NeoGAF

Mama Robotnik · 03:22 AM

Thanks to a post at the Nosgothic Realm, some interesting information has been unearthed regarding a (cancelled) sequel in the Legacy of Kain Series.

This website is the portfolio of game artist, Aaron Hausmass, who is credited as artist for 25 to Life (Eidos), Medal of Honour: Airborne (EA), and The SiN Episodes (Valve). A section of the portfolio is devoted to "LEGACY OF KAIN - CANCELLED SEQUEL". Take a look...

The screenshots don't give away much. It appears to be a last-gen development using the Defiance engine. The environments are highly reminiscent of the Soul-Reaver era Nosgoth, thousands of years after the events of the other games. Indeed, this assumption fits in well with the unmade chapter of Defiance, set in Nosgoth's hellish future. Given the GUI is a blood vial, the limited information could suggest that Kain returns to his empire to try and restore the world. Perhaps I'm reading too much into it.

As a die-hard Legacy of Kain fan (having wrote FAQs to hack the games, and even moderated the Largest LOK community on the web in the past), it is nice to have some certainty on the series. It seems that, regrettably, the Legacy of Kain series has ended. At least Defiance provided some degree of closure to one of the greatest gaming stories ever told.

To give this topic a bit more meat, who would you like to see the LOK license passed on to? And which was your favourite game in the series?

EDIT

Scroll down for more info and screenshots...

Kittonwy · (11-12-2008, 12:58 AM)

Soul Reaver wuz teh best game in teh series becuz Amy Hennig directed it and Richard Lemarchand wuz senor designer.

brandonh83 · (11-12-2008, 01:00 AM)

Originally Posted by Kittonwy:

Soul Reaver wuz teh best game in teh series becuz Amy Hennig directed it and Richard Lemarchand wuz senor designer.

jesus fucking christ. but uhm, yeah I agree with you. Soul Reaver 2 had a game-breaking glitch so bizarre and insane and complicated that I haven't figured out how to explain it. it must have been my copy though because I haven't heard anything like it from other players.

DJ Crimson · (11-12-2008, 01:00 AM)

Always find stories like this interesting, you'd be surprise how some artists/programmers put their portfolio up and list something that has been canceled or forgotten about.

fernoca · (11-12-2008, 01:02 AM)

You know I thought that they were going to make a new one, since before starting on the recent Tomb Raider games, the intention was not to milk Tomb Raider that much and not release a game every year, so maybe they were going to squeeze a new Kain game...

Yet all they've been doing is Tomb Raider games..3 so far, back to the yearly Tomb Raider games. (2006: Legend, 2007: Anniversary, 2008: Underworld)....I love the games, but a Legacy of Kain game for 2009 would be nice and a year off to Lara, before is killed ..again.

Cardon · (11-12-2008, 01:02 AM)

Damn, this makes me slightly depressed that there was some work on a sequel that got canned. I never thought there was any active development on a new LoK title after Defiance came out. I personally like LoK: Soul Reaver since it was my first experience with the franchise and I really like the design of the environments and the story. For me the only bad part about Soul Reaver was the extremely abrupt ending. I'm not sure who I would like the franchise passed onto. I would be happy if Crystal Dynamics once again handled it but my dream scenario would be Naughty Dog simply since that's where Amy Hennig is at and I think the Uncharted engine would be wonderful for the LoK universe.

Foil · (11-12-2008, 01:04 AM)

Oh god, please not the "Amy is the end all be all power that made LOK what it was" shit again...

No HD Legacy Of Kain pisses me off. Eidos did can a bunch of unannounced games a while back, I wouldn't be shocked if there was a new LOK title that was apart of that. Shame they have CD working on that damn Tomb Raider series for good now.

Kafel · (11-12-2008, 01:04 AM)

rollingstart · (11-12-2008, 01:05 AM)

I liked every LoK game, even BO2, I would haved played and enjoyed this.

EmCeeGramr · (11-12-2008, 01:08 AM)

Originally Posted by Kittonwy:

Soul Reaver wuz teh best game in teh series becuz Amy Hennig directed it and Richard Lemarchand wuz senor designer.

if denis dyack weren't permabanned he'd be here kicking your ass again

Kittonwy · (11-12-2008, 01:09 AM)

Originally Posted by EmCeeGramr:

if denis dyack weren't permabanned he'd be here kicking your ass again

I said SOUL REAVER.

Narag · (11-12-2008, 01:10 AM)

Man, I adored the voice acting in these games. Michael Bell and Simon Templeman were so awesome in their respective roles.

Cardon · (11-12-2008, 01:12 AM)

Originally Posted by Narag:

Man, I adored the voice acting in these games. Michael Bell and Simon Templeman were so awesome in their respective roles.

And don't forget Tony Jay.

Kittonwy · (11-12-2008, 01:13 AM)

Originally Posted by Cardon:

And don't forget Tony Jay.

Tony Jay is gone.

watership · (11-12-2008, 01:15 AM)

Originally Posted by Kittonwy:

Soul Reaver wuz teh best game in teh series becuz Amy Hennig directed it and Richard Lemarchand wuz senor designer.

You have a Amy Hennig shrine in your bedroom don't you?

Totobeni · (11-12-2008, 01:21 AM)

I guess Crystal Dynamics are Tomb Raider exclusive developers now , good luck with them making anyting else .

makingmusic476 · (11-12-2008, 01:21 AM)

Originally Posted by watership:

You have a Amy Hennig shrine in your bedroom don't you?

Yes he does, and you don't want to know what he does with it.

Johann · (11-12-2008, 01:22 AM)

It's a shame the game didn't come to fruition, but it's nice to have closure on this.

Proc · (11-12-2008, 01:22 AM)

I miss this series.

Kittonwy · 01:30 AM

Originally Posted by watership:

You have a Amy Hennig shrine in your bedroom don't you?

SolidSnakex · (11-12-2008, 01:28 AM)

Originally Posted by Totobeni:

I guess Crystal Dynamics are Tomb Raider exclusive developers now , good luck with them making anyting else .

They've pretty much confirmed that as there was an interview near the beginning of the TR Underworld unveiling where they mentioned the possibility of a new LoK but added that they probably wouldn't be the developers.

Ifrit · (11-12-2008, 01:29 AM)

:(

Log4Girlz · (11-12-2008, 01:29 AM)

For half a second I thought that was an actual subtitle to a game in development lol.

Jugendstil · (11-12-2008, 01:33 AM)

Very interesting. I enjoyed these games for the most part. The mythos is totally rewritten or changed with every sequel, but Raziel and Kain are pretty fun characters, and the games had some great plot twists and cliffhanger endings. Fable 2 weirdly reminded me of Soul Reaver and Defiance. It made me a bit sad that we probably won't see another game in the world of Nosgoth any time soon.

Poimandres · (11-12-2008, 01:34 AM)

I only ever owned Soul Reaver (on PS1).

But damn, at the time it was fantastic. Awesome graphics and art, bursting with ideas.

abstract alien · (11-12-2008, 01:36 AM)

Damn, id love to see a new take on it. Pretty darn good games(soul reaver being outstanding), and one of the few stories in gaming that was actually good.

Originally Posted by Poimandres:

I only ever owned Soul Reaver (on PS1).

But damn, at the time it was fantastic. Awesome graphics and art, bursting with ideas.

Dont forget, hidden loading. A damn ps1 game doing things most "advanced" games fail at....shame.

flarkminator · (11-12-2008, 01:36 AM)

I can't tell if I love or hate Kittonwy

Ether_Snake · 01:42 AM

I'm pretty sure Eidos is making a new Soul Reaver.

EDIT: Can't confirm it.

raziel · (11-12-2008, 01:37 AM)

sigh

The Jer · (11-12-2008, 01:38 AM)

Originally Posted by Kittonwy:

Soul Reaver wuz teh best game in teh series becuz Amy Hennig directed it and Richard Lemarchand wuz senor designer.

hahahaha

i laughed when i saw you had the first reply and already knew the gist of what you'd say

ixix · (11-12-2008, 01:38 AM)

Originally Posted by brandonh83:

jesus fucking christ. but uhm, yeah I agree with you. Soul Reaver 2 had a game-breaking glitch so bizarre and insane and complicated that I haven't figured out how to explain it. it must have been my copy though because I haven't heard anything like it from other players.

I never finished the first Soul Reaver because of a glitch that I've never heard of anybody else having. It involved one of the bosses disappearing forever. It was rather off-putting, and after having the ending described to me I couldn't muster the will to start the game over.

Someday, though. Someday I shall beat Soul Reaver.

Timber · (11-12-2008, 01:38 AM)

I have Soul Reaver and I want to play it, but I need a PS1 memory card. F that :(

DarienA · (11-12-2008, 01:41 AM)

I love the SR series(though some of the games had bad gameplay quirks... I'm looking at you Blood Omen 2!)... Hi Amy! Hi Sam! Defiance was a nice ending... not closure, but a nice ending... would have loved to see that series continue.... didn't defiance end with Janos being possessed by the Hylden leader, and Kain "killing" the Elder God? I really enjoyed combat in this one.

Mama Robotnik · 01:57 AM

Originally Posted by Totobeni:

I guess Crystal Dynamics are Tomb Raider exclusive developers now , good luck with them making anyting else .

The fact that they pay the series homage whenever they can suggests that they'd like to return to the Legacy one day. I just wonder if Eidos will let them.

Dead Man · (11-12-2008, 02:49 AM)

What could have been... I think the biggest problem with the LoK series for me has been the continuity. The individual games have been good to great, but the story arc is a disjointed mess. Soul Reaver still stands out as one of the greatest games of the PS1 era for me, actually, probably on of my favourite games of all time really, so any return to Nosgoth is always welcome.

The Naughty Dog suggestion was good, I would like to see the Uncharted engine take on Nosgoth.

{Mike} · (11-12-2008, 02:53 AM)

Originally Posted by Ether_Snake:

I'm pretty sure Eidos is making a new Soul Reaver.

EDIT: Can't confirm it.

Partially true. It's a re-release for PSN

Mama Robotnik · (11-12-2008, 02:54 AM)

More interesting information I've managed to unearth, this very second...

http://rungy.us/ is the website of Ranjeet Singhal, an animator and artist who has worked on many games, including Legacy of Kain: Defiance. A screenshot in the models section of his website shows something I have never seen before - the presence of the younger, Blood-Omen era Kain in the Defiance engine. It appears to be an improved version of the Blood Omen 2 model, with uniform inspired by Soul Reaver. An interesting curiousity this, the text says it is related to Blood Omen 2, but the environment is from a much more recent game.

Take a look at his resume:

Quote:

Legacy of Kain Ritual/Eidos/Crystal Dynamics

Director of Art and Animation Technology

Created and documented all Art Dept production processes. Worked with Crystal Dynamics to finish and ship Legacy of Kain Defiance and we did about 6 months of work on a sequel before it was cancelled by Eidos. Mostly art tech tasks here, pipeline debugging, Mel script support for character pose pasting and rig setups.

Looks like more relics from the cancelled production. Very interesting.

Narag · (11-12-2008, 02:54 AM)

Originally Posted by Mama Robotnik:

The fact that they pay the series homage whenever they can suggests that they'd like to return to the Legacy one day. I just wonder if Eidos will let them.

Excelent vid, had no idea about the Soul Reaver in TRL. Very nice touch.

Spirit of Jazz · (11-12-2008, 02:56 AM)

This just makes me remember Blood Omen and the amazing disappointment's it led to in regards to Silicon Knights future titles :(

Ether_Snake · (11-12-2008, 02:58 AM)

Originally Posted by {Mike}:

Partially true. It's a re-release for PSN

Actually I heard it was an actual new game, not for PSN. But it's second hand info.

But the next big Eidos game is Deus Ex 3.

TommyT · (11-12-2008, 03:02 AM)

I saw a few of the Legacy of Kain games at Hollywood videos whilst rummaging for good trade in games... I've never played one, nor do I know much about them. Are they worth picking up?

Mama Robotnik · 03:22 AM

I had NO IDEA what was out there for those patient enough to look. I've just hit the motherload.

The cancelled game was called LEGACY OF KAIN: THE DARK PROPHECY, and I've found another artists's promotional site with a ton of screenshots.

The game seems to have been much further along than I had anticipated before it was cancelled. The premise appears to involve Kain between his Blood Omen 2 Warlord, and Soul Reaver Dark-God states.

Damn, I would have played this game!

I'm still investigating this, hopefully there is more to be unearthed.

Dead Man · (11-12-2008, 03:29 AM)

Man, don't tell me any more about it, I don't want to know!

*sits in corner, cuts/cries*

Syril · (11-12-2008, 03:40 AM)

So that's what happened.

Gribbix · (11-12-2008, 04:04 AM)

Nice job digging all this stuff up. I had heard that a new LoK by a different developer was at one time in production and subsequently cancelled. It's nice to finally see images of it. It's also pretty interesting to see that BO2/Defiance amalgam model of Kain.

From a gameplay perspective, Soul Reaver was definitely the best of the games. I preferred its overworld and Metroid-style progression over the fairly linear sequels. I also enjoyed the combat, particularly how the enemies could only be killed through some fatal blow (impalement, immersion in water, fire). It's funny how to this day, I still can't think of any game that has outdone the dual world mechanic of the first Soul Reaver (not even the sequels). The transition from the material world to the spirit realm was just so well executed from a visual and gameplay perspective, even by today's standards. It's also the reason I'd probably be a tad disappointed by a new Raziel-less LoK.

If they were to make a new title, then realistically the best time period to explore without scaring off all the newcomers with the heavy backstory would be Kain's ascension to power between BO1 and SR1 (let's just forget BO2 exists for narrative purposes) or they could follow Lieutenant Raziel from rebirth to execution.

Eidos is clearly aware that the series has a small yet very hardcore fanbase judging by the fact that they released a new set of Kain/Raziel figures late last year. Unfortunately as hardcore as LoK fans are, they probably just aren't large enough to justify a new game.

INDIGO_CYCLOPS · (11-12-2008, 04:18 AM)

Ugh, this is heart-breaking -- Soul Reaver was my favorite and most played Dreamcast game and I still dream of it :(

Poimandres · (11-12-2008, 04:21 AM)

Excellent work with the information unearthing!

I wonder how many other unreleased/unannounced games could be found via similar means?

Classic_Gs · (11-12-2008, 05:36 AM)

Bummer this game was canceled, as a big fan of LOK I would love to see a game in the series. All of the Kain focused games were my favorites.

PedroLumpy · (11-12-2008, 06:58 AM)

Nifty stuff

I never would have thought I would be satisfied with an ending to the Legacy of Kain/Soul Reaver series, but Defiance did a good job. I can certainly live with the series ending there.

Originally Posted by Kittonwy:

Soul Reaver wuz teh best game in teh series becuz Amy Hennig directed it and Richard Lemarchand wuz senor designer.

:D Trollin Dyack from the grave, amazing and fitting that Kittowny managed to post first.

neorej · (11-12-2008, 07:16 AM)

I'd like to see the guys from Ninja Theory have their way with the LOK-universe. I wouldn't even care whether they used the Soul Reaver or Blood Omen storyline. The intertwining story of Kain and Raziel is too fucking good to let it die.

The people from NT have proven they convey a story in a game, they can use emotions like there's no tomorrow and they can provide some interesting combat. Do it NT! DO IT!