Although I normally trust the reviews at Gamespot, I was surprised at the low score that this game received (6.9). I have played both Soul Reaver games before this, and tried BO2 (found it pretty bland), and this has to be one of the best in the series (up there with SR1). I've reviewed it based on these categories: Gameplay: 9 Puzzles are good as always. I really liked the combat system in this game, especially in the later levels, when you've earned enough experience to gain all the moves. The good thing about the experience system is that you can go to respawn points and get all the moves pretty early, but even if you don't, you will have all the moves about halfway through. I also like the actual moves. Every battle is a little different since you can't spam the same attacks on all the enemies. Some work better than others for each type of enemy. You can also stay in the air a long time slashing away, slash multiple enemies in a 'combo', and target anyone you want instantly. All this is topped off by the really enjoyable telekinesis whereby you can toss enemies wherever you want (away from you, towards you for a combo, into other enemies, through breakable walls, off ledges, etc.). You can also suspend them in 'TK shackles' to deal with later. All in all, there is so much flexibility in what you can do, and you can stop whatever you are doing whenever you want (or need to). Also, the respective weapons of both characters have a lot of different special moves you can do when they are charged up. Graphics: 7 I would've given this a 10 for the sheer atmosphere of the levels, but sadly, there are a lot of glitches that you will encounter. I have also put the camera under graphics because really, that's where it belongs (in this game). They were trying to go for a cinematic feel, and it succeeds in that department (you can work to keep your character on screen all the time and not miss much), but the only time it gives me trouble is when it abruptly switches to a different camera and the direction you were travelling now points in a different direction. So expect a lot of 'going into rooms only to start running back the way you came' type things. This is mostly the case when you are 'phasing through' gates and such, and then you will suddenly turn around and phase back because you were holding onto the direction when the camera changed. Also, there are places where you can fall off the edge of the known universe in this game, or get stuck in a flying animation endlessly while attached to a wall. Those are my only gripes with the graphics, but they are few and far between (you can work around them). Sound: 10 Brilliant voice acting and a fitting soundtrack. The sound effects are really good as well (sword through flesh sounds like it should, as do the gurgles when you suck blood from people, etc.). The voice actors are top notch, and really bring the characters to life. Some old favorite tunes return in key points (which was a nice touch). Value: 8 Not much to unlock here that you won't find on your first time through (if you are good at this type of game). I did go through and finish it a second time though, and found it as enjoyable as the first time. No doubt I will try it again. The story really is very unique and surprisingly cohesive after all the changes and twists. The fighting is also FUN and really is up to you on how you want to play it. You can pull off some really amazing looking fights with TK and people flying around everywhere, or you can be boring and use the same combo over and over again. Suffice to say, the fights feel as epic as they should and the main battle (you know which one I mean) will show you what each character is capable of when the CPU controls them. So all in all, mixed in with my tilt of 10 (because of the story and the attention to detail in the plot), this game gets a very respectable 9.0. An epic achievement.
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