RustyNails
Member
I dont understand how so much work can go into a game of a highly successful franchise, only to have the rug pulled from underneath. What was going through the peoples's heads when they decided to pull the plug.
-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
Legacy of Kain: Dead Sun (updated with E3 2012 Square Enix Teaser and Pre-Boss Video)
- Thread starter Mama Robotnik
- Start date
- NSFW
Why thank you. I'm very fond of it myself
GoldenCrow
Member
Just watching the first fight sequence and some of the moves for Shadow of Mordor look like they came directly from this.
Brerlappin
Member
Depressing to think that we got Hitman absolution but were denied a LOK sequel. Good job, SE
Yet another reason to hate Square Enix... As if I didn't have enough.
LoK was one of my favorite series. I loved all of them (eh.. except BO2). The story, immersion, dialogue, and characters were top notch. Hell, still are. The amount of effort put into the universe and dialogue to this day remains unmatched.
The series will always have a special place in my heart. I wish I could play another one... Eh, maybe in a universe far, far away. The game looked awesome too, and it looked like the development team really put some thought into the universe post-Defiance. God damn shame we'll never see it.
The company is fucking lost and has been for years. It's so sad that they have not only destroyed their amazing franchises, but this one as well.
LoK was one of my favorite series. I loved all of them (eh.. except BO2). The story, immersion, dialogue, and characters were top notch. Hell, still are. The amount of effort put into the universe and dialogue to this day remains unmatched.
The series will always have a special place in my heart. I wish I could play another one... Eh, maybe in a universe far, far away. The game looked awesome too, and it looked like the development team really put some thought into the universe post-Defiance. God damn shame we'll never see it.
The company is fucking lost and has been for years. It's so sad that they have not only destroyed their amazing franchises, but this one as well.
Hero_of_the_Day
Member
It has to come down to the math. At some point it's just money already spent + money that will be spent - potential profits = cancelled game. Considering the world didn't even know the game existed, there was still a ton of money to be spent on marketing (since it hadn't begun). And who knows how much more of a game there was outside of what we're seeing here. It could have still been pretty far from completion.
I still haven't been able to watch the video. That said I think what I need to help with the heart ache is confirmation that this was going to be a shitty reboot ala Tomb Raider conplete with QTEs, hand holding, automated everything, map of "secret collectables", dumbed down optional dungeons, etc. Tell me this was all about trying (and failing) to be either Arkham Asylum, Uncharted or both.
Please don't tell me this was going to be similar to Soul Reaver, with actual platforming, exploration and puzzles.
Please don't tell me this was going to be similar to Soul Reaver, with actual platforming, exploration and puzzles.
Agent Gibbs
Member
Everytime i see a thread on this i feel so sad, why did/do SE have no faith in this series?
deejay8595
my posts are "MEH"
This is exactly what was going through my head when I views the video.
The_Afroman
Member
Well.. good job GAF, i'm ruined/saved for the week..
It looks pretty damn far along, much farther that I would imagine for a downright cancellation. Maybe SE estimated the shipping date would have been too late in the 360 lifespan?
But even then I'm shocked that they made Nosgoth out of it and didn't even think about keeping that very advanced single player part. It got voice acting, mo-capped intro scenes and everything. It's crazy.
But even then I'm shocked that they made Nosgoth out of it and didn't even think about keeping that very advanced single player part. It got voice acting, mo-capped intro scenes and everything. It's crazy.
Well.. good job GAF, i'm ruined/saved for the week..
do not play blood omen 2 , it is a buggy mess, it will drive you nuts
PrimaNocta
Member
I don't need a new LoK honestly. I just need a Remaster of the OG titles and i'm happy. Loved those games as a kid.
CrunchyFrog
Member
Mama Robotnik continues to deliver the goods. Fantastic work
GavinUK86
Member
I always know I'm about to become very depressed when I see Mama Robotnik's name on the "thread created by" section. You just know it's info about something awesome that's got cancelled.
Looks like it's happened again. Dead Sun looks a heck of a lot like Shadow of Mordor though which is a bit weird. I wonder if this came out, what we would've gotten first.
I guess it's time to replay the whole series again then have a sulk when I get to the end.
Slightly off topic but I actually quite like the F2P Nosgoth. It plays quite well.
Looks like it's happened again. Dead Sun looks a heck of a lot like Shadow of Mordor though which is a bit weird. I wonder if this came out, what we would've gotten first.
I guess it's time to replay the whole series again then have a sulk when I get to the end.
Slightly off topic but I actually quite like the F2P Nosgoth. It plays quite well.
Death Metalist
Member
Kain is deified. Super interesting info, such a shame. Fucking hurts.
I'm sure Darksiders/Darksiders 2 had a hand in killing this. They have a lot of superficial similarities (although this skews a bit more adult/low fantasy, reminded me of The Witcher series), and seeing the Zelda-without-Zelda Darksiders series underperform and, on the other end of their inspiration scale, having to compete with the Arkham series in terms of both brand and gameplay probably didn't seem like a great bet for a AAA budget.
krypt0nian
Banned
Travesty this was cancelled. It has the feel. The feeeeeeeel.
I'm inclined to agree; unfortunately the adult-Zelda formula doesn't seem to appeal to a wide audience (as much as some of us love it). Honestly I think the Arkham inspirations were a good choice, as Shadow of Mordor seems heavily inspired by those games and did very well; but it's a lot harder to sell the LoK IP than Batman or Lord of the Rings.
whatevermort
Member
Sorry. But the plan was: platforming, puzzles, dungeons, huge bosses, a MASSIVE amount of exploration. Outside the tutorial bit (which is in the video), no handholding. Jumping was automated (like Zelda meets AA), but the actual platforming was all puzzle based (realm shifting, tricky jumps, having to move quickly, planning in advance etc).
The combat was very Batmanish, though, only much faster. Like an angry pinball with fatalities.
.......... Fuck.........
Z
ZombieFred
Unconfirmed Member
Hey Mort does Square own all the assets for this production then? Is there any chance Square could resume the project with Climax or is it dead as the dodo?
This sounds like those vivid dreams, and then you woke up and you are back in the sad reality. I can'T.
Did you think there is a tiny chance they could in the future continue with this? Maybe if Nosgoth proves to be popular and successful?
FunkyPajamas
Member
I loved what I saw with the exception of how he got his wings. That was kind of anticlimactic, too easy for something that will open up exploration. Should have been after a mini-boss or something that would explain the transformation/mutation and not just a floating icon. It's a silly thing to nitpick, but everything else seemed so great that's the only thing that comes to mind.
Man, I want this done in current-gen machines.
Pyrrhus
Member
It's not precisely what I would have wanted (my dream is a continuation of the original storyline in an open world adventure game featuring the dulcet tones of one Simon Templeman), but I certainly would have bought this if it had come to market. I'm sorry for all the folks who dropped so much time and energy into it only for it to be cancelled.
Homunculus
Banned
Actually, Blood Omen 2 was created when Kain managed to make the "coin" he kept talking about land on its edge. He altered time by pulling the Blood Reaver out of Raziel's chest at the end of Soul Reaver 2 and managed to delay the creation of the Soul Reaver.
This allowed Raziel to help Janos Audron by reclaiming his heart and reviving him. This, however, gave The Hylden a pathway in to Nosgoth through possessing Janos. Kain would end up fighting The Hylden in Blood Omen 2. This was what Kain was trying to warn Raziel about at the end of Soul Reaver 2 when Kain pulled the Blood Reaver from Raziel's chest. Time had been altered and Kain's new memories shocked him and, before Raziel was pulled back to the spirit realm, he told him that "Janos must stay dead."
Raziel didn't listen and, thus, Blood Omen 2 was made.
Z
ZombieFred
Unconfirmed Member
Just a quick question but anyone got that timeline picture of the story as my friend was sure there was a big time paradox around Kain on his actions and how it would have caused an implosion. I am quite rusty myself so like to double check!
Necromanti
Member
Odd, this looks like it would have been a game that could have enjoyed genuine mainstream success in spite of the franchise being relatively niche these days. It seems like it would have hit a good middle ground for pleasing fans of the series while exhibiting modern game design that would have made it fairly accessible.
Yeah, it seems pretty far along as well.
Stylistically it kinda reminds me of Shadows of Mordor.
Indrid Cold1
Member
Have loved your dedication to LoK and the amazing info you have uncovered about the series ever since I knew you as Divine Shadow on another board many moons ago mate. Fantastic stuff as per usual.
John Caboose
Member
Robotnik, you are incredible. Thank you for this.
Man, why would they cancel this? It looks awesome. I know there are a lot of longtime fans of LOK that would have loved to have seen this happen. And a PS4 launch title as well? It would have done really well, I think.
Man, this sucks. SquareEnix can't get this one out but they can keep squeezing out Final Fantasy turds every 6 years?
Man, this sucks. SquareEnix can't get this one out but they can keep squeezing out Final Fantasy turds every 6 years?
First off thanks Mama robotnik for giving us the rare chance to see such detailed material about the game. It's so hard to get your hands on cancelled/pre-alpha stuff which actually isn't 10-20 years old. I really appreciate your dedication to LoK and its community. There would be a ton of stuff we wouldn't even know about otherwise.
Now: what the fuck was Square Enix thinking? It's both absurd and sad to see the incredible potential of the whole LoK series being thrown away. The gameplay was really good and refreshing to say the least. The incredible soundtrack and dark atmosphere is just so different and unique from what is available right now on the market. It really looks and feels like a worthy LoK sequel in many ways.
It is just utterly wrong not to release this title while a bunch of other poorly made projects actually saw the light of day.
I'm disgusted. Urgh.
Now: what the fuck was Square Enix thinking? It's both absurd and sad to see the incredible potential of the whole LoK series being thrown away. The gameplay was really good and refreshing to say the least. The incredible soundtrack and dark atmosphere is just so different and unique from what is available right now on the market. It really looks and feels like a worthy LoK sequel in many ways.
It is just utterly wrong not to release this title while a bunch of other poorly made projects actually saw the light of day.
I'm disgusted. Urgh.
thelastword
Banned
Looks like they had something, it's really a shame that such a game has to be cancelled whilst other less interesting games are out every year.
Machinehead
Member
Art doesn't look very Soul Reaver but the game looks insanely fun. I came to this thread expecting much earlier footage. I'm extremely sad this was cancelled. Please Square Enix, let the guys develop it further! Revive the IP in a big way! It deserves so much love!
whatevermort
Member
That's because this was the vertical slice. (Not like the Bioshock Infinite one, where it was basically a video - this was actually 1/4 of the game totally playable.) The plan actually was that you'd get the wings second dungeon or something, but it's accelerated in this demo to allow the player to show off the flying etc.
FunkyPajamas
Member
Ohhhhh. Nice. So you guys were running UE3? This looks pretty impressive. I mean, there is stuttering here and there, and some animations lacked polish (understandable for a vertical slice), but still, it looked very good. I'm not too crazy about "press RT to see where you need to go" but that's an option so it's easy to not use.
May I ask about boss design? We you guys planning on having Soul Reaver-1-type bosses where each boss was kind of like a puzzle and there was no health bar? Or were you going for the more traditional health-bar, hit until it dies boss type?
Amazing thread mama robotnik! Goddamnit square...unbelievable they went with nosgoth instead of a great singleplayer Soul Reaver.
And they cancelled this really? I am very sad now
And they cancelled this really? I am very sad now
Weltall Zero
Member
Yet another reason to hate the guts of SE execs. Having them work on weekends for an already know cancelled project is its special brand of evil. The game looked amazing, except perhaps for combat which seems somewhat generic. The material/spectral realms are amazing, and the strong winds heavily affecting the trees in the material world is really atmospheric.
If this was a PS4/Xone launch window title it could have done incredibly well. Both because of the name legacy, and also because a lot of the shortcomings may have been forgiven on the new consoles as a reboot.
Sad it didn't happen, but if if were revived, the expectations would be a lot higher now than a year ago.
Similar threads
- Locked