Blood Omen 2 isn't the best of the Legacy of Kain games, but it does try.
For those who aren't familiar with the series, Legacy of Kain's main hero/villain (depending on which game you're playing) is Kain, a vampire in the land of Nosgoth who eventually ends up taking over the entire world and plunging it into darkness. Blood Omen 2 takes place roughly 200 years after the first Blood Omen and after Kain's first attempt to conquer Nosgoth ended at the city of Meridian, now he has woken up and payback's a pain.
The game's controls are very basic, but to make sure you understand it, the story starts with a tutorial in the slums of Meridian. This helps you to get the mechanics down before you're thrown into battle. The fighting mechanics are very simple. You can do a three-hit combo or grab, hit, and throw your opponent. There are also several different kinds of weapons at your disposal, but they all pretty much do the same thing, although the speed and power of the attacks vary.
There are also several dark gifts for you to use in the game, including Mist, which lets you perform stealth kills, and Charm, which allows you to control the ordinary humans in the game. You can't get through the game without using these, so you really have to learn them well.
There's also a wide variety of enemies, ranging from knights to demons. Each battle is different as well, as each opponent blocks your attacks and uses their own. The boss battles are really the highlight of combat though, as each battle requires you to do more than just fight. You have to use your dark gifts in order to defeat them, for the most part, and you also must use ingenuity.
There are puzzles in the game, but they aren't nearly as challenging as the ones in the Soul Reaver games. Most of them take a little time to figure out, but eventually exploring and a good eye allow you to figure it out. I think the most time I spent on one puzzle is ten minutes.
The storyline and the cutscenes are also extremely engaging. The story is as good as any supernatural drama, with twists and turns that keep you interested in the story. There are also little touches in the gameplay, such as the regular humans conversing with each other.
One of the complaints I have about this game is that it is too short. I beat it in less than 20 hrs. But that is a minor thing. Another thing is the way that this game does not do justice to the other LoK games.
Overall, this game is mediocre in my mind, based on the other Lok games, and is a must-own for anyone who is a die hard fan of the Legacy of Kain series.