This franchise needs to comeback because I feel so dead inside with it's lack of existence

@arkham666

2 жыл бұрын

Sound like Raziel may have stolen your soul.

@PWDMaximum

Жыл бұрын

Looks like it will be making its return. Record breaking survey was just finished.

@scottwoodward7103

8 ай бұрын

@@PWDMaximum Well, best of luck to them. They've tried to make a new game like over 10 times at this point, and every project always petered out into development hell for one reason or another. Starting to think a sequel to Defiance is just plain cursed.

@PWDMaximum

8 ай бұрын

@@scottwoodward7103 if it comes itll become something unlike how it was. Which is fine if done correctly. (Ex. God of War style or Darksiders etc...)

@oscarprieto9013

4 ай бұрын

@@PWDMaximum The first, bitter taste of that terrible illusion: hope

Raziel's last lines to Kain are the best ones in game history. "And I am not your enemy. Not your destroyer! I am, as always, your right hand! Your sword!" In a medium where vengeance is such a cliche motivation, we have it conclude in understanding, forgiveness and empathy. Beautiful!

Still some of the best vampires in fiction till this day. Can't wait for them to continue the series.

@arkham666

Жыл бұрын

Yeah I'm pretty excited to see what's next for crystal dynamics. Of course I want more Kain but honestly anything they put out will perk my interest now they're unshackled from square enix.

The ending in defiance so great because Raziel was set free when his Reaver enter kains body and healed him, its so brilliant that ending because in a single scene he imprison himself and free himself at the same time I Guess you should say Raziel soul lived inside kain after he disburse the Reaver into him but well never know if he could have returned or he just cease to exist after he heal kain

Vae Victus! I fondly remember playing the games back in the day. The depth and intelligence of the plotline blew me away back then, and it holds up to this day. Thanks for making this.

@arkham666

2 жыл бұрын

You're very welcome. Thanks for seeing it through to the end. Glad you enjoyed it.

The narrative influence on the industry as a whole is understated. LOK showed true drama and art, showing the medium is capable of telling stories in a unique way and by characterising the cast through motivations and following through with fantastic writing and dialogue set the stage for the medium to be taken seriously after a long struggle of being seen as a child's pass time.

6:26 That exchange to me sums up perfectly how Kain and Mobius are both supremely fatalistic but live on opposite sides of that fatalism. Mobius here is almost passive in his assurance that he will not die. He says "This is not the time or place Fate has determined I meet my end, so I will not die." He leaves his life completely in the hands of fate, almost passive in his acceptance of what will happen. Kain agrees this isn't when he dies, but frames it very differently. "Death is not the only possible outcome." In other words, Mobius is not going to die because Kain himself chooses not to kill him because he has something to gain from Mobius by letting him live- information. Later on he casually kills him without a second thought, noting that this time he has nothing to offer. His attitude towards Fate is very self-centered. Even though he knows Fate is set in stone, he seems to place the weight of it all on his own decisions. Like each moment of history was a series of coldly calculated decisions on his part that led to the best outcome he could devise, and when he wasn't satisfied with the ending despite those calculations he went back to get a better one.

The true legacy of Kain's Defiance, is that the series resides within the hearts and minds of fans new and old. Great video (and retrospective overall). If there ever is a new Kain game (or remake/remaster etc), I hope the devs dedicate it to the memory of Tony Jay.

Before I start I just want to say that thank you for making this wonderful videos, they are really well made and well put together, I ended up watching all your Kain videos because of how good they are, and will surely watch your other content aswell, you have really an engaging style, well done my friend One thing I would like to point out is that the fate of the pillars wasn't resolved and the story was going to continue before the 6th game was cancelled But thankfully one of the artists who worked on the series actually sat down one time in a Facebook group of Legacy of Kain and gave us some insight into what direction the series would have gone (Also some other artists and developers who talked on different forums and sites) The 6th game (Called Dark Prophecy by one artist and Blood Omen 3 by another artist) was going to take off where Defiance ended and continue Kain's journey to restore the nosgoth, Elder God was a parasite who had taken over the wheel and spred itself over all of nosgoth so he was too powerful to be defeated, Kain was going to keep powering up the Reaver and fight roots of the EG in different parts of the world and find ways to destroy him and restore the pillars/future of nosgoth Raziel also didn't just purify Kain's sight, but also purified him entirely, Kain was no longer corrupted by Nupraptor's curse, meaning Kain now could sire healthy vampires and they wouldn't devolve into monsters, the vampire race had a hope to live on and scion of balance was finally ready to fulfill his vampiric role and restore the nosgoth, the sequel also would have seen the return of many characters such as Janos, Ariel, Seer and many more, the younger Kain would have appeared aswell (with some speculating that it would have been a dual Protagonists game with two Kains, similar to Defiance) also return of some locations such as Malek's bastion and Avernus, and return of some powers such as the wolf form, beast form, must form and also some vampires that strangely resembled Raziel, it was also going to explore more of the Hylden as a race, Vorodor's resurrection also being explained down the road and soo much more The story was far from over and there were was soo much planned, but sadly the mediocre sales of Defiance, and also Squire Enix buying the IP killed the franchise, and it has been dead ever since, to be honest it still hurts what happened to it, but the LoK still lives on and we still passionately love it, like we have always said "As long as single one of us stands, we are legions"

@arkham666

Жыл бұрын

Hey man thanks for all this info. It's tragic we never got to see the series continue but who knows what could happen in the future. There's positive news surrounding Deus Ex now so maybe Kain will finally return after all. Either way this was a hell of a climax. Glad you liked the video anyway. Peace.

I vividly remember the morning this became available, and how I went into town first thing in the morning and got back right away to play it Did not disappoint. It’s a great finale. Answers most of the questions raised before - Blood Omen 2 introduced too many non-sequiturs - and gave me closure. I know fans want more, but honestly, Kain arriving at a point where he has hope seems like such a perfect end point. I fear if the series continued, it would become more about plot than story. What I mean by that, is it would just be tying up loosed ends rather than being about anything. Yeah, we could find out how Vorador came back, and see Kain destroy the Elder God. But then what? It’s just a list of stuff that happens. Defiance ends with a definite statement on its gnostic thesis introduced in Soul Reaver. We leave Kain with a sense of hope, because hopefully our eyes have been opened to abuses of power by structures of belief, and we can navigate our own way through life with the hope we can do better. While I’m sad lots of people’s hard work got scrapped, I’m glad Dead Sun didn’t get released. I don’t want Legacy of Kain to be forgotten. But I don’t want it diluted by becoming another franchise

22:49 Mobius is one of those characters that has been expertly crafted for the audience to hate, and the double whammy of comeuppance served out by the two playable characters is one of the most satisfying moments in gaming.

@arkham666

8 ай бұрын

That's good writing.

Just finished all your LoK retrospective videos; thanks a ton for this, it was great diving back into these games and hearing your passion and love for the series. The dramatic pauses, the choice of clips... it all really came together amazingly well to showcase the franchise and the greater narrative. I first played LoK:Blood Omen on PC back in '98 and it was an absolute game change for me and I was hooked on the series ever since (though I don't have much love for Blood Omen 2, if I'm being frank). While the series will never get the complete wrap up it deserved, you reminded me just how much of a great send-off Deception was, how the games were one of the most unique and original "hero's journey" for our beloved anti-hero turned antagonist and how, perhaps, it's best the story ended as it did instead of greedy hands potentially ruining it. Thank you for pointing out the amazing vocal talent on display, something that often goes unrecognized and underappreciated, it certainly made me look up the individual artists and hear more about their body of work and finding out that Tony Jay, the iconic voice of the Eldritch Horror known as Elder God, passed away almost 2 decades ago, what a loss. Anyways, great videos. I wish the YT algorithm rewarded great content like yours more generously, it sucks that I had to find your videos by searching LOK material and scrolling instead of getting this recommended, but hopefully a like and comment will add to the many grains of sand already there to boost your notability ever-so-much. :)

I think Defiance might have been the best game of my childhood. Yes. I replayed it many years later and wow. I think the Jak and dexter series hit me harder but Defiance is the only thing I can recall that stands up to Jak or anything else. The Frankenstein book is on the same level.

Vae Victis. Can't say I've played these games. I did try first Souls Reaver a bit but didn't get far with it. But I can see the appeal. Enough appeal that I watched through all of your videos on the series. Interesting characters in dramatic situations. Of particular joy was hearing Elder God aka. Tony Jay. His voice work with Sacrifice and Icewind Dale in particular were very impactful in my teen years. I do love nostalgia, and your channel delivers.

I randomly stumbled upon your "Soul Reaver" video and watched the whole series after that. Very, very well done. Great overview and insight, WONDERFUL, invested narration... Thanks a lot, stranger on the internet. I had a blast.

Vae Victis. I’ve been replaying and collecting the physicals of these games the past 2 months. Did a great job of covering them and breaking down the story and mechanics.

@arkham666

2 жыл бұрын

Lol the story of this game is so difficult to summerize. It's made me rethink how I'll handle stories and spoilers in future content as I want to focus more on gameplay mechanics and highlighting my favorite moments in games. It's still a great ride from start to finish. Nice to hear about your collection. That sounds pretty dope.

Good ol' Legend of Kain and the Octopus of Time. I remember realizing that the Elder God was the OSA director in Return to Castle Wolfenstein (or vice-versa, as SR1 on Dreamcast came first) and being so fascinated, as they were favorites of mine. Pushing 40 and I'd still probably by a console if another LoK game were released (to good reviews).

I feel the same sense of sadness here at the end of your video guide that I felt in that final scene of Defiance. Thank you so much for doing these. Before you put this series to rest, would you consider doing a lore breakdown? Not going game by game, but the overall narrative and breaking down the special plot points? I just can't get enough of this series. I've been a fan since Soul Reaver 1 was brand new, before I graduated High School. Vae Victis

I rlly wish they made another game after expanding on what kain is gonna do after. Despite what most of these games lack, it’s my favorite series franchises that I still play on the pc 💯

Vae Victus brother. Keep making videos

@arkham666

2 жыл бұрын

As long as it's interesting I'll keep it up. Thanks a million.

Vae Victus! Honestly, I am glad people are still discovering these great masterpieces of games, and I really enjoyed seeing your take on them. It's just such a shame that if there was to be made another LoK game now, there would have to be voice actor replacements because people like the late Tony Jay (rest in peace) are no longer with us and it is a shame here, because those voices were a major part of the atmosphere for a lot of people. There is however hope, because I heard Crystal Dynamics got hold of the rights to the Legacy of Kain ip rights again, along with other ips (I think Tomb Raider was one of them) and they made some sort of poll, asking people if they would like for a new Legacy of Kain game to be developed. That doesn't mean that a new title is being developed, yet, or that it is going to be a continuation of the story we all know and love, (in fact the poll asks you if you would prefer for the game to be a remake, a remaster, a sequel, or a reboot) but at least the ip is not in square enix's hands, as it has been for so long and nothing has come of it, or if it had come anything of it, it would most probably been that stupid Dead Sun game. Well, at least Nozgoth came out of that canceled game, and it seemed promissing in style at the very least.

@arkham666

Жыл бұрын

That bitter illusion. Hope.

Love Raziel... Named my WoW Rogue after him.. :D

@arkham666

Жыл бұрын

Hopefully your WoW rouge didn't spend 5 centuries in a acid bath only to be turned into a sword.

Amazing work! I will keep checking your content.

It was very interesting to hear your opinion. LoK is what got me into gaming, but it's also hard for me to judge Defiance as a game because of that. This was the first game I ever played that wasn't the Sims or on the NES. I had to laugh at Raziel's dodge roll, because that is something that drives me INSANE in other games. 😂 Raziel, being a bag of bones with wings, is probably the only character who can get away with that move.

Great videos on the whole Legacy of Kain series. Thoroughly enjoyed them all. Never actually got to play defiance back in the day (did play up to blood omen 2 though) so was a lot of fun to see how the series had ended after all these years. Vae Victis.

@arkham666

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you. I'm really glad you enjoyed the video. It was really fun to replay this who series again after so much time.

I've always had a soft spot for the Legacy of Kain series. From the first time I played Soul Reaver, I loved the atmosphere and scope of the series. Not to mention the incredible voice acting giving their all with a usually incredible script (Alas, poor Blood Omen 2...). Glad I found this nice retrospective on the series. Well done, and vae victus.

@arkham666

2 жыл бұрын

Yeah it had a big impact on me growing up and shaped a lot of my taste in games from then on. Really wonderful series and so great to replay. Glad you enjoyed the content.

Loved all of your retrospectives of the Legacy of Kain series. Truly a masterpiece in storytelling both visually and with its writing. It's a series I wish would receive the true final chapter we have all awaited, but I would only want it if it were done by a team led by Amy Hennig one last time. Defiance is a fine enough ending, but we all know there was supposed to be a final entry. One we've been yearning to see for over 2 decades now.

Vae Victus. Man I'm still confused...lol.. I've archived all your essays on this series and I'm going to rewatch and take notes. It's the only way I am going to get these characters timelines straight. I can take a twist or two in a story but this is ridiculous...lol... Really great writers and how they even managed to retro fit Blood Omen 2 into the world. I think that's where I lost focus and have to rewatch to understand. Just so many protagonists AND antagonists in one story is mind boggling. Did they even mention all 9 of the guardians at any point? Just one of many questions I have to answer. Great series friend. I enjoyed it very much. Thank you :)

This video was really well made. Vae victis!

This video is such a poem compared to your take on blood omen 😆 which by the time at the time of release - all of these games were a lot of fun and very enjoyable still reminiscent of old games. Still great good work.

Thanks for making this video bro. It's impeccably well done. A couple years ago I finally found an Xbox copy of Defiance but I just don't have time to play games like I used to. So having you summarize the Final chapter is such a gift. Hopefully one day I can play it for myself but you helped wrap up the one game I haven't played from the series.

@arkham666

Жыл бұрын

You're very welcome mate. Glad you enjoyed it.

So happy to have seen this, you have a great passion for these amazing games, and to have found it weeks after the anouncement of the possible continuation of this series...FINALLY! Oh...andVae Victus!

@arkham666

Жыл бұрын

Thanks. I'm glad you enjoyed the video.

This story is insane!

Great video, my dude. I'll level with you, the story of this series is so convoluted that I had to look up the plot twist you revealed in this video because I was simply too stupid to understand it from what you'd shown. Looking forward to the next vid!

@arkham666

2 жыл бұрын

To be honest mate this video has made me rethink how I go about talking about game stories from here on. Almost half the run time trying to explain this. I think the way I did it on my vampire bloodlines video is the way I'll go from here, covering the very broad strokes and maybe a few highlights.

Great video. Love your LOK series. You deserve many more subs

Vae Victis! I love this game series, and your videos about them have been very enjoyable to watch.

@arkham666

10 ай бұрын

Thank you. Really glad you enjoyed it.

youre an amazing story teller and you're very underrated. i feel like i could listen to you talk about this game and genuinely talk with you about it for HOURS. amazing channel my dude keep it uppp ❤

what a beautiful series of videos Vae victus!

@arkham666

Жыл бұрын

What a beautiful comment. Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed them.

Commentary about your End of "Gameplay" section. The games you took are happening in wastly different times and circumstances. In Soul Reaver 1 - Nosgoth is at a brink of being overtaken by Alien Demons, sealing the Hyldens victory. The world is barren, and the vampires scattered as they devolve- There is only mention and in game showcase of a hidden Human city as the last hope for sentient life- off course there will be no enemies Soul Reaver 2 takes place when both sides were brimming with ranks - Vampires and Mobius' Vampire Hunter army. There were cities, pillars still fresh with corruption, starting their decay. There is life, vegetation and squads everywhere. Resonable that there will be more enemies. Defiance: Happening both in uncorrupted Past- brimming with life in peak Sarafan age and far flung future where Hylden rule. They posses CORPSES to fight as the pillars still lock them dimensional. It is a fulcrum upon which all existence swerves and thus it has most strife and combat. In my opinion the abundance of enemies is a great subtle way to present what happened to nosgoth. Soul Reaver 1 was suposed to be a desolate, barren dead world. And it feels like it. Enemies are scarce. Vegetation is almost fully gone and there are no critters. Few devolved vampires scavenging around dying citadels of their leaders, and humans scampering away. Stark contrast to what past and future Nosgoth held.

You're expertise in my favorite series has earned a sub. Excellent work

@arkham666

Жыл бұрын

Thank you very much. Hope you can find more of my content equally enjoyable.

@xipetotek8366

Жыл бұрын

@@arkham666 I'll be doing a marathon

@arkham666

Жыл бұрын

@@xipetotek8366 thank you lol. The audio gets better from this video onwards.

This game is the reason why I wanted a PS2 back then. I HAD to play it!

Vae Victis! Great series of reviews, thank you!

@arkham666

Жыл бұрын

you are most welcome

Thank you so much for showing this series love. Keep rockin man

@arkham666

2 жыл бұрын

My pleasure. Glad I could brighten up your Sunday.

Vae Victis and thank you for a great video. Great job!

I love the idea of a new game, set millenia after the og games, where it's literally about the *Legacy* of Kain. BUT, nobody could pull that off organically and authentically!!

Great video on one of my favorite game series!

Vae Victus. Love this series

Really awesome work. Great narration and we can see how muh work you put into a hose project GLORIA VICTIS

Vae Victus! As someone who grew up with the Legacy of Kain series, from its grim start to its bittersweet ending, I loved this retrospective series. I feel like a weirdo because my favorite game in the series is still the first Blood Omen.

Vae Victus! This has been my favorite series for a long time now. Hoping for a remaster/remake soon.

@arkham666

3 ай бұрын

We all are mate.

SR2/BO2/LOK:D need remakes more than any other game in existence.

Great video. I’m trying to get my 14 y/o into the series. Got him hooked on Dead Space even before the remake. LoK is my next task. Lol

@arkham666

Жыл бұрын

I wise man I see

3:14 This is a bad week to be a Sarafan. First Vorador shows up and murders over half the mystics you are sworn to protect, while at the exact same time several squads of guards and all six of your elite captains get slaughtered by some vengeful invincible wraith monster, then another of your pillar guardians gets his soul ripped out for failing the Circle, and now an elder vampire is storming your keep to wipe out a few hundred more of your soldiers. I hope stealing Janos' heart was worth it, guys, you paid a harsh enough price for the thing.

VaeVictus! Great content! 👍

@arkham666

Жыл бұрын

Thank you!

Loved this video! congrats!

@arkham666

Жыл бұрын

Thank you so much.

Perfect timing! I just finished watching the BO2 retrospective!

@arkham666

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks. Glad you you liked it.

@playful1510

2 жыл бұрын

@@arkham666 Not a problem! I watched a majority of your retrospectives over the last day. You've got a new sub! :D

@arkham666

2 жыл бұрын

@@playful1510 thank you. I wish I had something better to say but it's very early here and the coffee hasn't started working yet lol.

@playful1510

2 жыл бұрын

@@arkham666 Don't even worry about it! Vae Victus!

At 26:11 you said "there's 3 Raziels here now" but there's actually 4. Raziel the wraith and the wraith blade are 2 versions of him. Then there's the Reaver blade and also the Soul Reaver combo itself. In the beginning of Sr2 when Raziel is resisting the blade to kill Kain, there are 3 versions of Raziel at that time. From Sr1 to the end there's at least 2 Raziels on screen at the same time throughout the entirety of each game. It's rather confusing and super awesome. No other game has since been able to have so many layers to its story telling.

Awesome! 😎

Anybody else wondering how Raziel made that lip smacking sound when he was out of breath? Considering ya know... His face? Or lack thereof.

Vae Victus! this game is a masterpiece is just perfect ! i just finish all the the parts expet blood omen 2 all in one mounth the perfect mounth and thanks for the retrospectives your doing a good job! wow i think iam the only arabian guy here!

@arkham666

Жыл бұрын

Just goes to show the impressive reach of this game. Thanks for watching. Glad you enjoyed it.

Watched too the end. Loved it

@arkham666

Жыл бұрын

Vae Victus my friend.

@crazeepetey

Жыл бұрын

Vae Victus indeed! Woe to the conquered! So gutted there is no more of these to add to this epic game story.

Thank you)))

Vae victus! Woe to the conquered.

Played them all from ps2 , amazing games with deep story .... they don't make them like they used too

@arkham666

Жыл бұрын

They certainly don't make em like this, that's for sure.

@jimbobjonez

Жыл бұрын

Actually ps1 lol

There are great prospect for future games there was a survey put out to gamers about if the wanted LoK continued and how they would want it continued if a new game was to be made they expected 1-3k responses, they got more 100,000.

@arkham666

Жыл бұрын

The LoK community is very strong and it's just wonderful.

Vae Victis my friend. I'm still absolutely loving your videos and finally got around to watching this one. I can't remember if I've said it or not before bit I feel like you'd love the Daeksiders series of you haven't played it yet. Vampyr is an awesome game and the only true Vampire RPG I've played but I'm definitely excited to see you cover it. Vampyr is pretty underapreciated I feel like as well.

@arkham666

2 жыл бұрын

Yeah we talked about Darksiders. It's a good series. There are surprisingly few good vampire RPGs out there. If you saw my video on vampire bloodlines I'd still say that's easily the best one despite it's age and jank. Hopefully we'll get news of the sequel this year though.

@Deadforge

2 жыл бұрын

@@arkham666 Yeah I still need to play Vampire the masquerade bloodlines. The sequel was looking good but seems to be having development issues.

Vae victus love your content

I loved this series of videos ❤

@arkham666

10 ай бұрын

Thanks. I had a great time making them too.

Vae victis! The only other game I can think of with comparable voice work is Blood lines, also a vampire, coincidence?

@arkham666

Жыл бұрын

I love bloodlines. I may have a video on here about it somewhere.

Underrated video as alwyas

@arkham666

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much.

@thekodex1186

2 жыл бұрын

@@arkham666 Nah man, thank you for keeping Legacy of Kain alive

@arkham666

2 жыл бұрын

@@thekodex1186 well thing may be about to get VERY interesting now the Crystal Dynamics has been sold.

VAE VICTUS! newly converted fan but one who is really hoping beyond the elder god that maybe through some miracle it misses we get a remake of the first Blood Omen game in the style of the soul reaver games

@arkham666

Жыл бұрын

It's never too late to join the cult of Kain.

@kamencj

Жыл бұрын

@@arkham666 do i need to go get myself killed by bandits first or do i need to hurl myself into the abyss to join?

Vae Victus! Not sure if you're aware, but there's a survey for Legacy of Kain by Crystal Dynamics.

@arkham666

Жыл бұрын

I took the survey lol. I made it very clear I wanted more. Thanks for watching.

@Ghaleonh41

Жыл бұрын

No problem! Enjoyed the retrospective!

vae victus! loved this vid

Vae victis indeed.

Vae victis!

Vie victus!

I'm not into geeky games but this game was a fucking masterpiece of a story

Man i want a new Legacy Of Kain game

Vae Victus !

Vae Victis!

Vae victus!

OMG the Chronoskimmer 🤣

@arkham666

Жыл бұрын

Where in time is she?

@seguuro

Жыл бұрын

@@arkham666 Moebius could know

Vae victus!!!

Vae victus

Vae Victus

17:19 did he just smack his lips without the lower jaw ?

@arkham666

2 жыл бұрын

Yes lol. Or a tongue. I think in soul reaver 2 Raziel comments that "he hasn't the stomach" for Kain's schemes or something lol. Bro you don't have a frikken stomach.

@nguyenhaidung8833

2 жыл бұрын

@@arkham666 hahaha. Voice acting so good it can change lore.

VAE VICTUS!!!

My main gripe with this game is very stupid, I must admit. Raziel's take on the Soul Reaver. Why is it a sword and not a punching spike? I miss the punching spike.

@arkham666

6 ай бұрын

My guess is they got a bigger animation budget lol.

@madcat789

6 ай бұрын

@@arkham666 they could've made a fancier spike with that budget! With bells and whistles and even more souls screaming in abject torment!

❤❤❤

VAE VICTUS!

What if Janos became the elder god?

@arkham666

Жыл бұрын

Well that's certainly a hypothesis but there's nothing in the game that supports it so I'm not sure what to say lol.

vae victus!

Ever considered a retrospective on Shadow of the Colossus? Just because I'm lazy, and despite owning it, I never really bothered to play more than about 15 minutes of it x

@arkham666

Жыл бұрын

Yes but I'm strictly a PC gamer. I could probably play it through pcsx 2 but I feel like it's more updated versions should be covered as well.

Vae Victus !!!

@arkham666

Жыл бұрын

Your pfp is a fucking legend!

VAE VICTUS

Vae Victis brother

Vae Victus 🎉

Vae victis

@arkham666

2 жыл бұрын

And a good day to you too sir.

Vay victus

VAI VICTUS