Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain

"A Dark Game, Born During The Golden Age Of Video Games!"

In1996 ''Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain'' came out for the PSX, (a PC version was released later in 1997). At that time, I was looking for an RPG for the PSX…Blood Omen was as close of an RPG as I could find. Although the game suffers in some areas; even today the story, cast of characters and the way Silicon Knights put together this game, it has become a true classic!

Gameplay: 8/10

In 1996 and to date, the gameplay in BO is innovative and almost flawless. It is a bit ''morbid,'' especially when you play as a vampire and you suck blood. However, SK was able to keep their long years of reputation, going strong with innovative games and BO is by far their best! Of course the game does suffer from long ''Loading'' screens, a loading screen appears after each SCREEN, imagine that (though this is a bit improved in the PC version)! However, the gameplay is also fun as you take a few cuts at your victims and then as they sway to die, you suck out their blood from about four feet away, in order to keep your life force or soul alive.

Story:10/10

By far the most original story! BO has many characters and they each tell a tale that is played out in FMV with full voice actors! If you HATE those games that have no voices or poor voice acting, than BO is for you! It's just so deep as you play as ''Kain'', you actually can feel his emotions and the role is easy to fit into. After Kain gets murdered he returns as a Vampire and kills who killed him, revenge on them; however it doesn't end there and the game becomes long and twisted. You kill many victems in order to live from simple peasants, merchants, kings and…even helpless sleeping girls.

Graphics: 6/10

First off the game is 2D and basically could fit nicely on the 16-bit SNES and SG systems, except for the FMV and full audio. However, BO is still fun to play (does anyone out their just like fun games or do they need to be all pretty with up-to-date graphics!) and the gameplay is what makes any game!

Music: 10/10

I wish they put this on a soundtrack, it is one of my all time favorites! The music is very Gothic and dark, it really sets the mood for the gory gameplay. The way it changes during certain parts and FMV's of the game is so original and innovative, the way they mixed it all together. Too bad most US born games never see a soundtrack….ah well.

Sound: 7/10

The quality can be poor, especially during gameplay it gets very muffled, but the voices are fine in the FMV and the game is in full stereo! The sound effects are cool but it suffers at times with the muffled in-game voices. The moans and groans of victims make up for the early sound imperfections and give you a chilling feeling of a god-like man who is just bloodthirsty!

Replay Value: 7/10

Actually there is a lot of replay value in BO, many things that aren't done the first time around! There are many places hidden that can be accessed only during a full moon and chances are you'll miss them the first time playing. There are also tons of hard to find items…also (not to reveal too much) the game has 2 endings…not that you have to play through 2 times to find them.

Overall: 9/10

I'd have to say this game is one of my favorite PSX games, and it is proof that a game is a ''Classic'' when four years later it still stands strong!

(+) … Possibly the BEST PSX game ever!

(-) … The loading screens and 2D aspect is difficult for modern players to get used to and may be a turn off (though this is slightly improved in the PC version). This is not a game to be beaten in 3 hours, 40 hours + gameplay! Also the game is a bit morbid (I don't mind it) and rated ''M'' Mature Audiences only and has truly as much ''Adult'' content that we can get in the US on a console game!

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 08/29/00, Updated 08/29/00