Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain

"One of the best PlayStation games around"

This is where it all begins... I know many people probably played Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver first, like I did, and it's nice to see what comes before Soul Reaver.

One Stormy Night...
Well then, you start the game as Kain, a nobleman from the town of Coorhagen, who is travelling and stops into a bar for a drink. Unfortunately, the bar owner doesn't really like the idea of serving Kain late at night, due to the danger that the night brings. Kain leaves, and in the streets, he is attacked and murdered.
He awakens in the Underworld. It is here that Mortanius offers him a chance to get revenge on his murderers, and not thinking of the consequences, Kain accepts. He is reborn as a vampire, his sole purpose to kill his slayers, but soon his quest will become much larger than this.

So What If It's 2D!
The game is 2D, played in the third person perspective. The camera is above you, looking downwards. Although the game is 2D, the detail is rather good. I actually rather like the 2D look!

Run, Damn You! RUN!
The control, on the other hand, is not always so great. It can be hard sometimes to attack your opponent, especially when you are trying to attack diagonally. I was almost always missing my opponent this way, and I was constantly having to draw them into position so I could hit them from the proper angle. Definitely annoying though by no means too distracting.
Another thing that frustrated me was Kain's inability to run. He walks EVERYWHERE! Sure, he walks fast enough, but it just seems weird that he refuses to ever run, which might have come in handy for avoiding attacks sometimes.
One last complaint: The load times. Every time you enter a new area, you have to WAIT. It actually doesn't detract alot from the game, however. Maybe it will give you chance to sort out Blood Omen's complex storyline and think about what you have to do next.

Get the Mute Button Handy!
The music is one of the lower points of the game. OK, so I didn't mute it, but it still annoyed the crap outta me. The music is boring to listen to, sometimes only a couple notes long, repeating, repeating, repeating, repeating, etc... The track for this game sure coulda used some work, believe me.

You Get to Suck Their Blood?!
One of my favorite parts of Blood Omen, the fact that, well, Kain's a vampire. He needs blood in order to survive. It's never been more fun going into villages and slaying innocent people and then sucking their blood! Don't feel like slicing them up first? Just find a prisoner, chained to the wall, begging for your help and sobbing! Prisoners make for great, immobile meals! Or you could just go into a village at night and prey upon the sleeping humans. It's up to you.
The way it works is, you must attack your enemy first. ONE hit before they are about to die, they will enter Waver state. This is when they stop moving, and stand in one place, dazed. Suck their blood quickly or they'll die before you get a chance!

The RPG...
While it is considered partially an RPG, it isn't totally. Anyway, it does have some great RPGish elements. For example, you can morph into a human and the villagers will actually talk to you instead of cowering or trying to murder you. Plus, there is NO lines of text to read in this game. The dialogue is all spoken. The only downside to this is the obvious fact that there isn't many different things the villagers say.
You do not buy items from shops (shops just don't sell these types of vampiric items, my friend!) you must find them. You must also find the different armor and weapons. In this game, there is no ''ultimate'' sword or armor. They all have pros and cons that you will have to consider when dealing with the different enemies.

Replay? Um... Nope.
The one thing this game DOESN'T have is replay value. The game is relatively linear despite the number of optional dungeons and areas to visit and the large size of the map. You might not be picking this one up again!

To Rent or to Buy, THAT is the Question...
If you're a fan of Soul Reaver, you'll definitely need to own this! If not, I recommend you try it first if at all possible (although it might not be due to the game's age.) Otherwise, you're pretty much stuck buying it used or paying huge prices for it on eBay... But it's worth it!

THE BOTTOM LINE
Graphics: 8/10 - 2D but still nice.
Sound: 4/10 - You'll quickly grow tired of the ''music'' in this game.
Control: 6/10 - Somewhat unresponsive at times.
Replay Value: 4/10 - Pretty linear...
Fun: 9/10 - Every minute of gameplay is enjoyable!
OVERALL: 8/10 - Has its share of problems but still a great game!

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 08/11/01, Updated 08/11/01