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Atmospheric Classic Soul Sucking!!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: July 31, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Blood and Rain
Blood for the Masses

Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver

Video Game

Reviewed by
B.L.Morgan

5 out of 5

I believe my wife hated this game when she first bought it for me. She didn't hate it because it was bad. She hated it because it was so good. This game was hypnotizing me. Other games were OK. I'd play for awhile, get bored and do something else.

Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver was different. I'd start playing this thing and get sucked into it and before I knew it four or five hours went by. I wouldn't see or hear anything else going on around me. Soul Reaver created for me the idea of what a totally immersive video game experience was.

Soul Reaver takes place on the planet of Nosgoth. It is a dark gothic vampire epic story. When you play Soul Reaver you take the roll of Raziel; the loyal servant/warrior of Kain the ruler of all the vampires of Nosgoth.

All the vampires were evolving their own particular gifts and Raziel angered Kain because the gift he developed surpassed what Kain possessed. Raziel developed the power of flight. Kain destroyed Raziel's wings and had him thrown into the Lake of the Dead where all traitors and outcasts rot for eternity.

When Raziel awakens he is a mess. The lower part of his face is burned away and his body is like a skeleton with skin stretched over it. A nameless voice informs him that he will be given the chance for revenge and to save Nosgoth from the vampire plague.

Pretty heavy right?

That's not all. To get to Kain and exact his revenge Raziel will have to kill all of his brothers and absorb all their abilities. His brothers are some mean bastards too. Killing them is not easy.

During Soul Reaver you explore Nosgoth. To keep your strength up you have to kill and eat the souls of you victims. Don't feel too bad though. Most of your victims are hunting you and will eat your soul if you give them the chance.

The scenery in Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver is weird and beautiful. You can shift your point of view to anywhere you want and look around in this strange world. I was actually feeling a bit like an interplanetary tourist while playing this game. You also have the ability to shift from the physical world to the spectral plane. In the spectral plane the landscape in the physical world twists and distorts all out of proportion. It is a very awesome effect.

The background soundtrack music in Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver is entrancing. This is the kind of music that the best vampire or ghost movies should have. It's eerie and sets you on edge. I like it so much I've been known to put the game on and just let it go to the demo mode as I write my weirdest fiction. This music sets the tone for supernatural adventures perfectly.

With over sixty hours of game play this is a huge game. I've played it all the way through twice. When I decided to review Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver for Sinesteria, I figured I'd take another quick look at the game then write the review.

Wrong!

You cannot take a quick look at this game. It grabs hold of you. I've been working my way through it all week and enjoying every minute and my wife now likes the game. The scenery, weird storyline and hypnotizing music have gotten hold of her too.

If you want to play a game that will take you to a weird and mysterious world where danger lurks at every turn then pick up Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver. It's a gaming experience unlike any other.

A quick note on the prequel and the sequels.

The prequel: Blood Omen, predates Legacy of Kain Soul Reaver. Extremely primitive graphics. Give it a pass.

The Sequels: Blood Omen 2, Soul Reaver 2, Legacy of Kain: Defiance, all three have excellent graphics, eerie sound tracks and lots of action. All three get a 5 out of 5.

Soul Reaving has never been better.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: July 26, 2008
Author: Amazon User

The game's first cinematic sequence shows why Kain casts you(Raziel) into the Vortex of the Dead. The reason he does so is because you grew your wings before him. As he circles you, you are suddenly drenched in pain as Kain rips your wings. As you lay there wounded he orders your vampire brethern to toss you into the abyss. After an eternity of pain and suffering you finally hit the bottom of the abyss.A voice suddenly summons you.He tells you he can help you get vengance on Kain. You tell him you don't deserve this fate and he replies by telling you that you have no choice. You find the cape that marked you as clan leader and cover up your face to hide the fact that your jaw has disintergrated off your face.You reluctantly agree to his offer to help.You soon discover that instead of blood you hunger fo souls.
PROS:
-Nice length(50-60hrs)
-Responsive controls
-No in-game loading
-Fantastic storyline
-Challenging puzzles
-Pulls out emotions that you normally don't feel in games.(like remorse)
-Fighting controls
-Gaining ablities by killing your enemies
CONS:
-Sometimes puzzles are harder than neccesary
That is all I can tell you without ruining anything. Just try the game and you'll be sure to love it.
-

this game is awesome

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: July 11, 2007
Author: Amazon User

awesome storyline scereney also very expensive game for a just a old sony playation game and tons of levels and great graphics i stil am 3/4 completed with the game the action intensity could be a little bit better though

Great game. Great game. That's all.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: March 27, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Soul Reaver was a good game. Everything about the game was good. The music added more fun to it. I first played it over 4 years ago and I ordered the game bout 3 wks ago. Im satisfied.

Best game in the history of history

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: February 03, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I am 12 and i got this game like 7 years ago, but even tho its dated, I got into it again. I just have to say kudos to Eidos for making such a great game! The story is VERY LONG [ not only this game but the entire Legacy of Kain series] so im not going to tell it all right now, but in this game it starts off with a graphically advanced [for 1999] FMV showing the main character [Raziel] bowing in front of his master [Kain, the antagonist] to reveal a pair of wings. Kain, becoming jealous, tears the bones from the wings and orders Raziel thrown into the Lake of the Dead. To Vampires, water is like acid. After being tortured for a millenium, Raziel awakes to find himself in the Underworld. The descent destroyed Raziel's body, turning him into a Wraith [kind of like a phantom/ghost]. The rest is for you to find out! The only secret I can reveal is that you will be VERY surprised by this game! I also found that this game was more like a movie than a game [thats how compelling the story is!] PROS -Very fluid motion and good graphics
-Good story
-Very good use of environment
-Very good music [the main theme is called Ozar Midrashim, in case you were wondering[and you can find it on limewire]]
CONS
-LONG story and a LONG time to beat
-Not very much weapons
-You must be a natural at puzzle-type games to be good at this game
OVERALL- A very well done game and worth buying [even if its an older game]
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One huge glitch, you may want to avoid this game!

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 0 / 6
Date: February 11, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I played this game years ago, but I never got to where I am right now! I'm at the part where you should float on top of the pipes to get to Zephon's Lair, and one thing is that there is almost no way to get past that part; if you're lucky, you will make it the first time, if not, you will be trying over 500 times, nothing!
This game can also be frustrating as in difficulty, you can get lost very easily! I just do not recommend this game, unless you love to deal with bugs! Avoid at all costs!

One of the best games for the PS1

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: January 05, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Wow, is still all I can say. I still remember the entire game very vividly, and I remember going to work, telling my co-workers what a great "movie" I played, having to correct myself. This experience was the first that made me realize how close we were getting to the cinematic experience in gaming.

The story is involving and enthralling, the voice-acting is almost perfect, and the graphics are some of the best in the life of the system. The sequels never quite did justice to this game, what I consider the original, (as Blood Omen was an entirely different type of game). I have to say that the end of the series in Defiance wrapped up well, but even then, it couldn't come close to Soul Reaver. This is what I consider the best game on the PS1; and I love revisiting Nosgoth, time and time again...

Amazing

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: September 21, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Having played and thoroughly enjoyed Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain, i remember running off after work to pick this up the day it hit store shelves.

I was not disappointed.

Combining an intense and intriguing story with (at that time) top-of-the-line graphics and a data-streaming technique that allowed the game to move seamlessly without noticeable loading times or the annoying interruption of transitional "Loading" screens between rooms or levels

The only negatives to this game are the frequency of the "Block Puzzles" and a couple of minor technical glitches, but in this game they are comparatively trivial when weighted out against the drama, atmosphere and overall depth of the game

The Legacy Continues...

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: September 02, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver - Circa 1999

GOOD:
- Mature and Dark foreboding story based on Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain, with lots of twists and turns
- Voice work is really good
- Large Gothic world to explore

BAD:
- Graphics looked dated, to today video game players
- Raziel can really only use two weapons a staff and the sprit sword soul reaver
- Lots of old fashion block pushing
- Has a "to be continued ending"

IF IT FITS YOUR TASTE:
- Lots of exploring, lots of block moving
- An original take on the Vampire story
- Takes place in a medieval type of world similar to Dungeon and Dragons

GAME ITS MOST ASSOCATED TOO:
- Tomb Raider 2
- Vagrant Story
- Castlevaina: Symphony of the night

ADDITIONAL NOTES:
- This is the first game in the Soul Reaver franchises but a spin off of the Blood Omen franchises
- Blood Omen and Soul Reaver are two different franchises that fall under the Legacy of Kain franchise
- A version of this game was also made on the P.C. and Dreamcast

"THE GREATEST VIDEOGAME OF ALL TIME"

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: April 08, 2005
Author: Amazon User

The first time I played Soul Reaver, I was a freshman in high school, having limited experience in action/adventure games, or videogames in general. Right from the opening scenes, I was blown away by the game's powerful story and brutal execution scenes. The story of Soul Reaver revolves around Raziel, an extremely conflicted character who has been cheated and left to die by his comrades-mainly Kain. Long ago, Raziel was promoted by his vampire brethren, receiving "wings" as a reward for his accomplishments. Kain, his leader, grew jealous and ordered Raziel to be cast into the "abyss," after his wings had been mutilated. After a millennium or so, Raziel awakes to find his body decomposed, giving him a ghastly appearance. A voice beckons him from within the abyss... Is it in his mind? Regardless, Raziel must seek out Kain and avenge the travesty that was laid upon him... So begins the best videogame storyline of all time, rivaling only J.R.R. Tolkien's epic.

Raziel is very agile, and has the ability to scale walls, impale enemies, move large objects, throw items/foes, and last but not least, glide utilizing his tattered wings. Another breakthrough aspect of Soul Reaver was the fact that Raziel was immortal, being able to shift from the spectral to material form. By no means is Raziel a vampire-he is disgusted by his former kind. Raziel is a new breed of anti-hero, one that feeds on the "soul" of his host. This quality is what gives Raziel his superhuman strength, and makes him a very formidable foe indeed.

Unlike the sequel, the first Soul Reaver has a myriad of bosses and enemies-ones that are in fact quite frightening. Each time Raziel kills a boss, he gains their special powers. Each of the head bosses was also at one time a vampire; however, they have become grotesquely mutated with time. After Raziel gains the Spectral Reaver from Kain, Raziel's superhuman strength increases ten-fold, and enemies are much easier to maim and mutilate. Unfortunately, Raziel never gets a chance to snuff Kain-in fact, the tables turn during the third installment of the series.

The only con to this game would have to be the lengthy duration-it's over sixty hours. As a result of this, I never actually beat all of Soul Reaver 1. Evidently, I didn't miss much, because Kain jumps through a portal during the climax. According to other reviewers, this is somewhat of an anti-climax; it frustrated gamers during its initial release. Fortunately, this was resolved in Defiance, whereas Kain is the one who ends up smiting Raziel, and for good reason, of course.

To sum up:

PROS
- INSANELY ADDICTING STORYLINE
- BREATHTAKING GRAPHICS (FOR ITS TIME)
- BEAUTIFUL SCENERY AND LANDSCAPES
- ULTRA VIOLENT AND BLOODY
- THE ABILITY TO SHIFT BETWEEN TWO ALTERNATE DIMENSIONS
- ABILITY TO GAIN "GLYPHS," OR MAGICAL POWERS
- ABILITY TO GLIDE USING THE REMNANTS OF RAZIEL'S WINGS
- CHALLENGING PUZZLES & BOSSES

CONS
- LENGTHY DURATION (CON?)

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