Source says Tomb Raider studio bringing back Legacy of Kain vampire action franchise, unannounced IP is an XBLA title.
Crystal Dynamics is returning to the Legacy of Kain franchise with a Soul Reaver reboot, a source has told VG247.
Details are thin concerning the project, but the tipster told the site the title is a "full reworking" of the vampire action game and boasts a fresh art style.
Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver (pictured at right) was developed by Crystal Dynamics and shipped for the original PlayStation in 1999. It is a spin-off from 1996's Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain and was directed and produced by Amy Hennig, who is now a lead developer on the PlayStation 3-exclusive Uncharted franchise.
A direct sequel to Soul Reaver--Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2--shipped in 2001 for the PlayStation 2 and PC. Additional titles Blood Omen 2: Legacy of Kain and Legacy of Kain: Defiance followed, shipping in 2002 and 2003, respectively.
In addition to spilling the beans on Soul Reaver, the source indicated that the new IP in development at Crystal Dynamics is an Xbox Live Arcade title. Further information was not provided.
Earlier this month, God of War II director Cory Barlog joined Crystal Dynamics to work on a "yet to be announced title."
A representative from Crystal Dynamics parent company Square Enix declined to comment.
Crystal Dynamics is currently at work on a Tomb Raider reboot, due for release on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC this fall. An origin story, the game will tell the tale of how Lara Croft came to be the crafty, nimble adventurer at the center of previous franchise games.
Eddie Makuch (Mack-ooh) is a News Editor at GameSpot. He works out of the company's Boston office in Somerville, Mass., and loves extra chunky peanut butter.
Im really excited about this! But the fact they say that it is an Xbox Live Arcade Title, Worries me quite a bit, Legacy of Kain was on Playstation and PC first, I however have no Quarrels with it going on Xbox Live as Defiance was a part of the original Xbox, Now if its for both PSN and Xbox Live Arcade then thats fine, having it on both instead of 1 console makes everything a lot better even putting it on PC (via Steam) Would be pretty awesome as well!
would like to say .... FINALLY!!!!
its about time they got back to they're greatest video creation they have ever done instead of mass producing tomb Raider reboots jeez.
I actually would like to see an open world like skyrim i think it would rival elder scrolls ... and i love elder scrolls .
Are they rebooting soul reaver or "A" legacy of kain game? i think they should pick up from defiance personally ... eidos is too far forward to be going back and fixing things and not only that the audience/fans have already lived the experience and felt the awesomness of the last games , its going to be hard to live up to there last creation and may even ruin the new one if they do it again and change it . crystal dynamics has spoken about a new concept design so that should be interesting. If they are doing a Soul reaver reboot i have always wondered why they put such a focus on Raziel , isnt it called " Legacy of Kain " not.. Legacy of Raziel
dont get me wrong i love Raziel but he has died and his sould resides in kain's soul reaver now lets all move on .
@danzy89 "isn't it called "Legacy of Kain" not..."Legacy of Raziel".
LOL, dude, take a moment to think about just what exactly is Kain's greatest "Legacy".
After all these years the original Soul Reaver game is still my favourite game. I played it again recently when it was published on PSN and it was still fantastic. The graphics is of course aged, but the story, its characters, the puzzles, the music and the overall atmosphere is just amazing. I really hope there is substance to the rumors.
wow so the story will not continue and instead we will receive a reboot?
that features "fresh art style"? that sounds like "cartoony" with an excuse.
all that is anti-hyping..
If the same characters, story, play, and controls are not changed as that of the old game and not a total variation, deviation from the original, count me in as a pre-purchaser. If not, uhhm, got to think about it.
I'm looking forward to a Serious Sam-like transformation. Make it HD. And then, surprise, surprise, Death will surely look like a beefed up Raziel.
Death, you know that guy on Darksiders 2....
3 Like soul reaver remains my favorite game of all time, best story in a game for me, i don't mind a reboot or anything related to this game, can't wait !!!
Why an XBLA? Why not a full on reboot to the series on a disc that I can hold in my hand? And why not start the reboot with Blood Omen (maybe influenced by Skyrim and/or Diablo) instead of jumping to Soul Reaver?
Hrm...I'd rather they make Blood Omen reboots, to be honest. Raziel fits far too snugly into the current, Twilight-esque "whiny emo wiener" vampire role. Blood Omen 2, for example, was deliciously brutal. You could stalk from the shadows, or stand toe to toe and scrap with the best of them, and at the end of the day, you'd rip out a throat or fifteen and suck the blood from two yards away. A very underrated game, and loads funner than that sparkly, purple whining boy haunting the Soul Reaver franchise. Kain > Raziel. It's not even close.
@Game_Jedi "Arguably" being the key word. Raziel was/is a ponce, and Soul Reaver 2 was a lifeless lump of unmitigated dull with absolutely nothing memorable to speak of. Zero boss fights, endless meandering, and a world that could best be described as a paint by numbers purgatory of banality.
That's fine though, if that's what you're into. You enjoy your phase shifting/box puzzles with smatterings of whiny dialog, and I'll go right on stalking through the shadows, ripping out throats, and tearing things up like a death metal Vlad the Impaler.
@xolivierx "Crystal Dynamics is currently at work on a Tomb Raider reboot, due for release on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC this fall." you dont need to be happy for 360 owners its coming to all platforms
I still got my Legacy Of Kain Soul Reaver ps1 disc. I played every single game in the serie, even the Soul Reaver 2, which was a bug ridden game, but still a gem. I'm sad it has not been announced for Playstation. Those were top notch games in terms of story, character development, atmosphere, gameplay, visuals...true AAA titles and unique in their genre. This is from a Sony Fanboy : I'm happy for you xbox360 owners sniff sniff, I won't be getting this revamped game
2 Like Soul Reaver was my favorite game for a long time in the past. I cannot wait till this comes out!
It's about time... Soul Reaver 1 and 2 and the first Blood Omen I'm replaying at lease 2 times each year - those games had one of greatest stories in history of videogames and exceptional voice acting - even newest games we see today don't have voice acting like that. But, man - if they sh*t story like we see it today in almost every single game - we will have to admire then - there is no hope for good games to be created.And pubs don't give a f**k - put nice commercial to have a giant sacks of money on preorders - and then ship crap.
@residude Well we can only hope that they have the sense to get the original voice cast back...you know those who are still living anyway. And Hopefully they can convince them to retread old ground.
These news are incredible!!! The Sarafan and the ancient Vampire RAce will be once more enjoyed! Luv this saga from the beginning with Kain!!!
It's clear to us now that Trevon Martin was the current Assassin in possession of The Piece of Eden on his way to deliver it to Desmond in NY. The Templar Knight George Zimmerman identified him by way of his hoodie, engaged him in combat and killed him, and stole The Piece of Eden. The Templars are now in possession of it once again.
Would have liked to see a remake of Blood Omen or even better, a continuation of the series. Not sure about them changing the art style either but gonna stay cautiously optimistic about this one. Its great to hear that this series isn?t dead anyway.
Noooo! I was so excited when they killed Raziel off in the end of Defiance! I've been in this for Kain since the first game. It's his series, and if you're going to reboot, make an updated version of Blood Omen. Either way they should just be finishing the story, everything was coming to a head with the Hilden and all that jazz. That's all I think most of us fans want is an ending to Kain's Legacy, after all they are called Legacy of Kain.
@Iamshmee Absolutely! Been craving a new game to end the series since the moment I finished Defiance! Sooo many people seem to miss the cross-game storyline! They ALL tie together and Raziel was a key part of the whole point of the Soul Reaver blade and it's story ALONGSIDE Kain and Raziel!
Finishing off the Hylden, restoring the Pillars of Nosgoth, tracing the Soul Reaver (blade) through it's travels back and forth in time et etc! Bring it ON !!!
@deadly_nemesis, hopefully they can get mostly the same developers of the original, if so then any game they produce should do the series justice. I for one am more than happy, and excited for a complete reboot of the original soul reaver!
@residude If they do decide to not pick it up from where Defiance left off...well I guess all we can hope is that they treat the series with the care and respect it deserves.
@deadly_nemesis, all the important points of the game are finished, there is only one way they can take the game, and if there was a sequel that's what they'd do, but I wouldn't be upset if they don't carry it on, I was happy enough with the way defiance ended.
@residude I'm not trying to come off like an ass or anything but... Are you sure you played Defiance? Because that sir was in no way an ending that was just a cliff hanger to a final chapter which would have been all Kain tying the last loose ends and saving and restoring Nosgoth.
One of those games that always stuck with me over the years. (Man... going on 20 yrs ago...) Raziel was it? Cool character, cool game mechanics and was one of those games I didn't get tired of playing. Always hoped off and on through the years that an updated version would be released. Here is to hoping it has the same style and feel of the others. I'm def following this one. :D Can't wait to hear more...
@chechak7 [quote]people did you read title "ource says Tomb Raider studio bringing back Legacy of Kain vampire action franchise, unannounced IP is an XBLA title." XBLA =Xbox Live Arcade[/quote] Yes, people read that. Now did you read the article? For starters the 'Legacy of Kain' series isn't an unannounced IP (being that the reboot is announced here, and the franchise is 16 years old to begin with), and the article plainly speaks of a new IP being developed as an XBLA title.
@brollyandvegeta [quote]There Were Times When Games Had Good Stories ...[/quote] And many games back then had little to no story, or no good story anyway. That's still true today, but there are plenty of games today that have good stories. And the LoK series, while an excellent story, wasn't without its flaws.
Is it pathetic that I teared up a little while reading this? I lost hope for more of this amazing series ages ago, but since the merger/takeover last year I've been hoping that SE might push them to do something with the IP.
Hell I'd be happy with an HD version of Blood Omen as a downloadable game. Just as long as the ungodly load times don't come with it. Load times are the only thing keeping me from replaying the game.
people did you read title "ource says Tomb Raider studio bringing back Legacy of Kain vampire action franchise, unannounced IP is an XBLA title." XBLA =Xbox Live Arcade
omg @ last Legacy of Kain reboot ,i've played all series and will play the new one ,it is great game to play
Crystal Dynamics was initially reluctant to fully adapt original concept into Legacy of Kain franchise.
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