User Rating: 8.7 | Legacy of Kain: Defiance PS2
Having completed this wonderful game, I feel compelled to supplement the GameSpot review. First of all, I thoroughly enjoyed this beautiful and intelligent game without being a huge follower of the series. I had played only Soul Reaver 1 on the Dreamcast, where I first grew to love the character of Raziel and the narrative style, which I can only describe as Shakespearean Gothic. As many have noted, the story is the great draw of the game, and this should not be underestimated. It's an overall adventure, with fun combat, some simple puzzles, great plot twists, and philosophical dialogue. What more could you ask? It's true the camera can sometimes be a pain, but it never bogged me down. The trade-off with the fixed camera is the eye-popping, cinematic visuals. Sometimes the camera would widen out to show beautiful structures and vistas that were so worth it. The design of this game is so beautiful, truly artistic and deep like no other. The twisted visuals (and sound) of the spiritual realm were unique and effective. The one point I would most like to argue is that of the lack of the map function. I never once got lost, I never once found my "mission info" to be vague, and I never felt as if I didn't know what to do next. In fact it was a rare joy, not to get stuck for once, just because I didn't see a door. For me, the linear design was well thought out, and easy to follow. So the bottom line is, this is not a frustrating game. It is a joy. The boss fights are thrilling, the design is beautiful, and the story is awesome. While I do wish the developers had taken that extra month or so to polish some of the rough edges, it in no way detracted from my overall enjoyment. I highly recommend it to anyone. 
