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Crystal Dynamics |
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Eidos |
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Action Adventure |
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| System |
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Playstation 2, Xbox |
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| Release Date |
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USA - 11.11.03
Europe - 02.06.04 |
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Legacy of Kain: Defiance (PS2)
Review by: Artavan Mkhikian (12.23.03)
The fifth installment in the acclaimed Legacy of Kain series, Defiance
unites the two branches of Crystal Dynamics' elaborate storyline into
one engrossing drama. For the first time, players are given control of
both Kain, the ruthless vampire savior of the doomed world Nosgoth, and
Raziel, the betrayed avenging hero who holds the key to Kain's destiny.
In Blood Omen, the brutally murdered nobleman Kain is resurrected as a
vampire with the task of repairing the corrupted Pillars of Nosgoth
critical to the land's continued stability. His final choice to rule
Nosgoth instead of sacrificing himself to restore balance to the
Pillars leads him to betray Raziel, his first lieutenant, who is
resurrected by the Elder God with the mission of slaying the immortal
Kain and exterminating his vampire army. Raziel is forced to witnessfirsthand the history of Nosgoth unfold in Soul Reaver 2, leading him
to question all assumptions and allegiances. The fourth Legacy of Kain
game, Blood Omen 2, resumes the story of Kain's rise to power and
further develops Nosgoth's history, detailing the legendary war
between the two ancient races - the Vampires and the Hylden. Thus,
Defiance picks up where Soul Reaver 2 left off, with Raziel denouncing
his destiny in order to spare Kain and seemingly perishing as a result.
Graphics & Presentation:
Graphically, Defiance is the most polished game of the series. Whether up
close or in distant overhead shots, all of the characters look sharp and
move fluidly. All attack animations are well-defined and share a similar
style. Even Kain's mist form sidesteps and dashes are incorporated into the
combat engine in a visually consistent way. Raziel's Soul Reaver is
depicted in astonishing detail all throughout combat. Despite the fact
that the two heroes share the same basic arsenal of moves, Raziel's every
motion carries an agile quickness contrasting Kain's rigid nobility. There
are over a dozen different elemental spell effects incorporated into the
combat engine and each carries a polished aesthetic style of its own.
All of the backgrounds are rendered on the fly from detailed wire frame
models, using the same life-like grand architectural design that the
series has come to be known for. Fortunately, Defiance differentiates
itself in the variety of its texture maps. Each of the game's seven major
stages uses a different set of textures for each of its numerous areas,
so mission progress can be experienced through visual changes every step
of the way. This is a great leap forward from Soul Reaver 2, where the
same snowy valley area had to be traversed countless times, yet carried
the same look from beginning to end. The level designs in Defiance are
much more compact and elegant, eliminating the need for tediously long
levels packed with reptetive barren landscape textures.
Surprisingly, Defiance contains no original FMV cut scenes common to all
previous Legacy of Kain games. Every cinematic sequence is done using
in-game graphics, with the exception of the introductory movie, which is
simply a montage of clips from Soul Reaver and Soul Reaver 2 with new
voice-over dialogue. A short ending sequence depicting some of Kain's new
abilities used against the game's end boss would have been greatly
appreciated. Furthermore, there are some rare instances of character
models misbehaving - for example, an inexplicably jagged descent over
a staircase situated at the exit of the Sarafan Stronghold. But minor
complaints such as these do not take away from the overall success
achieved in the visual department.
Graphics Score: 9 / 10
Sound:
As with most games in the action/adventure genre, Legacy of Kain:
Defiance uses an atmospheric orchestral soundtrack that often resides
calmly in the background. This style of music succeeds in adding a
mysterious depth to the darker moments of the game, but never quite
shines through or demands attention. In fact, the most memorable segment
of the score occurs near the very end of the game as the player regains
control of Kain. The music suddenly disappears completely. This clever
trick effectively creates a tense mood which serves to amplify the
seriousness of the dire dilemma facing our heroes at that point in the
plot. Indeed, while the soundtrack isn't in any way groundbreaking, it
certainly performs its task well. The same can be said of the sound
effects, many of which seem to be taken directly from Soul Reaver 2
and Blood Omen 2.
Thankfully, Defiance maintains the series' reputation as arguably the
best voice acted games ever done in the English language. The entire
cast of eleven voice actors including Michael Bell (Raziel), Simon
Templeman (Kain), Tony Jay (Elder God), and Richard Doyle (Moebius)
all return to see this epic tale through yet another dramatic episode.
Each and every part is played superbly and with the utmost
professionalism. Every character's motivations are believable. Each
character's complexity is convincing. Such nuances are absolutely
critical for a plot as turbulent as this to succeed on any level.
Thanks to an excellent cast, Defiance progresses more smoothly than
most high budget Hollywood movies.
Sound Score: 10 / 10
NEXT >> Innovation & Gameplay
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