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The 10 Cancelled Legacy of Kains (Mama Robotnik Research Thread)
- Thread starter Mama Robotnik
- Start date
Mama Robotnik
Member
I'm going to be adding some further information to the OP - particularly concerning Dead Sun.
Also, one of my sources has offered to answer some questions from the community about the game - with emphasis that there may be things they simply cannot answer due to lack of knowledge or it simply not being within their field of work on the game.
If you would like to ask a question in the thread, I will see what I can do to get you some answers.
Also, one of my sources has offered to answer some questions from the community about the game - with emphasis that there may be things they simply cannot answer due to lack of knowledge or it simply not being within their field of work on the game.
If you would like to ask a question in the thread, I will see what I can do to get you some answers.
Silicon Knights only developed the first game, so it's not really seen as "their" series.
Cardon
Member
Potential questions regarding Dead Sun:
1. Is it possible to divulge what some of the connecting plot strands may have been to the previous games, besides the emphasis on the Elder God?
2. Since some voice over/mo-cap work was done on the game, would it be possible to hint at some of the actors who were part of the project? Any familiar names within the voice acting world or was it relatively low-key actors?
3. Just how big was the open-world format of the game aiming to be in respect to size?
Excellent work once again Mama Robotnik. Even though I'm rather depressed about the cancellation of Dead Sun based on the potential it had, I'm nonetheless happy to at least learn some info about it and see what the game could've been like.
It would be interesting to dig back through other 3rd studio games and see how many titles have been started and canceled and then rolled into the latest iteration.
Stealth_Cobra
Member
Thanks alot TC for a great topic about one of my favorite series. I didn't know about some of these cancelled games.
Time to dig up one my my old LOK creepy gifs.
http://postimg.org/image/qyub1ma25
Time to dig up one my my old LOK creepy gifs.
http://postimg.org/image/qyub1ma25
I thought it was going to be the title screen for the PC version of Soul Reaver, that always caught me off guard.
It's odd that the newest game seemed to be so far removed from the previous ones. Nosgoth is an interesting world, but what made those original games so intriguing was the character that inhabited the world.
FrontalMonk
Banned
Seconding this. The only Legacy of Kain game I ever beat was Soul Reaver 2 but I've always loved the feel of Nosgoth, and the art direction of this dying, decayed world is always so morbidly beautiful. Thanks, as always, for all your hard work Mama.
I would need to see how they manage to work their world and characters in order to form any big opinions for it. I believe they can still mention things from the other universes without affecting the story and lore of Dead Sun and managing to find a way to keep a happy medium at by referencing the characters and events from previous games even if vaguely.
CamHostage
Member
Mind blooooooooown on the Chakan II connection to LoK!
Stellar work, as always Mama.
Stellar work, as always Mama.
tokyostomp
Banned
Bookmarked for a later read.
Morrigan Stark
Arrogant Smirk
They already that in 1996, it's called Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain. lolMama Robotnik's source said:
Indeed. Dead Sun, while not exactly my preference for the setting (I would ideally prefer to play Kain), seemed like a kick-ass idea. A massive dark Zelda with LoK mythos, but far ahead into the future that they won't interfere too much with LoK canon and screw things up? Yes please.This thread is amazing. Amazing and heartbreaking.
Anyone else got Dark Souls vibes seeing those screen shots?
Oh my. Can you imagine a sem-open world action-RPG with gameplay similar to Dark Souls, throw in some Zelda-like puzzles, LoK elements (such as flying, climbing, the various Reavers mechanics, and of course the Spectral world), all set in Nosgoth, with a rich and dark story and the memorable characters LoK is known for?
...Holy shit, you have a recipe for the Best Game Ever right there. Too bad it was in the hands of those complete cunts at Squeenix. :'(
No. Darksiders is a lot more cartoony.
Silicon Knights does not own the LoK IP.
True, but considering these characters are pretty much all immortal, I don't see why those who survived in Defiance couldn't return. Kain can live forever!
Oh man... just imagining what would have happened if they showed a teaser for a new LoK game at Sony's presser.
*tingly*
Samurai_Heart
Member
Will read later, for now Mama Robotnik does it again =D
CamHostage
Member
(Fun fact -- an "I Write Like" analysis of Mama Robotnik's post compares the language to that of Margaret Mitchell, author of Gone with the Wind and Dynamo Going to Waste)
FrostuTheNinja
Member
Great wealth on information. Thanks for putting it together!
Did you hear that? That's my heart breaking in two
FUCK YOU SQUARE ENIX FUCK YOU SO FUCKING MUCH SELL THE DAMN IP YOU SUCKERS IT DESERVES TO LIVE FAR MORE THAN ALL YOUR SHOELWARE TRASH AND HALF ASSED ATTEMPTS, GET RID OF IT SQUARE FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU
If someone does a Kickstarter for buying the IP count me the fuck in
FUCK YOU SQUARE ENIX FUCK YOU SO FUCKING MUCH SELL THE DAMN IP YOU SUCKERS IT DESERVES TO LIVE FAR MORE THAN ALL YOUR SHOELWARE TRASH AND HALF ASSED ATTEMPTS, GET RID OF IT SQUARE FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU
If someone does a Kickstarter for buying the IP count me the fuck in
Night_Trekker
Member
I'm pretty sure this text ends with "for men." Maybe it reads "...that power (?) [illegible] for men"? I'm still trying to figure out the rest.
Anyway, cool thread.
CartridgeBlower
Member
An OP to shame all others. Amazing work.
Out of this great series, what are the MUST PLAY games if I'm just getting started? Which ones hold up, which ones don't?
Out of this great series, what are the MUST PLAY games if I'm just getting started? Which ones hold up, which ones don't?
Blood Omen is like a grown up Zelda but here is no definitive version sadly.
Soul Reaver is a must play. It's the best aging 3D PS game. The PC version is the definitive of course.
SR2 is a must play if you liked 1
BO2 is the worst.
If you made it to Defiance I bet you are already in love with the story so it's of course a must play.
Great work Mama as always.
This really breaks my heat to see all the cancelled titles, I had such fond memories of Blood Omen and loved the soul rever series, but man this really highlights what a Frankenstein this whole series is.
I do wonder if the fact the series had so many stop and starts is part of what led Amy to move to ND as well.
This really breaks my heat to see all the cancelled titles, I had such fond memories of Blood Omen and loved the soul rever series, but man this really highlights what a Frankenstein this whole series is.
I do wonder if the fact the series had so many stop and starts is part of what led Amy to move to ND as well.
Cameron122
Member
This thread is like falling in love, and after a ten year separation you realize she died unmourned.
/Dramaticrant.
/Dramaticrant.
deadcelledo
Member
reading this only made me sad, so many cancelled games! Great job MAMA!
Nucl3arSnake
Neo Member
Awesome share Mama.
Darkmakaimura
Member
Is the series over or what's the deal with that Nosgoth game coming out?
Edit: No, no.... Dead Sun's MP may be War of Nosgoth. Come on, devs. We want a SP game. Getting tired of putting great franchises like these and giving them crapola MP only games.
Edit: No, no.... Dead Sun's MP may be War of Nosgoth. Come on, devs. We want a SP game. Getting tired of putting great franchises like these and giving them crapola MP only games.
Context: "[Did you honestly] believe that you [were the only vampire in Nosgoth?] You are [just] a minor pawn whose powers pale in comparison to [???]. Yes, I am also a [vampire]. Your [great] flaw, my good [???], is that you have a soul. You have a conscience that [powers] your [???] to survive. I do not have that [devotion? potion? poison?]. I [???] for [men]."
Morrigan Stark
Arrogant Smirk
^ Some of those were already deciphered in the OP, btw. Here it is again, with my own semi-interpretation in bold:
"Did you really believe that you were the only vampire in Nosgoth? You are just a minor pawn whose powers pale in comparison to my mine."
Oh yes. I am also a vampire. Your greatest flaw my good Kain is that you have a soul. You have a conscience that hinders your will to survive. I do not have that [power? poison? [???ril?] for men/Kain.]
"Did you really believe that you were the only vampire in Nosgoth? You are just a minor pawn whose powers pale in comparison to my mine."
Oh yes. I am also a vampire. Your greatest flaw my good Kain is that you have a soul. You have a conscience that hinders your will to survive. I do not have that [power? poison? [???ril?] for men/Kain.]
All of the LoK games on GOG are on sale. Soul Reaver 1 and 2, Blood Omen 2, and Defiance. $2.99 each. Here's a link for SR.
Buy these.
Buy these.
Best simile ever
Morrigan Stark
Arrogant Smirk
Negative, Blood Omen 1 isn't, and it's arguably the most important one.
It's available on PSN, though.(I won't buy them cause I already own all of these games except Bob Omen 2 the travesty that does not exist much like Highlander 2...)
Alligatorjandro
Banned
Wow what a great post.Those games look really cool.
Goodacre0081
Member
is this a special case or does this kind of waste always happen in the games industry?
Huw_Dawson
Member
Poor Climax. They always seem to get awesome projects that get ripped away from them half way into development. Warhammer Online was the first game project I ever followed.
They always seem to get awesome projects that get ripped away from them half way into development. Warhammer Online was the first game project I ever followed.Freeza Under The Shower
Member
random speculation time: I think it might even be a particularly productive use of created assets compared to the overall implied level of "waste".
Almost all of them (as far as Mama Robotnik's list goes) are in some form used in another title in the series, which I can't imagine to be all that common, since most projects are likely canned "for good" (new ip's, prototypes, etc) and unusable for other projects.
The changing attitude towards projected sales and its importance on the whole proces may have increased it though, looking at the last two projects.
I do wonder why S-E cancelled Dead Sun after three seemingly succesful years of development, yet did not cancel the troubled five year development of Thief (thief 4). My guess would be genre approximation: Dota 2 and Dishonored respectively, whereas Dead Sun has no immediate AAA-genre title to compare with. Well, had, anyway.
/ random speculation
excellent work once again, Mama Robotnik.
I take back what I said earlier. I would have loved if Dead Sun had come to fruition even if it is odd not to have Kain as the main character. And what little is there about what they were going for at least gave the impression that they understood some of the themes and the importance of story in the series.
I just don't understand how you can go and take a series with such great story and potential and then just go an cancel the single player game, releasing the multiplayer only. It's just such a waste and given how much Climax were putting into it makes it even worse.
Although it has been amazing what the previous teams were able to do with incorporating the material of other games into this series. Rather admirable really. What is Amy Hennig doing these days anyway? I know she went to Naughty Dog, but was she on The Last of Us or potentially what the other team is doing?
I just don't understand how you can go and take a series with such great story and potential and then just go an cancel the single player game, releasing the multiplayer only. It's just such a waste and given how much Climax were putting into it makes it even worse.
Although it has been amazing what the previous teams were able to do with incorporating the material of other games into this series. Rather admirable really. What is Amy Hennig doing these days anyway? I know she went to Naughty Dog, but was she on The Last of Us or potentially what the other team is doing?