Countdown Vampires

The gameplay is similar to the earlier games in the Resident Evil series, to the extent of being labelled a "clone", although there are some additions like a dart gun as a secondary weapon, used to sedate most enemies (mainly, zombie-like "vampires") and then sprinkle "white water" on them to restore their humanity, instead of simply killing all enemies that approach the player (which can also be done). This encourages the player to use a wide variety of fighting techniques if they want to "save" the enemies. As the game advances, more and more creatures appear (whose origins are not that well explained until late in the game), such as giant vampire bats, werewolf-like creatures, giant humanoid mantis-like insects, giant frog mutants (which are similar to the hunters from the first Resident Evil), and purple blobs. The dart gun does not work on these types of enemies.

It is possible to reload all guns and to switch between the dart gun and a lethal weapon in real-time without having to use the menu screen. It is also possible to reload in real-time before emptying a gun. There is an "e-mail" system in the item storage boxes which is mainly used to further explain and expand the backstory. It is also notable that there are minigames available in the first part of the game (set in a casino), like roulette and slot machines; the money won in these games can be used to buy food and drinks, the in-game recovery items.

Sea Rim City Police Homicide Detective Keith J. Snyder had a problem which involved his previous partner, Wesley Simmons, so he was assigned, as a disciplinary measure, to be a bodyguard for several VIPs who were key to the inauguration of a new horror-themed casino, the Desert Moon. The problems begin when a fire breaks out and a mysterious black liquid starts to pour out of the fire sprinklers, turning the vast majority of the people into vampires that proceed to devour the remaining survivors. Now Keith must find his way out of the casino and also try save as many people as he can.

The game received "unfavorable" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. In Japan, Famitsu gave it a score of 30 out of 40. Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine gave it a negative review months before the game was released Stateside.