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Platform Filters:   All Platforms  Xbox   GameCube   PlayStation 2   PC   Game Boy Advance   Site Sections:   Updates  News   Games   Publishers   Developers   Reviews   Previews   Release Dates   Editorials   Glossary   Contact Us		Review:       28th November 2001: Soul Reaver 2  Raziel Returns with a Vengeance! Pursue Kain through Nosgoth and Time Itself Posted by John Grothier - PlayStation 2 - UK and Europe Eidos have just released the long awaited sequel to Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver, a trip into the fantastic world of the Vampire. The story continues with our hero Raziel plunging through the Chronoplast Time Portal in his relentless pursuit of Kain, the darkest of Vampires. Raziel’s journey is fraught with danger and deception, hoards of enemies bent on his destruction, time-travel and devious puzzles to solve, all in an effort to unearth the mysteries of Nosgoth, and to learn the fate that befell Raziel’s people. Soul Reaver 2, is best described as an action adventure – heavy on the Vampires. Raziel, our anti-hero, has complete freedom of movement in the beautiful gothic world of Nosgoth. Raziel starts with all the abilities he earned in his previous adventure, including plane-shifting, swimming, scaling walls, and of course, devouring souls. Raziel now proudly wields the Soul Reaver from the start, and can now influence the blade by plunging his Reaver into the elemental forges hidden throughout Nosgoth. These forges must first be activated, by solving complex puzzles within the game. Soul Reaver 2, on the PlayStation 2, looks stunning; a huge gothic world has been created for you to explore, complete with swamps brimming with life, eerie forests and dark cities, and thanks to data streaming – no loading times! Nosgoth is populated by a large number of enemies for Raziel to feast upon. As well as the ‘Morlock looking’ spectral beasts, Raziel will devour Sarafan warrior-priests, vampire hunters, other vampires, extra-dimensional demons, and the tasty vampire-worshiping cultists. But be warned; devour too many souls and the Reaver will turn on Raziel! Soul Reaver 2, like its predecessor, allows Raziel passage in two different realms, the Spectral and the Material. Because of Raziel’s un-dead status, his home is in the Spectral plane, however, using his force of will he is able to manifest himself into the world of the living, know to us all as the Material realm. Here lies the key to many of the puzzles Raziel will encounter – when passing from one plane into the other, Nosgoth warps around Raziel, distorting and reshaping itself. This terrain distortion may open a path in one realm, which may be impassable in the other plane. The puzzles in Soul Reaver 2 play an important part of the game. These puzzles are more in-depth and have richer mechanics than in the original Soul Reaver, and they are on a much larger scale. The first main puzzle Raziel will encounter is in the Dark Forge, here Raziel must move mirrors, and create shadows in order to light the forge, and imbue the Soul Reaver with darkness. Each element has its own symbol, these icons are scattered around Nosgoth on doors and the like, and once the Soul Reaver has been influenced by the right element, Raziel may pass into new territories. Controlling Raziel using the Duel Shock 2 is both responsive and well organised, the left analogue stick controls our vampire, and the right stick will rotate the camera. Raziel can also sneak, crouch, and block attacks by using the L & R shoulder buttons, as well as jumping, swimming, and various attacks by using the other controls. Raziel’s first outing on the PlayStation 2 is a much more fluid experience than the Dreamcast original – the game runs at that all-important sixty frames a second, and everything has a much more polished look to it. The graphics in Soul Reaver 2 have that wonderful and beautiful gothic style that are a real treat for blighted eyes. Nosgoth is divided into many different areas to explore, each have their own dark look – from the majestic pillars to the swamps and forests of Nosgoth. There are lots of nice graphical touches, gauze floating through the air, frogs hopping around, fantastic weather effects, and mysterious ravens populate the land… The sound is again superbly done; music is subtly dark and orchestral, and wells up when Raziel is fighting. Sound effects are excellent, and everything is presented is Dolby Surround Sound. The voice actors used in the game have some real talent and a deep storyline, that is wonderfully presented, is woven throughout the game; the opening movie is spellbinding and lasts for over ten minutes. The PAL release of Soul Reaver 2 has unfortunately no 60htz refresh mode, but the boarders have been kept to a bare minimum, and the game seems to suffer no slowdown. A screen adjust option is thankfully included, in case play is off centre depending on your television. The DVD also has some bonus features including a history of Nosgoth, soundtracks for both Soul Reaver games, and even some out-takes. Soul Reaver 2 took me by surprise, I loved the first one and I thought this would be just more of the same – I was wrong. Soul Reaver 2 has enough new features, fangtastic story, and truly gorgeous graphics that make it one of the best action adventures on the PlayStation 2 at the moment. Overall, a bloody good game! John Grothier             Latest Images:		Review Scores:    Graphics:   Sound:   Gameplay:   Length:   Overall: Click here for our Review Score Guidelines.  Review Summary:  Immerse yourself in a gothic realm of highly detailed architecture and enviroments, surported with an intriguing storyline, compelling voice acting and no loading times!  Related Games:  Soul Reaver 2 for PlayStation 2  16  Screenshots  1  Review Click here for All Game Information.
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