The original MGS on Playstation is a classic. I thought it would be almost impossible to improve on a game that at the time was damn near perfect. Leave it to Nintendo to prove me wrong. As they did with the porting of Resident Evil, Nintendo has made such a faithful and flawless translation of this fantastic game onto their new console. Everything that made the original great has remained intact. The voice acting is still superb. The new cut scenes feature expanded action and dialogue, which builds up the story even more.

This truly is a fusing of MGS and MGS2. Weapons from the second game have found their way into this translation, including the M9 tranquilizer and PSG1-T. The addition of a first person mode enhances the playability, which includes the aquisition of dog tags! For a bit of a twist, they left the old codec screen alone, without the annoying floating heads of MGS2. There are 5 levels of difficulty, ranging from very easy to extreme, and you can play any difficulty with a saved complete game. They even left in the costume changes from the original MGS.

If you're a fan of the MGS series, then I highly suggest getting this game. It's got loads of playability and is an extremely good and faithful translation of the original.

My jaw nearly dropped the first time I saw an ad for this game in a gaming magazine (forget which). Ever since the cliffhanger (again) at the end of Soul Reaver 2, I have been eagerly awaiting the next installment of the franchise. Now that it's finally here, I can proudly say that it doesn't disappoint. This is now the 5th game in the series, but is also by far the superior one of them all. The best news is that what the LOK fans truly love about the games, that being the excellent voice acting and intriguing story, is as good as ever. The story truly unfolds like an epic tale of deceit, manipulation, destiny, and vengeance. This is also the first game in the series where both Kain and Raziel are playable characters within the same game.

In terms of the game itself, it plays very easily. The new combat system works great, giving you the ability to take on multiple enemies at once. The mid-air combos work well and and that extra bit of flair. The characters also are granted special new abilities as their combat experience increases, giving the player incentive to stand and fight instead of running away. The reaver also gets many new enhancements in the game, both as the physical and wraith blade, and even includes an energy meter that when full, can be used to unleash a powerful wave attack on multiple enemies. Also, both Kain and Raziel now posess telekinetic abilites that, when used in a fight, can hurl enemies onto sharp objects, or push them off a ledge to their death.

The bonus features on the disc are great. During the game, both Kain and Raziel can collect tomes to unlock bonus features from the main menu, which generally include concept artwork and storyboards from previous LOK games. The Dark Chronicle is also far superior, for this time, you can watch the cinematics from the game as you progress, instead of just written transcripts of the action. When the game is beaten, you get access to video recordings of the voice sessions, 3D renderings of the characters and environments, and more concept artwork.

I have to say though that one change made is both a blessing and a curse. The new camera system, which uses a fixed position instead of previous games where it followed the character, simultaneously gives you both a wider view of the action, but also can be a pain in the rear when in combat. There are times where you could be facing an enemy and if they move behind a pillar or staircase, the camera doesn't rotate and the obstruction keeps you from seeing the fight, not to mention you can't see your enemy! It also makes jumping onto platforms more challenging because it doesn't center behind the character, as in previous games.

I really can't say anything bad about this game. It has much more of an action feel to it, but with the added bonus of superb voice acting and the most intriguing and complex storyline of any franchise to date. Do yourself a favor and pick up this game. If you're a hardcore LOK fan like me, you should already own a copy. For you newbies who buy it, get the other games as well. It will make for a fantastic experience, not to mention it'll be a lot less confusing.

Let's get a few things clear and out of the way:
- Symphony of the Night is one of my all-time favorite games, and since I've been playing videogames since the old Atari systems, that's saying alot.
-The jump to 3D play, and I mean GOOD 3D play, was just inevitable, so get used to it. All games are going this way. It's much easier to take advantage of the hardware in a 3D environment.

Now that that's said and done, let's get to the point. Lament of Innocence is, in my opinion, a well made and very fun game. It helps that the design team from Symphony worked on this game. The controls are easy to learn: 2 buttons to attack, 1 to jump, 1 for special weapons, and 1 to block. As long as you can get those buttons down, you can play for quite a while and not have to worry about the others. The new combo system is great, giving you the ability to chain together an entire series of very devastating attacks. If you can master the combo system, the sub weapons can be moved to a USE-ONLY-IF-NEEDED status. The addition of using the whip as a meathod of swinging off poles and rails was a nice touch. Also, the game requires ALOT of exploring and doubling-back to retreive items you couldn't get before. Also, if you think the voice-overs stink, then you can play the game in Japanese with English subtitles.

There are a few caveats, however. The only way to gain magic points is to block a special enemy attack. This can get extremely frustrating, especially if you're surrounded by enemies that are hacking at you, but not performing special attacks. Also, certain areas of the game become inaccessible after the boss is defeated, and you can go back to pick up something you may have missed, some of which can be very hard to find. Also, the real-time window is just plain bad. You could end up getting the snot beaten out of you just for trying to drink some health potion or equipping a different whip.

All the flaws aside, the game is magnificent and a very impressive transition to the 3D format. The storyline is decent, and I think it shows some guts to try to create a prequel to a very famous and recognized series of games.

Being a huge fan of the whole Legacy of Kain series, I was eagerly awaiting the release of this title. I had just finished Soul Reaver 2, and needed more of the complex story and great voice acting. Blood Omen 2 plays well, with fantastic, gothic scenery, and pretty decent music. The voice acting is superb (one of the reasons I like the series), but you can't enjoy this game without being a fan of the incredibly complex storyline. Many of the questions that players are left with in the Soul Reaver series are answered here, including the introduction of the Hylden race, which I surmise will become more of a factor in the next Soul Reaver installment. The gameplay in this game is pretty good, and it's a decent length.

There are a couple bad points, however. The programming is incredibly choppy at some points, which makes the video jump violently from frame to frame. This also effects the sound, which can go out of synch with the in-game cinematics. I have seen a cut scene where the Kain is speaking to the Sarafan Lord, only their voices are criss-crossed. The choppiness also makes the CD in the player sound as if it's having a fit of hiccups. These are just minor nuisances.

The biggest gripe is the battle system. The configuration of the blocking and autofacing is just ridiculous. You can't blocks with your armor and jump away from an unblockable attack if you're carrying a backstrap weapon. It takes too long to stop blocking, then autoface, then sidestep. You have to block with your weapon armed, which seriously accelerates the weapons' degradation, and eventual destruction. You also don't have access to the Soul Reaver until the very last moments of the game. The dark gifts he gets after defeating bosses are good enough, but it's a shame you can't select different armor types like the original, or carry a variety of weapons.

All in all, it's a pretty good game, save the few nasty bugs. Being a HUGE fan of this series I gave it 4 stars. Can't wait for Soul Reaver 3.