Gaming Target - Xbox: Blood Omen 2

Written by Nick Doukas on March 29, 2002

Full Review: Spare me your moral anecdote and direct me to his throatЕ

NosferatuЕVlad DraculaЕLestatЕKain and his Lieutenant, Raziel. Vampires have fascinated us for centuries, perhaps because they mirror the dark/light duality of our own nature. Romanticized in literature, film (and games) most people agree that vampires are equal parts terror, lust, power and charm. Taking the reins of Blood Omen 2, you are one with the nobleman turned vampire Kain, as you exact your vengeance against those who would see you destroyed, after 200 years of uneasy slumber.

As fans of the LOK series know, it all began with Legacy of Kain: Blood Omen, on the PSone and continued to what was arguably one of the best titles of the 32 bit era, LOK: Soul Reaver. Recently released for the PS2 was the sequel, Soul Reaver 2 (actually, the third game in the series). Which brings us to today, and the arrival of Blood Omen 2 for Microsoft's Xbox. Published by Eidos Interactive and developed by Crystal Dynamics (also responsible for SR&SR2) players take control of Kain 400 years after the events in Blood Omen (but centuries before the events in SR). After Blood Omen, Kain assembled an army of vampires to conquer the land of Nosgoth. In response to the vampire threat, a faction of militant humans, called the Sarafan, assembled and were led by the mysterious Sarafan Lord. Determined to rid the land of the unholy creatures, the Sarafan battled Kains army for years, with the war ending in Kains defeat, as the Sarafan Lord stripped him of his powerful sword, the Soul Reaver, and cast him to his apparent death. As the game begins, Kain awakens in the capitol city of Nosgoth: Meridian, after being unconscious for 2 centuries. As you take the controls, you are greeted by the female vampire Umah, who advises you that during your absence, the Sarafan have taken control of Nosgoth and now rule it with an iron fist. The vampires have formed a resistance, called The Cabal. It's up to Kain to join the movement and help them defeat the Sarafan Lord. Kain agrees, but he will follow his own pathЕ

As you guide Kain through the first level, Umah instructs you on the use of your powers. This, of course, serves as the games tutorial and to its credit, is seamlessly melded into the gameplay (similar to the training level in Soul Reaver). You'll travel through the Slums of Meridian, regaining your strength and satisfying the thirst for blood. You are weak after 200 years of sleep and must feed to reclaim your power. I'm pleased to report that the control scheme is well arranged and intuitive. The left analog stick controls movement, with the right handling the camera. Jumping is accomplished with the A button and a quick secondary tap and hold allows Kain to glide to the street below. The X button is used to attack and performing multiple taps will allow for combos. Kain will attack with his powerful claws, or a weapon, if he has one in his possession (swords, battle-axes and other assorted heavy metal weaponry can be liberated from fallen foes). The right trigger of the Xbox controller is used to autoface (pull and hold) while the left is used to defend. The game offers you УAssistedФ blocking, or the option to toggle on УSkilledФ blocking, which requires manual manipulation of the left trigger for each block, as opposed to simply holding it down to auto block.

Enemies, which include guards, knights and the more advanced glyph guards, can be grabbed by the throat and lifted, then run through with Kains sword. Once an enemy is dead, Kain can feed by holding down the Y button (downed foes turn red when Kain is close enough to drain them). From several feet away, a crimson river of blood is pulled from the corpse and, as the monsters eyes glow red, he slakes his unholy thirst. Trust me, this never gets old!! Innocents can be killed and eaten as well, and the developers encourage you to do so with the inclusion of the Lore Meter. Lore can be obtained by drinking blood, as well as through interaction with lore chests, which are scattered about the city as you progress. As your lore is replenished, it eventually increases your Blood Meter/Life Force, which is your primary gauge of health. Blood is constantly lost and must be replenished by frequent feeding. Blood is also lost as Kain takes damage in battle. If the meter runs dry, it's back to the last checkpoint (quitting and saving a game will start you from the last checkpoint as well).

Kain is also equipped with УDark GiftsФ, most of which are obtained through boss battles with various vampires, former allies turned to work for the Sarafan. He begins with Fury and Mist but will obtain Jump, Charm, Telekinesis, Berserk and Immolate. The use of these Dark gifts are required at times in order to pass certain obstacles in the game. For instance, you may need to use Jump to leap a vast distance, which would otherwise have been inaccessible. Another scenario may require you to charm a villager into opening a gate for you. The Mist ability allows you the joy of stealth kills. Simply step into the ground fog found throughout certain areas of Meridian, press B, then approach a guard from behind. A skull will appear above the head. This indicates that a stealth kill is available. Ram your fist through his back and crush his still beating heart in your claw. Of course, all of the abilities are useful, and lend excellent variety to the play mechanics.

Between thrilling battles with guards and Sarafan knights, as well as drinking the blood of peasants, Kain will be presented with puzzles. Many of these involve flipping switches or moving blocks around. Water is deadly to Kain, so of course, there are plenty of water puzzles. Kain can flip switches or manipulate valve wheels to drain and fill rooms (accomplished by pressing X). The puzzles are well thought out and interesting, without being overly difficult. Throughout the adventure, you will also be required to manipulate Glyph energy, a magical power source used to operate certain gates and doors. Glyph batteries can be moved and may need to be positioned to create a circuit.

Graphically the game is impressive. Textures look sharp and detailed, ambient lighting is displayed liberally throughout the streets of Meridian, and the environments truly come alive. Small details, like moths fluttering about the street lamps and the rich ornamentation of the backgrounds, lend solid depth to the world of Nosgoth. Kain's character model is robust and sports a generous polygon count, as do most of the enemies and villagers. The framerate is smooth and consistent and load times are instantaneous. Unfortunately, some graphical glitches do exist. Enemies sometimes clip into walls and some pop in does occur. However, these are isolated incidents and in no way detract from play. It's interesting to note that Crystal Dynamics has a bit of a track record in this department, having had similar issues with it's Soul Reaver titles. Certainly a very talented developer, I sense the possibility of a pushy publisher rushing the team a bit, as the overall product is always of superior quality. I really don't think these guys are lazy.

In game sound is also well done, from wolves howling in the distance to the unnatural sounds of Kain's feeding. The voice acting is of the highest quality, with Simon Templeman reprising the voice of Kain. All of the parts are ably acted and lend weight to the well-scripted story, which is suitably dark and fraught with cool gothic imagery. This should please fans, as well as newcomers. The music is perfect: a blend of dissonant sounds, bells, tribal drums and eerie thumps. Making your way through the adventure should take around 20 hours and believe me, being bad never felt so good!! In fact, at one point last night, I leapt up to a rooftop and slaughtered the guard. After drinking his blood, I dropped through the skylight and drifted down into the room below, only to feast on the poor unfortunate who occupied it. It's a fun ride and one every adventure (and vampire) fan should consider taking. Of course, if you're already a follower of the series, I've just got one question: you do have your copy, don't you?