Blood Omen 2

"Kain literaly sucks"

Much has changed with both plot and visuals from the first Legacy of Kain game. Go out the RPG elements and, instead, we welcome an adventure game in time honored fashion. Innocent civilians and guards need to be butchered for their blood (to top up your life force) and special powers called dark gifts have to be earned by killing other vampires in order to kill more difficult guards. You start with just two dark gifts (rage and mist) but after defeating each of the many bosses, you're rewarded with their signature moves. The first boss surrenders a highly usefull Jump gift, while some of the better prizes to look forward to include Possession (use townsfolk to run errands for you) and berserk (a frenzied attack.
Anyone expecting a burst of originality with Blood Omen 2 will probably be disappointed. That's not to say this is a bad game, but everything is exactly as you'd expect - bloody huge vampires wandering around generic Gothic towns filled with locals who, oddly enough, all seem to speak Dick Van Dyke cock-er-ney. Many puzzles are sprinkled around the games many levels and, bypassing originality completely, they still consist of the 'find the switch to unlock the door' variety or the old chestnut 'move block to cover switch.'
Much has been made of the combat in blood omen 2. Beginning with a slash attack, weapons are stolen from your victims and range from a small knife to a more impressive broad sword. The basic controls allow you to slash away merrily or block your opponents advances, but you just cant help wishing that more attention had been paid in this department. All it would take to improve matters would be a couple more move variations but, instead, it's the repeated stabs of square that will see you through. In addition, it's possible to grab people by the throat and, depending on the weapon you're carrying, stab, pummel or thwack them in various parts of their body. Unfortunately though, you feel this move has been included for a graphical effect rather than a gameplay advantage.
Slowdown also causes some gameplay niggles. While running through the corridors shows the graphical engine at its smoothest, there is a noticeable slurring in the frame rate when you emerge into an open area or town square. This may just be a personal grievance and it may not bother many players, but it does affect the flow of the game and there's no real need for it with the power of todays consoles.
On a more positive note though blood omen 2 is certainly enjoyable for most part and that's surely down to the care and attention lavished on the adventuring. Rather than just cast you as a vampire lumping your way through numerous repetitive stages, Kain's quest allows you to visit locations as varied as medieval sewers and dockyard warehouses. The puzzles, although fairly unoriginal (previously stated) are graded perfectly, and logic plays enough of a role to keep you guessing without ever being completely stumped. One of the best additions to the gameplay are the dark gifts - possessing civilians to do your biding, creeping through the mist in stealth mode, summoning up a fury or beserker attack - all open up the game beautifully.
The AI of the townsfolk is also impressive. Wade in fangs out and you'll miss many of the games small touches that help create the atmosphere in blood omen 2. A more rewarding plan is to sneak up on a couple, eavesdrop on their conversation - which can range from the banal to the comical - then butcher them mercilessly and slurp down a drop of the red stuff. Harsh but being a vampire was never going to earn many fans.
Anyone expecting an exceptional or original title will be disappointed. This is no Devil May Cry beater and there are elements that you will have come across in countless other games, but that's not to say this game is without its charm.

Graphics - Well defined, but there is slowdown - 7
Sound - The odd scream or two and loads of chatter - 7
gameplay - You've seen it all before - 6
Lifespan - Plenty of game here if you have the patience - 8

Overall 7/10

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 08/02/04, Updated 08/05/04