Customer Rating: 
Summary: Atmospheric Classic Soul Sucking!!!
Comment: Blood and Rain
Blood for the Masses
Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver
Video Game
Reviewed by
B.L.Morgan
5 out of 5
I believe my wife hated this game when she first bought it for me. She didn't hate it because it was bad. She hated it because it was so good. This game was hypnotizing me. Other games were OK. I'd play for awhile, get bored and do something else.
Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver was different. I'd start playing this thing and get sucked into it and before I knew it four or five hours went by. I wouldn't see or hear anything else going on around me. Soul Reaver created for me the idea of what a totally immersive video game experience was.
Soul Reaver takes place on the planet of Nosgoth. It is a dark gothic vampire epic story. When you play Soul Reaver you take the roll of Raziel; the loyal servant/warrior of Kain the ruler of all the vampires of Nosgoth.
All the vampires were evolving their own particular gifts and Raziel angered Kain because the gift he developed surpassed what Kain possessed. Raziel developed the power of flight. Kain destroyed Raziel's wings and had him thrown into the Lake of the Dead where all traitors and outcasts rot for eternity.
When Raziel awakens he is a mess. The lower part of his face is burned away and his body is like a skeleton with skin stretched over it. A nameless voice informs him that he will be given the chance for revenge and to save Nosgoth from the vampire plague.
Pretty heavy right?
That's not all. To get to Kain and exact his revenge Raziel will have to kill all of his brothers and absorb all their abilities. His brothers are some mean bastards too. Killing them is not easy.
During Soul Reaver you explore Nosgoth. To keep your strength up you have to kill and eat the souls of you victims. Don't feel too bad though. Most of your victims are hunting you and will eat your soul if you give them the chance.
The scenery in Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver is weird and beautiful. You can shift your point of view to anywhere you want and look around in this strange world. I was actually feeling a bit like an interplanetary tourist while playing this game. You also have the ability to shift from the physical world to the spectral plane. In the spectral plane the landscape in the physical world twists and distorts all out of proportion. It is a very awesome effect.
The background soundtrack music in Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver is entrancing. This is the kind of music that the best vampire or ghost movies should have. It's eerie and sets you on edge. I like it so much I've been known to put the game on and just let it go to the demo mode as I write my weirdest fiction. This music sets the tone for supernatural adventures perfectly.
With over sixty hours of game play this is a huge game. I've played it all the way through twice. When I decided to review Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver for Sinesteria, I figured I'd take another quick look at the game then write the review.
Wrong!
You cannot take a quick look at this game. It grabs hold of you. I've been working my way through it all week and enjoying every minute and my wife now likes the game. The scenery, weird storyline and hypnotizing music have gotten hold of her too.
If you want to play a game that will take you to a weird and mysterious world where danger lurks at every turn then pick up Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver. It's a gaming experience unlike any other.
A quick note on the prequel and the sequels.
The prequel: Blood Omen, predates Legacy of Kain Soul Reaver. Extremely primitive graphics. Give it a pass.
The Sequels: Blood Omen 2, Soul Reaver 2, Legacy of Kain: Defiance, all three have excellent graphics, eerie sound tracks and lots of action. All three get a 5 out of 5.
Customer Rating: Summary: Soul Reaving has never been better.
Comment: The game's first cinematic sequence shows why Kain casts you(Raziel) into the Vortex of the Dead. The reason he does so is because you grew your wings before him. As he circles you, you are suddenly drenched in pain as Kain rips your wings. As you lay there wounded he orders your vampire brethern to toss you into the abyss. After an eternity of pain and suffering you finally hit the bottom of the abyss.A voice suddenly summons you.He tells you he can help you get vengance on Kain. You tell him you don't deserve this fate and he replies by telling you that you have no choice. You find the cape that marked you as clan leader and cover up your face to hide the fact that your jaw has disintergrated off your face.You reluctantly agree to his offer to help.You soon discover that instead of blood you hunger fo souls.
PROS:
-Nice length(50-60hrs)
-Responsive controls
-No in-game loading
-Fantastic storyline
-Challenging puzzles
-Pulls out emotions that you normally don't feel in games.(like remorse)
-Fighting controls
-Gaining ablities by killing your enemies
CONS:
-Sometimes puzzles are harder than neccesary
That is all I can tell you without ruining anything. Just try the game and you'll be sure to love it.
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