GameCube

Legacy of Kain: Blood Omen 2

Blood Omen 2 may be repetitive, overwrought, and fraught with unimaginative puzzles and enemies, but those of you dying for some bloody GameCube fun won’t get it much better than this.

Blood Omen 2 continues the story of Kain, and presents an interesting character. Some of the game’s puzzles, however, are too simplistic and will fail to adequately challenge game players. The game has been ported to various platforms with mixed results. Yes, it works on the GameCube, and fits the platform’s abilities well. It does look good and play well, but players looking for more challenge will only find this a pleasant, albeit mild, diversion.

Nine months and no enhancements later, Blood Omen 2 hits the ‘Cube. Surprisingly, it’s still darn good to be evil with Kain and his vampiring ways. Both the puzzles and combat are simplistic, but still offer enjoyment. The gothic atmosphere is a great setting for a game, too. I’d like to see some depth added to the series next time, with more of both speed and stealth. This and BloodRayne are almost dead even for gory action/adventure honors.

Blood Omen 2 does have its strong points, but, much like the original, its fiendish main character is the best thing about it.

Une version GameCube qui s'est fait attendre longtemps pour finalement proposer un contenu identique aux autres versions consoles. Dommage. L'aventure est la même, mais on ne peut s'empêcher de penser que le jeu a perdu de sa magie par rapport à l'épisode original. Mais si Blood Omen 2 n'est incontestablement pas le méga-hit que l'on attendait, il parvient tout de même à conserver en partie l'atmosphère particulière du jeu original pour proposer au final une aventure particulièrement jouissive, même si la progression se révèle toutefois assez linéaire.

Kain comes to Cube with minor improvements. Read our full review of this blood-sucking action-adventure.

Vampires kick ass. It’s such a simple truth, a concept that has been passed down through the generations. When it comes to complete and utter coolness, vampires take the medal. The pale flesh, the mystical powers, even the never-ending thirst for blood make up one of the most feared characters ever conceived by the human mind. We’ve been graced with Dracula early on, a legacy that has helped cement countless other vampire tales and one of the most popular gaming franchises in gaming history. But in this current generation of consoles, what’s left for these creatures of the night? Unfortunately, Dracula’s heyday seems to have past with the previous generation. Aside from BloodRayne, the only video game with a heroic vampire is Blood Omen 2.

Blood Omen II is a solid action game but there are some problems for deaf gamers. The only text feedback in the game is when the controls and gameplay commands are being described to you by Umah in the first level. There are no subtitles and no mission briefings in text at all. What makes this hard to take is that it's exactly the same as last years PS2 version. Surely subtitles could have been added to give deaf gamers access to Blood Omen 2?

It is hard to see whom this title would appeal to. The extremely simplistic nature of the title might appeal to young children but it is too bloody and violent to be suitable. While you may see the final mark as overly harsh for a game that is technically proficient, I would ask would you give a film a good rating merely for being in focus? This is a poor game and it hasn't become any better in the move to the GameCube. While titles may be a bit thin on the ground for Nintendo's machine, there are certainly far better offerings to be found.

Blood Omen 2 should have been a much cooler game. Both Soul Reavers were a kick, so big things were expected from the latest in the Legacy of Kain series. Unfortunately, it falls short on almost all counts. The graphics have their problems, the gameplay is repetitive, and the play is far too linear. The saving grace is the actual story. If the Kain saga continues, let's hope it's in a better game.