I know this went to a B team but I appreciate that Simon Templeman didn’t hold back, he voices Kain with so much passion and talent. I can’t imagine the series without him, he IS Kain as far as I’m concerned.
@@zeroattentiongaming820 Just don't have the elder god talk if it is even in the game at all. That said this is one of the rare occasions I would like A.I. voice acting WITH the family getting paid as both Tony and Rene are a MUST for a proper ending.
@@KingNexusMOCs By today's standards it is a great game but by the standards of the time it released it was mediocre. It is the only game in the series I returned after beating because it was so meh and butchered the lore. I seriously almost returned it once vorador showed up as I was pissed (blood omen was my favorite game at the time and is still one of my favorites). If you are wondering how I returned a ps2 game software ect (not gamestop) use to have a 7 day no questions asked return policy so you could buy, beat and return games in 7 days, I hardly ever used it to my advantage but for this game I did. I am glad that you think it is a great game though, I do wish I could have seen it that way so that in my mind the series would be without any flaws.
BO2 is the black sheep of the LoK series. Even so, I'll always have a soft spot for it. It was one of the first PS2 games I played. Being able to roleplay a brutal vampire in a steampunk metropolis is a RP experience I've seen only attempted by Vampire: The Masquerade (Bloodlines) and B02. It seems to be a very difficult scenario to pull off in gaming.
Yeah, I think there's big space in the market for a stealth action vampire game. With today's graphics and game play, a Blood Omen 2 remake could be great.
This channel is so underrated! Your lore/philosophy studies on this game series is incredible. So much content you've provided it makes me so grateful. Thanks, Strictly Fantasy and Merry Christmas :)
i absolutely love the visual design of enemies and armors, and a Kain changing costumes between levels is amazing. I also love that this game shows a living world and the life of its inhabitants to an extent, all the work sites, docks, factories, all the Hylden tech stuff, etc. Its something that i feel like its missing from the other games.
Kain is definitely the best part of Blood Omen 2's story. I really love his no-fucks-given attitude, particularly when he first encounters Marcus; "Marcus, my old friend!" "A poor choice of words, Kain, we were not friends." "And would you sour this reunion with old grudges? Granted, we ended on poor terms." "You tried to murder me!" >:( "I seem to have failed." :D
I personally have so many memories of playing this game. I had it on the Xbox and on the GameCube, I believe. And now on PC. It was the game that made my love for the Legacy of Kain series begin. That “then you may die knowing the truth” line will always… kill me.
This is for sure one of the best games in my day, the story was captivating even if half finished, blows my mind thinking of what could have been. The soul reaver games got me started in the franchise, but I adored the cinema and gameplay of all of them. I really hope this franchise gets a second chance.
I played this as a kid and adored it. The world completely absorbed me. This is also the only game I've played in the series and I have a lot of nostalgia for it. Great job on the video!
I understand why people give this game so much flack, but I can relish in the fact that this feels like kain from the first game starting to change into the one we know and love in the soul reaver games. This game is able to show us why he is so pissed off at Raziel in sol reaver two about him not being honest with himself. He's been backstabbed and betrayed and this game shows what cemented that for him in one of my favorite cut scenes in all of the franchise.
Mixed feelings about this one. Breaks with lore a fair amount but it's the most fun for casual play. The others are fantastic masterpieces but sometimes I just wanna have some fun and this one is my go-to from this franchise, so I technically play it the most. I do kinda wish a "Vae Victus!" would have escaped Kain at some point. But also my PS2 copy has never been glitchy (shoutout to some of the funniest dialogue in the franchise, like the confused guard that talks to Marcus or Kain's denial of Umah's betrayal being because he's an asshole)
I like BO2, It's not the best but it's fun and I like a lot of the atmosphere. I think in some ways BO2 has more appeal to a casual audience, I've introduced someone to the series who wound up loving BO2 but couldn't get into any of the other games & even my dad who never really played games post snes really enjoyed BO2 but didn't like the Raziel games.
"I told you to be on the look out for a vampire." "Yes, you're right here." Edit: shout-out to the Sarafan guard that said "what could it hurt?" before detonating a bomb. (Kain watches all this and then casually strolls through the hole it created.)
Blood Omen was my first LoK game and I loved it Was it perfect? - no Was it good? Hell yeah We need this series to come back, preferably with definitive editions ASAP
GOOD NEWS! It is coming back! After a VERY successful kickstarter for a new Soul Reaver comic book, they decided to start remaking soul reaver AND blood omen on all platforms!
This is my second game in the series. Defiance was the first. I was a teenager with a poor knowledge of English and playing the series in reverse I didn't understand much and viewed Defiance and BO2 and two standalone games. While BO2 does seem repetitive at times and the puzzles aren't that exciting, and it somewhat overstays its welcome by the end, it did many things right. It gave us a perfect atmosphere. It's very immersive and wholesome in its bleakness. Bloodsucking never gets old. Even if you spend around 10 seconds drinking out a single victim) I liked that it showed the Hylden and their more technological side, which gave us an understanding why the two races were fighting. Magic and religion vs science and technology. AND the game showed a Hylden that didn't go through the degradation process (I'm talking about the Seer). This is the most we ever saw of them and I'm thankful to BO2 for this representation. The whole series was cursed with lack of time and funding. Each game had a lot of content and mechanics that were never implemented. Skills, areas, lore etc. The most complete game of the series is Defiance. And perhaps BO1. The first game and the last. Everything in between suffered greatly and the story was never finished. Thank god Dead Sun was cancelled though, that looked and felt horrible. But I enjoyed Nosgoth. Which also suffered and was eventually cancelled because all money went into the Rocket League.
Yes to all of the above. For me my entries were BO2 and SR2, in that order, i think. And i, too, had no idea these games are somehow connected, i was too young to draw the line between two Kains :D And my english was, too, extremely flawed. But the setting BO2 has built, the sceneries were just too good to not pay any attention to. The Sanatorium near the end was eerie enough to make a lasting impression, too.
24:50 I honestly thought that was Turel the first time I played it. It's never really explained what happened to him and how he got sent back in time in the first place.
Personally, I don't think an Arkham style game suits Kain. He has never been one to slink in shadows, and pick off foes like an assassin. Kain strides in, bold as can be, and flays his enemies with steel, and magic, and revels in the bloodshed.
This was the game that introduced me not only to Legacy of Kain, but dark gothic fantasy in general. I was in middle school at the time. I cannot even count the number of times I've beaten this game since.
Oddly enough, Blood Omen 2 was my introduction to the LoK series. WIth all of it's flaws, it will always hold a special place in my heart. And Kain... well, he is one of, if not the best video game characters of all time. A vampire done to literal perfection.
I appreciate your voice for this beloved underdog of a game. Knowing what you have taught us about the production problems of this title I'd love to see a remake take it's place. One with more love attention, and a little more straight forward connection to the rest of the series.
It's actually one of my favourites from the series, it's one I can pick up and play ANY time, imagine a version of it with full budget and A team build..😮
I just played it last week (January 2024) and I loved every single bit of it. It's a really great game. People could say that the defending stance to charge skills is too cheesy but the enemies were even better at defense than Kain so to actually manage to win every single fight it was important to use a lot of strategic thinking and adapt fast and react quickly. I had a superb time!!.
This is the only game I’ve played in legacy of kain series and I just love it. The steampunk style environment, the whole vampire lore and all. Like I know the other games are just something else but this one is just a gem for me and I revisit it every year.
Thanks for the refresher! I just needed a good cinematics of cutscenes and funny gameplay moments! :D I though nuns were just in cutscenes, but you may even grab them! Umah is so calm and caring in the time of need, and Kain just: "Get off me :D"
25:03 so according to a LoK wiki page on the development of Defiance, part of Raziel's (or maybe it was Kain, I don't remember exactly) campaign was to retrieve Vorador's severed head and revive him, setting up his role in Blood Omen 2. However, this plot thread was dropped since a major part of Raziel's story was finding the Heart of Darkness to revive Janos, and the devs decided to avoid making the player go on 2 fetch quests that were practically the same.
There were also apparently plans for Future Kain to revive Vorador in Dark Prophecy while he was still in the Blood Omen 1 era, but we all know where that story ends. Or rather, doesn't...
I like how feeding on blood also does something for Kain rather than just refill health. It was something that the SR games failed to capitalise on. Most of the fights are entirely avoidable except for the few where you're forced to kill everyone to bring down a barrier. In BO2, feeding on enough blood increases Kain's power over the game
I think Blood Omen 2 was my first trek in the series, it prompted me to play the rest, and well I fell in love with the series. Such a beautiful set of games. Thanks for your awesome videos my friend
It's a good game. Kain is always fun to play. My only complaint is, while SR Defiance revealed how Janos was in Blood Omen 2, we never got an explanation as to how Vorador is alive because Defiance left us on a cliffhanger and the story was never finished.
BO2 definitely had its issues, and I don't mean just in regards to lore. My copy, at least, glitched, had bugs, sound issues, etc. But I will say, it is still one of my faves in the franchise. I've beaten it the most out of all 5 games. Plus, it was nice to see a "different timeline" when the reaver was pulled from Raziel in SR2. Younger Kain was... interesting lol But it was also really cool to see Nosgoth before Raziel and the others were resurrected as vampires. I have a sealed copy of BO and BO2, so I'm happy to have grown up with this franchise. Merry Xmas, Strictly! 🎄🎁❤
So is the blood omen 2 supposed to be before Raizel? I've only played this one but I'm just now learning about the other older games. Whats the timeline?
@@lezredayv1373 Technically, yes. Though, BO2 was created only because Kain stopped Raziel from entering the reaver at the end of Soul Reaver 2 lol It's an alternate timeline that really wasn't supposed to be. But yes, if we're talking timeline, it's after BO1 and before vampire/wraith Raziel.
The man defense that I have for this games is that it is the game that got me into the LoK series. Sure, it isn't the best in the series, but damn it, it holds a real soft spot in my heart. It was also pretty fun.
I liked how BO2 helped to explain the development of vampiric powers, providing more context to Soul Reaver 1. Vampires have Dark Gifts and they seem to be able to develop them over time, but can also acquire a new Dark Gift by 'bleeding the vein' of another vampire. But it is just a fragment. Kain couldn't read the minds of others vampires, run at hyper speed along walls, or turn himself ablaze without harm. He got just a piece of what the others had cultivated, and the rest was lost. I imagine the conflicts between the six vampire clans in Kain's empire may have been a way for ambitious vampires to 'bleed the vein' of other clans, providing new powers for them to develop. While it provides some adaptability amongst the population, it is inherently a net loss of overall power for the vampires as a whole. A cycle of parasitism, even among themselves, gradually driving the survivors to greater heights upon mountains of the dead.
The game was not without its issues...but I still liked this game. The voice acting in this series was always spot on. This one was great as well. Overall fun game imo
I know it threw a wrench in the lore but I really enjoyed the gameplay and atmosphere of this one. It’s available on the PS store now so I’ll see if it holds up for me.
Thank you so much for doing this video, I bought the Steam version a while back and was really excited to finally play then booted the game up and couldn’t get out of the pause menu so thx a bunch love the LOK vids btw big fan
This game had one of the most realistic defence system i ever saw, instead of dropping into a generic guard stance (like the Dark Souls games) that magically absorbs each blow, no matter the angle it's coming from, Kain blocks each hit with an appropriate animation that intercepts the coming strike. And the enemies do the same. The only problem i had with this game's mechanics was the camera locked behind Kain's back at all times even outside of combat. I would have preferred If the camera was freely movable with the right stick, and only lock behind Kain when pressing the autoface button.
Time paradox of SR2. Let's just forget him distinctly having his memory get updated in the scene he saved Raziel. Ffs infer. Use that brain. It's been over a decade and y'all still don't understand?
@DooDoo-f4v The time paradox at the end of SR2 doesn't explain why Vorador is in BO2, and yes it is confirmed in BO2 dialogue that he did still die in BO1. There's no timeline in which Vorafor isn't executed by Mobius.
You know something has been bothering me about the continuity between blood omen 2 and Lok defiance it's a Major continuity error maybe or RETCON? It has to do with the pillers fall event in Lok Defiance It's presumed that BO2 happeneds the same time razel and yanos are at that same event day kain was supposed to make his sacrifice right!? but HERES THE PROBLEM if that's true why do we see the hailden lord possess yanos as soon as the pillers fell when at that moment kain and hailden with the past Soul reavor were going at it in BO2? Hmm That's got the continuity right there really modded up for me I don't understand how they could F that up unless the hailden after battling kain was like ok F it now iam going to go off and posses this dude lmao.😮 It's starting to make me think is this really a retcon? or is Blood omen 2 and difance really in the same timeline?
@JuilanXAnime3188 Blood Omen 2 takes place 400 years after the Pillars fall, so Janos is actually one of the few things that does fit into the timeline. Janos is possessed at the end of Defiance, and then spends the next 400 years as a prisoner of the Hylden, powering The Device with his lifeforce. The real problem with BO2 is Vorador. In the original Blood Omen, Vorador dies. This is critical to the story because his death is one of the main reasons Kain refuses the sacrifice and destroys the Pillars. Not because he had any love for the old vampire, but because Mobius manipulated Kain so thoroughly. Kain then kills Mobius in disgust and this was also the death of Kain's last lingering shreds of humanity. If Vorador doesn't die, it changes the sequence of events leading to Kain's fateful choice. Plus, Vorador's death leaves Kain the last living vampire in Nosgoth. But in BO2, Kain has entire vampire armies under his command, and there are plenty of living vampires (including Vorador) after he defeats the Sarafan Lord. Where are they during the events of Soul Reaver? The timeline only works if Vorador dies, a now jaded Kain refuses the sacrifice, and as the only vampire left becomes oldest and strongest vampire in his new vampire kingdom.
@michaelbuick6995 yes I agree but I was just talking about the hailden sarfain lord fighting kain in Blood omen 2 with the pillers fall intro at the same time Janos thanks for the correct pronounce Janos was possessed in defiance at the piller fall or am I not remembering the Blood omen 2 intro correctly? That's just a pet pive I had with defiance and blood Oman 2 I might have to go rewatch that intro again because I might be miss remembering it Lol And yes vorador alive is the big ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM that needs continuity explain badly
A core childhood memory of mine, I love this game and played it for many years. I would love to play this experience again and I would pay top dollar if they brought it out with today's engines. 👌
What I liked about the story is that this was a younger, less wise Kain. It's a far cry from the near puppet master in the Soul Reaver titles, and much closer to the impetuous arrogant noble in the first game, just as it should be. The main drawback in writing is it doesn't explore deeper themes: BO1 was slowly accepting the monster you've become, SR1 was more how hollow legacy is on its own, SR2 and Defiance did more with fate vs free will- all four underwritten with manipulation from all sides. BO2 is vengeance with some world building, and manipulation is scarcely present. Helpful characters with no real ulterior motives are fine, but the series up to this point had them used sparsely, and here there was a clear delineation between "good guys" and "bad guys."
I am a huge LoK series fan so when this initially came out I was stoked. I enjoyed the game and yes its flaws are very clear throughout, but I enjoyed the game anyway. If the recently announced remasters of Soul Reaver 1& 2 do well enough, perhaps there may be hope for a remaster of Blood Omen 1 and 2 using modern technology.
Well it’s time for some more good legacy of Kain content. Been waiting for this. Plus it’s almost half an hour!!! Thanks again for the amazing content and your calming voice. Kindly keep posting more legacy of Kain content more frequently if possible. Much love ❤
This is one of my favorite Xbox Original games. I went from PC Blood Omen, to Dreamcast Soul Reaver, to OG Xbox Blood Omen 2. In the end though we can all agree we need this franchise to return.
While I do acknowledge most of the game's flaws, I think its level design and unique feel of each region made it extremely memorable. The eternal prison in particular is just nuts.
I'm still watching but I have had a thought about the big plot hole in it. The hylden lord needs an elder Kain to have his heart torn out to bring an ancient vampire back because he needs the blood of an ancient vampire to break the binding but we know that history will change if it needs to but it can't change a conversation of the Reaver's. So if he killed a younger Kain then is there a chance history would change to allow Kain to be killed earlier. But then again history abhors a paradox
Maybe Hylden Lord had his own scientific theory about how to take control of the soul reaver time loop and change the events from vampire to hylden ownership of history. just by being the one holding on to the reaver this time around the loop. He may even have been right. But the forces of history surprised him by keeping Kain alive, like history was trying harder than expected to hold on to Kain as their guy.
Yeah, I addressed this in my earlier Hylden Lore video. You're absolutely right. It's a pretty huge plot hole, considering the Hylden carefully planned and manipulated everything for Raziel to rip out Kain's heart to revive Janos in LOK Defiance. The only theory which may work as said above is that the Hylden Lord was somehow relying on another Soul Reaver paradox so that he could kill a younger Kain and still be able to escape the demon realm but I think it muddies the timelines too much. There's also the possibility that the Hylden General was being manipulated by a higher power within Hylden society and he wasn't given the full picture, which Soul Reaver and Defiance art director Daniel Cabuco has hinted at.
You highlighted a lot of the things I remembered that were good about this game. They did great with what they had been given to work with and considering the time. I had played this once over 20 years ago and although it’s not my favorite in the series it was still extremely memorable and parts of the game, both story and gameplay, still haunt me to this day (esp the hyldan, the stalking through the night feel and the time prison 😱)
This game is the flashback Kain experienced in the SR2 time paradox. If we had the sequel of Defiance we would've gotten context on many things. Things like Vorador and Janos "living", how the Raziel Reaver ended up in the Cathedral in BO1, and how the Hylden hybrid Kain met came to be.
As you say, Blood Omen 2 was my first experience in the world of LoK, and I LOVED the game. I've played that one so many times, I can't even tell. I haven't played Soul Reaver 1 or Blood Omen 1, but completed Defiance multiple times and (to my shame) wasn't able to beat Soul Reaver 2. I like both BO2 and Defiance equally, but BO2 carries a special kind of nostalgia for me. I've also never experienced bugs in the game ... strange, as they seem to be commonplace as you say. Also, as you say, the Eternal Prison had such a massive impact on the mood of the game. The whole level was terrifying and eerie, and it gave me goosebumps every time I played the game. I found myself really dreading that stage of the game each time.
I would like to see both Blood Omen games and Defiance remade with the cut content reintegrated. The reason we're getting Soul Reaver remasters first, aside from them arguably being a great starting point for the series, is that they have the most complete and cohesive story, but also the action combat, exploration and puzzle mechanics were for their time ahead of the curve, providing inspiration for other game franchises that went on to garner their own successes (Not to mention SR1 may have been one of the first soft reboots in video games, but that's neither here nor there). The other games in the series and their mechanics are also extremely dated by today's standards, but no less deserve their own revisiting, or perhaps revision.
The biggest flaw of BO2 is it's disconnection from the main story. Though, without the necessary communication between BO and SR teams they likely would have created even more plot holes that Amy would have had to try to straighten out. Ideally, it would have been awesome if they were able to work together.
Wrong. It's the flashbacks Kain suffered during the paradox in SR2 after preventing the reaver eating Raziel. I don't see how none of you fail to get that.
Just want to say thanks I love the Kain/Reaver series I hope if a remake happens it gets the same amount of love the original Resident Evil remake was given
This was really good. I would love to see you do this kind of "retrospective" videos with the other games. Now regarding BO2, its a shame that it got handled like that. This franchise sadly has a track record of getting their budget and/or content cut. I wouldn't mid playing a reboot and make it more like the Dishonored games of the Arkham series like you mentioned. The characters' designs are not the best in my opinion but the only one I could excuse is Janos because after being tortured for so long it would make sense for him to look so disheveled and nothing like the angelic being from SR2. The plot is too simple compared to the other games but there were some interesting ideas that could have been explored more , i.e Kain's vampiric "youth" and his rise to power and maybe even his relationship with his previous allies like Magnus, Marcus, etc (it could have been like a "mirror" of what Kain's relationship with his future vampire lieutenant was like).
Ah, blood omen 2. The only piece you don't need to play, but at the same time, it does expand on Kain himself. Unlike the freshly turned vampire from BO1 we have a more experienced Kain, still the arrogant, uncaring bastard, but less angry, more focused and makes absolutely no bones about the fact he's a monster. This one is already tired of playing the puppet, but doesn't yet have the wisdom to understand he's still playing the fool. We also get to see Kain starting to follow his nature as balance guardian, though being corrupted his balance is harsh and self centered. If things don't go his way, then they're either an obstacle(the city, Vorador), a nuisance (The serafan, and later Hylden) or straight out need to be destroyed. (The Hylden lord/ and later Umah after taking the stone.). And of course things just aren't right without his right hand. (Looked at in the right way we could say this is Kain showing he's always trusted Raziel more than any other. Seriously he spends the whole game chasing after the Reaver). How much this entry itself shaped Defiance is actually impressive. Would have been neat to see in the hypothetical BO3 a slightly older and wiser Kain transitioning into his elder form. Perhaps even with a purified Reaver in hand. Still love the subtle nuance in these games. Wouldn't be LOK if it wasn't there.
Kain from Blood Omen 2, thank you for the fact that I love long nails and make them further 8. In general, this game, no matter how much it is scolded by devoted fans of the series, for me it is like a breath of fresh air. I can rest in it. This game gave me a lot of fantasy on the subject of lore, in particular the world of the Hyldens.
In a hypothetical remake of this game, I have always thought it would be a good idea to replace the nexus stone with the Moebius staff and give an explanation to the aforementioned
It's such a shame this game was hindered by a lack of staff. I really do enjoy this title as it was my first introduction to LoK. While a lot of my enjoyment comes from the nostalgia, I have to say that while the dialogue is a little less eloquent than the Soul Reaver titles and Defiance. I can at least explain that in my head canon of this being the much younger variant of Kain, where he's more ruthless and power driven. He hasn't yet had the milenum to ponder the fate of Nosgoth as a whole and the chance to re-write his own history. He's only thinking about gaining power and building his kingdom once again. But that aside, I do sincerely hope we get to see a remake of this franchise that does justice to this particular title by fixing some of its glaring issues.
This is actually my second favourite Legacy of Kain game. The asthetic of the game was brilliant and for the most part the gameplay is fun despite its clunkiness...except that boss where you get the Nexus Stone, that fight can get in the damn bin. Most of the issues i have with this game are probably results of the issues the developers were having, which isn't their fault. But one thing i'd change is making the gameworld open like previous games...which you literally said as i was typing this. Maybe have optional side missions, with the Vampire Cabal. I also didn't care for the implied romance with Kaim and Umah, that felt forced as hell, and the story doesn't feel as smoothly connected to the wider series whicu sucks because Legacy of Kain's storytelling has always been stellar. But overall i do love this game, easily my second favourite.
Merry KainMass ❤ the stockings were hung with decapitations and not a creature was stirring, not even a game in development. And lo and behold what do I hear at the window but santa scion on his slay and 8 tiny newly called pillar guardians finding their way. O reaver with your eyes so bright, won't you guide my slay tonight.
I love what blood omen 2 tried to do, I mean, 3d open world 3rd person adventure rpg game in which you play as the kain we never got to know, that is, Kain as the conqueror of nosgoth? Thats awesome. It just suffered from being way too ambitious, and was clearly rushed. I do hope legacy of kain makes a comeback eventualy, not only to give the plot its conclusion, but to just give us more of nosgoth. A survival/rpg game set in nosgoth, in which we get to play as a nobody, rather than kain or raziel, would be a great way to explore its themes more. Nosgoth got so much to offer as a setting.
Its sad to consider that so much potential was left on the cutting room floor for the game. Fleshing out Kain's connections to other vampires, either to realize his need for their support or to showcase his efforts to manipulate or inspire them to his cause would have been great to see play out as a rising of an empire. And its utter detachment from the rest of the series speaks volumes to how badly the series was mishandled.
I enjoyed Blood Omen 2, and I was happy that finally a second part of Blood Omen came out. Let the haters hate. EDIT: I love the love Modders have for games!
Blood Omen 2 is massively disappointing not only as a Legacy of Kain fan, but as a Blood Omen fan; Blood Omen 1 is probably my favorite game in the series so when I played this game for the first time I was distraught to find it so lacking overall... But with that being said I still do enjoy playing it quite a lot so I'm glad to see I wasn't the only one whom liked the game even if I was disappointed with it.
It had major issues...but man Templeman did great work in it, and playing as Kain with stealth powers made you feel like a badass vampire. Guilty pleasure, still loved it. With the success of the remaster of Soul Reaver 1 and 2, this one is ripe for a remake.
Blood Omen 2 is a... weird one for me I have not much of an attachment to it (I began my journey on Nosgoth with Soul Reaver), I didn't even buy (yet) an actual copy of the game because it was included for free in an issue of a gaming magazine I bought I feel it is, in almost every regards the worst game in the series (and only because in Italy for Defiance they changed all the voice acting cast and OMG no one of the new voices was a fit with the actual character), but it still was fun to play, I loved how the boss fight forces you to use the Dark Gift you gained in the previous one to win (like a perfect blend of the action-oriented boss fights of Defiance and the puzzle-oriented ones from Soul Reaver), and I loved the mechanic of drinking the blood of your enemies to "gain experience", in true vampire fashion What are really the lowest points though (and it's a shame for it's the strongest point of the franchise) are the story and the characters The story makes no sense - even if I like the subsequent introduction of the hylden race in Defiance - and save for Kain I feel the character cast is a downgrade, particularly Vorador... how's he became so wimpy? Still a fun and enjoyable game to play though
Lol, I just brought the game on gog, with Defiance. This was the only one I haven't played. I'll leave finishing the video till I've played through it myself. But I did watch up to the Fix part, which I'd found myself earlier today. lol. Like this is a massive coincidence.
If Blood Omen 2 received the love and resources of the other titles in the franchise it would’ve been phenomenal. While the puzzle 🧩 piece doesn’t quite fit right. It still felt like the others
there is one cool trick you can do...before hiting the checkpoint, make sure you have drained all npc's , boxes, then save and quit. When resuming you will still have your lore higher from consuming those npc's and boxes, and you can do it all over again. Then you hit the checkpoint since it only works 1 time. I was able to reach very high HP from this trick :)
![Noob To Max With DRAGON REWORK In Blox Fruits [FULL MOVIE]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/LnBMOinoOvA/mqdefault.jpg)
Blood Omen 2 was always my guilty pleasure. But I do acknowledge it's many problems.
I think it's problems all could have been fixed if they pushed the date back. It wasn't ready, but they sent it out any ways.
Truth
I hate Blood Omen 2. _I love Blood Omen 2._
A franchise ripe with potential, just needed better structure and budget. One guilty pleasure i'd love to see a... re-vamp of.
I loved playing as kain in 3d cause I never owned the original game and I'd played both soul reaver games at that point.
I know this went to a B team but I appreciate that Simon Templeman didn’t hold back, he voices Kain with so much passion and talent. I can’t imagine the series without him, he IS Kain as far as I’m concerned.
I can't imagine the series without any of the recurring voice cast. Still not sure I'd even want a Defiance sequel without Tony Jay as the Elder God
B Team? This game was great wtf are you talking about?
@@KingNexusMOCs The B team can make great games too
@@zeroattentiongaming820 Just don't have the elder god talk if it is even in the game at all. That said this is one of the rare occasions I would like A.I. voice acting WITH the family getting paid as both Tony and Rene are a MUST for a proper ending.
@@KingNexusMOCs By today's standards it is a great game but by the standards of the time it released it was mediocre. It is the only game in the series I returned after beating because it was so meh and butchered the lore. I seriously almost returned it once vorador showed up as I was pissed (blood omen was my favorite game at the time and is still one of my favorites). If you are wondering how I returned a ps2 game software ect (not gamestop) use to have a 7 day no questions asked return policy so you could buy, beat and return games in 7 days, I hardly ever used it to my advantage but for this game I did.
I am glad that you think it is a great game though, I do wish I could have seen it that way so that in my mind the series would be without any flaws.
BO2 is the black sheep of the LoK series. Even so, I'll always have a soft spot for it. It was one of the first PS2 games I played. Being able to roleplay a brutal vampire in a steampunk metropolis is a RP experience I've seen only attempted by Vampire: The Masquerade (Bloodlines) and B02. It seems to be a very difficult scenario to pull off in gaming.
Yeah, I think there's big space in the market for a stealth action vampire game. With today's graphics and game play, a Blood Omen 2 remake could be great.
Stealth action vampire games would be great if they are done properly
Check out Vampyr, it has similar vibe.
Doesn't Bloodrayne kinda belong in this category too?
@@headlessdisco730 Probably!
Blood omen 2 was actually the first LoK game I played as a kid, so it always holds a large nostalgic feeling for me
Same.
I remember playing this game in late 2002 on my Gamecube, and then playing Soul Reaver 1 and 2 while waiting for Defiance to come out...good times.
I remember playing the soul reaver 2 demo in jampack but blood.omen 2 was the first game i actually bought.
Like Stockholm syndrome. My first was Blood Omen. Still play it every once and awhile.
Same, I'm actually replaying it now.
This channel is so underrated!
Your lore/philosophy studies on this game series is incredible. So much content you've provided it makes me so grateful. Thanks, Strictly Fantasy and Merry Christmas :)
Thanks for the kind words, and happy Christmas to you as well :)
I seriously hope that whenever the new Nosgoth game is supposed to come out they have you involved or they invite you to cover it
i absolutely love the visual design of enemies and armors, and a Kain changing costumes between levels is amazing. I also love that this game shows a living world and the life of its inhabitants to an extent, all the work sites, docks, factories, all the Hylden tech stuff, etc. Its something that i feel like its missing from the other games.
The sanatorium level was so scary to me it replaced my idea of hell. I loved how different blood omen was and i loved how villainous kain was.
I found it interesting how kain copes with Uma's betrayal and how he feels about killing her. It's one of the few times he makes excuses
Don't forget Magnus. "Go, my friend. Be free. As the rest of us, living or dead, can never be."
it's not cope at all you loon... she betrayed him and he finished her. simple.
Its a shame they removed Uma from defience, I think they would have explored how killing her might be the only thing Kain regrets.
@@Jose-se9pu nah. betrayal equals death.
i like tha Kain makes her say that he is the strongest and the rightful king of Nosgoth before killing her, he's an asshole and it's great
I enjoyed blood omen 2 despite it's flaws. I consider this game a guilty pleasure of mine
Kain is definitely the best part of Blood Omen 2's story. I really love his no-fucks-given attitude, particularly when he first encounters Marcus;
"Marcus, my old friend!"
"A poor choice of words, Kain, we were not friends."
"And would you sour this reunion with old grudges? Granted, we ended on poor terms."
"You tried to murder me!" >:(
"I seem to have failed." :D
My roomie and I are both fans of the Blood Omen series, and we frequently quote those last two lines at one another. LOL
Yep. He was a walking roasting machine in Blood Omen 2
This is just Blood Omen 1 Kain again, which I love.
Young Kain just did not care.
I personally have so many memories of playing this game. I had it on the Xbox and on the GameCube, I believe. And now on PC. It was the game that made my love for the Legacy of Kain series begin. That “then you may die knowing the truth” line will always… kill me.
Absolutely awesome line that one!.
This is for sure one of the best games in my day, the story was captivating even if half finished, blows my mind thinking of what could have been. The soul reaver games got me started in the franchise, but I adored the cinema and gameplay of all of them. I really hope this franchise gets a second chance.
Definitely isn't one of the worst, but one of the best? Meh, if you think so
It had jank and honey writing at times, but at other times the writing was... Shockingly engaging.
And the world/set building was incredibly unique.
I find it hilarious that raziel, the more action oriented character solves more puzzles and does less combat than Kain the smarter more thoughtful one
My favourite Kiwi creator back at it with an early Christmas special 😍
"Water is NOT my friend!" Ah, poor Magnus... imprisoned and driven coocoo. I loved his character. 😅
I played this as a kid and adored it. The world completely absorbed me. This is also the only game I've played in the series and I have a lot of nostalgia for it. Great job on the video!
After unlocking an ability, I always wanted to go back to old areas, to see what I could find, so I while heatedly agree.
I understand why people give this game so much flack, but I can relish in the fact that this feels like kain from the first game starting to change into the one we know and love in the soul reaver games. This game is able to show us why he is so pissed off at Raziel in sol reaver two about him not being honest with himself. He's been backstabbed and betrayed and this game shows what cemented that for him in one of my favorite cut scenes in all of the franchise.
Mixed feelings about this one. Breaks with lore a fair amount but it's the most fun for casual play. The others are fantastic masterpieces but sometimes I just wanna have some fun and this one is my go-to from this franchise, so I technically play it the most. I do kinda wish a "Vae Victus!" would have escaped Kain at some point. But also my PS2 copy has never been glitchy (shoutout to some of the funniest dialogue in the franchise, like the confused guard that talks to Marcus or Kain's denial of Umah's betrayal being because he's an asshole)
I like BO2, It's not the best but it's fun and I like a lot of the atmosphere. I think in some ways BO2 has more appeal to a casual audience, I've introduced someone to the series who wound up loving BO2 but couldn't get into any of the other games & even my dad who never really played games post snes really enjoyed BO2 but didn't like the Raziel games.
"I told you to be on the look out for a vampire."
"Yes, you're right here."
Edit: shout-out to the Sarafan guard that said "what could it hurt?" before detonating a bomb. (Kain watches all this and then casually strolls through the hole it created.)
I swear I heard him saying it 2 times during my play, during rare assassinations.
Blood Omen was my first LoK game and I loved it
Was it perfect? - no
Was it good? Hell yeah
We need this series to come back, preferably with definitive editions
ASAP
GOOD NEWS! It is coming back! After a VERY successful kickstarter for a new Soul Reaver comic book, they decided to start remaking soul reaver AND blood omen on all platforms!
This is my second game in the series. Defiance was the first. I was a teenager with a poor knowledge of English and playing the series in reverse I didn't understand much and viewed Defiance and BO2 and two standalone games. While BO2 does seem repetitive at times and the puzzles aren't that exciting, and it somewhat overstays its welcome by the end, it did many things right. It gave us a perfect atmosphere. It's very immersive and wholesome in its bleakness. Bloodsucking never gets old. Even if you spend around 10 seconds drinking out a single victim) I liked that it showed the Hylden and their more technological side, which gave us an understanding why the two races were fighting. Magic and religion vs science and technology. AND the game showed a Hylden that didn't go through the degradation process (I'm talking about the Seer). This is the most we ever saw of them and I'm thankful to BO2 for this representation.
The whole series was cursed with lack of time and funding. Each game had a lot of content and mechanics that were never implemented. Skills, areas, lore etc. The most complete game of the series is Defiance. And perhaps BO1. The first game and the last. Everything in between suffered greatly and the story was never finished. Thank god Dead Sun was cancelled though, that looked and felt horrible. But I enjoyed Nosgoth. Which also suffered and was eventually cancelled because all money went into the Rocket League.
Yes to all of the above.
For me my entries were BO2 and SR2, in that order, i think. And i, too, had no idea these games are somehow connected, i was too young to draw the line between two Kains :D And my english was, too, extremely flawed. But the setting BO2 has built, the sceneries were just too good to not pay any attention to. The Sanatorium near the end was eerie enough to make a lasting impression, too.
24:50 I honestly thought that was Turel the first time I played it. It's never really explained what happened to him and how he got sent back in time in the first place.
Personally, I don't think an Arkham style game suits Kain. He has never been one to slink in shadows, and pick off foes like an assassin. Kain strides in, bold as can be, and flays his enemies with steel, and magic, and revels in the bloodshed.
This was the game that introduced me not only to Legacy of Kain, but dark gothic fantasy in general.
I was in middle school at the time.
I cannot even count the number of times I've beaten this game since.
Oddly enough, Blood Omen 2 was my introduction to the LoK series. WIth all of it's flaws, it will always hold a special place in my heart. And Kain... well, he is one of, if not the best video game characters of all time. A vampire done to literal perfection.
I appreciate your voice for this beloved underdog of a game. Knowing what you have taught us about the production problems of this title I'd love to see a remake take it's place. One with more love attention, and a little more straight forward connection to the rest of the series.
It's actually one of my favourites from the series, it's one I can pick up and play ANY time, imagine a version of it with full budget and A team build..😮
I just played it last week (January 2024) and I loved every single bit of it. It's a really great game. People could say that the defending stance to charge skills is too cheesy but the enemies were even better at defense than Kain so to actually manage to win every single fight it was important to use a lot of strategic thinking and adapt fast and react quickly. I had a superb time!!.
This is the only game I’ve played in legacy of kain series and I just love it. The steampunk style environment, the whole vampire lore and all. Like I know the other games are just something else but this one is just a gem for me and I revisit it every year.
Thanks for the refresher! I just needed a good cinematics of cutscenes and funny gameplay moments! :D I though nuns were just in cutscenes, but you may even grab them!
Umah is so calm and caring in the time of need, and Kain just: "Get off me :D"
25:03 so according to a LoK wiki page on the development of Defiance, part of Raziel's (or maybe it was Kain, I don't remember exactly) campaign was to retrieve Vorador's severed head and revive him, setting up his role in Blood Omen 2. However, this plot thread was dropped since a major part of Raziel's story was finding the Heart of Darkness to revive Janos, and the devs decided to avoid making the player go on 2 fetch quests that were practically the same.
There were also apparently plans for Future Kain to revive Vorador in Dark Prophecy while he was still in the Blood Omen 1 era, but we all know where that story ends. Or rather, doesn't...
I like how feeding on blood also does something for Kain rather than just refill health. It was something that the SR games failed to capitalise on. Most of the fights are entirely avoidable except for the few where you're forced to kill everyone to bring down a barrier. In BO2, feeding on enough blood increases Kain's power over the game
This is a game that would definitely benefit from a remake. Maybe a double remake of Blood Omen 1 and 2
I think Blood Omen 2 was my first trek in the series, it prompted me to play the rest, and well I fell in love with the series. Such a beautiful set of games. Thanks for your awesome videos my friend
It's a good game. Kain is always fun to play. My only complaint is, while SR Defiance revealed how Janos was in Blood Omen 2, we never got an explanation as to how Vorador is alive because Defiance left us on a cliffhanger and the story was never finished.
Blood Omen 2 has a special place in my hart. It was my introduction to the series. Love playing it still with the soul reaver from the start.
Absolute amazing video! Blood Omen 2 was, and still is sadly, the only LoK game I've played so it will forever have a special place in my heart.
You owe it to yourself to play the other games. One of the most fascinating stories in existence.
@@poiumty I'm planning on it! I picked up Soul Reaver 2 and Defiance recently. Still on the lookout for Blood Omen and Soul Reaver.
BO2 definitely had its issues, and I don't mean just in regards to lore. My copy, at least, glitched, had bugs, sound issues, etc. But I will say, it is still one of my faves in the franchise. I've beaten it the most out of all 5 games. Plus, it was nice to see a "different timeline" when the reaver was pulled from Raziel in SR2. Younger Kain was... interesting lol But it was also really cool to see Nosgoth before Raziel and the others were resurrected as vampires. I have a sealed copy of BO and BO2, so I'm happy to have grown up with this franchise. Merry Xmas, Strictly! 🎄🎁❤
So is the blood omen 2 supposed to be before Raizel? I've only played this one but I'm just now learning about the other older games. Whats the timeline?
@@lezredayv1373 Technically, yes. Though, BO2 was created only because Kain stopped Raziel from entering the reaver at the end of Soul Reaver 2 lol It's an alternate timeline that really wasn't supposed to be. But yes, if we're talking timeline, it's after BO1 and before vampire/wraith Raziel.
@lisacastro3899 oh okay. I'm trying to catch up Lol so is legacy of kain & Bo1 the same game?
@@lisacastro3899 oh wait nevermind, I think you answered that already 😂🤣🤦🏾♂️ my bad
@@lezredayv1373 lol Legacy of Kain is the franchise name, basically. Blood Omen, Soul Reaver, Defiance is the title. And no worries 😄
Liked the coverage of game mechanics in your style made for lore explanation. That could be a big feature of your channel going forward
The man defense that I have for this games is that it is the game that got me into the LoK series. Sure, it isn't the best in the series, but damn it, it holds a real soft spot in my heart.
It was also pretty fun.
I liked how BO2 helped to explain the development of vampiric powers, providing more context to Soul Reaver 1. Vampires have Dark Gifts and they seem to be able to develop them over time, but can also acquire a new Dark Gift by 'bleeding the vein' of another vampire. But it is just a fragment. Kain couldn't read the minds of others vampires, run at hyper speed along walls, or turn himself ablaze without harm. He got just a piece of what the others had cultivated, and the rest was lost.
I imagine the conflicts between the six vampire clans in Kain's empire may have been a way for ambitious vampires to 'bleed the vein' of other clans, providing new powers for them to develop. While it provides some adaptability amongst the population, it is inherently a net loss of overall power for the vampires as a whole.
A cycle of parasitism, even among themselves, gradually driving the survivors to greater heights upon mountains of the dead.
question to clarify, does filling your lore to max increase your damage? i thought i was just hp but its been years so i could (and prob) am wrong
Just health. Damage always stays the same and is only affected by weapons and temporary powerups that you find in chests.
The game was not without its issues...but I still liked this game. The voice acting in this series was always spot on. This one was great as well. Overall fun game imo
This was a favourite of mine when I was younger, playing Blood Omen 2 whilst listening to Cradle of Filth will forever be ingrained in my memory.
Blood Omen 2 is my favourite in the entire series, its the only one that feels more... bloody and gore and thats what a vampire game should feel
I'll admit that the gameplay in Blood Omen 2 feels a little clunky at times but it's contributions to the lore are very compelling in my opinion.
I know it threw a wrench in the lore but I really enjoyed the gameplay and atmosphere of this one. It’s available on the PS store now so I’ll see if it holds up for me.
I replayed it a few years ago and still enjoyed it.
Thank you so much for doing this video, I bought the Steam version a while back and was really excited to finally play then booted the game up and couldn’t get out of the pause menu so thx a bunch love the LOK vids btw big fan
This game had one of the most realistic defence system i ever saw, instead of dropping into a generic guard stance (like the Dark Souls games) that magically absorbs each blow, no matter the angle it's coming from, Kain blocks each hit with an appropriate animation that intercepts the coming strike. And the enemies do the same. The only problem i had with this game's mechanics was the camera locked behind Kain's back at all times even outside of combat. I would have preferred If the camera was freely movable with the right stick, and only lock behind Kain when pressing the autoface button.
That's actually my favorite game from the series. Great material! Subscribed!
There's really no way to make Blood Omen 2 fit the continuity but just as a a vampire game it's great. Would love to see a remaster.
Time paradox of SR2. Let's just forget him distinctly having his memory get updated in the scene he saved Raziel. Ffs infer. Use that brain. It's been over a decade and y'all still don't understand?
@DooDoo-f4v The time paradox at the end of SR2 doesn't explain why Vorador is in BO2, and yes it is confirmed in BO2 dialogue that he did still die in BO1. There's no timeline in which Vorafor isn't executed by Mobius.
You know something has been bothering me about the continuity between blood omen 2 and Lok defiance it's a Major continuity error maybe or RETCON?
It has to do with the pillers fall event in Lok Defiance
It's presumed that BO2 happeneds the same time razel and yanos are at that same event day kain was supposed to make his sacrifice right!? but HERES THE PROBLEM if that's true why do we see the hailden lord possess yanos as soon as the pillers fell when at that moment kain and hailden with the past Soul reavor were going at it in BO2? Hmm
That's got the continuity right there really modded up for me
I don't understand how they could F that up unless the hailden after battling kain was like ok F it now iam going to go off and posses this dude lmao.😮
It's starting to make me think is this really a retcon? or is Blood omen 2 and difance really in the same timeline?
@JuilanXAnime3188 Blood Omen 2 takes place 400 years after the Pillars fall, so Janos is actually one of the few things that does fit into the timeline. Janos is possessed at the end of Defiance, and then spends the next 400 years as a prisoner of the Hylden, powering The Device with his lifeforce.
The real problem with BO2 is Vorador. In the original Blood Omen, Vorador dies. This is critical to the story because his death is one of the main reasons Kain refuses the sacrifice and destroys the Pillars. Not because he had any love for the old vampire, but because Mobius manipulated Kain so thoroughly. Kain then kills Mobius in disgust and this was also the death of Kain's last lingering shreds of humanity. If Vorador doesn't die, it changes the sequence of events leading to Kain's fateful choice.
Plus, Vorador's death leaves Kain the last living vampire in Nosgoth. But in BO2, Kain has entire vampire armies under his command, and there are plenty of living vampires (including Vorador) after he defeats the Sarafan Lord. Where are they during the events of Soul Reaver?
The timeline only works if Vorador dies, a now jaded Kain refuses the sacrifice, and as the only vampire left becomes oldest and strongest vampire in his new vampire kingdom.
@michaelbuick6995 yes I agree but I was just talking about the hailden sarfain lord fighting kain in Blood omen 2 with the pillers fall intro at the same time Janos thanks for the correct pronounce Janos was possessed in defiance at the piller fall or am I not remembering the Blood omen 2 intro correctly? That's just a pet pive I had with defiance and blood Oman 2 I might have to go rewatch that intro again because I might be miss remembering it Lol
And yes vorador alive is the big ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM that needs continuity explain badly
A core childhood memory of mine, I love this game and played it for many years. I would love to play this experience again and I would pay top dollar if they brought it out with today's engines. 👌
What I liked about the story is that this was a younger, less wise Kain. It's a far cry from the near puppet master in the Soul Reaver titles, and much closer to the impetuous arrogant noble in the first game, just as it should be. The main drawback in writing is it doesn't explore deeper themes: BO1 was slowly accepting the monster you've become, SR1 was more how hollow legacy is on its own, SR2 and Defiance did more with fate vs free will- all four underwritten with manipulation from all sides. BO2 is vengeance with some world building, and manipulation is scarcely present. Helpful characters with no real ulterior motives are fine, but the series up to this point had them used sparsely, and here there was a clear delineation between "good guys" and "bad guys."
3:42 the best line in the whole game, it even rhymes
It got really weird.
A new entry is in the works. A year or two ago, there was a questionnaire about what fans would want in another entry.
I am a huge LoK series fan so when this initially came out I was stoked. I enjoyed the game and yes its flaws are very clear throughout, but I enjoyed the game anyway. If the recently announced remasters of Soul Reaver 1& 2 do well enough, perhaps there may be hope for a remaster of Blood Omen 1 and 2 using modern technology.
Well it’s time for some more good legacy of Kain content. Been waiting for this. Plus it’s almost half an hour!!!
Thanks again for the amazing content and your calming voice. Kindly keep posting more legacy of Kain content more frequently if possible. Much love ❤
Blood Omen 2 still is my favourite of the series. It changed my world when I played this game all those years ago. Just love it ❤
This is one of my favorite Xbox Original games. I went from PC Blood Omen, to Dreamcast Soul Reaver, to OG Xbox Blood Omen 2.
In the end though we can all agree we need this franchise to return.
Outstanding video thanks i enjoyed this game Happy Christmas annd thanks for all these excellent video's throughout the year 😎👍
Happy holidays!
@@strictlyfantasy 🙂👍
While I do acknowledge most of the game's flaws, I think its level design and unique feel of each region made it extremely memorable. The eternal prison in particular is just nuts.
The world in both blood omen games is more alive than in the others, more civilians and whatnot.
I'm still watching but I have had a thought about the big plot hole in it. The hylden lord needs an elder Kain to have his heart torn out to bring an ancient vampire back because he needs the blood of an ancient vampire to break the binding but we know that history will change if it needs to but it can't change a conversation of the Reaver's. So if he killed a younger Kain then is there a chance history would change to allow Kain to be killed earlier. But then again history abhors a paradox
Maybe Hylden Lord had his own scientific theory about how to take control of the soul reaver time loop and change the events from vampire to hylden ownership of history. just by being the one holding on to the reaver this time around the loop. He may even have been right. But the forces of history surprised him by keeping Kain alive, like history was trying harder than expected to hold on to Kain as their guy.
Yeah, I addressed this in my earlier Hylden Lore video. You're absolutely right. It's a pretty huge plot hole, considering the Hylden carefully planned and manipulated everything for Raziel to rip out Kain's heart to revive Janos in LOK Defiance. The only theory which may work as said above is that the Hylden Lord was somehow relying on another Soul Reaver paradox so that he could kill a younger Kain and still be able to escape the demon realm but I think it muddies the timelines too much. There's also the possibility that the Hylden General was being manipulated by a higher power within Hylden society and he wasn't given the full picture, which Soul Reaver and Defiance art director Daniel Cabuco has hinted at.
Blood omen 2 one of the very few games I can beat in a single sitting
I didn't realize this needed defending. It's great.
My first introduction to this series was blood Oman 2, and I liked it. Sure it had problems and was slow at times but it was a part of my childhood.
It was a weird game and had a ton of glitches but I genuinely loved Blood Omen 2. The vampire generals and story around Umah are interesting stories.
16:55 "The background graphics are..." how? 😅 Just kidding! Glad to see people still talking about my favorite franchise. 'twas a pleasure 👍🏻
I wanted Blood Omen 2 to be Kain building his empire and raising the Seraphan.
And you know what theres still room for that if they ever make blood omen 3 which with out a doubt would cover that event in the timeline.
You highlighted a lot of the things I remembered that were good about this game. They did great with what they had been given to work with and considering the time. I had played this once over 20 years ago and although it’s not my favorite in the series it was still extremely memorable and parts of the game, both story and gameplay, still haunt me to this day (esp the hyldan, the stalking through the night feel and the time prison 😱)
This game is the flashback Kain experienced in the SR2 time paradox. If we had the sequel of Defiance we would've gotten context on many things. Things like Vorador and Janos "living", how the Raziel Reaver ended up in the Cathedral in BO1, and how the Hylden hybrid Kain met came to be.
As you say, Blood Omen 2 was my first experience in the world of LoK, and I LOVED the game. I've played that one so many times, I can't even tell. I haven't played Soul Reaver 1 or Blood Omen 1, but completed Defiance multiple times and (to my shame) wasn't able to beat Soul Reaver 2. I like both BO2 and Defiance equally, but BO2 carries a special kind of nostalgia for me. I've also never experienced bugs in the game ... strange, as they seem to be commonplace as you say.
Also, as you say, the Eternal Prison had such a massive impact on the mood of the game. The whole level was terrifying and eerie, and it gave me goosebumps every time I played the game. I found myself really dreading that stage of the game each time.
I would like to see both Blood Omen games and Defiance remade with the cut content reintegrated. The reason we're getting Soul Reaver remasters first, aside from them arguably being a great starting point for the series, is that they have the most complete and cohesive story, but also the action combat, exploration and puzzle mechanics were for their time ahead of the curve, providing inspiration for other game franchises that went on to garner their own successes (Not to mention SR1 may have been one of the first soft reboots in video games, but that's neither here nor there). The other games in the series and their mechanics are also extremely dated by today's standards, but no less deserve their own revisiting, or perhaps revision.
I would love to play this game again it takes me back to best time's with my mom & dad when I was a kid
BO2 had amazing atmosphere and some of the most fun gameplay in the series.
The biggest flaw of BO2 is it's disconnection from the main story. Though, without the necessary communication between BO and SR teams they likely would have created even more plot holes that Amy would have had to try to straighten out. Ideally, it would have been awesome if they were able to work together.
Wrong. It's the flashbacks Kain suffered during the paradox in SR2 after preventing the reaver eating Raziel. I don't see how none of you fail to get that.
@@DooDoo-f4v That's part of it...
Just want to say thanks I love the Kain/Reaver series I hope if a remake happens it gets the same amount of love the original Resident Evil remake was given
Absolutely agree
This was really good. I would love to see you do this kind of "retrospective" videos with the other games.
Now regarding BO2, its a shame that it got handled like that. This franchise sadly has a track record of getting their budget and/or content cut. I wouldn't mid playing a reboot and make it more like the Dishonored games of the Arkham series like you mentioned.
The characters' designs are not the best in my opinion but the only one I could excuse is Janos because after being tortured for so long it would make sense for him to look so disheveled and nothing like the angelic being from SR2.
The plot is too simple compared to the other games but there were some interesting ideas that could have been explored more , i.e Kain's vampiric "youth" and his rise to power and maybe even his relationship with his previous allies like Magnus, Marcus, etc (it could have been like a "mirror" of what Kain's relationship with his future vampire lieutenant was like).
Ah, blood omen 2. The only piece you don't need to play, but at the same time, it does expand on Kain himself. Unlike the freshly turned vampire from BO1 we have a more experienced Kain, still the arrogant, uncaring bastard, but less angry, more focused and makes absolutely no bones about the fact he's a monster. This one is already tired of playing the puppet, but doesn't yet have the wisdom to understand he's still playing the fool.
We also get to see Kain starting to follow his nature as balance guardian, though being corrupted his balance is harsh and self centered. If things don't go his way, then they're either an obstacle(the city, Vorador), a nuisance (The serafan, and later Hylden) or straight out need to be destroyed. (The Hylden lord/ and later Umah after taking the stone.). And of course things just aren't right without his right hand. (Looked at in the right way we could say this is Kain showing he's always trusted Raziel more than any other. Seriously he spends the whole game chasing after the Reaver). How much this entry itself shaped Defiance is actually impressive.
Would have been neat to see in the hypothetical BO3 a slightly older and wiser Kain transitioning into his elder form. Perhaps even with a purified Reaver in hand. Still love the subtle nuance in these games. Wouldn't be LOK if it wasn't there.
Kain from Blood Omen 2, thank you for the fact that I love long nails and make them further 8. In general, this game, no matter how much it is scolded by devoted fans of the series, for me it is like a breath of fresh air. I can rest in it. This game gave me a lot of fantasy on the subject of lore, in particular the world of the Hyldens.
In a hypothetical remake of this game, I have always thought it would be a good idea to replace the nexus stone with the Moebius staff and give an explanation to the aforementioned
It's such a shame this game was hindered by a lack of staff. I really do enjoy this title as it was my first introduction to LoK. While a lot of my enjoyment comes from the nostalgia, I have to say that while the dialogue is a little less eloquent than the Soul Reaver titles and Defiance. I can at least explain that in my head canon of this being the much younger variant of Kain, where he's more ruthless and power driven. He hasn't yet had the milenum to ponder the fate of Nosgoth as a whole and the chance to re-write his own history. He's only thinking about gaining power and building his kingdom once again. But that aside, I do sincerely hope we get to see a remake of this franchise that does justice to this particular title by fixing some of its glaring issues.
Once again, a great piece of work!
I didn’t enjoy the game and agree that it had its floors but all in all it makes a good game a great series ! 🙌👏👏👏
This is actually my second favourite Legacy of Kain game. The asthetic of the game was brilliant and for the most part the gameplay is fun despite its clunkiness...except that boss where you get the Nexus Stone, that fight can get in the damn bin.
Most of the issues i have with this game are probably results of the issues the developers were having, which isn't their fault.
But one thing i'd change is making the gameworld open like previous games...which you literally said as i was typing this. Maybe have optional side missions, with the Vampire Cabal.
I also didn't care for the implied romance with Kaim and Umah, that felt forced as hell, and the story doesn't feel as smoothly connected to the wider series whicu sucks because Legacy of Kain's storytelling has always been stellar.
But overall i do love this game, easily my second favourite.
Thank you so much for the patch.
BO2 was my first Legacy of Kain game I've played. Have no regrets, was so amazing on PS2. They just don't make games like this series anymore 😞
Merry KainMass ❤ the stockings were hung with decapitations and not a creature was stirring, not even a game in development. And lo and behold what do I hear at the window but santa scion on his slay and 8 tiny newly called pillar guardians finding their way. O reaver with your eyes so bright, won't you guide my slay tonight.
I love what blood omen 2 tried to do, I mean, 3d open world 3rd person adventure rpg game in which you play as the kain we never got to know, that is, Kain as the conqueror of nosgoth? Thats awesome. It just suffered from being way too ambitious, and was clearly rushed.
I do hope legacy of kain makes a comeback eventualy, not only to give the plot its conclusion, but to just give us more of nosgoth. A survival/rpg game set in nosgoth, in which we get to play as a nobody, rather than kain or raziel, would be a great way to explore its themes more. Nosgoth got so much to offer as a setting.
The Eternal Prison was always my favorite level. 16:10
Its sad to consider that so much potential was left on the cutting room floor for the game. Fleshing out Kain's connections to other vampires, either to realize his need for their support or to showcase his efforts to manipulate or inspire them to his cause would have been great to see play out as a rising of an empire. And its utter detachment from the rest of the series speaks volumes to how badly the series was mishandled.
I enjoyed Blood Omen 2, and I was happy that finally a second part of Blood Omen came out.
Let the haters hate.
EDIT:
I love the love Modders have for games!
Blood Omen 2 is massively disappointing not only as a Legacy of Kain fan, but as a Blood Omen fan; Blood Omen 1 is probably my favorite game in the series so when I played this game for the first time I was distraught to find it so lacking overall...
But with that being said I still do enjoy playing it quite a lot so I'm glad to see I wasn't the only one whom liked the game even if I was disappointed with it.
It had major issues...but man Templeman did great work in it, and playing as Kain with stealth powers made you feel like a badass vampire. Guilty pleasure, still loved it. With the success of the remaster of Soul Reaver 1 and 2, this one is ripe for a remake.
Blood Omen 2 is a... weird one for me
I have not much of an attachment to it (I began my journey on Nosgoth with Soul Reaver), I didn't even buy (yet) an actual copy of the game because it was included for free in an issue of a gaming magazine I bought
I feel it is, in almost every regards the worst game in the series (and only because in Italy for Defiance they changed all the voice acting cast and OMG no one of the new voices was a fit with the actual character), but it still was fun to play, I loved how the boss fight forces you to use the Dark Gift you gained in the previous one to win (like a perfect blend of the action-oriented boss fights of Defiance and the puzzle-oriented ones from Soul Reaver), and I loved the mechanic of drinking the blood of your enemies to "gain experience", in true vampire fashion
What are really the lowest points though (and it's a shame for it's the strongest point of the franchise) are the story and the characters
The story makes no sense - even if I like the subsequent introduction of the hylden race in Defiance - and save for Kain I feel the character cast is a downgrade, particularly Vorador... how's he became so wimpy?
Still a fun and enjoyable game to play though
Blood Omen 2 was actually the first one I played after Soul Reaver. It's got it's flaws, but it's charms too.
Lol, I just brought the game on gog, with Defiance. This was the only one I haven't played. I'll leave finishing the video till I've played through it myself. But I did watch up to the Fix part, which I'd found myself earlier today.
lol.
Like this is a massive coincidence.
If Blood Omen 2 received the love and resources of the other titles in the franchise it would’ve been phenomenal. While the puzzle 🧩 piece doesn’t quite fit right. It still felt like the others
there is one cool trick you can do...before hiting the checkpoint, make sure you have drained all npc's , boxes, then save and quit. When resuming you will still have your lore higher from consuming those npc's and boxes, and you can do it all over again. Then you hit the checkpoint since it only works 1 time. I was able to reach very high HP from this trick :)