Legacy Of Kain: Defiance screens

[VenoM]

dont know about you guys but ive been following the series for a long time now and cant wait to see what happens next in this final (or so they say) chapter of the legacy of kain series...if you never played/followed the games please go out and buy blood omen 1,blood omen 2,soul reaver 1,soul reaver 2.....the story is incredible and the voice acting is superb....yea the graphics arent the greatest but the story is what keeps me wanting more and more of this game....first screens of what i call blood omen & soul reaver 3 aka: Legacy Of Kain: Defiance










probably ps2 screens

[Brevity]

Looks good, I have been a fan of these for some time. Nice find.

[Arrakis44]

I agree this new game looks good, i've followed the story from the beggining as well, the only game i havnt played is Soul Reaver 2, i dont have a PS2 and the PC version seems to have dissapeared!

[Brevity]

New Gamespy Preview.
Legacy of Kain: Defiance
After splitting for starring roles in their own games, both Kain and Raziel join forces and share the marquee in an attempt to reinvent the franchise.
By GameSpy Staff | 5/13/2003



All screenshots Developer: Crystal Dynamics
Publisher: Eidos Interactive
Release Date: 2003
Genre: Action


• More Info About This Game

"Reinvention." A word used so often in PR campaigns, it nearly topples the world record held by "immersive" (which, according to the dictionary, isn't actually an adjective -- it's nothing). Yet, for Legacy of Kain: Defiance, it applies quite firmly.

Over the last few years, Eidos attempted to cash in on the so-so selling power of its popular Kain line by continuing spin-offs for each leading vamp, those being Blood Omen and Soul Reaver. After two titles apiece, developer Crystal noticed that the formula proved to be a tad stale. Once the drawing board was cleared of eraser debris and pencil shavings, the knightly Kain and stoic Raziel were teamed up, thus creating the two-games-in-one Defiance.


Basically, the adventure at hand is about "more show, less tell" in developer Crystal Dynamics exact words. So immediately, expect a lot of scripting to be dumped for action, a complaint that many fans posed about previous releases in the line. The combat is like Devil May Cry in a more epic sense, with problem solving being the key to separating it from an all-out frenetic nature. Employing a dynamic camera, many of the environments appear to be pre-rendered simply because of the seemingly fixed position of the lens, but as either Kain or Raziel begin to fight, zooms and pans occur in the most effective way possible. Obviously, that could easily turn against a programmer, but the camera in Defiance actually works well to convey a strong feeling of grandeur without going haywire.

Levels are shared between the two leads, so after completing one stage you'll switch from Kain to Raziel -- or vice versa. Immediately, it's pretty obvious that while fighting with either of the guys that the fighting engine has been dramatically improved, too. Kain is now a god-like creature, able to levitate enemies and toss them about like rag dolls like a Jedi using The Force (a stylish motion ripple follows each attack). Conveniently, each level is equipped with spikes, fire, pillars and tons of breakable objects, allowing Kain to impale, burn, or simply torture enemies. You're also equipped with a trusty sword to hack and slash your way through hordes. Raziel, on the other hand, has the ability to warp from the Spectral Realm to the Material Plane by possessing the bodies of fallen baddies, along with an array of melee combat skills.


Soul-sucking plays an intricate role in your survival again as well, with a choice being offered between powering up your weapon or adding to your health meter (a simply button press is all it takes to differentiate). Such extends into the familiar themes of the game, in which both characters struggle for freedom against their torturous fate.

Coupled with effectively moody, gothic centerpieces and a keen approach to epic, open levels -- teaming with far-off mountains, fog, massive castles -- Defiance is shaping up to become the best the Legacy of Kain installment yet.

[Dyslexic Chaos]

Sweet. Looks like there'll be 2 different campaigns, because if it was just one, then it wouldn't make ne sense, because Kane and Raziel could never work together. It'd be really cool if they were each others final boss. I must say I'm a little dissapointed though, because I've always liked how they kept each series different from the other. Kane looks soooo different in each game. I just hope they make it work somehow...


Edit: Read Brevitys Post. I have no idea how they'll manage to make them work together in 1 campaign...

[VenoM]

"So immediately, expect a lot of scripting to be dumped for action, a complaint that many fans posed about previous releases in the line."

if that means have less story and more action im gonna be let down my fav part of the series is the story accompanied by the great voice acting..i do like the whole puzzle solving and impaling thing though