Legacy of Kain: Defiance (PlayStation 2)

This is the third game in the Legacy of Kain/Soul Reaver universe I have completed. All the games have been an absolutely wonderful experience in almost every way. When you play the games, a great saga unfolds before you. The story is very well-thought out and the voice acting is worthy of a theatric play. The graphics is absolutely wonderful; the eerie atmosphere in The Underworld is even more sinister in this third installment, as the voices of tormented souls cry out, and the eyes of the omnipresent Elder God watches you. The Vampire Citadel is grand and desolate, but is dwarfed by the gothic beauty of the mansion of the ancient vampire Vorador. The Avernus Cathedral has a grand beauty which in the course of the story gives way to the horrors below it. The attention to detail in the graphics is very impressive, even the glyphs that decorate doorways and sigils have a hidden meaning, as explained in greater detail in 'Encyclopædia Nosgothica'. The game is as entertaining as any of the series, as you alternate between controlling Kain and Raziel, each with (slightly) different abilities. The enemies are varied and terrifying, even though a cut-scene introducing each type would contribute much to their presence in the game. The only drawbacks in this game are minor collision detection bugs, a slightly annoying camera that tend to make you miss your mark when jumping, and the sound. Though the music and voice-acting is near perfect, the game just lacks sound effects in crucial scenes, and the sounds that are present are often distorted and unconvincing.