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	Vol.7, No 9, September 14, 1999
	'Legacy of Kain' shines By Jason Kosareff Daily Forty-Niner Eidos' "Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver" for Sony Playstation has proved well worth the wait as the best game of the year.   GAME REVIEW The first thing noticable about "LoK:SR" is the immense beauty of the full 3-D world. The game's objective is to vanquish Kain, who inherited Nosgoth at the end of "Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain."  The plot gets very complicated, and though the development of Razielís character is fairly minimal, the cinematics are a pleasure to watch. The game has many surprising features that enhance both the look and the strategy of the game. The game is played in two realms -- the spectral and the material. The character, Raziel, must warp in and out of these realms throughout the game. "LoK:SR" has tough problems to solve, like the best role playing games. You will work blocks into slots until you are ready to pull your hair out. Also, there are miles of tunnels to runs through, and even though the design pattern on the walls and floors is never boring or repetitive, the running can get to you.    The game runs on high resolution, which eliminates the blocky look that plagued previous Playstation titles. Raziel contains over 500 polygons, which smoothes his body out a great deal. The only graphics problems are some broken-looking walls.   The real gem is that there are no loading times. "LoK:SR" flows very smoothly from level to level and there is no annoying wait for data to catch up.    There is also no slowdown or drop in frame rates when the action heats up, no matter how big the enemy or complicated the task.    The battle scenes do heat up and there are plenty of vampires to whack out with the soul reaver, a mystical sword, or the nearest pointy stick.    There are many fun ways to torture your enemies and plunder their souls, including frying them in the sun or grinding them into the earth.    The constantly moving camera can get a bit tedious and may cause a little motion sickness after several continuous hours of viewing, but its overall effect is fantastic and quite breathtaking at times.    In some instances it resembles the film "The Matrix," with cameras gliding a full 360 degrees around the action.  The game has elements of "Final Doom," the "Tomb Raiders" and "Tenchu," but it is by far superior to these games and stands out as one of the best Playstation games ever made.		Ex-worker accuse of abuse Muslims stay devoted on campus Sci-fi writer shares her experiences Journalism department has new faces Campus construction draws criticism Recycling center makes campus greener Actor portrays famous Gold Rush-era herbalist Faulty local freeways Presidential campus praise Allegations fly in defense of writing exam Hip-Hop radio show bounces 'Legacy of Kain' shines Outer realm has right elements Santana focuses on young crowd LBSU athletic events in tune Only three LBSU runners make trip to invitational Fall 99 ISSUES DAILY 49ER HOMEPAGE
Forty-Niner Publications, Department of Journalism, California State University, Long Beach ©1999 All rights reserved.