@YourFavoriteSon1 glad for new people to get onto the franchise over all , I don't really care that it's a remaster I'm just glad the games are even being talked about
not to be a downer, but recent history has taught me to be afraid when many people get to know a dear franchise.. the target audience tends to shift and the original appreciators are always disapointed with the new direction of said franchise.
@SolidSnakePlissken108 Yes, yes, and yes it's always the new people who know nothing at all that the companies target and forget the old fans and make everything MID now.
I bought Soul Reaver a week before I met my wife and was obsessively playing it in the opening months of the relationship. 25 years together, we are still together and the circle has come fully around. I'll be booting this up this weekend to celebrate an old friend and hope this is a well-deserved rebirth in popularity. I'll also be playing it along with my two grown sons. Absolutely surreal.
@@deecap71 if you really wanna know if this will take off just check sales at the 30 day mark, so far it's been selling good from what I've heard, if it's good enough they might put some work into this series hopefully
This would basically free the game in ways. It would require more space and a completely redesigned camera, but the game wouldn't be frustrating to play.
The beggining scene was probably one of the best of any game I've ever played. If they could make another, but keep the seriousness, dark, grittyness, even the style (non toonish) id be in love.
Soul Reaver was one of the first "Cinematic Games" that really made you want to keep playing to learn what all was going on and keep the story moving. While I never played the Original Blood Omen, I started with Blood Omen 2 and played all the rest. I just loved it. I remember hating Kain until later in the series when you start putting all the pieces of the grand story together. And I think that was due to the great writing and how well Kain was portrayed as the villain in Soul Reaver 1. I first saw the Steam Page for the Remaster last week. I bought it the moment I saw it...
I still remember the first time I heard Raziel say to Kain "Hey dad, it's me, your favorite son" when he encountered him in the throne room of the pillars. That was epic.
It seems pretty logical since these remasters are made by the same company. The technology is probably different, but the approach has been preserved since Halo remaster.
Damn this almost brings tears to my eyes. Watched my dad and brother play the first game as a kid and remember playing the sequel with my brother when we got our ps2. To this day, we would always talk about our hopes for the series to be revisited at some point because it was more than deserving. I've watched your Legacy of Kain retrospective video soooo much throughout the years and couldn't wait to hear your thoughts! This is really the best Christmas gift we could've gotten. Also, Son, thank you for your work!!
The fact that they are working on a prequel comic and now this remaster coming out and actually being good. Im very convinced that they are definitely looking to bring this franchise back. They wouldnt do all of this if they didnt intend to do something with it in the future
I love how they dropped these out of nowhere and that it has generated so much buzz. I think it's both a product of the loyal fanbase and also just a general starvation of quality content that the current videogame landscape is feeling. Hopefully the buzz for this game turns into commercial success. Seeing games like this and Indy succeed while games like Justice League, Concord, and other souless live service games fails is a very positive sign for the industry.
You know what makes this remaster even more awesome? It was headed up by the #1 Soul Reaver fan in the world Raina Audron. This woman knows all there is to know about the lore and the game and had already released her own high res texture pack for the game many years ago. A lot of what she did on her own retexture pack helped with the remaster. Pretty damn awesome, no one deserves it more. She also did the Tomb Raider remaster, her first paid dev gig... pretty wild.
I remember finding Soul Reaver on a demo CD from a magazine and was instantly hooked. I played that demo over and over until i got my hands on an official copy for PC. Finding out it was the third entry of a series, it was long journey to go through all the titles as well soul reaver sequel that came out while i was doing that. Was awesome when we got the final game that tied Legacy of Kain and Soul Reaver together properly for an ending. Great time, when people made games like these because they had a story to tell. Not because they just wanted to put a latest title out like modern assassins creed or call of duty games
OK wow man. Thank you so much for how you ended that. I'm surprised to say I literally got a tear in my eye over that. Beyond this series, that's a line for the times, these days.
It finally happened. Here we are, years later. I finally know what its like to see something get remastered. And its good, some flaws but nothing that is too terrible. The best part of this game is all the bonus content that nearly broke me. I was crying seeing outtakes, the concept art, fanart. What a great earlier Christmas.
Ya want to know what's really crazy? I got interested in this series because of a MediEvil fanfic cross over with Soul Reaver . I believe it was called Lost Soul by Lancre_witch . Strictly Fantasy's channel here on youtube also helped peek my interest in the series.
Hearing you talk about how much the LoK series means to you really hits home for me. I found Soul Reaver when I was 11, hearing the at the time unknown word 'Deified' had me literally going to grab a dictionary to look it up. That game, and Amy Hennig's writing on the series in general, changed my life. I genuinely don't know if I would be the same person without that game. When I got into my Junior year of college on my Creative Writing degree, we had to write a fairly long essay about why we write and what inspires us. I wrote about Amy Hennig, and about Soul Reaver. About how the games themes inspired me, how they made me want to create. I am so, so fucking glad this series is being brought back into the spotlight where it deserves to be.
Currently playing as I’m listening and I’m in love all over again. I will admit the graphical changes make some things in the environment look a bit jarring but the characters look amazing and I’m having a blast.
As a result of people who review and do retrospectives (you, Son), I am absolutely stoked about this. This will have to be my Xmas gift to myself and what a gift it will be!
I highly recommend everyone go watch Noclip's documentary about legacy of kain that also released yesterday. It was very cool to see how much it was fans being able to help and even lead this project, which is why i think it turned out so well. The project lead literally had been a fandom leader and she remastered the game by herself a few years ago, so they hired her for the actual game. Its awesome. I hope i'll finally be able to get to play these. When i was a kid, i never got to play it simply because i didnt know how to find it. All i hsd was a demo disc that had the first level, and i would replay it over and over again, both terrified of it and amazed. Now i'll finally get to satisfy that childhood dream
It also adds something that is terribly underrated: (in fact, not even mentioned in the review) subtitles. Many of the games from that era did not have subtitles, which also limits accessibility - and adding them to remasters in never a given.
I'M SO EXCITED! God I remember playing Soul Reaver 2 at night after buying a PS2 with my first job. Both Raziel and Kain have god tier voice actors and I can't wait to dive back in.
The remaster really matches the graphics of Defiance. Hope that gets a remaster too soon. Because i love this series so much i will be buying this asap.
6:15 yeah, you really notice the day/night cycle; especially going to the second boss, zephon, outside his lair, it was so dark, I had to turn up my tvs brightness.
Your first video of information on this series is a compendium that i drooled over. I was astounded of the news of this remaster and was skeptical of a cash grab. No longer though and i am happy
So excited to binge these games this weekend! I’m gonna buy them for my ps5 and series x and switch to support I really hope they make a new one if they sell well
I've seen several videos on this game despite never having played it, and here today you post this, followed by a Noclip doc about it, so I guess I have a "new" game to play.
Being able to change the graphics at will is what sold me 1000% I love this series since i was a kid and am honestly not a big fan of the remastered graphics and designs. PLEASE let this be a success, this series has been treated so unfairly by the industry.
It’s so great to be able to play these on PC and they just work out of the box. Going through SR1 again so far has been awesome. It’s also super funny how similar it feels to the Tomb Raider remasters with the options for both the original and new graphics that you can change with a button, additional levels (there it was the expansions from the PC versions, here the bonus cut levels) and generally trying to keep the aesthetic similar to the originals. Tomb Raider felt like they tried to recapture the look of the various high quality CG renders you’d see in old magazines and promotional material, here it seems to mimic the CG cutscenes like the openings and endings of both.
Nice review! I'm hearing good things about the game's sales performance so far, and I hope it leads to Defiance getting a remastered edition just like Soul Reaver. Of course, being the bright-eyed optimist that I am, I'd hope that they could integrate a user-controlled camera for Defiance, as opposed to the fixed one in the original game. Considering everything they did for the Soul Reaver remasters, anything's possible.
I played Soul Reaver on Dreamcast in the early 2000s and it was a major part of my childhood. It was the first Metroidvania-like game I remember playing, and I was amazed that the game world regularly changed as you played and gained new abilities. I've been looking for a similar game for almost 25 years, but could never scratch that itch. So when I saw the announcement trailer, I'm telling you that I watched it with my hand covering my mouth and tears flowing. It's not just a nostalgic game, it's THE nostalgic game!
I waited to buy the remaster until it actually came out, to see if it actually lived up to the hype, and now that several people I trust have said that it is good, I'll buy it with my next paycheck. I love Legacy of Kain, and have replayed the games many, many times, rewatched the cutscenes and listened to the soundtrack even more, and spent hours of my teenage years on The Lost Worlds and Dark Chronicles fansites. These games are true works of art, and even if we never get a proper conclusion to the saga of Kain, I am at the very least happy that people will have easy access to these games in the forseable future.
I have my PS1/2 copies of Soul Reaver 1 and 2. And Defiance also. Still bought these remasters for Xbox a few hours ago. We need to support this if we want another, new Soul Reaver game
Hell yeah! This is great. I'm picking this up right away. Soul Reaver 2 was one of my favorite video games back in the day. I'm disappointed that my YT playlist of Cinematics and Cut Scenes from the games have been removed, yet this might explain why. Oh, well, now there are Remasted, HD versions to collect.
I love it. As a player who watches yours and so many other LoK videos over the years, deeply missing this series, I love what Aspyr did. Not just for me, but for my kids. It's such a joy to see my sons put down Fortnite and genuinely enjoy a game I played when I was not much older than they are now. Aspyr did such a grand job here it makes me sad that they had Knights of the Old Republic taken from them. It probably would have been awesome too.
Well, let's hope this remaster marks the beginning of a resurgence, because suppose you throw a coin enough times... suppose one day, it lands on its edge...
The thing that bothers me about the collection is that Defiance is missing. Isn't it super frustrating to finish these 2 and then end up missing the resolution to the story?
This is the kind of remaster that i love. The team has shown nothing but love and care of the original versions, bringing these titles to the modern age.Ive been playing the original version on my ps3 and cant wait to make the journey once again. You are indeed worthy, Raziel. Welcome home ❤🦇
I never thought these games would return. Of all games deserving of remastered or remake, Soul Reaver has always been my top of list. The story, lore, world building, music, and voice acting is still top-notch. Now, all I want is a full-on remake from the ground up on modern hardware that stays true to the original in every way.
Right before these remasters were announced I literally just bought Blood Omen 1, Soul Reaver 1, and Soul Reaver 2 on my PS3 to play through the entire series (I already own Defiance) just to get this remaster which is what I really wanted cause I wanted to play them on emulators so I can manually upscale them but Aspyr did it for me. This is one of my happiest buys in a long time.
All hail Raina for bringing this game to life if you aren’t aware she is solely responsible for the high quality texture overhaul mods for Soul Reaver and created the online database for the series. Nothing greater than seeing a huge fan of the series being offered to direct the remaster and it’s no wonder it’s so close to the OG.
I just started playing and time just flew by. I have to go to sleep. It is amazing! The voice acting, the music, story, all of it with a nice face-lift! I can only hope for it's success and maybe a revival and true ending to this Masterpiece!
Im in love with this game since i was a kid with my PS1. This remaster is amazing. NOW I REALLY WANT A DEFIANCE REMASTERRRR. Buy this game to support the whole saga...please dont pirate it!
When they first introduced the Raziel character, just about everyone thought he was so cool lookin'. I was super surprised when there wasn't a whole line of games, successful comics, an animated film or series, merchandise, etc etc etc. It really, really seemed like the character had enough popularity for at least some of these things to happen...but they released 1 sequel and that's that. I hope it catches on better this time. It'd be cool to see a full retelling/reimagining of the Legacy Of Kain series from the beginning.
The Legacy of Kain series is one of my favourites, I was blown away by the Soul Reaver demo when it was released and brought the fall game as soon as it came out! I even have Kain’s clan symbol tattooed on my left arm.
Heck yes! Let this pave the way for more Soul Reaver/Kain content & quality with future Star Wars projects Aspyr works on (they can hit with bounty Hunter, or miss with Battlefront.)
I remember playing the 1st, 2nd and defiance and it was games that I really enjoyed. Games like tomb raider, metal gear or resident evil were really popular at the time and Soul Reaver was a much darker game set in a fantasy world.
Not sure whether you are aware, but there's an upcoming backerkit for LoK for an encyclopedia and lore book (Legacy of Kain: The Book of Nosgoth) and TTRPG (Legacy of Kain: Scourge of the Sarafan) that are both being officially backed by Crystal Dynamics. It's due to go live in late January.
i remember watching a trailer of this game back when i was 8 on my ps1. it was on a cd of another game. i remember wanting to play it so bad but it was nowhere to be found so i never got the game. it really is a wonderful thing that we can play it now.
This was made by Saber like Tomb Raider 1-3 wasn't it? Not Aspyr? Aspyr seems bad at the whole remaster thing, but they are fine when they just publish them it seems. Saber seems Nightdive level or close when it comes to remasters, which is nice.
Big companies can keep churning the same ol tripleA crap all they want, as long as small projects like these are done, i'll be just fine, thank you very much😁
I'm really hoping this means we'll see more interest in continuing the Legacy of Kain series. They've always been brilliant and the remaster has been a great nostalgia trip for me! Michael Bell's voice makes Raziel deeply likable.
We now live in a time where the Legacy of Kain series is gaining popularity and might even get another sequel one day. I never thought I'd be able to say that in my lifetime. 😁
If they decide to make more of these games, the community will split and crumble. Some will hate the new games without the voice actors or with AI voice acting in their place, some will hate the writing and dialogue especially if they choose to abase it to a "f. u vampire" level once more, and some will struggle to keep their hopes alive for receiving something that was meant for a different world 25 years ago and can not exist in today's reality. I understand the remasters are a test, I thank the people for the work they put in them and I believe they are the peak the series will get without turning it into a mockery of its former self.
This a game I thought was crap, until I fell in love with Switch and Nintendo. I only play on that system so this looks right up my alley these days. Will buy today.
What do you think of these Remasters?
It feels like an eternity has passed and my torment has receded, bringing me back from the precipice of madness.
It's 10:45 am here in NY and i bought it on sale yesterday on steam. It doesn't unlock until 12pm noon. I'm literally itching to play it.
It's gonna be so weird to play this without warping textures. I love these games
I think it's okay
@YourFavoriteSon1 glad for new people to get onto the franchise over all , I don't really care that it's a remaster I'm just glad the games are even being talked about
Please God ... Let this game be a success ... People need to know this franchise, a dark fantasy that can easily rival the titans of the genre
I think they already said the sales are doing much better than expected so that's good
They can't play the original sadly when it's so easy to just go and get but yeah whatever.
not to be a downer, but recent history has taught me to be afraid when many people get to know a dear franchise.. the target audience tends to shift and the original appreciators are always disapointed with the new direction of said franchise.
i am happy that i get to play a polished soul reaver 25 years later, but i dread a possible future installment might lose its soul (pun intended)
@SolidSnakePlissken108 Yes, yes, and yes it's always the new people who know nothing at all that the companies target and forget the old fans and make everything MID now.
I bought Soul Reaver a week before I met my wife and was obsessively playing it in the opening months of the relationship. 25 years together, we are still together and the circle has come fully around. I'll be booting this up this weekend to celebrate an old friend and hope this is a well-deserved rebirth in popularity. I'll also be playing it along with my two grown sons. Absolutely surreal.
Congratulations brother
You've made it, man. Living the dream. The circle has been fulfilled. Enjoy the fruits of your labor. Well deserved.
So close to my story as well! Kudos for a life well worth living...
Holy Nosgoth....Did the coin finally....FINALLY, land on it's damn edge?
It has at least ben launched again. Let's see how it lands.
More like, the coin has been flipped again. Letting us taste again that terrible illusion. Hope...
IT HECKIN DID MY DUDE! 😮😮😮😮 WE WON THE INTERNETS! LOLZ!!!
Really think it did
@@deecap71 if you really wanna know if this will take off just check sales at the 30 day mark, so far it's been selling good from what I've heard, if it's good enough they might put some work into this series hopefully
finally, it feels like this channel has come full circle, what a journey.
Feels good to close out a chapter
@@YourFavoriteSon1not and end, but lets hope for a new beginning.
If you were ever even kind of a fan, show up and support this
So happy we are finally here, feels unreal
Buying two, one for my brother for christmas and one for me!
@@slofobra4966 oddly, I _also_ bought it twice, with the secondary recipient being my brother.
I bought the remasters yesterday but haven’t had time to play them yet 😩
I waited so long for someting related to LoK. Im poor af right now, but the moment that i can get some spare money i will buy it no doubt.
@@Mortadelagranizada drop me ur steam ID if ur on pc
Imagine a remaster of Defiance with a free camera
This would basically free the game in ways. It would require more space and a completely redesigned camera, but the game wouldn't be frustrating to play.
Please do. PLEASE
I'm praying like the human in soul reaver
stop you're gonna make me cum
There's a lot more wrong with defiance than camera. the repeating boring dungeons really suck
Boy, your first Legacy of Kain review is why I am still here 2 years later.
Great work son.
Same
The beggining scene was probably one of the best of any game I've ever played. If they could make another, but keep the seriousness, dark, grittyness, even the style (non toonish) id be in love.
Soul Reaver was one of the first "Cinematic Games" that really made you want to keep playing to learn what all was going on and keep the story moving. While I never played the Original Blood Omen, I started with Blood Omen 2 and played all the rest. I just loved it. I remember hating Kain until later in the series when you start putting all the pieces of the grand story together. And I think that was due to the great writing and how well Kain was portrayed as the villain in Soul Reaver 1. I first saw the Steam Page for the Remaster last week. I bought it the moment I saw it...
I still remember the first time I heard Raziel say to Kain "Hey dad, it's me, your favorite son" when he encountered him in the throne room of the pillars. That was epic.
"Become my Soul Reaver, my angel of death" in the beginning was always epic for me.
Halo did switching between old and new about a decade ago - I think all remasters should do this personally
i think it started with the Monkey Island remakes, they had that switching from new to old thing back in 2009!
@ never said halo was the first just it the first one that comes to my mind
@@ccliffy90 oh yeah i also never said that i thought you said that..... i was just stating that i think it might have started with blabla, you know xD
the new Tomb Raider remasters do as well (equally as seamlessly too)
It seems pretty logical since these remasters are made by the same company. The technology is probably different, but the approach has been preserved since Halo remaster.
Damn this almost brings tears to my eyes. Watched my dad and brother play the first game as a kid and remember playing the sequel with my brother when we got our ps2. To this day, we would always talk about our hopes for the series to be revisited at some point because it was more than deserving. I've watched your Legacy of Kain retrospective video soooo much throughout the years and couldn't wait to hear your thoughts! This is really the best Christmas gift we could've gotten. Also, Son, thank you for your work!!
I like this kind of remaster. It is like the nostalgia-glasses version because in your head old games look better than they actually did.
100%
I was surprised to find that Saber also worked on this. They're behind two absolute bangers this year in both this and Space Marine 2
The ability to even make sense of these game files took YEARS.
The de-archiving process... I'm just glad they did it.
Thank you Saber for doing what Crystal Dynamics refused to.
The fact that they are working on a prequel comic and now this remaster coming out and actually being good. Im very convinced that they are definitely looking to bring this franchise back. They wouldnt do all of this if they didnt intend to do something with it in the future
I love how they dropped these out of nowhere and that it has generated so much buzz. I think it's both a product of the loyal fanbase and also just a general starvation of quality content that the current videogame landscape is feeling. Hopefully the buzz for this game turns into commercial success. Seeing games like this and Indy succeed while games like Justice League, Concord, and other souless live service games fails is a very positive sign for the industry.
I truly believe that your retrospective has had an impact on these being released, well done, Son
You know what makes this remaster even more awesome? It was headed up by the #1 Soul Reaver fan in the world Raina Audron. This woman knows all there is to know about the lore and the game and had already released her own high res texture pack for the game many years ago. A lot of what she did on her own retexture pack helped with the remaster. Pretty damn awesome, no one deserves it more. She also did the Tomb Raider remaster, her first paid dev gig... pretty wild.
I remember finding Soul Reaver on a demo CD from a magazine and was instantly hooked. I played that demo over and over until i got my hands on an official copy for PC. Finding out it was the third entry of a series, it was long journey to go through all the titles as well soul reaver sequel that came out while i was doing that. Was awesome when we got the final game that tied Legacy of Kain and Soul Reaver together properly for an ending. Great time, when people made games like these because they had a story to tell. Not because they just wanted to put a latest title out like modern assassins creed or call of duty games
i remember scouring youtube years ago for LoK content, i am so happy it is getting the love and support it deserves.
OK wow man.
Thank you so much for how you ended that.
I'm surprised to say I literally got a tear in my eye over that.
Beyond this series, that's a line for the times, these days.
Gonna be binging these games when I get home from work. Woot!🎉 happy day!
It finally happened. Here we are, years later. I finally know what its like to see something get remastered. And its good, some flaws but nothing that is too terrible. The best part of this game is all the bonus content that nearly broke me. I was crying seeing outtakes, the concept art, fanart. What a great earlier Christmas.
We used to pray for times like this.
This game has escaped too many people's radars for too long. I hope this will give it the attention it deserves.
Ya want to know what's really crazy?
I got interested in this series because of a MediEvil fanfic cross over with Soul Reaver .
I believe it was called Lost Soul by Lancre_witch .
Strictly Fantasy's channel here on youtube also helped peek my interest in the series.
Hearing you talk about how much the LoK series means to you really hits home for me. I found Soul Reaver when I was 11, hearing the at the time unknown word 'Deified' had me literally going to grab a dictionary to look it up. That game, and Amy Hennig's writing on the series in general, changed my life. I genuinely don't know if I would be the same person without that game. When I got into my Junior year of college on my Creative Writing degree, we had to write a fairly long essay about why we write and what inspires us. I wrote about Amy Hennig, and about Soul Reaver. About how the games themes inspired me, how they made me want to create.
I am so, so fucking glad this series is being brought back into the spotlight where it deserves to be.
Currently playing as I’m listening and I’m in love all over again. I will admit the graphical changes make some things in the environment look a bit jarring but the characters look amazing and I’m having a blast.
I agree, the new graphics are a new flavor. Some things are really well done and others are a slight downgrade. But it's an overall positive.
As a result of people who review and do retrospectives (you, Son), I am absolutely stoked about this. This will have to be my Xmas gift to myself and what a gift it will be!
I highly recommend everyone go watch Noclip's documentary about legacy of kain that also released yesterday. It was very cool to see how much it was fans being able to help and even lead this project, which is why i think it turned out so well. The project lead literally had been a fandom leader and she remastered the game by herself a few years ago, so they hired her for the actual game. Its awesome.
I hope i'll finally be able to get to play these. When i was a kid, i never got to play it simply because i didnt know how to find it. All i hsd was a demo disc that had the first level, and i would replay it over and over again, both terrified of it and amazed. Now i'll finally get to satisfy that childhood dream
It also adds something that is terribly underrated: (in fact, not even mentioned in the review) subtitles. Many of the games from that era did not have subtitles, which also limits accessibility - and adding them to remasters in never a given.
This is the biggest positive addition in the remaster in my opinion.
I'M SO EXCITED! God I remember playing Soul Reaver 2 at night after buying a PS2 with my first job. Both Raziel and Kain have god tier voice actors and I can't wait to dive back in.
The remaster really matches the graphics of Defiance. Hope that gets a remaster too soon. Because i love this series so much i will be buying this asap.
Worth mentioning this fall saw also the release for the blood omen / soul reaver collection for Evercade. Great card :)
6:15 yeah, you really notice the day/night cycle; especially going to the second boss, zephon, outside his lair, it was so dark, I had to turn up my tvs brightness.
Yeah, in the remaster it feels way more noticeable.
I'm holding out for a physical release, but it's great to know they hit the mark with this. These games deserve greatness.
I hope we'll get one. The Tomb Raider Remasters did get a limited physical release so I'm hopeful.
Your first video of information on this series is a compendium that i drooled over.
I was astounded of the news of this remaster and was skeptical of a cash grab. No longer though and i am happy
One series to rule them all.... I'mma go buy this now so that I show my utmost support for this LEGENDARY series.
Hey son, just wanted to thank you for getting me into this series!
Thank you for the video! And a BIG thank you for saying Raziel instead of Razael this time! :D
Only took me three years but I finally learned
So excited to binge these games this weekend! I’m gonna buy them for my ps5 and series x and switch to support I really hope they make a new one if they sell well
I've seen several videos on this game despite never having played it, and here today you post this, followed by a Noclip doc about it, so I guess I have a "new" game to play.
You wont regret it. Story in this game is masterpiecie even in todays standards.
Easily one of the best videogame stories ever, period. I’d hazard and say it’s even one of the best narratives ever written.
@@Morgormiragreed!
dear mr. son,
thx for the video. i'm happy that you liked the remasters.
best regards,
Being able to change the graphics at will is what sold me 1000% I love this series since i was a kid and am honestly not a big fan of the remastered graphics and designs. PLEASE let this be a success, this series has been treated so unfairly by the industry.
It’s so great to be able to play these on PC and they just work out of the box. Going through SR1 again so far has been awesome.
It’s also super funny how similar it feels to the Tomb Raider remasters with the options for both the original and new graphics that you can change with a button, additional levels (there it was the expansions from the PC versions, here the bonus cut levels) and generally trying to keep the aesthetic similar to the originals. Tomb Raider felt like they tried to recapture the look of the various high quality CG renders you’d see in old magazines and promotional material, here it seems to mimic the CG cutscenes like the openings and endings of both.
After 25 years we deserve a full on remake or re-imagining.
Thank you for these videos. Love the format, calm demeanor and heads up on giving context, spoiler etc..
the original LoK video is why i subbed i'm eagerly waiting to replay this game
Feels unreal. Been waiting 20 years for any kind of revival of the series. Can't wait to play it tonight.
Nice review! I'm hearing good things about the game's sales performance so far, and I hope it leads to Defiance getting a remastered edition just like Soul Reaver. Of course, being the bright-eyed optimist that I am, I'd hope that they could integrate a user-controlled camera for Defiance, as opposed to the fixed one in the original game.
Considering everything they did for the Soul Reaver remasters, anything's possible.
I played Soul Reaver on Dreamcast in the early 2000s and it was a major part of my childhood. It was the first Metroidvania-like game I remember playing, and I was amazed that the game world regularly changed as you played and gained new abilities. I've been looking for a similar game for almost 25 years, but could never scratch that itch. So when I saw the announcement trailer, I'm telling you that I watched it with my hand covering my mouth and tears flowing. It's not just a nostalgic game, it's THE nostalgic game!
LETSGOOOO
PLEASE REVIVE THIS SERIES!! 🙏
I waited to buy the remaster until it actually came out, to see if it actually lived up to the hype, and now that several people I trust have said that it is good, I'll buy it with my next paycheck. I love Legacy of Kain, and have replayed the games many, many times, rewatched the cutscenes and listened to the soundtrack even more, and spent hours of my teenage years on The Lost Worlds and Dark Chronicles fansites. These games are true works of art, and even if we never get a proper conclusion to the saga of Kain, I am at the very least happy that people will have easy access to these games in the forseable future.
I have my PS1/2 copies of Soul Reaver 1 and 2. And Defiance also. Still bought these remasters for Xbox a few hours ago. We need to support this if we want another, new Soul Reaver game
Hell yeah! This is great.
I'm picking this up right away. Soul Reaver 2 was one of my favorite video games back in the day. I'm disappointed that my YT playlist of Cinematics and Cut Scenes from the games have been removed, yet this might explain why.
Oh, well, now there are Remasted, HD versions to collect.
I love it. As a player who watches yours and so many other LoK videos over the years, deeply missing this series, I love what Aspyr did. Not just for me, but for my kids. It's such a joy to see my sons put down Fortnite and genuinely enjoy a game I played when I was not much older than they are now.
Aspyr did such a grand job here it makes me sad that they had Knights of the Old Republic taken from them. It probably would have been awesome too.
Well, let's hope this remaster marks the beginning of a resurgence, because suppose you throw a coin enough times... suppose one day, it lands on its edge...
The thing that bothers me about the collection is that Defiance is missing. Isn't it super frustrating to finish these 2 and then end up missing the resolution to the story?
This is the kind of remaster that i love. The team has shown nothing but love and care of the original versions, bringing these titles to the modern age.Ive been playing the original version on my ps3 and cant wait to make the journey once again. You are indeed worthy, Raziel. Welcome home ❤🦇
I never thought these games would return. Of all games deserving of remastered or remake, Soul Reaver has always been my top of list. The story, lore, world building, music, and voice acting is still top-notch. Now, all I want is a full-on remake from the ground up on modern hardware that stays true to the original in every way.
Right before these remasters were announced I literally just bought Blood Omen 1, Soul Reaver 1, and Soul Reaver 2 on my PS3 to play through the entire series (I already own Defiance) just to get this remaster which is what I really wanted cause I wanted to play them on emulators so I can manually upscale them but Aspyr did it for me. This is one of my happiest buys in a long time.
All hail Raina for bringing this game to life if you aren’t aware she is solely responsible for the high quality texture overhaul mods for Soul Reaver and created the online database for the series.
Nothing greater than seeing a huge fan of the series being offered to direct the remaster and it’s no wonder it’s so close to the OG.
I just started playing and time just flew by. I have to go to sleep. It is amazing! The voice acting, the music, story, all of it with a nice face-lift! I can only hope for it's success and maybe a revival and true ending to this Masterpiece!
Im in love with this game since i was a kid with my PS1. This remaster is amazing. NOW I REALLY WANT A DEFIANCE REMASTERRRR. Buy this game to support the whole saga...please dont pirate it!
Best news I’ve heard in a long time. You really are my favorite son. Fingers crossed that they do more remasters and even reboot the franchise.
When they first introduced the Raziel character, just about everyone thought he was so cool lookin'. I was super surprised when there wasn't a whole line of games, successful comics, an animated film or series, merchandise, etc etc etc. It really, really seemed like the character had enough popularity for at least some of these things to happen...but they released 1 sequel and that's that.
I hope it catches on better this time. It'd be cool to see a full retelling/reimagining of the Legacy Of Kain series from the beginning.
The Legacy of Kain series is one of my favourites, I was blown away by the Soul Reaver demo when it was released and brought the fall game as soon as it came out! I even have Kain’s clan symbol tattooed on my left arm.
God I hope this does well, AMAZING games. Voice acting is second to NONE
Heck yes! Let this pave the way for more Soul Reaver/Kain content & quality with future Star Wars projects Aspyr works on (they can hit with bounty Hunter, or miss with Battlefront.)
As long as it does well I think we're in for some interesting projects
I love how they added the feature to switch back to the original graphics by clicking R3
I played the games as a kid when I couldn't get a full grasp of the story.
Really looking forward to playing them again as an adult.
I remember playing the 1st, 2nd and defiance and it was games that I really enjoyed. Games like tomb raider, metal gear or resident evil were really popular at the time and Soul Reaver was a much darker game set in a fantasy world.
Not sure whether you are aware, but there's an upcoming backerkit for LoK for an encyclopedia and lore book (Legacy of Kain: The Book of Nosgoth) and TTRPG (Legacy of Kain: Scourge of the Sarafan) that are both being officially backed by Crystal Dynamics. It's due to go live in late January.
It was one of the games i had wished got a remaster for so long that when it did i thought i was dreaming
The glorious day has finally come. Much love to all Legacy of Kain fans out there, old and new!
It is thanks to you that i learned about the series and im having a great time on my first play through!
Can't wait to play. Should have also done the final part as well so had the whole story.
I was so surprised they were remastering it. I thought It was going to get left in the dirt.🙌🙌
I am going to finally make my childhood dream into playing it!!
I just found out today and GOD, it Made me happy...
All the stuff they included is badass. I love this series, had the first soul reaver cover on my bday cake.
i remember watching a trailer of this game back when i was 8 on my ps1. it was on a cd of another game. i remember wanting to play it so bad but it was nowhere to be found so i never got the game. it really is a wonderful thing that we can play it now.
Can’t wait to play this after work today
This was made by Saber like Tomb Raider 1-3 wasn't it? Not Aspyr? Aspyr seems bad at the whole remaster thing, but they are fine when they just publish them it seems. Saber seems Nightdive level or close when it comes to remasters, which is nice.
Yep
I have not played these games but I'm very intrigued.
aspyr been doin great job at remastering these old games
Big companies can keep churning the same ol tripleA crap all they want, as long as small projects like these are done, i'll be just fine, thank you very much😁
I'm really hoping this means we'll see more interest in continuing the Legacy of Kain series. They've always been brilliant and the remaster has been a great nostalgia trip for me! Michael Bell's voice makes Raziel deeply likable.
We now live in a time where the Legacy of Kain series is gaining popularity and might even get another sequel one day. I never thought I'd be able to say that in my lifetime. 😁
The exact video essay that introduced me to the Son I never knew I had is now back remastered. I believe the kids say, " let's go ". Skibidi dibidi do
I can’t believe aspyr media of all people pulled this off.
I still have soul reaver 1 on ps1. This timeline is wild.
WOW, i loved SR1- as impactful and memorable to me as games like Metal Gear Solid. Had no idea it was barely playable till now - buying this now!
If they decide to make more of these games, the community will split and crumble. Some will hate the new games without the voice actors or with AI voice acting in their place, some will hate the writing and dialogue especially if they choose to abase it to a "f. u vampire" level once more, and some will struggle to keep their hopes alive for receiving something that was meant for a different world 25 years ago and can not exist in today's reality.
I understand the remasters are a test, I thank the people for the work they put in them and I believe they are the peak the series will get without turning it into a mockery of its former self.
9:36 "A neat addition that isn't really that noteworthy are just the achievements" - Son, you have no idea how big of a deal this is to some of us.
This a game I thought was crap, until I fell in love with Switch and Nintendo. I only play on that system so this looks right up my alley these days. Will buy today.
Always been interested in the series, but never bothered to actually pick any of them up.
Guess now is a good time to actually give them a go.
Shame Defiance wasn't included in this remaster collection.