Blood Omen 2

"-Blood Omen 2: It's good to be bad.-"

If you are anything like myself, you understand the allure of the sequel. Especially within a series such as the Legacy of Kain, each sequel sheds a little more light on the world we have immersed ourselves in.

However, the Soul Reaver branch of the series has caused all of us a lot of distress. It isn't that we don't enjoy eating the souls of our dead enemies, but that we all fondly remember the joys of sucking blood from a helpless peasant chained to a wall.

We loved the mysterious otherworldly powers of Nosgoth's vampires. And while being an infinitely powerful soul reaver has it's perks, it simply isn't... addictive.

The amazing Crystal Dynamics team has taken the skills they learned with Soul Reaver, and turned them to a totally new chapter in the Legacy of Kain. And the power is more than you've ever felt before.

BREAKDOWN:

Graphics: (9/10)

Kain has never looked so evil. The city streets shadow and conceal you. Your victims show terror in their faces as the nervously back away from your sinister visage. As you ruthlessly slaughter an unsuspecting guard from behind, his expression contorts in pain and terror.

While the game is lacking in graphical glitches, it does on occasion experience a small amount of frame skip. However, it is never in excess, and it never interrupts gameplay too much.

Sound: (9/10)

You casually stroll down a dark street, footsteps echoing off the storefronts. As you pass a fellow 'citizen,' he may hail greeting, or offer a bit of information about the status of the guards.

As you float slowly to the ground from a five story drop, a citizen gasps and whispers: ''Did you see that?!'' Guards call for assistance, or rally to defeat you when alerted. Civilians scream in horror as they witness you sucking the blood from the body of a recently defeated enemy.

Once more Kain's dialogue in compelling and haunting. With many returning characters, and several new ones, the speech is every bit as good as previous games in the series.

The only downside is an occasional sound problem that can cause sounds to endlessly repeat themselves. But this is easily fixed by saving and reloading a game.

Gameplay: (8/10)

I won't bother to list all the wonderful gameplay issues, as there are WAY to many of them. Instead I'll just tell you the few shortcomings.

Jumping could be better refined. Kain does not jump quickly, or nimbly. There is a lack of jumping moves for combat purposes, and the rooftop scenes should have been expanded.

Turning feels a bit sluggish. This doesn't seem to be a problem during combat however, so it is of no real consequence.

Checking out your surroundings felt cumbersome. Not a big detriment, as it isn't vital to the game, but it was a small issue.

Story: (10/10)

Everything you expect from the Legacy of Kain. Enough said.

OVERALL: (9/10)

The few shortcomings of this game do not at all hamper it's enjoyablity.

I suggest not playing this game until you have played through
all the previous games in the series. But on that note: I suggest you buy this game. A definite keeper.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 03/23/02, Updated 03/23/02