Tell them ... Kain is coming.
STORY: Before Kain awoke and condemned Raziel, he had his armies destroyed and himself beaten to near-death by a new and mysterious enemy, the Sarafan Lord. Some years later, Kain is revived by the vampire resistance (humans are exterminating vampires right and left in this era) who seek to overthrow the Sarafan and restore the natural order: Vampires preying upon humans. Kain accepts, but as always, he has his own agenda to promote as well. He must regain his former power by slaying his old vampire lieutenants (now turned renegade or into Sarafan lackeys), destroy the Sarafan Lord, learn the truth about the vampires’ nemesis race, and emerge once again as the ruler of Nozgoth. And all that before breakfast.
GRAPHICS:
The graphics in Blood Omen 2 are not by any means perfect, but they do get the job done. The game moves fast, and Kain is as cool as ever. Lots of blood and gore for the kids, as well as numerous enemies (and the occasional monster) to fight. In short, I’m not crazy about the visuals, but I’m not complaining either.
MUSIC / SOUND EFFECTS:
Nothing fancy here. No tune catched my attention, but I didn’t want to turn the volume down either. The sound effects are just fine. From the disgusting slurping sounds when blood is taken from your victims, the clashes of swords, to the various comments by soldiers or bystanders when you walk / sneak / attack near their location, everything sounds fine.
GAMEPLAY:
Blood Omen 2 was accused of being very easy in puzzles and combat. After playing Soul Reaver 1 and 2 I must agree about the puzzles, but frankly I didn’t mind. I realized that BO2 was more action-oriented, and in that spirit, I enjoyed the game a lot. Kain has the traditional spectrum of vampire abilities to choose from in order to bring down his foes, whether it is stealth, hypnosis, or brute, savage power. Various environmental hazards prevent you from using each ability anytime you desire, but I didn’t really mind because the game gives you plenty of opportunities to use all of your powers. The battles are not hard, but enjoyable due to their savagery, action and their need to deploy basic fighting tactics. The game is pretty linear, and that might disappoint maze-lovers, but as far as hack and slash goes, Blood Omen 2 delivers in spades.
OVERALL:
I really liked Blood Omen 2. I sure as heck liked it a lot more than Blood Omen 1 (game-wise, not story-wise), and I think that any sword-wielding-vampire lover would like this game as well. A must-buy for Kain and action fans. For the others, perhaps a rent-first policy should be in order.