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Defiance is an absolutely amazing addition to the Soul Reaver and Blood Omen series from Crystal Dynamics/Eidos Interactive! I was thoroughly impressed by the quality of the artwork, the lush environments and the seamless special effects this game has to offer. The Cinematics are skillfully animated and I've never heard better voice overs in a game, EVER!

I also really love the way you get to play BOTH Kain and Raziel in turn as you progress through the game, keeping things even more interesting as you get to witness each character slowly decipher their intertwined destinies as the story comes to a climactic ending. Both characters are extremely fun to play too, as each of them gains special moves making the already great combat system even more fun!

I highly recommend this game to anyone, even if you haven't played any of the Soul Reaver or Blood Omen games since there is PLENTY of story to fill you in on the details as you play along!

I have long been a fan of the Legacy of Kain games. Blood Omen was one of my first playstation games, and it still stands as one of my all-time favorites. When Soul Reaver hit about 3 years later, the dramatic change of game play and surprising turn of the story was a huge hit, and I became instantly hooked. Like Blood Omen before it, I was compelled to finish Soul Reaver to the end, and to this day Soul Reaver also stands out as one of my all-time favorite games. Afterwards, the offerings of Soul Reaver 2 and Blood Omen 2 were decent, but the gameplay didn't live up to the standards set by Soul Reaver. Defiance changes everything...once again, the Legacy of Kain series successfully combines a spell-binding story with excellent gameplay.

Picking up shortly after Soul Reaver 2, Defiance has you assume the role of not only Raziel, but Kain as well. Although Blood Omen 2 allowed you to play as Kain as well, I must admit that it was a real gift to be able to play as Kain again, especially since the gameplay in Blood Omen 2 was awful compared to Defiance. As the story progresses, you will switch between Kain and Raziel in a series of chapters. Often times, the chapter you are currently playing ends with a brief cliffhanger, and thrusts you into the other character's shoes. What is great about this game is that the designers understand that the following this series has is mostly a cult following, or rather somewhat small amount of very devoted people who truly love the story. Long-time fans will be thrilled with the questions answered, most notably questions from Blood Omen and Soul Reaver 1 & 2, but unfortunately many of Blood Omen 2's questions still go unanswered. Despite this, I myself was absolutely stunned by the story...I almost got lockjaw syndrome from my mouth being gaped open in shock during the entire last 3 hours of the game.

The gameplay is tons of fun. Unlike the mediocre combat offerings from Soul Reaver 2 and Blood Omen 2, I actually found myself thirsting for combat in this game, and when it happened, it was alot of fun. Although fundamentally the same, since both Kain and Raziel have the exact same special moves (which are learned through the game by gaining combat experience), Kain and Raziel play somewhat differently. Kain is definitely the stronger powerhouse, able to make short work of most enemies, where Raziel is considerably weaker, but is much quicker and is better at evading enemies rather than facing them head on. When playing as Raziel I found myself wanting to avoid combat until I started gaining more special moves as the game progressed. The special moves are easy to perform and the same for both characters (though the look different and are called different things).

Unlike previous games, you cannot pick up weapons as you go. Kain and Raziel both wield their versions of the Reaver. Kain possesses the Blood reaver, while Raziel possesses different incarnations of the Soul Reaver. As you progress, both Kain and Raziel's Reavers gain new powers, which substantially sets them apart from one another. Each weapon can be powered up by using it to finish the opponent. So instead of consuming the soul or drinking the blood themselves, Raziel and Kain can instead use their Reavers to consume the Soul or Blood of their enemy. Another gratifying aspect is that there is a purpose to getting the new Reaver upgrades. Each one has its own unique power that is useful in the right situation.

In terms of overall gameplay, Kain and Raziel have different games. Kain's game focuses mostly on locating keys or artifacts to progress, and is combat intensive. Raziel's game, however, is heavily puzzle-oriented and lighter on combat, though there are situations with overwhelming enemies.

In terms of flaws, this game is utterly packed with glitches. On countless occasions, I had to save the game(which can be done anywhere, thankfully) and turn off the machine because the game would suddenly stop playing sounds. Other times, the game froze when there were large amounts of enemies on screen. This also happened when the game seemed to go nuts and spawn massive amounts of enemies on the screen, which couldn't be hit. The game then proceeded to freeze. Sometimes the audio cut out during cut scenes, which was royally annoying. There were some minor clipping issues during combat as well.

Overall, despite the countless amount of glitches and bugs, Legacy of Kain: Defiance stands out as one of the BEST games I have played in a long, long time. I don't think i've been this compelled to sit down and finish a game since the first Soul Reaver. The story is excellent, with the same returning voice-acting cast, some of which are notable Hollywood talent. All of the cut scenes are saved as you progress, so you can view them at any time. This game was also longer than the past 2 outings, clocking in for me at about 25 or more hours. I was very happy with this game and pleased to see that it was so improved over the last 2 offerings.

Having played thru all the games, I will say this one felt the most like the original. Where Soul Reaver 1 played great, the story advanced slowly, and Soul Reaver 2 ,while containing alot of story, was a bit too linear and basic in terms of gameplay. This game is still linear, but playing as both characters adds a tremendous amount of play to the game. Questions that have been brewing for years come to a climax, and there were quite a few 'oh my...' moments throughout. My only major complaint was the camera , I know they went for 'Devil May Cry' type angles ect, but it makes battles difficult, and a more traditional camera would have made exploration easier. The combat is greatly improved over previous games, combos are easy to execute, and a blast to use. The reaver elements add abilities that are fun to use, and give personality to the different blades. But it is the suspense that makes the game riveting, all the great parts of the story are here, and as with most of these titles, the story is truly what makes the game shine. Enjoy.