A great experience
Hey, remember when Sony allowed 2D games on the Playstation? Yeah, those were some good times, and this is a prime example of why. While not everything about this game has aged terribly well, it still stands as a perfect example of good 2D gaming. While on the surface it isn't much more than a Zelda clone, once you play it you can't deny that it has a personality of its own. As the titular Vampire Kain, you run around the fictional land of Nosgoth, mercilessly slaughtering and exacting revenge on the one who caused your death. As you continue playing, you soon learn that a lot more is at stake, and the entire fate of Nosgoth is up to you. Sure, the plotline is a bit played out, but that's not where this game's strengths are. Playing it is a real joy. Hacking and slashing with the many weapons at your disposal and Kain's battle cry of "Vae Victus!" are the meat and potatoes of combat. When an enemy is wounded (and standing in the "finish him" stance) you can drink his or her blood to restore your health. You'll also get many items and spells to finish off your foes in gruesome ways, and vampire fans will be happy to know you can transform into a werewolf, bats, mist and disguise yourself as an ordinary man to aide you on your quest. Now, that's not to say the game doesn't have its problems. First off, the loading times are terrible. Any time you open the menu, enter a new area, look at the map, open the options screen, load your gave, or save your game, you're treated to a painfully long loading screen. You'll need to switch weapons and spells often, so this does get a bit frustrating. You'll also get sick of hearing "Vae Victus!" all the time. Another annoyance is the difficulty in finding switches, which sometimes blend in with the background so well that you can't see them. Animation is also a bit iffy with fluid movements that don't always look quite right. The graphics are good, and every environment feels unique, but certain things just seem a bit off. The hit detection can be kind of flaky as well. However, in spite of all these problems, the game has MORE than enough to redeem itself. From Kain's cynical running commentary on the shape of the world, to the CG videos which, while looking bad by today's standards, were very impressive for their time (and are still better than Final Fantasy 7's praised CG), to just being able to run around as a vampire killing everything in sight, this game is an often overlooked classic that all serious gamers should play. It sets a wonderful standard in writing, voice acting (Tony Jay is featured) and execution that few games today can parallel. If that's not enough to convince you... Just consider that it was made by Silicon Knights. That's right, THE Silicon Knights. The same Silicon Knights that brought you Eternal Darkness. If that's not a seal of quality, I don't know what is.Read full review
