Developer Crystal Dynamics got half of it right, but does a great half make a good whole Dont ask me, Im not a mathematician -- a numerologist, maybe, but not a mathematician.
That said, the fact that they went and Devil May Cry d-out Defiances combat system is easily the best thing about it.
You know how in those previous games, youd always go and avoid groups of enemies, rather than face them Well, here youll only do that half the time, and this is because the combat is fun.
Crazy combos are easy to pull off, and the fixed camera gives battles the sort of focused perspective they need.
The moves that the characters can do are also very inspired.
Yes, though it may sound to you a bit out of character, both Kain and Raziel can leap in the air after launching their enemies skyward, and continue to pummel them while levitating.
Its a little on the weird side, but it adds a dimension to combat that the previous games were lacking.
They both also have telekinetic powers, and when used in combat, allow them to throw enemies around like ragdolls.
These are especially useful when combating archers posted atop towers.
The one thing that you might have noticed as a theme in the above passage -- the similarity between both characters -- is definitely the games weakest element.
Yes, some of their moves have slightly different timing, but for all intents and purposes, Kain and Raziel are the same character.
It seems that Raziel forgot all the cool stuff he was able to do in Soul Reaver 2.
Now, theyre both cracked-out vampire versions of Devil May Crys Dante.
Granted, theyre both more fun to play as than they were before, but it would have been cool to see their old tricks applied to this new system.
At first glance, it looks like Defiance is an action game of the highest caliber.
But soon enough, it becomes evident that its an old-school LOK game, but with a fixed perspective.
Be prepared to backtrack like crazy, and be prepared to do so without the aid of a map.
The fact that your mission objectives are often unclear compounds the frustration youll feel, especially when you get some of the more expansive areas.
At their worst, they look they were designed before anyone had thought of the mission objectives that will populate them.
Almost exclusively, theyre of the lock-and-key variety, and when theyre not, theyre of the box-moving variety.
But in any case, the environments are sharply produced, especially Raziels spirit-world excursions.
Create your elf nameIts like everything is washed in haze, colored by sickly tints of green, and generally disturbing.