Soul Reaver 2

Being a fan of the Legacy of Kain series since the original Blood Omen, Im a bit biased in my opinion of how good this game actually is with that said, Ill try to be as honest as possible in this review.

This is not a game one plays for anything other than furthering their knowledge of the series. This game furthers the tale of the anti-hero vampire Kain and his former vampire (now demonic) colleague Raziel, who now seeks to destroy him. Do not pick this game up expecting thrilling levels, or fantastic battles with elaborate enemies. Dont buy it for its graphics, as great to the eyes as they may be, nor its sounds, as fine to the ear as they may be. Youre not going to be fulfilled while playing this game if youre looking for anything other than the progression of its excellently told story. Everything else might as well be fundamentally peripheral, including the controls, which for the most part revolve around heavy combat and light exploration. The graphics are great, yet oddly plain same for the sounds. The controls are decent, but suffer from a few bugs from time to time (not a big deal). The game is built around exploration, light puzzle-solving, and a lot of combat. Its a pretty short game, but its length is perfect when considering how tedious a game it is to actually play. This is not that bland a game; it just works better when approached as a chapter to a well-told story.

As Ive said, this game should primarily be considered by those looking to further the tale of Kain and Raziel, and knowing the events of the first two Kain titles (Blood Omen and Soul Reaver) helps in figuring out the whos, whats, whys, and most importantly, the whens of this game. The dialogue is so intricate, a player may get lost (or completely lose interest) in trying to keep up with the events taking place. References to the past games are attached to almost every moment the main character, Raziel, experiences in this quest. Understand that this game is a mere continuation of one of the best written stories ever put in a game. Even the song playing at the title screen references past games in its lyrics. With that fact established, its also worth mentioning that the voice acting is some of the best youll ever hear in a game as well. From Michael Bell (The voice of Duke in the classic G.I. JOE cartoon series), who voices Raziel; to the incomparable Simon Templeman, who voices Kain, this game is one of the best acted operas in the video game world. To truly appreciate Mr. Templemans performance, one would have to have played through the original Legacy of Kain. The mans voice work in that game is what helped to make what was widely considered a Zelda rip-off seem like much, much more. His Kain is one of the great anti-heroes of our day, in my opinion. Seek out the original, Legacy of Kain: Blood Omen, and recognize why this game franchise has thrived in the first place.

Anyway, this game is not for everyone. Its presentation is classy and inviting enough for the general gaming audience, yet its story and overall outlook assumes that you have knowledge of the series. If you're curious about this game or the Kain franchise, pick this one up. You may end up enjoying yourself while playing through it. Just dont expect a game youll want to keep after youre done beating it.

P.S. This game has a sequel, one, Legacy of Kain: Defiance.

My Rating: 6/10