User Rating: 6.3 | Legacy of Kain: Defiance XBOX
As a longtime fan of the Legacy of Kain series, I was eager to see the latest chapter of one of gaming's greatest storylines unfold in Legacy of Kain: Defiance. On the surface, this game appears to have it all: not one, but two playable characters, intertwining plotlines brought to life by excellent voice acting, and a new, dramatic camera system. The game's opening gets off to a running start, setting the stage for what certainly must be the most exciting and engaging chapter in the saga to date... But, as I got deeper into the game, much of my excitement turned to frustration and disappointment, and a great deal of my interest waned as I witnessed first-hand all the squandered opportunity that permeates the game. While LOK: Defiance is by no means a bad game, it's unfortunately not on par with other games in the series, even the mediocre Blood Omen 2. Intended for gamers who have been following the series since its inception (there is very little exposition, and almost no backstory), Defiance picks up where Soul Reaver 2--and to a lesser degree Blood Omen 2--left off. Wise to his destiny as the instrument of his own destruction, Raziel seeks a way to escape his fate and foil the destiny that the evil Mobius and the Elder God have woven for him. At the same time, Kain, who understands that it was his own decisions that lead to the corruption of Nosgoth, sets out on a journey of redemption, as well as revenge upon those who deceived him. But, the stories are not that simple. Both Kain and Raziel's storylines are intertwined, and each character holds a piece to the greater puzzle of understanding. Defiance breaks from the mold of previous games in the series, and allows you to play as both Kain and Raziel, and the game follows their paths until their storylines intersect for what is one of the more exciting climaxes in the game. So, with all of the above going for it, how does Defiance falter? Unfortunately, in an attempt to put a new spin on the series, the designers managed to throw out a lot of the gameplay elements that worked in the previous games, and instead focus on some of the weaker elements of the series. At the same time, they introduced new poor design elements to further bog the game down. One of the most glaring disappointments about Defiance is that while you can control both Kain and Raziel, they are essentially the same creature in a different skin. In previous games that starred one or the other, each had a different set of talents and skill, and different means of extinguishing their opponents. In Defiance, both are tethered to their respective versions of the Soul Reaver, and it is with this one weapon that they fight through the entire game. Gone is the ability to pick up weapons of fallen foes, or the ability to dispatch enemies with fists and claws. To make up for this decrease in offensive options, the fighting engine has been updated with new special moves and combos, as well as the ability to level up with combat experience. While this sounds like an improvement, it really is not, as most of the moves are just for show, and convey no real tactical advantage. Coupled with this is the fact that combat controls are a bit imprecise, owing to the automatic lock-on feature. While in previous games, you locked on in a manner similar to Zelda's Z-targeting, in Defiance, you lock on to enemies automatically. This, however, is problematic, as the system often locks on to the least threatening foe, and it's especially frustrating when your lock switches without your input. The combat is further weakened by the lack of variety of foes. While you will traverse different regions and different eras in the history of Nosgoth, you quickly realize that every time and place is stocked with the same enemies, just in different clothing. On top of this, the game often throws multiple series of the same enemies at you within rapid succession, which showcases how little variety there is. Furthermore, the enemy AI isn't all that great, and you'll often find that you can vanquish most of your foes with ease. But, LOK has never been about staving off death. In fact, both its characters are immortal, and as such, death is a non-issue... or at least it was... Unlike in previous Soul Reaver games, when death just meant getting tossed seamlessly into the spectral realm, Defiance takes a new spin that manages to mess up one of the better aspects of the prior games in the series. Now, when vanquished, you must endure a load screen (gasp! LOK has never had load screens), before you start at an earlier point in the game. If this is the price to pay for a save anywhere feature, then keep the save stations and give me back the seamless transitions! Furthermore, the spectral realm continues to have less and less relevance to the game as the series progresses. In the prior two games to feature Raziel, the spectral realm was meant for exploration, and not just punishment for allowing your soul meter to drain. Environments were designed to make use of shifting architecture and differences in the substance of materials. Some of this was lost in the previous Soul Reaver game, and it's all but nonexistent in Defiance. In Defiance, the spectral realm, it seems, exists only to allow Raziel to pass through gates, and finding your way back is a simple task. Only once does shifting planes allow you to reach a previously unreachable ledge. In this regard, one of the most thrilling aspects of Raziel's gameplay has been eliminated. The effect? Raziel's sections of the game are actually LESS entertaining than Kain's! Perhaps one of the biggest and most unfortunate backfires of the game design is the new camera system. Designed to lend the game a more cinematic flair, Defiance utilizes a series of set camera angles, eschewing the over-the-shoulder view of the prior 3D entries in the series. This is uncoscionable, especially when you consider that the LOK games have always had some of the best auto camera control until now. Maybe the sting wouldn't be so bad if the camera controls were actually good. But, too often, you'll find the camera positioned in a way that makes it difficult to gauge the distance of a critical jump, or you'll often find yourself battling with an obstructed view. Even more frustrating is the fact that sometimes the camera does not trigger a change, leaving you lost half a mile away. And even worse is the fact that the camera will change at very inopportune times, causing a great deal of disorientation, especially when coupled with spotty controls that hang on to the prior camera-centered coordinates for a few seconds after the shift. While I'm sure this was to aid in making the transitions smoother, it instead makes things a bit more spotty. But perhaps the worst aspect of the camera control is that it limits your ability to explore the rich landscapes of the game. The result is a game world that feels less interactive, less grand and sweeping, and a lot more like pre-rendered backgrounds. Another failing of the gameplay is the lack of variety. It's true with enemies, and in this game, it's true with locales. Much of the middle third of the game is spent traipsing through spirit temples. This would be all well and good if it weren't for the fact that every temple looks the same and has roughly the same architecture. Given that there are eight spirits, you'd think that'd get a little tiring. Well, double that, since you must traverse them a second time with Kain. One of the more spectacular aspects of the prior games was the presentation. Defiance manages to mess this up, too. Yes, all the actors are back, and they're superb, but there's a sad paucity of dialogue in the middle third of the game (when you're searching the temples), and everyone is horribly underutilized. The remainder of the sound in the game is a big disappointment. The music is cheesy and underdeveloped, certainly not what one would expect from a series known for its strong sound design. And, at least with the Xbox version, the sound effects are spotty. The soul-devouring sound often does not play during random points in the game, and sometime, the ambient sounds drop out for no reason whatsoever. This may not be the case on other systems, though. The graphics are also a mixed bag. Yes, the architecture is still ornate, but the camera system really hinders your ability to enjoy it. The character models are nice, but they seem to lack some of the detail found in Soul Reaver 2. Maybe it's also that I'm used to playing the series on the PC, but there's also a great deal of aliasing to be found in the Xbox version. Even more disappointing is the poor lighting effects. How can a glowing sword fail to light up a corridor? Well, play Defiance and find out. In this day and age of games, poor lighting is inexcusable. Also inexcusable is a terrific amount of slowdown when mutiple enemies are surrounded by particle effects. This is rarely a problem, since combat is so simple, but it just demonstrates a lack of polish. In the end, LOK: Defiance fails to live up to the standard that the series had created for itself. It's by no means a terrible game, and contrary to all the nitpicking above, it does manage to get a few things right every now and then. But, it's still the weakest game in the series by far, and it's tragic to see what could have been--and should have been--the series' finest hour squandered by inexcusably poor design choices. The end of Defiance leaves the story open for more sequels, and let's hope they keep coming. Just next time, let's hope Crystal Dynamics has learned its lessons well. 
