Initial Legacy of Kain: Defiance thoughts, assorted:
- It's immediately apparent that the A team is back working on this one. Detailed character models with great facial animation--though the facial animation isn't quite at the quality of Soul Reaver 2's in my opinion.
- It's also immediately apparent that Defiance was released in a post-DMC and post-GoW world. Free-roaming 3D has been replaced with fixed-but-pivoting cameras. Also there's air combos. I don't imagine the combat will get on the level of either of those games given Kain has five unlockable combat abilities and I already have three of them, but it is a lot of fun being able to telekinetically blast enemies into hazards again.
- It's a little bit 🏳️🌈? both with Kain's furious attempts to find Raziel and also the Elder God calling Raziel his "good servant". Good. Raziel also looks really cute in this one. His eyes are bigger. He's got that Marvel vs Capcom Spider-Man vibe to him.
- I forgot to mention this but the pacing in Blood Omen 2 was pretty slow, whereas the pacing in the A team's games moved at a quick and satisfying pace. That's back.
- Kain says "Vae Victis" when he kills enemies again, although he seems to prefer to whisper it in his enemies' ears when he stabs them rather than shout it like a man possessed. I didn't realize it until now but that simple bit of personality being missing from Blood Omen 2 hurt it a bit.
- Moebius has a different and more serious voice actor now compared to his sillier thespian voice in Soul Reaver 2, which is a shame because I feel like that voice much better fit his omniscient manipulator antics.
- It's a really good looking game for 2003! God rays, stencil shadows, distortion and motion blur. I'm playing the PC version but the PS2 version has all of this and runs at a stable 60FPS. Way to go, Crystal Dynamics.
I didn't hate Blood Omen 2 but going from Soul Reaver 2 to Blood Omen 2 to this feels like I just got over a flu and was finally able to breathe in the fresh spring air through my nose for the first time in weeks.