For the last year or so I've been completely engulfed in the retro gaming world. I've spent a small fortune on Framemeisters, Toro boxes, etc. All in an effort to get the most out of my established and growing retro game collection. I recently played through Powerslave on the Saturn for the first time as my inaugural first game on my new setup. After completing it (great game!), I found myself in the biggest mood to revisit one of my favorite series from throughout the PSX, PS2/XB/GC era - the Legacy of Kain.
So I powered up the PS2 and threw in the original Blood Omen on the PSX. The PS2 via component is one of the best and easiest methods of enjoying original PSX titles at their proper output resolution of 240p. That 240p resolution combined with the Framemeister for upscale to 1080p equates to an absolutely stunning presentation of PSX titles. I'm using a profile for the Framemeister that properly upscales the image using a 5x integer scale and I've enabled scanlines and adjusted the thickness and brightness to a point where it simulates a proper CRT really really well with more clarity on my B6 OLED.
So with that, a few thoughts after playing through the entirety of Blood Omen. The first time I've done so since completing it upon its original release!
- I still love the overhead perspective of the original game. It has an atmosphere and a look/feel that simply hasn't ever been replicated in this style of RPG. It's rather attractive even years on and I think it holds up better than most 3D games of its time.
- The voice acting is still top notch as hell. Simon Templeman as Kain gives one of the most definitive high quality performances in a game when voice acting was still in its infancy. The rest of the cast is equally inspired.
- The game suffers from some pretty severe technical issues on the PSX. Music can't be played while voice overs are happening along with myriad of framerate problems. Some of them pretty damned bad bringing the game down to feeling like you're playing underwater.
- The amount of loading in the game is pretty damned bad. This goes back to the technical issues but having to load into your inventory screen is arduous. There are moments when you need to consistently switch weapons to access new areas and having to wait 10 seconds for a screen to load will test your patience to the extreme. If you can, enable the faster loading for PSX titles on the PS2's driver menu. It helps but its still annoying.
- *PRO-TIP* - In regards to the framerate, if you have a PSP and own Blood Omen as a download from the PSX Classics library, this may actually be the preferred method of revisiting the game. (outside of the PC release or emulation). Especially if you have the PSP Go and the requisite component cables. With the Go (or any model PSP really), you can set the display mode to interlaced and PSX titles will properly output to the Framemeister at their native 240p. The better hardware in the PSP cleans up the framerate issues in the game nicely. To top it off, the Go is the way to play because you can also pair a PS3 controller to it. I do not have a GO anymore unfortunately but I may hunt one down just for this reason.
- I forgot how much content is in the game! It took me about 30 hours to finish it up and there's obviously a great deal of repetition in some of its dungeons. Some of the sewer stuff is a slog later in the game, in fact. Encounter design is antiquated and at times frustrating. Getting bounced between spikes for seemingly messing up and ending up dead is irksome. Though I never tire of hearing "The Heart of Darkness" from Kain.:). I'm struck by some of the artistry on display though. The backgrounds are lovingly designed and the consistency of the atmosphere remains impressive as mentioned. Silicon Knights did good on this one.
- As the first game of the series, it does a tremendous job of setting up the narrative to come. The corruption of the Pillars, the Circle of Nine, Meobius the time streamer (The Oracle of Nosgoth in the original game), the Sarafan, William the Just, etc. It's a series that's just so rich with characters and world building and so much of that foundation is laid here. It depresses me that the series died a quiet death after Defiance.:(
- The game is just chock full of secrets to discover. The full moon mechanic opens up moon caves and secret areas that you'd never see otherwise and there's a crazy amount of loot to be had along with blood fountains that permanently upgrade stats.
So yeah, I really enjoyed my time revisiting the game despite its flaws and technical issues. It's a meaty experience with beautifully put together pixel art that still holds up well today. Its gameplay is solid and despite some repetition and padding, I couldn't wait to see what was around the next corner.
I moved on and completed Soul Reaver (I'll post up about that game shortly) and am currently working my through Soul Reaver 2. I plan to play through them all including the much maligned Blood Omen 2 in the coming weeks. Feel free to share any thoughts about the series. Thanks!
So I powered up the PS2 and threw in the original Blood Omen on the PSX. The PS2 via component is one of the best and easiest methods of enjoying original PSX titles at their proper output resolution of 240p. That 240p resolution combined with the Framemeister for upscale to 1080p equates to an absolutely stunning presentation of PSX titles. I'm using a profile for the Framemeister that properly upscales the image using a 5x integer scale and I've enabled scanlines and adjusted the thickness and brightness to a point where it simulates a proper CRT really really well with more clarity on my B6 OLED.
So with that, a few thoughts after playing through the entirety of Blood Omen. The first time I've done so since completing it upon its original release!
- I still love the overhead perspective of the original game. It has an atmosphere and a look/feel that simply hasn't ever been replicated in this style of RPG. It's rather attractive even years on and I think it holds up better than most 3D games of its time.
- The voice acting is still top notch as hell. Simon Templeman as Kain gives one of the most definitive high quality performances in a game when voice acting was still in its infancy. The rest of the cast is equally inspired.
- The game suffers from some pretty severe technical issues on the PSX. Music can't be played while voice overs are happening along with myriad of framerate problems. Some of them pretty damned bad bringing the game down to feeling like you're playing underwater.
- The amount of loading in the game is pretty damned bad. This goes back to the technical issues but having to load into your inventory screen is arduous. There are moments when you need to consistently switch weapons to access new areas and having to wait 10 seconds for a screen to load will test your patience to the extreme. If you can, enable the faster loading for PSX titles on the PS2's driver menu. It helps but its still annoying.
- *PRO-TIP* - In regards to the framerate, if you have a PSP and own Blood Omen as a download from the PSX Classics library, this may actually be the preferred method of revisiting the game. (outside of the PC release or emulation). Especially if you have the PSP Go and the requisite component cables. With the Go (or any model PSP really), you can set the display mode to interlaced and PSX titles will properly output to the Framemeister at their native 240p. The better hardware in the PSP cleans up the framerate issues in the game nicely. To top it off, the Go is the way to play because you can also pair a PS3 controller to it. I do not have a GO anymore unfortunately but I may hunt one down just for this reason.
- I forgot how much content is in the game! It took me about 30 hours to finish it up and there's obviously a great deal of repetition in some of its dungeons. Some of the sewer stuff is a slog later in the game, in fact. Encounter design is antiquated and at times frustrating. Getting bounced between spikes for seemingly messing up and ending up dead is irksome. Though I never tire of hearing "The Heart of Darkness" from Kain.:). I'm struck by some of the artistry on display though. The backgrounds are lovingly designed and the consistency of the atmosphere remains impressive as mentioned. Silicon Knights did good on this one.
- As the first game of the series, it does a tremendous job of setting up the narrative to come. The corruption of the Pillars, the Circle of Nine, Meobius the time streamer (The Oracle of Nosgoth in the original game), the Sarafan, William the Just, etc. It's a series that's just so rich with characters and world building and so much of that foundation is laid here. It depresses me that the series died a quiet death after Defiance.:(
- The game is just chock full of secrets to discover. The full moon mechanic opens up moon caves and secret areas that you'd never see otherwise and there's a crazy amount of loot to be had along with blood fountains that permanently upgrade stats.
So yeah, I really enjoyed my time revisiting the game despite its flaws and technical issues. It's a meaty experience with beautifully put together pixel art that still holds up well today. Its gameplay is solid and despite some repetition and padding, I couldn't wait to see what was around the next corner.
I moved on and completed Soul Reaver (I'll post up about that game shortly) and am currently working my through Soul Reaver 2. I plan to play through them all including the much maligned Blood Omen 2 in the coming weeks. Feel free to share any thoughts about the series. Thanks!
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