKS to everyone who took the time to answer me maryjo

Lan, that's usually my approach....wait, let others have the kink headaches and then play it.

Maryjo, sorry it just wouldn't work for you. What will you play next?

Playing Diablo 2 and Sacred Gold edition I,ve always liked those games. Thanks again maryjo

I just bought Van Helsing. I think this is the first time I've ever gotten a game that had just come out. There is one more day left on the Promotional Price (ends May 28), 10% off. It's not a huge discount, but still a nice perk. Cost me $13.49.

Despite the bugs (mainly in the co-op mode), most of the players are really enjoying the game. Action RPGs are not my usual style, but the posts say that the storyline and dialog are good. The setting is unique too. And the developers are still communicating and working. There have been 5 patches so far! But there's also this good news:

I'm NOT going to download the game yet, not until I see that the patching is pretty much done. But I decided to go ahead and purchase the game to support the developers. Well really, I think I just got caught up in all the excitement on the forum. That'll teach me!

Hey, supporting developers is a great thing!

Latest news about the Van Helsing game: New Content is now available.

There were a couple of days free of patching right before this big update, and I managed to download the game and get the new content. No problems for me. It's running, but I haven't actually gotten into the game yet. I'll let you guys know what it's like in a day or two.

Today the devs gave us another nice update. Single player mode seems to be doing great now, so I got into the game for a while.

Simple, straight-forward game play. The inventory and skills/perks are pretty easy to understand. Guns, swords, magic. You can hover the cursor over items in inventory to get info on them, including what +'s or -'s to stats will happen if equipped.

The dialogue with my ghost lady is fun. Graphics are good. The game is running smoothly on my system. I like it. The look of the game reminds me of Sacred or maybe Divine Divinity. Finely drawn detail. More of a top-down view.

It's a "light" play, meaning even though there's action and enough things to keep me busy, the story isn't as complex and heavy as, say, Skyrim. I love all the choices and deep storyline of games like Skyrim, but I also like a diversion now and then. Just something fun.

One negative I will share though. It only saves on exit. There is no way to make your own saves. That makes me nervous! I'm a fanatic about saving my progress. BUT the devs did share a secret. If you drop an item out of inventory and then pick it up, the game will save! Guess who's going to be dropping and snatching up items along the trail?

It was sounding great Lan, til the "only saves on exit" thing. I am a save game fanatic. Save save save! I will remember though if I decide to play to drop something and pick it back up, often.