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A vampire game that's full of problems

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 4 / 6
Date: May 22, 2002
Author: Amazon User

After playing this game I now understand why Extended Play gave this game only 2 stars out of 5 and I can only give it 1 star out of 5. Where to begin? The first major problem with this game is with all the graphics flaws throughout the whole game. In fact it amazes me this game was released in it's current form. After playing it, it's obvious that EIDOS rushed this game out and released a very poor game. The graphics flaws just make the game seem so silly at times. You'll notice right away that characters will fall INTO walls and only half their body will be sticking out of walls or surrounding objects. In one of the chapters a lady character actually walked right through Kain. During a portion of the game where you must release a demon from a cage the game went a little crazy on me, it shot my character Kain from one location to another location on top of some mesh-wire type floor and locked Kain into position here while you heard sounds of battle going on but could see or do nothing until this battle was over and then it transported me back to my original position on the ground. I just thought it was some sort of weird programming error. Anyway, to continue with the list of errors, another major error is that this game forces you to kill an enemy in only a certain way. Example: When I first ran into the vampire that sets things on fire, I tired to kill him right there by slashing him up with my sword and even though blood was coming from the fire vampire and I was also knocking him to the ground, NO DAMAGE was being reported by the game since you were not suppose to kill him then. You must basically let the vampire go until you meet him again later and then try to kill him. This kind of "lock you into a story line" is stupid especially when they let you engage an enemy that you're really not suppose to be near yet. This is also true of the last battle scene when you can walk right up to the Sarafan Lord and hit him bringing blood and knocking him down but NO DAMAGE is counted since the game won't let you kill him in that way. Also a very major graphics flaw was where I get ready to fight the Sarafan Lord at the end and during the movie video showing them talking to each other, Kain has a sword sticking right through his chest instead of it being hostered across his back like it's was suppose to be when you carry a weapon and Kain doesn't seem to mind at all! Also this game lies about several things, telling you one thing only to show the opposite later. Examples: In the beginning of the game they clearly tell you that water will hurt and kill any vampire, only to then later on show the fire vampire falling into deep water several times and it did not hurt the fire throwing vampire and did not kill him either! Example 2 is that they clearly tell you that the Soul Reaver sword can't hurt you so long as if you're wearing the Nexus stone, but later in the game when you battle the Sarafan Lord and he has the Soul Reaver sword and Kain has on the Nexus stone that when the Sarafan Lord shoots these power shots at Kain with the sword it actually hurts Kain not only in blood life level but also knocks him down. Could EIDOS explain why such errors are present all through the game? I doubt it. The so-called puzzle are just a bunch of switches placed all over the place and you have to just throw them to open a door, etc. Not much of a puzzle if you ask me and really unnecessary through most of the game. This is one of the worst games I've ever played, not only in the amount of errors in the game but also very limited gameplay. The 1 star is for the fact I like vampire stuff but as far as a vampire game goes, this game fails. There are other errors also but I'm not going to bother to continue to list them.

Such Potential, Such Waste

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: December 02, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Much of what I'm about to say has probably been covered by others, but I'll try my best to make things concise. This game could have been quite good, but unfortunately has major flaws that make it more annoying than anything else.

I found some difficulty with the controls. While all games require an adjustment period to get used to the new controls, these are combersome no matter what. To turn your character around you must actually walk him around in a circle, which can be quite difficult (and deadly) especially when getting attacked. While other games have a rotate button for fighters in 3D environments, this does not.

Next I found the cut-scenes to be horrible. Not that the voice acting or animation were bad at all, but rather that you can't skip over them with a press of a button. Obviously if you're into a game, you'll want to watch a scene once to follow the story. But it's just too much to take when you reach a difficult point in the game and get killed only to have to watch the same 5 minute cut-scene over and over again until you figure out how to beat the particular situation.

Lack of problem solving is another issue. Why have a mature rated game with child level problem solving? All problems are obvious and usually only take a couple of minutes to solve at the most. The majority have a flashing beacon over the objective so you know exactly where you need to go and there's always only one very obvious solution to the problem.

Finally, the gameplay just gets old. I suppose because the rest of the game is so annoying that you just get tired of dealing with the same old thing. There are difficult controls that once mastered make it easy to beat all enemies. Tiresome cut-scenes that seem to never end and problems that are all to easy to solve. And let's not forget the animation that causes many enemies (and some much needed weapons) to fall halfway or all the way through walls and floors. I was amazed to see that enemies will end up buried halfway into walls or stairs simply because that's where they landed rather than bouncing. If I didn't know any better I would think that this game had been made 5 years ago. This last problem is a programming error (or laziness) that there's simply no excuse for.

In the end, rent this game if you have to, but don't buy it.

Terrible addition to the franchise

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: August 12, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I started the SR series with Legacy of Kain (SR2). I was sadly disappointed in Blood Omen 2, which has none of the ingenuity or artistry of the SR series. So I settled in for an action game, and was disappointed in the fighting engine (very tricky, and often results in your character getting killed from behind). Halfway through the game, emphasis seems to switch from action to lever-pulling, as you have a series of nonsensical puzzles to solve. Definitely the most depressing part of the game is the cut-scenes. Everyone in the game talks like they're fresh out of a vampire soap opera (kind of like an Anne Rice rip-off but without the sex). Plus, if your character gets killed after listening to a 3-minute dialogue segment, you have to watch the whole thing over again. And again. And again, until you get to the next save point. Very frustrating. I would NOT reccommend this game.

I HOPE IT GETS BETTER

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: April 18, 2002
Author: Amazon User

I first want to say that I love a good chalange . I also want to say that I was a big fan of Soul Reaver 1 . But I like my games to be (FUN!!!!!!!!!) NOT FRUSTRATING!!!)I was having fun playing this game until I got to the first boss Vampire (FAUSTUS). This boss has an energy bar that is about ten times larger that yours , He blocks every blow you throw at him, Many of his blows you can`t block and some will drop you in about two hits!You are lucky if you get in two or three hits!! I have fought FAUSTUS about thirty times and still have yet to beat him ! the control is part of it . It is rather clunky. This will be my LAST Eidos game . They all seem to be like this (frustrating). I may take this game back or trade it for store credit. I think HALO really spoiled me!! Parts of HALO can be rather hard to get through but it is still fun! Thats what playing games is all about, Right? The game should not make you want to pull the disc out and smash it!

Boring

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 0 / 1
Date: June 05, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Having never played a horror game I was looking forward to this one. Unfortunatley, I was disappointed. The gameplay soon became very boring as the only type of action is to run around drinking the blood of unsuspecting townfolk. Interspersed along the way is the occassional bad guy, treasure chest (I have no clue as to what benefit it gives) and the requirement of having to find a switch at different points in order to open gates. I found the controls to be slow and clumsy and the graphics are so-so. I guess I just expected more from an x-box game.

Kain, Thy Name is Tedium

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 1 / 3
Date: March 25, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Blood Omen 2 is an example of what happens when bad choices are made for the design of controller pad commands. This is easily one of the most frustrating games to play for me personally. For example, during combat with one of the bosses by the name of Faustus, you have to be able jump away when he does one of his special attacks. Unfortunately, you also have to remember to let go of everything else on the controller pad in order to set up for pressing the "A" button to actually jump, all this within about half a second. Needless to say, if you forget to let go of the right trigger (which provides the essential auto-focus targeting for combat), the jump won't work and you'll get a boot to the head and lose an eighth or so of life. You'll end up fighting some of the bosses dozens and dozens of times unless you're just really coordinated. I play classical guitar and am pretty accurate with some faster pieces. Even so, I have a tough time keeping track of all the controls during combat because of the need to either keep both triggers down, or letting go of all triggers to move or jump, or leaving just one trigger down for attacking with the "X" button. Thankfully, the game does at least include a brief tutorial to familiarize new users with the theoretical functioning of the various control combinations.

For the most part, the standard citizens and solidiers you'll encounter in the early levels are too easy to kill. Unlike the bosses, they have little or no ability to take more than four quick blows, so they go down quickly and you don't have to worry about getting tangled up in the controls as much. Frankly, I seldom if ever bother with blocking because toe-to-toe is generally easier. You know once they're dead that you can recover lost life by sucking their blood. The animation of the sucking is always the same, but it's neat the first couple of times it occurs. I'm sure in later levels (4th & up), the foes become tougher.

The game itself is a standard hack and slash with a nice 3D environment that is generally always dark. Even if you turn out all the lights in the room to reduce glare on the tv screen, it still puts a huge strain on the eyes after about an hour of play. If you typically don't game for more than an hour at a time, you'll probably be okay.

Overall, I think this game had alot of potential, but its annoying command design makes it incredibly tedious to play at certain points, like the battle with Faustus.

A tired idea. Over and over again.

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 1 / 5
Date: March 25, 2002
Author: Amazon User

It's ok, nothing spectacular, and it feels a bit tried. A bit old. It features no new game play that takes advantage of the added muscle of the next generation systems; it seems contrived, essentially like a Playstation (one) game that has been rejigged with better graphics. Eidos has been bereft of new ideas for a while now, and the trend continues. One example, in a tavern in the early part of the game, I quickly disposed of all of the local townspeople, but could still hear the chatter and the talk of the crowd. Hey, there's nobody around. The AI needs work, since in many cases; some of the townsfolk can see the brutal murder and blood sucking of one of their "friends", as they continue to chat among themselves as if nothing happened. Come on guys. Also, block puzzles. Block puzzles? Seems like somebody doesn't have any new ideas. Finally, I have read that the Xbox version "is the only version" that comes with real time shadows. However, as you walk around a light source, close then further away, you would expect to see your shadow loom larger or smaller depending on your position. But in the game, nothing. Seems like a case of bad execution.
The story is two-dimensional, doesn't offer a lot of suspense, and is essentially straightforward with no real twists. The voice acting, as usual in this series however, is superb.
Not a horrible game, but just more of the same. I would strongly recommend Max Payne over this if your interested in this genre. If you've played that, then I would just keep waiting for some new ideas. This is not what we were looking forward to.

A good game, though the first Blood Omen was better

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: May 11, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Kain finally returns in Blood Omen 2, but this latest installment in the series is missing some of what made the first Legacy of Kain such an enjoyable game.

Gameplay is very straightforward. Kain must progress through the world of Nosgoth by killing his enemies and solving puzzles. This is where some of the problems come in. Combat is all right, but Kain has very few options available to him. Attack, block, grab, and that's it. Occasionally you can use a Dark Gift (more on that in a minute) in battle, but it's nothing more than a stronger attack. Boss battles are usually more interesting, but in general, combat leaves something to be desired. The puzzles in the game are all very simple, and so they get tedious. Finally, the game is linear in the extreme. There is never a time when you can deviate from the path and explore a little; you're always on the one, pre-set course through the game.

Kain also has a number of Dark Gifts at his disposal, which he collects throughout the game. These can be pretty interesting. For example, you can change into mist (if there is mist present) and sneak past guards, or kill them stealthily, instantly. You can make insanely long jumps from one rooftop to another, like you'd see in The Matrix. You can control NPCs and force them to do your will. This is good stuff, but I wish there had been more of a focus on it, and that Kain had more varied abilities. The first Blood Omen had more variety.

Graphically, the game is fairly good. The atmosphere of Nosgoth is conveyed very well; it's definitely not a place you'd want to live, and it shows in the scenery, the ambient sound effects, and the bits of overheard conversation. The character models (other than Kain) seem relatively basic. There are some clipping problems as well. All in all, the graphics could be better for the XBox version of this game. They're decent, and get the job done, but it's not a game you'd use to show off the graphical power of the XBox.

The cutscenes in the game are top-notch. The first Blood Omen featured some of the best voice acting you could find on the PSX, and the quality does not disappoint here either. Plus, Kain is such a cool character, you look forward to seeing him interact with the other characters in the game (aside from drinking their blood, that is).

Ultimately, the game's many good points can't completely make up for the often-repetitive gameplay. Nosgoth is a fascinating world, and Kain a fun character to play, but the game can get boring at times, and with its very strict linearity, replay value is virtually zero. It's definitely worth a purchase, since you can now buy this at about half its original price (or less), but the first Blood Omen was the superior game.

Not bad, but not great either

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 7 / 10
Date: March 28, 2002
Author: Amazon User

As a fan of the Legacy of Kain series since the very first Blood Omen, released on the PSX in 1996, I was dying to get my hands on this game. Finally being in control of Kain again after all this time was quite a pleasure, but unfortunately, the game is not all its cracked up to be...

First off, the gameplay is strictly mediocre. Soul Reaver veterans will recognize the mechanics right away. Unfortunately, it seems the problems of the Soul Reaver games have come over as well. This game focuses more on combat than anything else, and is designed as such. However, given that the game is loosely a Soul Reaver clone, you'll find yourself wanting to avoid combat more than actually throwing yourself into it. Unfortunately, the game's central focus is combat, and successful progression in the game is based on your ability to fight. A pity, because the problems begin there.

Enemies, just like in Soul Reaver 2, are always better fighters, with many more attacks than Kain, and a plethora of unblockable moves. You may find yourself outnumbered, and while you can easily handle your enemies if you're good, Kain will probably just end up on the ground, and you'll be shaking your head in frustration. And once again, the ATROCIOUS auto-targeting system of Soul Reaver 2 has returned. When you auto-fix on an enemy, all it takes is a sidestep, and you'll have Kain hacking away in the opposite direction while the enemy charges up his unblockable attack or unleashes his own combo on you.

'Stealth Kills', like in such games as Tenchu, are probably one of the better parts of combat, but serve little purpose. The only time a 'stealth kill' can be performed is if there is mist on the ground. Even if you sneak up on an enemy without mist on the ground, you cannot perform a 'stealth kill', which makes stealth kills utterly useless and just forces more of the mediocre combat on you.

Collision detection is pretty awful. In fact, it seems to be 2-d, shown in the simple fact that you cannot seem to jump over enemies. If you are standing in front of an enemy, although you clearly jump higher than his head level, you cannot jump OVER him, thus making you an easy aerial target. Also, your weapon seems to pass through enemies more than it hits them, leaving you as an open target yet again.

Sound is strange...often times, ambient sound that is completely inappropriate for the moment(such as the blood guzzling sound) begins to play out of nowhere during cutscenes. The sound is so loud that it drowns out the voice-overs, effectively ruining whatever story element there is(and there isn't much). There are also many other glitches in the game that are just too glaring to be overlooked.

Story.....all the games in the past had a great, involving story. This game lacks the gripping story element of the previous games, which is why even die-hard LoK fans may overlook this game. What little story there is gets expressed through small cutscenes, which could basically be considered 'Mission Briefings' as opposed to story progression. Sometimes there are cut-scenes during the mission which convey the story rather well, but overall, the strongest element of the previous games is very weak in this game.

The bottom line: Only Die-Hard LoK fans will enjoy this game, and even as such may find the game to be bland, devoid of story and interesting gameplay. By today's standards, this game is mediocre in every sense of the word. Gamers who are not knowledgeable about the LoK series will definitely want to avoid this game all together, and LoK/SR fans also may want to avoid this game due to lack of story and good gameplay. Being a diehard LoK fan, I found the game remotely enjoyable, but the game simply gets too repetitive as it goes on. Very disappointing, but good entertainment for a little while.

Atmospheric, beautiful, but ultimately as linear as a laser.

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 4 / 6
Date: April 24, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Blood Omen 2 is a beautiful game, full of interesting gothic locales, well-designed characters, who are beautifully voice-acted. The storyline is intriguing enough to provide sufficient motivation to keep playing, and the combat is deep enough to not get repetitive and boring too quickly.

However, Blood Omen 2 is also one of the most staggeringly linear games I've ever played, and with little motivation to actually even look around and explore, there's little reason to do anything other than run from one locked door to the next. The puzzles' solutions are always close at hand, and there's only one way to solve them. Exploration leads you to chests that contain items to "level up", but the levelling up process is almost without payoff, considering the only thing you'll find is a small step towards giving your character more life.

Had there been a compelling reason to explore the world thoroughly, as in the Soul Reaver series, had there been a more compelling interactiveness to the story elements, BO2 could have been great. The production values are uniformly high, and the setting is interesting enough to warrant further games in the series.

But BO2 is fundamentally, a flat game, bogged down by its overbearing linearity, and a distinct lack of motivation to actually look at the world you've been put in.

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