Blood Omen 2 - Action-Adventure Video Game for PC & Consoles | Dark Fantasy RPG with Vampire Storyline - Perfect for Horror Game Fans & Gothic Adventure Lovers

Kain finally returns in Blood Omen 2, but this latest installment in the series is missing some of what made the first Legacy of Kain such an enjoyable game.Gameplay is very straightforward. Kain must progress through the world of Nosgoth by killing his enemies and solving puzzles. This is where some of the problems come in. Combat is all right, but Kain has very few options available to him. Attack, block, grab, and that's it. Occasionally you can use a Dark Gift (more on that in a minute) in battle, but it's nothing more than a stronger attack. Boss battles are usually more interesting, but in general, combat leaves something to be desired. The puzzles in the game are all very simple, and so they get tedious. Finally, the game is linear in the extreme. There is never a time when you can deviate from the path and explore a little; you're always on the one, pre-set course through the game.Kain also has a number of Dark Gifts at his disposal, which he collects throughout the game. These can be pretty interesting. For example, you can change into mist (if there is mist present) and sneak past guards, or kill them stealthily, instantly. You can make insanely long jumps from one rooftop to another, like you'd see in The Matrix. You can control NPCs and force them to do your will. This is good stuff, but I wish there had been more of a focus on it, and that Kain had more varied abilities. The first Blood Omen had more variety.Graphically, the game is fairly good. The atmosphere of Nosgoth is conveyed very well; it's definitely not a place you'd want to live, and it shows in the scenery, the ambient sound effects, and the bits of overheard conversation. The character models (other than Kain) seem relatively basic. There are some clipping problems as well. All in all, the graphics could be better for the XBox version of this game. They're decent, and get the job done, but it's not a game you'd use to show off the graphical power of the XBox.The cutscenes in the game are top-notch. The first Blood Omen featured some of the best voice acting you could find on the PSX, and the quality does not disappoint here either. Plus, Kain is such a cool character, you look forward to seeing him interact with the other characters in the game (aside from drinking their blood, that is).Ultimately, the game's many good points can't completely make up for the often-repetitive gameplay. Nosgoth is a fascinating world, and Kain a fun character to play, but the game can get boring at times, and with its very strict linearity, replay value is virtually zero. It's definitely worth a purchase, since you can now buy this at about half its original price (or less), but the first Blood Omen was the superior game.Awesone price and came in case with instructions. Usually for these low prices these old games are disc only so when you get the case and manual it's a bonus.My husband has been wanting this game for a long time. It was the only game in the series that he did not beat. It came in two days early, still factory sealed, and plays perfectly. He is super excited about it and I am glad I could find it for him!I played and owned the PlayStation 2 version at one time, and I still enjoy this game. It was a lot tougher to me back then but I'm more than halfway through it. Great story to see how Kain came to power before creating Raziel in the preceding game Legacy of Kain Soul Reaver.Its a little rough to play. The camera gets in the way alot and the game play is slow. I played legacy of kain defiance before this and it may have set my expectations to high.I expected at least slightly better graphics, or maybe a little bonus of some other kind, but I got none. I bought my X-Box because of it's superior graphics, unfortunately some developers just are not taking advantage to the X-Box's superior graphics.The seller represented the item as "used, very good". It's more like heavily used & scratched disk. Did you use this as a dog's frisbee?Works well and arrived on timeAmazing game I used to play back in the day, the product was in relatively good condition.