# Soul Reaver Reboot??



## Namba (Mar 11, 2013)

Alright, lemme start off by just posting the article.

http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/03/20/report-soul-reaver-reboot-in-the-works

Now, I'm not sure what to think of this. Apparently since Tomb Raider had been rebooted, Crystal Dynamics is looking into, not a continuation, but a reboot of the Soul Reaver series with a new art direction and everything. As impressive as the original was, I don't think there really is a need to do this. Honestly I'd rather they look into making an HD port of the first and second games and keep the original story, sounds, and voice acting as they were already top notch. 

Now, here's how I came to be familiarized with this amazing title.

A few years ago I made an unexpected discovery: a copy of Soul Reaver unopened and in perfect condition just sitting in our entertainment center. I had no fucking clue what the game was about or what I was in for when I opened it and played it for the first time (something that, looking back, I shouldn't have done as far as opening it). The thing that struck me most about the very first Soul Reaver game was the fact it was open world, and it was initially released on the PS1, a 32-bit platform. Now, if you hadn't played it it's not all that difficult to find an ISO and play it on an emulator so you can see what I'm talking about. I'm not talking little doghouse levels with loading tunnels to mask load times; I'm talking full-fledged humongous and intricately detailed levels in one massive, open, streaming world. After playing it I was, well, a bit sad. As fun as it was to explore the world of Nosgoth and take in all the breathtaking sights and sounds, after I was finished it hit me with a "To be continued..." and now, three years later I'm in the middle of its good, but not quite as impressive sequel. The first one still remains a much better title so far, but I'm not that far into the second one so my opinion may change.

Okay, so the first one, like I said, is open world. But, not only is it open world, but what struck me as the most fucking awesome  thing I had ever done in a game, like, ever, was the fact I could shift between the spectral and material plains in real-time. This was both the coolest and most frustrating part of the game. You couldn't open doors in the spectral realm, yet in the material realm you couldn't phase through gates. The coolest thing about all that, though, was making unexpected discoveries when you shifted to the spectral plain; paths shift, walls conveniently create ledges for you to climb in previously unreachable places, and before you get over your vampiric weakness to water and learn how to swim (which, by the way, is hella fun once you unlock that ability), you can just walk through water as if it weren't there; it stands as thin as air. The architecture is beyond anything I had ever seen. Seriously, titles today can't match the art direction that brought this game to life, nor the size and scope of the levels. Granted, draw distance helped make streaming a little bit easier to cover up, but you could see far off enough to where that didn't get in the way.

Here's a link I found to give you an idea of what this game was made of, including the opening cutscene (skipped the first thirty seconds because the person who made the vid decided to add his own lame intro): http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=z9mVBQQi_YA#t=37s

As for the second one, still playing that one as we speak, and it's pretty damn good. I can't give a whole lot of input on it compared to the first one except.... I liked the layout of the first one a lot better.

Anywho, if there's anyone who was a fan of this series, I'd love to hear your thoughts on this.


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## Hewge (Mar 11, 2013)

Hmm...

Never actually played Soul Reaver, but this makes me wish I did. :|
It seems so fun!

I'd totally buy a reboot of it !


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## Outcast (Mar 12, 2013)

It was an interesting game; definitely worth a reboot.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure that rumor was debunked some time ago, just like that Starfox: Metroid Fusion theory. *cringe*


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## DarrylWolf (Mar 12, 2013)

Only if Information Society writes the soundtrack for the game.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xgzbyd2MhbE


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## Vaelarsa (Mar 12, 2013)

I love the Legacy of Kain / Soul Reaver series, and I'm fully looking forward to this if it actually becomes a thing.

While I would prefer remakes of Blood Omen and Soul Reaver 1, I'm okay with this either way, as we're still getting new content and that is always a good thing.

Soul Reaver 1 was the first one I played, and is still my personal favorite. I like the weaknesses system, and having to utilize weapons once you get hit / before you actually obtain the Material Reaver. And the fact that you actually have to use the weaknesses to kill your enemies instead of just beating on them until die, or they will come back to life and pester you. I wish this had carried out to SR2, but I understand why it wouldn't make sense.
I'm not fond of Blood Omen. The play style is just... ugh. Not my thing. 
Defiance was okay, and I really also like Blood Omen 2 as well.

I hope Eidos has worked something out with Michael Bell (Raziel's VA), because as far as I was aware, he's stated that he doesn't want to play Raziel any more. And the character just wouldn't be the same without him.



Also, shouldn't this be in Three Frags, not Bits and Bytes?


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## Namba (Mar 12, 2013)

Vaelarsa said:


> I love the Legacy of Kain / Soul Reaver series, and I'm fully looking forward to this if it actually becomes a thing.
> 
> While I would prefer remakes of Blood Omen and Soul Reaver 1, I'm okay with this either way, as we're still getting new content and that is always a good thing.
> 
> ...



The first one was alright: very cinematic, but I wasn't too fond of the play style myself. As far as the second Blood Omen, I wish I got it for GameCube instead of PS2 (and that I hadn't let a friend borrow it because I never saw it again), because the PS2 version was very buggy, and that wasn't exactly what you would expect from Crystal Dynamics. Still a good game, though, in spite of a more linear approach. Did you notice, though, that they done fucked up with the titles? The first game was Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain, and then they had Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver. Not sure why they did that, but oh well. Might have to do with the fact that Crystal Dynamics/Eidos took over for Silicon Knights. They just need to release an HD version of the first Soul Reaver and I'd be satisfied, though. I seriously thought Raziel was a much more interesting character than Kain, and truly fell in love with the mechanics of the first SR.

And as far as this thread being in the wrong place... yeah, my bad. I wasn't paying attention.


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## Ozriel (Mar 12, 2013)

Since it is a game, I'm moving it to 3 frags.

I'm also a big fan of the LoK series myself and I have high hopes...well...Medium hopes, but still.
I have hopes.

I liked Blood Omen, Soul reaver 1, 2, and defiance, but I couldn't really get into Blood Omen 2..It felt like someone slapping me with a wet Anne Rice book.


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## Namba (Mar 12, 2013)

Ozriel said:


> Since it is a game, I'm moving it to 3 frags.
> 
> I'm also a big fan of the LoK series myself and I have high hopes...well...Medium hopes, but still.
> I have hopes.
> ...



Not exactly the shining star of the series, but I liked Raziel better anyway. I seriously fell in love with the character design when I first played SR1. Blood Omen 2 was so fucking glitchy it kind of drove me nuts when I'd kill a civilian and five minutes afterwards would still hear him screaming. Still, I managed to finish it and felt it was a decent enough title, but it could have been better. The first Blood Omen, my god, it must have had over 100 secrets crammed into it! The only one I have yet to play is Defiance, but I heard that one kicks the most ass. Still, not so sure it can top SR1.


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