We need to have an uncomfortable chat about the Legacy of Kain series.

[House_Of_Lightning]

Owned Blood Omen before I ever played Diablo. Thought it was such a fantastic game. Never really played the other titles, rented "Blood Omen 2" without knowing much about it based on my appreciation for the first title.

Boy was I disappointed.

Honestly? I don't think anyone other than maybe Dyack can really do the lore justice and no one wants to work with him.

OP should look into Deadhaus Sonata, Dyack's spiritual successor to Blood Omen. I don't have high hopes, honestly.

 

[RestEerie]

History abhors a paradox.

 

[PlanetSmasher]

Can it exist without Amy Hennig?

Click to shrink...

Probably. I'm fairly certain it existed before her.

 

[Tiggleton]

The quotes absolutely break the flow of your post.

 

[Cloud-Hidden]

I read the entire post, OP. Great work; you made a wonderful thread.

As a youngster I remember seeing ads for Soul Reaver in magazines and really wanting to play it, but I never did. I guess I never will properly experience this series.

The quotes absolutely break the flow of your post.

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As someone who earned their living for four years as a writer and editor, I completely disagree. Also... Did you really wade through that incredible OP just to make a drive-by criticism? What the hell.

 

[Baccus]

They should have released Dead Sun.

Really.

 

[Baccus]

You know What could save the series

A Netflix series

 

[rawhide]

Why does everything need to continue into perpetuity? Let that shit rot in peace.

 

[DeaconKnowledge]

As soon as I read the title I knew this was a Mama thread.

It's really a shame american devs tend to shy away from single player epics nowadays. With the popularity of titles like dark souls and the Witcher it would be a perfect time to revive this series.

 

[Gacha Santa Alter]

Based on the thread title, I thought this was going to be about Legacy of Kain being racist.

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I thought it was going to be about how the games aged like fine milk.

This was a thouroughly enjoyable read about a series I was always fascinated about, but could never get into because I missed the bus back when the Playstation games were released. And when I tried Blood Omen a few years back... well, let's just say I didn't have a good time. Reading this now I suppose it being the Playstation version didn't help matters.

 

[Village]

Why does everything need to continue into perpetuity? Let that shit rot in peace.

Click to shrink...

People would like new entries in a thing they like, particularly if its unlike anything they regularly experience

 

[Border]

I don't see why they couldn't make another game as just a full-on reboot of the franchise. Then you don't need to fill new players in on the lore.

If Bloodlines 2 is popular, I can definitely imagine them letting Crystal Dynamics have a crack at it.

 

[MYeager]

Great OP.

One of the IPs I truly wish would get revitalized in some form

 

[Border]

Tomb Raider seems to be at the end of its rope. Deus Ex is dead and buried. Thief is hopeless. IO Interactive left and took Hitman with them.

At this point, it seems like Square-Enix might as well give Kain/Soul Reaver a shot, since all their other prominent IPs are so long in the tooth.

 

[∀∃:ETURNA]

Incredible series. My first experience with it is the Dreamcast version of Soul Reaver. I'll never forget the lines spoken in that game. They echo in my mind to this day.

I would love to see a remake of Blood Omen and its sequels. I feel, at this point, it would be the only way to bring the series to new audiences without majorly breaking anything. Sadly, it will never happen.

 

[Gray]

Excellent thread, Mama Robotnik. Thanks!

I remember playing the demo of the original game from a PC gaming mag CD back in 1997 and getting the full version day one. I loved it so much, it was unlike anything I ever played before it. I must have played the game two or three times, it was probably my favorite game at the time. Then Soul Reaver came out and it was a disappointment, I never finished it. Didn't play its sequel either despite hearing good things about it. I did play (part of) that abomination of a game called Blood Omen 2, and that killed whatever interest I had left in a sequel to the series.

At this point I don't care at all about a sequel. I just want to be able to play the original game on PC, as I think it's a contained story and a truly magnificent game. I keep hoping one day it will appear on GOG in working condition, at which point I will gladly buy it, and play it again.

 

[Syril]

I remember playing the demo of the original game from a PC gaming mag CD back in 1997 and getting the full version day one. I loved it so much, it was unlike anything I ever played before it. I must have played the game two or three times, it was probably my favorite game at the time. Then Soul Reaver came out and it was a disappointment, I never finished it. Didn't play its sequel either despite hearing good things about it. I did play (part of) that abomination of a game called Blood Omen 2, and that killed whatever interest I had left in a sequel to the series.

Click to shrink...

Soul Reaver 2 does tie in super hard with Blood Omen.

 

[Atolm]

After Dead Sun the chances of a new game are next to minimal. It's a heavy single player game, one of those that don't get made anymore. We have Sony's blockbusters, but they're from a different breed. Kain/Soul Reaver are complex games, they require time and dedication. Remember when puzzles in games were mainstream? I'd prefer the series to stay dead than to go the way of Tomb Raider.

I would take a remake of SR1 with the cut content any day, though. Or a Legacy of Kain remake, even just a re-release would be big news. Anything about the classics, really, because as time goes on they become harder and harder to play on Windows lastest versions. Any of that is what those indie devs should aim for, before pitching a new game, imo.

 

[AtmaPhoenix]

Blood Omen was a fantastic game and I miss it terribly, and would totally get/play a rereleased. Soul Reaver was...less so. Never played any of the other games. But man, Blood Omen is a classic.

 

[Sankara]

Damn this is an amazing thread. Thanks Mama Robotnik !

 

[AMAGON]

shits dead Yo

 

[daninthemix]

Re-releasing and updating Blood Omen is exactly the sort of thing GOG does (hunting down and acquiring rights, etc). Here's hoping. The PS1 version has such awul load times.

 

[haradaku7]

Blood omen is the game I'm missing in the series. Should really hunt down a copy, never played it. soul reaver was my first entry and have been a fan ever since.

 

[25th Baam]

This thread hurts my soul :(

 

[Paradax]

For those who are interested, there's a fan patch for Blood Omen on PC that fixes most of the issues, starting with Windows 10 compatibility. It's the best way to play the game today.

 

[Cordy]

Dope read.

If they come out with a remake and it does well then yeah I can see the series continuing. Would be dope to play.

 

[hank_tree]

We got Shenmue 3. Never stop dreaming.

 

[Deleted member 19218]

The game brought it's own demise onto itself. The constant to be continued endings turned me away from the franchise.

I loved what I played but I want to play complete stories and not chapters, as a result I only hold Blood Omen in high regard. I would love to see another but I'm not surprised as to why gamers just gave up on the franchise.

Edit: This game is the perfect reason why reboots are good. For such a bloated mess the franchise became in terms of story and history, it needs to go back to square 1 and start over.

 

[WellbornWarrior]

I still cling to the hope that Amy Hennigs new indie studio will somehow end up with a Legacy of Kain game.

But it would be a hard sell if it continues where the other games left off. You would need to remake the whole thing before to explain the whole complicated story beforehand. And I fear it's a bit too complicated for todays gaming tastes.

 

[Kain-Nosgoth]

I never thought the serie would come back anyway... but great OP in any cases

Man if a sequel wasn't possible i always imagined a blood omen remake in full 3D, would have been great to explore nosgoth like that

 

[Deleted member 36578]

Never say never and where there's a will there's a way. I've played the games in this series and would absolutely be interested in a future entry.

 

[Nightfall]

This was a great, insightful, interesting and ultimately depressing read. It's one of my favorite franchises. And to see it being treated like this is a shame. I hope it comes back some time in the future. We'll never know.

 

[KamenRiderEra]

Wow OP. I've only played Soul Reaver but it is one of the most memorable games for me, both psone and Dreamcast versions.

Sad to say this but that dead sun game from the video is awful....

 

[Taker34]

Saw that avatar and knew Mama Robotnik would not disappoint.

Once again it hurts to know that another concept bites the dust. Omen sounds great on paper. A game similar to Diablo or Path of Exile could be quite intriguing imo.

Getting our hands on a leaked build of Dead Sun will be the only way we'll ever play a new LoK. I hope this will happen, for the sake of game preservation and because we - the fans - deserve it.

It's obvious SE is unable to deliver a product nor do they seem willing to do so in the first place. If every project seems like a financial risk they need to get rid of the IP.

 

[Tizoc]

If ever a new lok game gets made, get ian mckellen to voice the elder god or give him a character woth a major role in the story.
Sorry just wanted to get that out od my chest :x

 

[Aske]

I had no idea Blood Omen 2 was a strange mess with little value to the franchise.

I played Soul Reaver 2 and LoK: Defiance, and the stories in those were so compelling and well-explained that I never felt I was missing out on the Blood Omen games too much. I tried playing the first Soul Reaver via PS3 BC, but despite the incredible story, it was just too clunky, and I ended up bailing.

I'd love to see the franchise return. Defiance in particular was utterly superb, with its Devil May Cry influenced combat. Its ending is one of those moments in gaming I'll remember forever.

 

[Deleted member 388]

You know What could save the series

A Netflix series

Click to shrink...

Give it the Castlevania treatment with Amy Hennig writing.

 

[Ouroboros]

"the first bitter taste of that terrible illusion...hope."

I will never lose hope that this series will get picked back up and find its former glory. It's too important of a series to stay dead.

 

[striderno9]

Wow. What a thread. I can't wait to get to a PC to read all this.

 

[viskod]

Consider this, though:
someone brought Bubsy back

Click to shrink...

An injustice worthy of The Hague.

 

[sQr]

What a great thread OP! Thank you very much.

Crash is here. Spyro is here.
MediEvil is coming. Shenmue is coming.

There are so many remakes and reborns these days.
I think we still have hope.

 

[Ocean Bones]

Never played a single game but this seems like such an interesting franchise. So sad.

 

[Mentalist]

Blood Omen is steadily climbing to the top of GOG's "most requested" list. After those legal wizards brought System Shock 2 out of limbo, I will never stop hoping to see the original BO on my GOG shelf someday.

As for a new game... honestly, they need to resurrect Dark Prophecy as a full-on open world game where Old Kain continues to explore Nosgoth as Young Kain raises an army to ravage it.

That, or do a BO2 sequel starring Yanos Audron in the Demon realm, and go all Dark Souls on it. That's a largely untapped dimension in the Nosgoth lore and they can just drop some mentions of Azimuth in there to tie it to the main series, and then go totally nuts with it.

And I'm gonna be one of those people actually defending BO2. It wasn't amazing story-based (which, yeah, is a capital crime for an LoK game), but it had arguably the most solid gameplay, and some really cool world-building nuggets, as long as you actually stopped to appreciate them.

Good thread, OP. Sad state of affairs, but good thread nonetheless.

 

[striderno9]

Blood Omen is the first game I ever bought and played for the PS1. I had never heard of it until I picked it up off the shelf. The box art seemed cool so I gave it a shot. I fell in love with it. And Soul Reaver remains on my pile of shame. I put in many many hours into it but never did finish it.

 

[Quacktion]

Yep, I made peace with the fact that the series is done, and there will never be one quite like it again. Lets cherish it for what it gave us.

 

[Deleted member 16025]

Nice job, OP. Have you ever considered making a YouTube video on this? I think it would do well and generate more attention than posting here.

 

[Burbank]

I want that poker game.

 

[Daxa]

The ending of Soul Reaver is one of the most frustrating moments of my time playing videogames.

 

[Capra]

You know What could save the series

A Netflix series

Click to shrink...

If it's the same people that made Castlevania this might actually work and now I'm mad that it'll never happen

 

[Steeped in a Sea of Games]

I read the whole thing, and I agree. Defiance left people on such a hype cliffhanger, I'll probably never forget it. The series definitely deserved better.