Legacy of Kain: Defiance Review

There are several more issues that could be considered as drawbacks in the game. In terms of numbers, your adversaries definitely shouldn't be underestimated. In fact, they usually gear their skills and strengths towards team-based tactics, in order to overcome your unholy powers. The annoying bit is that even regular grunts take way too long to finish off; regardless of the combo you happen to have pulled on 'em. Also, the somewhat limited variety of opponents and periodic AI glitches (enemies getting stuck on objects in the environment) further stain the overall impression. Seeing how this is a console port, the multiplayer facet is non-existent, and it won't take you more than 20 hours to finish the single-player campaign. So in other words, the replay value is certainly not one of this game's stronger points...

*Sniff*... Nobody remembers my birthday.

Kneel down and worship me!

... but the graphics and overall art design certainly are! At its core, Defiance uses a rather dated technology. On the other hand, the art design is so good, and the developers have managed to utilize certain next-generation effects to such an extent that this game comes off as looking simply stunning! Spectacular architecture decorated with detailed gothic murals and enhanced by masterful use of pixel shaders and particle effects, makes for a truly unique and moody visceral experience. The art never gets dreary, as the spectral plane introduces a whole new setting with its nightmarish and twisted shapes and unique dream-like atmosphere. The colors and shapes will completely change and yet the visual consistency of the game world is kept intact. This only goes to show that Crystal Dynamics is still one of the premiere game design studios when it comes to making the most out of relatively limited technology. The true limits of the 3D code come to light when you take a closer look at the pathetic 2D sprites in the background, or when you compare the character animation to say what Ubi Soft Montreal did in Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. As I said, however, Crystal Dynamics has made the most out of what they had available, and the 'goods' certainly outweigh the 'bads' in this case. Not to mention that I've had a rock solid frame throughout the single player campaign. (Test rig: AMD 3 GHz, 1GB RAM, Radeon 9800 XT 256 MB DDR) (Yeah, well, it would be a crime if that wasn't the case! - Ed.)

Almost every popular saga out there is accompanied by first-rate audio. Legacy of Kain also deserved praise in that respect. The foremost credits should go out to professional character voicing performed by Simon Templeman (Kain), Michael Bell (Raziel), Tony Jay (The Elder God), Richard Doyle (Moebius), and others. The brilliant voice acting will probably sound familiar to those of you who played previous installments in the series. To top if off, the sound designing team did an admirable job on in-game sounds, as well as the soundtrack which features a praiseworthy array of tunes throughout gameplay.

After all that you've read here, it's still up to you to decide whether this games is worth your hard-earned cash. Hard-core fans will love the story and eventually, if they're persistent and patient enough they'll get over the horrendous controls and camera and other gameplay drawbacks mentioned in this review. Those of you who are new to the series will undoubtedly be disappointed by the fact that Crystal Dynamics hasn't done a MUCH better job at porting Defiance to the PC.