Legacy of Kain: Defiance (2003) (VG)

Director:

Amy Hennig

Writers:

Amy Hennig (story) &
Carol Wolf (story) ...

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Fantasy | Horror

Tagline:

Unleash your vengeance

Plot:

After altering the flow of history, Raziel and Kain are forced to work together to restore the true flow of time to Nosgoth.

Plot Keywords:

Vampire | Third Part | Sequel | Kain | Legacy

Cast

Michael Bell	...	Raziel (voice)
Simon Templeman	...	Kain (voice)
Tony Jay	...	Elder God (voice)
Richard Doyle	...	Moebius (voice)
Rene Auberjonois	...	Janos (voice)
Paul Lukather	...	Vorador (voice)
Anna Gunn	...	Ariel (voice)
Alastair Duncan	...	Mortanius (voice)
Gregg Berger	...	Turel (voice)
Phil Proctor	...	Additional Male Voices (voice)
B.J. Ward	...	Additional Female Voices (voice)

Also Known As:

Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver III (USA) (alternative title)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Company:

Crystal Dynamics

Trivia:

Is actually the fifth game in the Legacy of Kain series, and a result of time contraints on Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver (1999) (VG) and Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver II (2001) (VG).

Quotes:

Kain: I was confronted again with depictions of the Vampires' champion, the bearer of the Reaver blade. And here too, was his Hylden adversary, with blazing eyes brandishing a flaming sword. Two heroes locked in combat which only one would survive. But which one? These murals prophesied two possible outcomes.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Troldspejlet: (#31.12)" (2004)

Great Story Though Hindered By Restricted Camera System

Fans of LOK games have been hooked by the ongoing story ever since the series stepped up its theatrical presentation with its second incarnation: Soul Reaver. Simon Templeman, whose rendition of Kain continued in Soul Reaver as a principle character in the story however, the game introduced a new character, Raziel, who became the protagonist of the game.

The character of Raziel was brought to life with the voice talents of Michael Bell. The dialogue between he and Simon Templeman is what turned what would otherwise be a good game into a chapter in a story that got LOK fans hooked. This was also with the helpful of support from Tony Jay who plays the role of the Elder God. Though the game ended with a cliffhanger, it had enough substance to enlist its own cult following that stayed with the series just to find out what happens next.

What did happen next was Soul Reaver II. The story continues but, instead of answering all of the questions of the first game, it introduced some new questions and twists to the story that would leave anyone's head spinning. Voice actors, Tony Jay, Anna Gunn and Richard Doyle return to play their respective supporting roles in this sequel. Paul Lukather, from the original Blood Omen, reprises his role as Vorador. Rene Auberjonois, of Star Trek DS9 fame, is introduced to the series to reprise the role of Janos.

Finally, there is Defiance. The third game in this storyline and the fifth LOK game overall, this became what I feel to be the game with the best-written story out of all of the series of LOK games. The efforts put into putting this game together become obvious as the story unfolds itself. There are twists and unexpected turns in the story leading to a satisfying ending.

Unfortunately, Defiance's gameplay doesn't match its theatrical prowess. This is the first game where both Kain and Raziel are playable characters in the game. Though both characters are powerful, I can't help but wonder why they had to be made virtually identical in terms of capabilities. These two characters that are supposed to be so different offer virtually nothing that the other doesn't as well. It is one of the shortcomings of the game.

The greatest shortcoming of the game is actually something that the makers of the game consider one of its improvements. The restrictive nature of the camera system in this game inevitably lead to disorientation with allot of people who play the game. The camera will reverse the angle as you go from one area to another, which can, and often does, send you back into the area from where you just came.

The developers of the game say that the camera gives you "the best possible point of view" but unfortunately, that just is not the case. It would have been a massive improvement for the sake of those interested in playing the game if the developers would offer the option to give the player control over the camera. Their reluctance to do so adds an unnecessary level of frustration that takes away from all of the things that are so good about the game.

In all, the game is a mixed bag of good, great and disappointingly bad elements that leave you wondering if the game was good or not. To take it all and average it up, the game is adequate. The real shame is that it could have been so much more.