DF Retro: Legacy of Kain Soul Reaver - A Classic Revisited on PS1/PC/Dreamcast!
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- Опубликовано: 5 окт 2024
- One of the greatest titles available on the original PlayStation, Soul Reaver's 3D 'Metroidvania' gameplay pushed the system to its limits. John presents the history behind the game, examines the core technology, analyses performance and checks out the PC and Dreamcast ports.
Many thanks to Ben Lincoln and 'Mama Robotnik' for their assistance in making this episode.
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If you want to learn English and have perfect diction, play Soul Reaver.
True, its one of the games that increased my vocabulary the most :)
oh how?
The enunciation , pronunciation of words and the choice of words use throughout this game, some were new for me back then......if you have not played the game, you would have to, to experience what i'm referring to
Wut iz engrish?
thanks! I am good at English but no harm to improve it!
It's hard to imagine that almost 5 years have passed since this episode of DF Retro. It's one of those episodes I regularly come back to.
Df retro episodes are timeless!
@@rizzo-filmsRetro episodes are the best
@AgentSmith911 i always put them on when i work out, for no specific reason other than I love them. They're entertaining and I always learn something new about games and tech I'd been curious about since I was a kid.
"Your wings, though ruined, are not without purpose. Take hold of them as you leap, and they will carry you across this chasm."
*Falls into chasm*
As a non english speaker my first time I heard the word chasm. Used to play games with a vocabulary on my side
I don't know where this resurgence of people talking abut this beloved series has come from but damn I'm happy it's happening
square Enix take notice, we're all still here
I want to agree with you, but i'm terrified about what a modern version would look like. A rebooted linear corridor shooter with QTE boss battles, eurrghh, no thank you.
@@tachikomakusanagi3744 I'd be happy with a near 1:1 remake with modern graphics and controls. The controls are the main issue replaying it
@@Kougeru i totally agree - a remaster with updated controls and high res graphics + modern aspect ratios woould be fantastic. And an actual ending would be nice too!
It's actually the only square enix games I liked personally
@@Kougeru Do not forget the camera, oh my nerves!!!!
Imagine a new Soul Reaver game using the same tech as Rise of the Tomb Raider...
oh yeah!
Remake of the Soul Reaver series appear to be my dearest dream now.
That would be astounding!!!
There was that one on the Shadow of Mordor engine.
I would prefer it to be an actual Zeldalike still, and not become a linear cinematic adventure.
I'd love to see them re-make this with the cut content in tact.
Basically impossible since some of it was re-purposed for later games, and the story is very strongly merged with the gameplay. A goddamn shame, if you ask me.
If it's a remaster/remake, it's still within the realm of possibility. A 15-20 year "Anniversary" release or something
They could also Reboot the series and implement all the cut content.
seriously id be fine with a reboot since a lot of people never played these games
That would make it the last of the reboots as (spoilers) kain dies. Ariel dies and all the vampires die
The pinnacle of storytelling and gameplay involvement!
True story: I played this game for a month and I couldn't pass trough the first gate where a dead body lies on the ground. Then I left this game alone for a year. One night as ai was falling asleep the answer came to me. I have tried anything else except to die. You see, in every single game the basic concept rule is Don't die! And that was the core mechanic of this game. Before that I had no idea that you can die and keep plying. It was unthinkable.
Used to happen to me a lot. Thankfully we have RUclips now.
You start off as a spirit! I don’t know how you missed that!
Lol... It's literally a mechanic that is shown at the beginning of the game. The tutorial part.
You guys are wrong. It is not shown in the tutorial. I just went and replayed a walkthrough. In the tutorial it clearly states that you have died and returned as a vengfull spirit. You are being taught how to hunt other spirits to fill up a soul gauge and that allows you to materialise into the physical realm by standing on a glowing spot. When you get a physical body your spirit gauge slowly drains and you are being taught how to fill it up by killing enemies and thus you stay alive so you can move forward through the map. All obstacles can only be solved only while you are in the physical world, so if you die at any point you must feed and teleport back in the real world to be able to proceed. The lesson is pretty clear and straightforward - keep moving, hunt and stay alive to keep more doors opening in front of you. Die and you must hunt some spirits to be able to go back and try again. There is only one message that says you can return at the realm of the dead at any time. But it doesn't imply that it is a needed game mechanic. Just that you can die, but there are no permanent consequences and you can go back. It also says nothing about the world changing inbetween the two realms. This game mechanic is simply not shown. You play a good chunk of the game untill you reach the room with no way to move forward. The only hint you get in this room is the dead vampire body on the floor. Nothing else. No other hints whatsoever. So far the game has shown other dead human bodies, so that doesn't mean anything. And before this room you can walk through the entire level in the realm of the dead without being able to achieve anything. This is the only place where you can die on purpose and trigger an event. The only way you can go forward so far is while you being alive and even entering this room is only possible because of that. Absolutely nothing is mentioned about the concept of moving through both realms if it's necessary. A new concept for a kid that knows for sure that death is not something you want in any game. You play and try to stay alive. This game expects from the player to die on purpose in this exact spot for no obvious reason. If you don't, you get to wander around the map forever searching for a way through that doesn't exist.
Years ago I was stuck on how to kill Melchiah, I literally had a dream on how to do it and it worked😂
The amount of research and production value you put into these DF Retro videos is astonishing. Keep up the great work John!
One of THE games of my childhood.
this and Syphon Filter
Raziel is a badass!
Nightmare Creatures was better.
BIG-NABZ Not even close. That game controls like ass.
Coconut Chriss the Tenchu games wipe the floor with this, sorry.
I love all the coverage of Dreamcast games you do, a console with so many hidden classics, keep up the amazing work !
Budget-Builds Official hey! I love your budget builds!!
This is not a hidden classic, for the PS just passed unseen since all eyes were on PS2 arrival. Keep up the good budget-builds, bro !!! (P.S. Probably it was for the DC due to its short lifespan.)
Blue Stinger is a Dreamcast favorite of mine.
One of my favourite series ever, plot, setting and atmosphere were unrivalled. Hope it makes a come back.
I loved this game when it came out on PlayStation. It took me ages to complete it and I loved every moment.
To be fair, the first Blood Omen was never meant to have a sequel. This is evidenced by the choice the player can make at the end. The entire rest of the series is written around the assumption that Kain "refused the sacrifice" at the pillars, rather than make the sacrifice.
Anyway, good to see what I consider to be, to this day, the best story-driven series in gaming, still making the RUclipss.
Silicon knights actually wanted to make a prequel about vorador at one point but they cancelled it soon into development.
They should just remake it. Micheal Bell is still around and sounds great. Plus they could add so much more to it to make it amazing again today.
Did you know that Shadow of Mordor was suppose to be Legacy of Kain? How perfect would that have been lol. Go take a look at RUclips videos on it.
Quetzall No need to stoop to racism dude
As far as I know Japanese is not a race. It's like me saying those Britons from UK. Do me a favour and don't race bait.
No, no no! No remakes. We want Legacy of Kain 6, the proper end of the series. Now that Kain is purified from his corruption, we want to see the pillars restored (or the Hylden dealt with), the vampires restored to their pre-cursed, winged, blue-skinned form, the elder god dealt with, and Kain take his place as the scion of balance.
Or something like that. The story just needs to be drawn to a satisfying close.
Quetzall I can't... 😂😂😂
Excellent video, as usual. Please note that the second "technique" re loading is called asset serialization, I've used it in my own games to great effect, in combating loading.
Furthermore, data streaming on the PSX, to mask loading, was first achieved in 1998, by the team behind Apocalypse (the game starring the likeness of Bruce Willis). EDIT: Apparently it was King's Field that did an iteration of streaming first, thanks for the correction guys!
Finally, I remember having used PSy-Q debug systems on the Saturn, they used to make great tools for most popular consoles of the time. (made way before the Sony thing, of course)
KING'S FIELD 2 in 1995 used streaming to achieve a large, non-linear 3D open world with no in-game loading screens.
Good point, but that game never released outside JP, hence why the first time I remember experiencing it was with Apocalypse.
Thanos A. Kings Field 2 was released outside Japan as Kings Field 1 in western lands.
Missed the 2 at the end, apologies :)
Is asset serialization still used for games today or has technology improved enough where its not needed now?
If you haven't seen a legacy of Kain speedrun you should totally check one out. The series has many interesting and exploitable glitches
lmao nice plug 🤣🤦♂️🙄
I'm fairly certain that the prerendered cutscenes in the original Blood Omen were created with Martin Hash Animation Master btw. I vaguely recall seeing stills from it in the gallery on their homepage back in the day. That software is still around and being developed. Back then it was something like $199 and it's actually less than that now.
Still one of the finest soundtracks in gaming. Man, so much atmosphere and creates a truly unsettling environment. Very unique and powerful soundtrack. Amazing game.
This game NEEDS a remake on the level of Demon's Souls on PS4/PS5.
I didn't care much for the first Legacy of Kain, but MAN, when this came out on PlayStation, it blew my feeble mind. I actually have a short story around this game. I remember seeing it in a target store and while my parents were shopping, I had found a $100 bill on the ground. I DID think about keeping it, but I felt guilty and so I went to the customer service area and turned it in. I did not know it at the time, but my mother was watching me and they secretly bought me the game as like a reward for doing the right thing. I absolutely cherished this game.
I love hearing memories/story like these, so wholesome :)
You can play the PC-Version with 60fps as well (and in Widescreen); with a tool called SRHook; simply download it, extract to the install-folder and change the settings in the .ini-file. You can even go higher than 60 fps, 120 for example, but that seems to cause odd behaviour. There can be some inconsistencies at 60 fps as well; a slightly higher jump-height for example. But that doesn´t seem to happen to everyone.
I really would have liked to see this little tool in action in this video; but nevertheless; great DF-Retro-Episode (as always).
I'm kind of surprised this tool wasn't covered.
Also, what are the issues on PC version at 60 FPS?
The only one that really seems to stick out is the slightly higher jump-height; it was mentioned by the creator of the tool himself. I never read about anything else; even though I myself never ran into any issues, and I play Soul Reaver since 2012 this way. Also, some people had some issues when they used the widescreen-option of the tool; a more narrow field of view. But that was in 2011, and since then I think many problems were fixed with later versions.
But I must say I never really looked into problems other people might have had with the tool, because, as I said, I personally never ran into any issues myself.
If you just use it to unlock 60fps, it is great. However, widescreen hack offsets the rendering of the wraithblade from Raziel´s hand slightly. On the other hand, epsxe widescreen renders it fine but with disappearing textures on both sides of the screen due to ps1 rendering limitations.
surprising oversight from john
recommend strongly against using 16:9 hacks which will show you things out of frame and imbalance the game. Play it as intended to get the best experience.
New DF Retro! *slams "WATCH NOW" so hard mouse explodes into tiny pieces*
Get a higher quality mouse, I recommend the Logitech G502 Proteus Core.
Caffeinade Why should you get the Proteus Core when there's already the Spectrum variant? It's the same, but with RGB!!!!!1111
A. I am pretty sure that is the only one you can get now.
B. I don't own or care for the spectrum so I am not recommending it.
I do not care much for RGB.
the only mouse you'll ever need is the microsoft basic optical
The SNES Mouse mops the floor with most mice.
Wild ride, fellas. Wild ride for a remaster!
A tear left my eye after finishing this. Thank you, what a tribute and so in-depth!
Ive got a copy of soul reaver that is still factory sealed and has never been opened.
Update as of 05/14/2022 i still have it and its still sealed.
And what's the point in that?
its a collectors thing i do it too honestly with other games.
Punisher6791 I‘ll buy it
Punisher6791 Open it and play it.
The OG is still my favorite. It felt more like a vampire game where Soulreaver felt more alienesque to me.
King's Field II (KF1 in the US) also managed to avoid loading screens back in 1995, which predates Soul Reaver by 4 years. :)
What about the dynamic music on Dreamcast? I kind of feel like I missed something back in the day with the PC version. And, I know it sounds weird, I kind of like the dithering and low res of the PSX version.
I remember playing this game after MGS and Ocarina and I was impressed by the total lack of Loading Screens...
Not that id cared at the time but it was weird not seeing black screens dividing map areas.
SR: Legacy of Kain was the first Soul Reaver I played. Loved that game on Dreamcast. We need a new one.
DarqStalker I imagine it was the first Soul Reaver game most people played since it was the first one released. are you trying to say you hadn't played blood Omen 1st?
I did not play Blood Omen first. I didn't even know about the series until I played Soul Reaver.
Was lucky enough to play through this on Dreamcast back in the day. It was truly brilliant in 2000, especially graphically, without the jankiness of PS1 graphics. Made me wonder for the thousandth time why everyone bagged the Dreamcast. Between this, Crazy Taxi, Soul Caliber, Metropolis Street Racer and a couple other AAA titles, we and my mates had many great times.
Agreed. No idea how the PS1 was more successful than the Dreamcast. People are weird!
@@justdev8965 because ps1 had a head start and already sold so many more consoles, it also had stronger support
Expertly written video! Informative and interesting, I got hooked even though I already knew most of it. Was pleasantly surprised you guys used some of my Beta footage there, thanks for the credit!
Kain: "I have seen the beginning and end of our tale, and the story is crude and ill-conceived. We must rewrite the ending of it."
Raziel: (After seeing all the cut content)"Yo dog, that's some BULLSHIT right there and you know it!"
They didn't make him good - they made him morally grey. He killed Raziel to stop their destiny.
What an achievement of a game! I knew the story lore but i didn't knew the technical details and cancellations. Thanks DF Retro for another fantastic episode!
Yep, definitely like the additional input from the special guests. I think it's something worth continuing.
Played all of them! Still own all of them! One of the greatest game series of all time! With Amy Henig, composer Kurt Harland and actors like Simon Templeman, the late Tony Jay and Michael Bell, nothing can go wrong. Vae Victis..
i always felt there was a loss in the transition from the dithered gritty looks of the PS1 that i feel really helped sell the bleak world, the mild warping acting like a subtle but constant reminder of the unsettling nature of the world youre in, but maybe thats just me
Ummm yeah it's just you I think. I get it, the PS1 was popular and the DC failed but....I just got this on DC emulator and you gotta be a fanboy to think the ps1 version is superior. No question playing the DC on emulator in HD is like playing a remastered version and almost feels like playing this game for the first time. You cannot beat 60 fps gameplay. It feels awesome in this game.
@@CJTranceAddiction I've played it on emulators and such and yeah the fps is nice but for me the atmosphere and overall look of it loses something. It's like having that smooth filter on Sprite based games for me that takes away from the original look & vibe.
Not to say how you feel is wrong. I understand why you like it and agree the game plays better.
@@GigaGom Well, there you go. That's the difference between us. I happen to prefer the smoothing on all my sprite-based game. SotN looks better to me with the XBRZ freescale. Anyway, to each their own. I played it first on PS1 and loved it but to me the game is even more immersive on dreamcast. The world feels more "alive."
I totally get you. I couldn't stop thinking the same while simultaneously thinking: the DC version looks objectively better with higher res, farther view distance and better motion clarity due to higher fps. However, the old, muddy and dirty textures, the rough edges of the PS1 version definitely have their own charm. And I'm a little bit torn but I think I actually prefer the PS1 looks slightly over the DC's. I never saw the fog as a technological shortcoming but rather atmospheric device like in Silent Hill 2 and far view distance is luckily not important for the gameplay of Soul Reaver since there's no real ranged combat. As you said it, it works in favour of the unsettling nature. Of course I'm also biased because I never experienced the DC version as a child, hence the looks of the PSX version is what's been burned onto my memory. I can still play it and look at it without the urge to rip out my eyeballs; there's a strange and grotesque beauty in those rough visuals.
DF retro is by far my favorite thing about this channel.
got this for my Dreamcast. great game!
Indeed. Me too. Played it so many times
BTW, that idea of putting multiple copies of a file on the disc to speed loading was something the 3DO's OS supported natively and had tools for optimizing loading. A lot of Crystal Dynamics "innovative" ideas for making Soul Reaver load seamlessly were things they had been used to being provided by the 3DO OS that they had to implement for the PS1. "simply unheard of on a disc-based console"? Hardly.
I really like this kinda of video of tech analysis of old games. MGS1 totally impressed me at the time. Please do it !!
I never realized the development of this game was so hectic. Considering the difference in gameplay style from Blood Omen, I guess it makes sense. I'm glad it turned out the way it did, even if it's unfortunate that so much content was cut. So many things I didn't know about in this video, great coverage John! 👍🏻
The hype for this game before release was unreal. I remember eagerly reading new issues of PSM to find out if it was coming out or not.
The second game i have played on PS1 an still have the best history about vampires, my childhood so many hours, thanks DF this is absolute fantastic!
Soul Reaver 1 DC version emulated on PC at 1440p 60fps kick any present days game ass
But the dreamcast version run 60fps on the emulator, and it you won't even get the fps drops that dreamcast get.
Only locked 30fps game will run 30fps on emulator.
I have all 3 versions of the game my OG PS1, as well as the the entire Trilogy on steam and finally I bought the DC version on ebay and played on NullDC and I had no problems at all 1440p 60fps
I want a remake of this game so bad. Such great memories playing this game. Such a forgotten gem. I want this more than any other game being remade.
I remember finding a glitch in this game. Before RUclips. I took old ass Polaroid pics too. The end cutscene can be played in the spirit realm. At the giant door hit the phase shift up against the door. Fun.
Just recently bought this game together with an original PlayStation, two controllers and a Memory Card. Only €27,00 for everything. All of it originally PlayStation-branded, too! So a great deal if you ask me. Now I wonder if I can finally finish the game. Tried it multiple times but never could...
I love the Retro videos fellas, keep 'em coming! Honestly, I find these more interesting than talking about new games. Soul Reaver was amazing as was the original...and I still cannot believe they haven't continued this franchise since 2003. Look what Crystal Dynamics have done with Tomb Raider & imagine what they could do with Kain.
Man... back then i was so immersed into gameplay that i never cared about fps on PSX. Now even few drops below 60 bugs me. Soul Reaver was a blast back then. When i saw it for the first time i was mesmerised . Music, sound effects, voice acting and gameplay, especially shifting realms... this game was ahead of its time
In my opinion, the best way to play this has to be PS1 emulation. For me at least, when it comes to original artistic vision vs. image quality, I prefer to conserve original artistic vision. That's why if I can't run a pc game at max settings, I'd rather lower resolution and turn everything max, than to play a hi-rez worse version of the game.
Same applies here. I don't know why the host didn't mention this when he was comparing the PS1 and DC versions, but in various instances, the DC lacked certain mood-enhancing color grading. A room meant to be a deep, spectral green with warping lights on the ground, becomes simply bluer and slightly less saturated, like it lacks a layer of color post processing in the DC version.
Also, while it is good that the DC version eliminates fog to show more of the map, the way it eliminates it all is again detrimental to the atmosphere of the game. A better solution would have been to keep the fog's starting point, but push the end further away, so as to coat the level in atmosphere while still allowing you to see the level. As it stands I prefer lower visibility to an atmosphere-less version.
As to the higher polygon character models of the DC, while they are a good addition, I think they somewhat clash with how low-poly the rest of the models remain. And they don't really add that much to the feel of the game. If you can tolerate everything else in lower polygon counts, you can tolerate Raziel and Kain being low-poly.
These change in visuals are enough for me to prefer the PS1 version with its fog distance, texture bending and lower frame-rate limitations. At least by emulating you can play it in higher resolutions, so there's a bonus there.
That's just a long essay to justify your nostalgia.
I totally agree, simply increasing resolution, framerate and draw distance does not make for a better game. I also much prefer the pixellated playstation version, it has vastly better atmosphere. The Dreamcast (and PC) version is for me like remaking Alien with ultra high power spolights all over the set. Sure, you can see more detail, but something more important is lost.
@@tachikomakusanagi3744 "simply increasing resolution, framerate and draw distance does not make for a better game" Uhh, about that.
@@dejiko yes, your point being? Sorry if i missed something, but I don't follow. A playstation version with a consistent 30fps would be the perfect version of this game in my opinion, keeping everything else the same. Sometimes low res and low draw distances give a strong dark mood to a game. I'm just a retro game fan though who started off with a ZX Spectrum, so i might be biased :)
@@tachikomakusanagi3744 Better framerate is almost always a positive, think of cross-gen releases that performed horribly on their (generally) home console. Sometimes higher framerate can ruin a game when the physics are tied to the framerate but that's quite odd.
Who remembers the advertisement and game footage of Soul Reaver 2 for the Dreamcast. Such a shame it was canceled and the builds have never been found
this is one of those segments in df where all the cancerous comments disappear...i love this retro videos ....keep them coming df...
tej films Not all of them. Just most of them
Thanks John, love the retro videos and I realise that it's hard to produce them but wanted to express my gratitude and let you know I'm looking forward to the next.
This series really needs a good reboot like right fuckin now!
NO! Not a reboot. I don't want dead sun to become a reality. A remaster would be great though.
NO! It needs a sequel.
Yes, yes a reboot.
As beloved as this series is, it's still a fucking mess. Unfinished levels, cut content, Blood Omen 2...
This story deserves a retelling. A more polished one, with the flaws ironed out.
the story is perfect as it is, just watch the 6hours video that tell it from all the games, it's better than any movie.
No, we saw what a reboot holds in that awful dark sun abomination. The story is absolutely perfect and needs no change. Doing so would be art defacement. The gameplay was always incidental and is the only thing that should be subject to change. Any further games seem impossible as I can't imagine any modern developers wanting to keep the Elizabethan flair to the dialogue and story. Remasters are really the only choice.
Loved this game when i was younger, can't believe how much cut content there was. Excellent revisit of this game
I always had a soft spot for this series. DF Retro continues to own. The guest was a real treat, and I certainly hope we'll have more in the future. The more information the better!
The PS1 version is the best one for me because of what they achieved with the hardware limitations.
Sarik Rana I love the Dreamcast version but agree with you that SR pushed the PS1 to its limits and was absolutely ingenious in how it did it. In fact the Dreamcast version owes its quality to the fact they pushed the PS1 so hard, meaning it still looked impressive even on much more powerful Dreamcast.
This game was so freaking cool. The voice acting was the best for its time.
These videos are awesome. You guys really do an excellent job. Thank you!
Great episode
This game deserves a reboot, I imagine it would look great running in the Rise of the Tomb Raider engine.
How about you dumbasses stop "imagining" remakes the game doesn't need one if you can't be satisfied with the original then you aren't a true fan of the game, you're just some normie dumbshit who watched some youtuber/streamer LP it and are automatically a fan just because which is cringy AF 🤦♂️🙄
@@GMOTP5738 all right gatekeeper
The technical aspects of the PSX port of this game are really interesting, indeed. You didn't see a whole lot of this stuff at least early on in the Playstation days. Much respect for the work done to figure out such ingenious game design.
Brings a tear to my eye. Wonder how Amy is doing at EA...
Not great
I concur, though she hasn't changed her employment on social media so it 's insinuated she's holding on to the Star Wars project.
But man I really want her back writing the next LoK and pitch a new game.
Just left EA this week lmao
Long gone likely burned out like all the other talent EA exploits
foreign's gaming tech
Not good. Don’t think she is working with them anymore
As soon as that music kicked in.. nostalgia brought me a smile.
Alas, poor Nupraptor I knew him well. Well, not really.
This game had it all: the architecture, the atmosphere, the sound effects... One of the greatest. Crash Bandicoot has been the first, now imagine a remake of this game from the ground up.
Looks best on the PS1 by far. The grimy, pixelated, dithered, warped visuals suit the look and atmosphere of the game perfectly. It loses a lot when it's cleaned up.
mtoad Sorry opinions are not fact the DreamCast version was the better version
Gabe Logan Sorry opinions are not fact the PS1 version was the better version
Sorry opinions are not fact, the dreamcast version is the best.
Sorry facts are not opinion the PS1 version was the better version
Sorry opinions are not fact, the Dreamcast version is clearly the best... ALTHOUGH I agree on the fact that the PS1 color scheme (spectral realm is greener on PS1, it looks just more eerie than the washed up blue hue on DC or PC imo) and tech limitations (call me crazy but the fog made the world look larger than it actually was) in a weird way added up to the game's atmosphere.
I was stationed on a Naval ship when this game out, I would go up to my workspace after hours and play it alone. I was mind blowing.
Legacy of Kain = Godlike
I do remember playing this on PS1 and it was incredible for the PS. No load times was next level for the system but I still found OoT and MM were more impressive experiences. At least that's how I felt going between the experiences but the Music of Soul Reaver was incredible!
Best story in a game series imo
I remember when I first got this game used on PS1. It was the very first used game that I got that was in absolute terrible condition and it showed. I had no idea what the story was about because the audio skipped so frequently. It was still so fun that I couldn't put it down though. Just watching some of this footage takes me back to Freshman year at high school.
This was a productive guest.
One of the best games ever released on PSX/PSOne. That ATMOSPHERE, hopeless, ruthless and bizarre. Scenery which can't be interpretated by assiociating it with standards of specific centuries (like medieval times). Soundtrack, devastating. Story, which is a maze inside a maze inside a maze inside... And gameplay, with it's shapeshifting, frustrating riddles, combination of powers, weapons and Soul Reaver.
Oh, and design. Once you see Raziel, especially in movement (devouring soul especially), you won't forget him without doubt.
Whoever will bring it back, must deal with phenomenon of imagination, thus, must be exceptionally creative. I've heard that Square Enix wonders about giving the rights of LoK to indie studios. And that would be awesome, because with appropriate makers (thinking about Dontnod, because hey, they've created an excellent game about time and development and now they make game about vampires, and the co-op with Square Enix) and the budget of producer we could finally reach the end.
P.S. Yeah, the level of English in Soul Reaver and other LoK games is extraordinary, dictionary can be sometimes crucial even for native speakers.
It's funny how people always seem to resort to the N64 being more powerful because they know the PSX is a 32bit machine.Yes it's just those numbers that made people believe the system having more technical capabilities while cartridges were technically inferior.
Just to show people the actual weakness of the N64
*While the N64 had some impressive specifications compared to the PlayStation and Saturn on paper, the reality was much different. The RCP, while a very advanced design for 1996, had a serious crutch in that it only had 4Kb of texture memory (compared to the PlayStation which had 1Mb of dedicated video memory, a variable amount could be dedicated to textures). This meant that developers had to make serious concessions in texture design. Two common solutions were to either tile small textures across a surface or resort to Gouraud shading of polygons instead of proper textures. Many games (Mario 64 being an example) used Gouraud shading heavily to make up for a lack of texturing. This contributed to the cartoony look of many N64 titles as opposed to a more realistic look of competing PlayStation games. Gouraud shading is a shading technique used in 3D games that allows light to be properly rendered on models. It is not the same as texturing, it is a shader, however in the case of the N64 solid color textures with heavy Gouraud shading are used to create the illusion of detail when textures cannot be used.*
~Solidstategamer~
*THE* *GREATEST*!! Thanks for the memories Legacy of Kain! I will always cherish the fact that I got to play these games and bask in the glory of its amazing characters.
I'm a simple man, I see anything LoK related, I click
Thank you John, amazing video as always. When you have playing games for more than 30 years, it's great to review those old games and still learn new things.
I want a remake on PS4 PRO!!!! Somebody, ANYBODY, make it happen!
... and add all the stuff that was supposed to be in the original.
Crowded House why ps4 pro? you do realise any ps4 pro game will also be on a normal ps4?
I remember this game like it was yesterday, specially the OST.
The PC version can run in widescreen and there's a fix to unlock the framerate (for a long time now). Pity about the music and controls though. Please check PCGamingWiki before making a comparison video next time, just to make sure you aren't missing anything.
The character models and environments are still less detailed as the Dreamcast version.
Gods know I love, LOVE to see new or re-mastered content of the Legacy of Kain series. I love it so much, my favorite computer game, it's still Number one!
3 copies of shovel knight on ps4, damn youre baller John,
You counted, you creep.
But yeah, why three copies, this could only mean one thing...
He went to one awkward Xmas party.
or he wants to fluff his collection
I didn't consider that.
I do still prefer my theory.
Caffeinade what theory?
He got 3 copies of the same game at one xmas party.
He then preceded to hide what he had received.
John is a kind soul and did not the gift givers to feel bad.
All his lying was in vain as he while he was on his way out, he tripped.
Three copies of Shovel Knight for PS4 were flung from his person.
John was left feeling embarrassed by the event, so preceded to keep all the copies as everyone knew that he had received them.
John does not want one of the people who gave him a copy to come over to see that he only has one copy.
Our John is too smart not to know that would obviously tell them that he sold, re-gifted or threw out... ect what was potentially their gift to him.
This is my theory.
I adored this game when I was a kid... why am I only learning now that there was a sequel!??! omg... 😭
I think the grainy, foggy look of the PS1 version really enhanced the atmosphere of the game. The Dreamcast one looks too colorful.
It may be an unpopular opinion to many but it's still an absolutely valid one none the less, this coming from someone who prefers the Dreamcast port
@@adamsanter9385
I loved the Dreamcast it had the best graphics of the time. I had one back in the day but it broke a few years after & it had been discontinued so I couldn't get one anymore.
Man, one of my most beloved game series. played all from blood omen to defiance.
Gex Engine Masterrace!
Haha, indeed!
I absolutely loved this game on Dreamcast! Thank you for this great video!
Considering the end of "Defiance" I thought the series ended.
Not quite. The Elder God is still alive, and the Hylden Lord is controlling Janos Audron's body to use the Device to eradicate all vampires. Doing so will break the pillars to the demon world and free the hylden race, which number in the millions. Kain is basically left at a crossroads. Does he alter time and stop the Hylden Lord himself, or trust his younger self to do it again. And take on the Elder God or another plot angle.
@@NA1c158 reading this gives me a bitter taste of that terrible illusion... Hope.
And now the Legacy of Kain series is back with a new comic book and a remaster of Soul Reaver and its sequel.
I really loved this episode! :D
Actually the guys from lostworlds uploaded a massive amount of unearthen material and levels this year!
Still prefer the PSX version. The colors palette used in the DC copy are off.
The PSX looks like having better textures at times (ground 00:21:55).
Seems overall better looking to me, darker, higher contrast? Also raziel went from evil looking to Spiderman fan (DC copy).
What's up with the eyes? 00:22:44
The PC version outright looks bad.
Increasing the resolution alone ain't enough.
Yeah, DC actually has more pixelated textures than ps1 has through emulators, difference is quite visible. I am not a fan of Raziel´s weird eyes in DC either. Wish there was a way to fix it and Kain´s head kinda floats forward...
PlayStation 1 is best version except of graphics
Now I can say you are one of my favorite channels. No game comes close to Soul Reaver. Amy Hennig is a genius!
Lol, the production on these episodes is getting out of hand(in a good way!).
When DF Retro enters my subs box, nothing else matters. Another awesome analysis and the backstory to this one was fascinating
Soul Reaver is really hard to play because of the lack of guide, map or hints like having to let your life bar deplete and become spectral to get through an area.
I would love to see the franchise re-explored at some, especially after the supposedly named Shadow of the Tomb Raider (the 3rd in the gritty reboot series) and the upcoming Tomb Raider movie with Alicia Vikander. I wouldn't even mind a 2D iteration like the original Blood Omen or Symphony of the Night.
Why is it hard to play? Once you are familiar with the environment and where things are, it is easy to navigate. You always got told by the Elder God that you can only do certain things in spectral and vice versa.
this channel is absolutely awesome. every time i watch DF retro i want to replay discussed game asap. Thanks for the great job & I'm looking forward for next episodes.
WHY THE FUCK DONT THEY MAKE A NEW LEGACY OF KAIN!???
Amy Hennig is long gone and now working on a new Star Wars game at Visceral Games, and Crystal Dynamics is working on new Tomb Raider games.
That's sad...The funny thing is they tried to make a new one but they cancelled it...LoK had some of the best storytelling I've seen in a videogame
Cause they wanted to instead try Nosgoth...And that failed, so it was cancelled. FTP garbage. But yeah, we need a true Legacy of Kain sequel. Come on Square!
"with native Support up to 4K Resolution with Anti Aliasing and AA Filtering"
No it wasn't. It's not even native 1080p, though that's the max resolution currently supported in the options. Maybe Legacy of Kain: Defiance offers a native 1080p, but I seriously doubt it.
These games were just re-fixed to work on modern systems, but they didn't optimize anything for the PC release. That's why they are 30fps, and not 60fps or higher, as the video goes in to, as to why they didn't. They are certainly not re-optimized for modern systems though. They just did what gog does.
+Miguel Lemos
I heavily disagree, there'll always be sequels to games, since people want them. What you don't want are sequels adding "nothing" to the series or downplaying the franchise in question. Legacy of Kain is profoundly narrative and the story has yet to reach its conclusion - the "world" of Nosgoth, in its current state, is still predisposed for future antagonism. Sequels are the only thing that'd continue its legacy, and an unsophisticated game paraphrasing the preceding events would only be a foolish disservice - for both itself and fans alike.
One of my most favorite games ever! I even named my son Raziel...
That's a great name!
Please do a video about relatively new PS1 emulator feature called PGXP, it can fix texture warping issues that plagued the original machine. It will be interesting to see the effect tested on many great PS1 libraries.