2.21.01
Welcome to the Darkside - Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2 Preview
No. of Players:
1
|
Genre:
Action/Adventure
|
Developer:
Crystal Dynamics
|
Publisher:
Eidos Interactive
|
Release Date:
5.02.01
|
Before I start this preview, let me thank (the competition) IGN for the (small) screenshots.
Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2, which I will refer to as SR2 from now, is the sequel to Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver (SR), which was the sequel to Legacy of Kain: Blood Omen, and Blood Omen was the sequel to, wait this wasn't a sequel. For those of you who haven't played SR yet, here is a timeline (sorta) of what happened:
-
Raziel (SR and SR2's mutated hero) evolves--grows a set of wings--before any of his kind, even Kain, the all-powerful ruler
-
Kain, full of hate, rage and jealousy towards Raziel, because of his "betrayal", shreds Raziel's wings (with his bare hands, I might add), and forces him into an abyss full of souls, never to return
-
Raziel is spared (his life) by an all powerful being (which you only hear). When Raziel awakens, he finds that his face is horribly disfigured and his wings only enable him to glide short distances
-
Raziel is taught how to use the Soul Reaver (that's where the name comes from) and goes on a quest to kill Kain, but along the way he fights and kills, his "brothers" and solves many "push box" puzzles
-
After your last battle against...you're given a "to be continued" message and the game ends (talk about a cliffhanger)
The developers (Crystal Dynamics) have promised a new and improved Raziel --his body will be made up of 3x the amount of polygons as the last game--and hopefully a better ending, as well as, a constant 60fps running game. What does this all mean in English? Raziel will be more detailed and more "realistic" looking; and the game will have little to no slowdown.
Raziel's appearance and the game's speed consistency aren't the only improvements. The lighting department--more specifically, the shadows--has also undergone an overhaul. Shadows will now be cast depending on its surroundings. By this I mean, if Raziel is near a torch or another source of light, a shadow will be cast relevant to where he is standing (or gliding). Raziel's (Soul) reaver, as well as, enemies and other objects, will also cast shadows dependently.
All of these aesthetic tweaks have an in-game purpose. The developers--wanting to stray from the "push box and pull switch puzzles", which were rampant in SR--are using the lighting and other graphical enhancements to create new types of puzzles.
 For instance, hieroglyphics can provide clues to solving various puzzles. Also, say you had to get a large cinder block down (which you had to use as a stair) from the ceiling of a very large room, but there was no conceivable way of performing this task, because of its distance from you, what would you do? Easy, just move a mirror in front of a (very strong) ray of light and postion it so that its reflection (off the mirror of course) burns right through the rope; and bingo, you solved your problem. Boy, I love coming up with examples for things you can do in a game. Now, let me talk a little about the reavers, all 7 of them.
Each reaver is powered by a different element--Air, Wind, Earth, Fire, Water, Dark, and Light. You will have to utilize each reaver's special abiliities to progress in the game. Say there hieroglyphics on a wall you had to read in order to solve a puzzle, but it was so dark you couldn't decipher anything, what would you do? Simple, just take out the Light Reaver, use its light to read the hieroglyphics, and bingo, another puzzle down.
The enemy department has also been improved. In this installment, you will fight a large number of enemies, as well as, new kinds of enemies.
A page has been taken out of the old Genesis game, Cyborg Justice, in SR2, with the ability to use your (dead) enemie's body parts as weapons. Cool, huh?
I forgot to talk about the actual story. Well, not much is known at this time, but I can tell you that it starts off where SR left off (the "to be continued" screen I hope) and will have Raziel going back in time in search of answers to why there was a genocide of Raziel's clan from the face of the Earth, I mean Nosgoth. Maybe, you'll meet up with a young Kain and a full-winged Raziel.
Just like the Commandos 2 Preview I will give a snippet from the publisher's, Eidos', website:
-
Acquire new and improved physical abilities, and relics to interact with the environment and unlock the dark secrets of Nosgoth.
-
Encounter a variety of new enemies including vampire hunters, vampires, Sarafan warrior-priests, spectral spirits, and extra-dimensional demons.
-
Immerse yourself in a gothic realm of highly detailed architecture and environments supported by an intriguing storyline, in-game cinematic event, and compelling voice-over.
-
Shift real-time between the spectral and material realms to access previously unattainable areas.
-
Devour the lost souls of your enemies to recover and maintain your strength.
Well, that's all for this edition of Dreamcast Otaku Previews. Stayed for more updates for this preview, and new ones to come.
--Dreamcast "Mac" Otaku
What's the difference between the Air and Wind Reavers?
|
