Topic: Recent Retro/Misc Gaming Purchases? (Not PS4/PS5)

@Foxy-Goddess-Scotchy Get on the Cube!!! I was weaned on Cube games from a very young age and it’s still my favourite console (although nostalgia plays a part ofc). I know it somewhat walks the plank but I made backups of my Cube games since the disks were getting a bit scratched so my Wii is a rectangular Cube now. PS2 has better graphics but Cube had better first party games imo.

@nessisonett The GameCube certainly has a strong claim to being Nintendo's finest home console (sorry SNES, I love you too). Amazing hardware for the time - particularly given the very low price point - with a damn fine library to boot. Obviously it lacks the diversity of the PS2's magnificent software catalogue but it does have Metroid Prime. So yeah, I love the Cube. Unfortunately my brother's ex-wife nicked my launch unit so my Wii now stands in for it.

@nessisonett Gamecube was more powerful than PS2 with the likes of Resident Evil 4 suffering visual downgrades when ported to the PS2

@Foxy-Goddess-Scotchy it seems strange by today's standards but back then there were constant huge jumps in graphical quality. I still remember the first time seeing the Dreamcast in stores and the gulf between that and the PS1, Saturn and N64 and that's probably the last time a new console has truly wowed me

@KratosMD Careful with Warhammer - it's a rabbit hole!!

@Foxy-Goddess-Scotchy yeah they were

@mookysam i have 2 GameCubes, i love that little system (in case anyone is wondering i have 2 because in the UK the only way to get The Legend of Zelda collection was as a pack in with a console, yes i brought a second one just to get the Zelda collection)

@Foxy-Goddess-Scotchy Will most certainly tag you when I get around to Soul Reaver, and not simply because whatever reaction I have to it will be all your fault! Will also try to remember and tag @FullbringIchigo as well; didn't realise the series had so many fans!

As for the original Resident Evil, it's the awful voice acting I'm looking forward to the most.

@KratosMD I really hope you enjoy Splinter Cell: Blacklist (actually, I hope you enjoy all the games you've purchased, but Blacklist is the only one I've played and can therefore endorse). It's good to play it before the others, despite it being the most recent, because it made a few changes that frustrated long-term fans, specifically when it swapped out the lead voice actor. For you, that detail won't matter and so you'll be able to surrender to what is otherwise a superb, top-tier stealth game.

@RogerRoger Vampire mythology is one of my favourites so the very fact that you got to play as a "Creature of the night" was what first drew me to the series and to my pleasant surprise i found a really fun game with a interesting lead and a intriguing lore and world

i just wish Square Enix would do something with the series because the last time we got to play as Kain and Raziel was as bonus skins in Lara Croft and the Temple of Light (fun fact one of the creators of the series was Amy Hennig of Uncharted Fame so that could explain why it's world was so well thought out)

@FullbringIchigo Well, given this recent trend of retro being popular, and "everything old is new again" reviving franchises left, right and centre, I'd never say never.

@RogerRoger the main issue is that not long after the release of Defiance the actor who played The Elder God passed away, i think that's what caused the initial pause and then the Square Enix buy out put the nail in it i think, that kind of game didn't appeal to the Japanese market back then which was the market Square was concentrating on back then and while that's changed in the recent years the Legacy of Kain series just seems to be one of those that they own that fell on the back burner which is a shame

@RogerRoger @FullbringIchigo The problem that came with the Legacy of Kain series was basically too many cooks in the kitchen syndrom. after the original developers (Silicone Knights) went bankrupt Crystal Dynamics got the IP. Soul Reaver was an original game concept created by Amy Hennig that at the last minute Crystal Dynamics executives wanted the game as part of the Legacy of Kain universe as a spin off series. Thus the Soul Reaver series was born.

However another team at Crystal Dynamics lead by Glen Schofield (who later would go on to create the Dead Space series as well as find Sledgehammer Games and create several Call of Duty games) wanted to continue the story of Kain thus Blood Oman 2 was born.

To make matters worst after Blood Oman 2 Crystal Dynamics executives thought hey let's combine both games stories into a sort of reboot of the series and combined both teams to make Defiance. However due to low sales of Defiance and with Hennig leaving for Naughty Dog and Schofield leaving for EA Visceral Crystal Dynamics decided to end the franchise.

Crystal Dynamics have teased numerous times on different occasions on bringing back the series but nothing has become of it and since they are owned by Square, Square probably doesn't see it as a huge success. Although if they went the Tomb Raider route I feel it can be successful especially with how big vampires are nowadays.

@Genrou i actually really like Defiance, yeah it was less a puzzle solving exporathon and more Devil May Cry but it was still a decent game

@FullbringIchigo I never played that one. I played the hell out of the first Legacy of Kain: Blood Oman as it was one of the first PS one games my friend got with his new PS system. Played a bit of Soul Reaver as well but always liked Kain more.

@Genrou if you can find a copy cheap it's well worth a play

Not a purchase (I wish), but this has recently turned up in my local shopping centre 🤘🏽🤘🏽

@FullbringIchigo @Genrou Interesting stuff I never realised about the Legacy of Kain / Soul Reaver franchise there, thanks both for the history lesson! I'll definitely keep that in mind whilst playing, because I like knowing the backstory of my games; I knew a little, thanks to Foxy's review, but that's fleshed it out for me.

@KratosMD The HD Trilogy on PS3 is highly recommended, yes. All three games on there are brilliant, and crescendo nicely with Chaos Theory which many consider to be the pinnacle of the franchise. For that kind of price, it's a bargain with many hours of memorable stealth to be had. If you like Blacklist, I think you'll like Conviction from what I've seen of it (alas, it's exclusive to Xbox, so I've never played it). Definitely avoid Double Agent. I played it recently and it's appalling.

@KratosMD I just meant Warhammer in general.
I like most of it. Was in to the table top stuff as a kid and some of the games are great, and there are very, many games!

Well I didn't want to overload anyone with a deep history lesson @RogerRoger (My Divinity Original Sin II review in it's current form has a 1000 word background info section 😅).

Though I did have some information about Soul Reaver's background hidden away in the spoiler tagged section as I felt it played a part in some of my gripes

@Foxy-Goddess-Scotchy ...you mean the spoiler tags I'm waiting to click once I've played it? Nice! Although it wasn't a criticism; your review worked because it told me just enough to make me curious and actually get the game. That being said, there's nothing wrong with longform, either!

I never took it as criticism @RogerRoger... Though I just read what @Genrou wrote about that events that took place and some of that is incorrect as I read about Soul Reaver's development whilst writing my review and this talk made me go back and re-read it 😅

Silicon Knights made the first game with Crystal Dynamics as publishers. However Crystal Dynamics apparently however held the rights to the game series and it was later settled out of court.