Blood Omen 2

Kain rises again in this dark and dirty game of death and destruction, and shows us just how attractive the dark side can be.

There is turmoil in Nosgoth. The vampire legions once led by Kain have been defeated, and Kain himself, killed. Kain wakes up many years later in the city of Meridian with most of his powers and memories stolen by death. You take control of Kain at his lowest moment, charged with regaining the vampire lord?s former power and prestige, and getting revenge on those who caused his downfall in the process.

Blood Omen 2 has been a long time coming, and the end result was worth the wait. While Kain?s graphics lack the polish and shine of other Xbox titles?, they do a great job of bringing Kain?s nighttime world to life with brilliant colors and gruesome animations. Eidos?s growing reputation for fine voice-acting remains unblemished, the dialogue lending dramatic credibility to a soundtrack composed of wonderful music and realistic sound effects, including splattering blood, chilling screams, and clashing weapons. The entire game has a finely tuned gothic horror feel, and that?s perfect for a tale as dark and immoral as Kain?s.

Past games in the Legacy of Kain series look like happy frolics in the park when compared to Blood Omen 2. While there?s less brooding and more pure evil in Kain?s story than there was in the Soul Reaver games, Blood Omen 2 delights in the darkness and pain in the world. You are actively encouraged to partake in the slaughter of innocents by a system that increases your health meter once you?ve fed on a certain number of humans. You?re shown multiple ways to kill, ranging from stealthy murder in mist form to gruesome impalement with your sword, and you?re often asked to subvert a human?s will and control him to get the job done. While these things may seem less-than-kosher for many, they work very well in this title, and you?ll have to get past your moral convictions to be effective as a vampire.

Playing as Kain is a mixed bag of frustration and fun. As in the Soul Reaver titles, combat can get repetitive and stiff as you get along in the game. Hours of punch-punch-punch, block-block-block fights can get old; when you kill an enemy you can take their weapon, and while each weapon has its own set of attack animation, the attacks all move at the same speed and seem to do the same amount of damage. Between bouts of combat, you?ll run into block-pushing and switch-pulling puzzles that, while clich?d, are perfectly challenging without being frustrating. Boss battles are a fine combination of combat and puzzles, and they benefit and suffer from the pros and cons of both play styles. The game as a whole never gets slow or boring, thanks to the fine game design that interrupts repetitive combat with challenging puzzles at a just-about-perfect ratio.

Overall, fans of dark fantasy or edgy adventure would do well to pick up Blood Omen 2, but be warned that this is one of the messiest, darkest, and most amoral titles to come along in some time. If that doesn?t bother you, you?re in for a treat.

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