Legacy of Kain: Defiance

trying to capture game, will not go into window mode or capture

I'll start by saying that this is my first time playing LoK Defiance, since I never had it growing up. I played every other Legacy of Kain game before this and thoroughly enjoyed them all. That being said... Im unsure if the devs of this game were new to the series, or the og devs tried something new, but its not it for me. The story seems interesting, and the games combat is fine so far, but that camera OOF! For some unknown reason they changed the camera type from being behind Kain/Raziel and moving with them, to some type of fixed/fluid motion hybrid and it makes the gameplay a bit of a pain. I died SO MANY times because of the camera! The way it changes angles, and makes the characters run with a bit of a curved direction will throw you off and make you run off a ledge, or cause you to miss your inteded landing zone when gliding. Don't even get me started on trying to play the platforming sections, good luck with that! I would make the excuse that it's a product of it's time but I can't since SR1&SR2 came out before this and both games shared better camera perspectives. It's just an odd design choice for me. I still plan to play it since I want to experience the story, maybe i'll get used to it. I just wanted to share this honest review to help people know what they're getting into. SR 1&2 Were recently remastered and new fans will come and download this game to experience more of the story so dont take this a a negative review, just a bit of a critique. Have fun! (Maybe try playing with a controller.)

OMG! I love this game. I love the entire Legacy of Kain series, but Defiance and the 2 Soul Reavers are the best.

An excellent 6th Gen era hack and slash that still stands the test of time. Playing as both Kain and Raziel in this, the final chapter in the unfinished LoK series, is an absolute treat. The only gripe most people seem to have is the fixed camera system which seems a step backward from prevvious entries free camera. Other than that the updated combat system borrows from Devil May Cry though while some people find the new jugglwe mechanic off putting, it lends itself well to the style of game that this is and makes combat nmuch more interesting and varied than older titles in the LoK series. Where the LoK games shine is in the sprawling and epic storyline that wrestles with themes of free will and servitude, morality as well as time travel and possible resulting paradoxes. Both main characters struggle against the machinations of fate and thus defy their predetermined destinies to the behest of thier puppeteers. While I do recommend playing the entire series in chronological order before indulging this last entry, it is not entirely necessary to play and understand the storyline here. The game does a fair job of getting newcomers up to speed on the events told therein. Though, to fully appreciate the locales and memorable cast of characters in LoK: Defiance, it pays to have played the previous entries where we first meet them. All in all, LoK Defiance is a spectacular and epic tale truly worthy of your time. Highly recommended...

Legacy of Kain returns in yet another great storytelling masterpiece. The Soul Reaver storyline arc of Legacy of Kain is concluded with Defiance. Picking up some time after Soul Reaver 2 leaves off. You now take turns controlling both Kain and Raziel as they make their way through their own perspective fated paths as they try and uncover the truth and how to correct their fates. The incredible voice cast returns in full and the magnificent scripting we've all grown to love is here in abundance. However there is a major change to this game, mainly the gameplay. The typical action/adventure controls and camera type system found in Soul Reaver, Soul Reaver 2 and Blood Omen 2 even, has been changed. In an attempt to capture a new audience Crystal Dynamics tried to go with a Devil May Cry inspired Combat system. Fixed camera angles based on each area, instead of following the characters directly. The actual combat altered to be more about stringing combo moves together. While the animations for the characters differ, the results in combat are mostly the same. So as you control both Kain and Raziel at various times, they actually control nearly identically. The only real difference between them is Kain levels are more combat intensive so he is a bit stronger with his Telekinetic and combat abilities. While Raziel is still a bit more puzzle influenced, though don't expect Soul Reaver caliber puzzles here. As the game progresses Kain and Raziel can learn new combo moves to use in battle. The combat can be a fun novelty for a little while but after few hours of the exact same combat and the same environments and recycled enemies over and over it becomes mind numbingly repetitive. Part of the problem is the master pacing of the Story segments is not present. For some reason the developers decided to barely give you hardly any story for the first half of the game. So by the time you get to the really really good stuff. You are numbed by repetitive combat that never seems to end. But once you do get there, Oh my.. the absolute breathtaking story will floor you over and over all the way to the end of the game. So many questions are answered, so many are resolved. a couple of plot elements or plot holes (depending on how you look at it) found in Blood Omen 2 are explained and fixed. The Soul Reaver storyline saga mostly reaches closure here and you will be full of all sorts of emotions by the end. There are a few questions that remain afterwards which I won't go into here, questions that we will likely never have closure on based on the state of the series at this point, but for the most part the series closes with a bang! As a fan you must play through this game. Enjoy it, buy it.