Wow . That s what I said when I first inspected my surroundings. This series has always provided beautiful graphics that improved with each new game and I must say that Defiance is the best. Close attention to detail and gorgeous architecture makes Nosgoth alive and allows the player to feel the land, whether they were outside in the forest or inside a cathedral. As Raziel and Kain travel through their own journeys, they will visit the same areas but in different times. So, while Raziel visited a tomb in the past, Kain would visit the same place in the future. Changes made to each area, such as toppled columns or decayed walls, are well done and really contrast each other.

Raziel has gone through some minor changes since the last game. His overall appearance seems sharper, his skin looks more detailed and realistic. His movements appear smoother and graceful. Kain has really improved over the past years and he looks much younger than he did when he first appeared in Legacy of Kain, ironically.

The graphics are quite nice, and there is only one problem I found. The camera. The camera has become even more cinematic than before and this ends up being a bit of a bother, especially in platform jumping. It no longer follows directly behind the character; instead it follows you from a farther, almost aerial view. As a result, it gets stuck behind a building/wall or in the scenery and this blocks the view of the next platform or wall you have to jump to. This was frustrating, especially near the end of the game where there was a time limit involved. I'm sure Crystal Dynamics meant for the camera to be more helpful, but this isn't the case.

One of the main things that come to mind when one mentions the LoK games is the voice acting, which is one of the best around. Once again the crew (Michael Bell: Raziel, Simon Templeman: Kain, Tony Jay: Elder God, Moebius: Richard Doyle, Ariel: Anna Gunn, Vorador: Paul Lukather, Janos Audron: Rene Auberjonois) is back to complete their roles and it seems to get better every time. Interaction between characters is never boring or cheesy because the dialogue is just terrific.

During battles, Raziel and Kain would sometimes say a phrase before finishing off their enemy (such as Vae Victus for Kain). The additional voices are pretty good too...unfortunately there is only one female and male voice for all the humans in the game, so it sounds pretty repetitive. This isn't a big issue though.

Sound effects are good and not much has changed from the previous games. Footsteps are heard clearly, the right sounds were used for the different weapons used by the human enemies. The appropriate sounds have been used for the different elements the Reaver obtains. Basically, a lot of the same sounds, but they’re done well, so there’s nothing to complain about.

The only real reason I can think of for playing this game again would probably to just understand the complicated story a little better. True, Defiance clears up a lot of questions, but everything comes so suddenly that you might not be able to grasp everything the first time through. Another reason to play this game again would be if you missed any Arcane Tomes. Arcane Tomes are tablets you can collect during the game that enables you to unlock bonus material, such as character sketches and more. There are ten each for both characters and some are placed in obvious areas, while some you hidden in walls or high ledges. If you managed to get all for both characters, then there’s not much reason to play the game again. Once you play the game the first time, you will unlock the Extra materials, which consist of the making of LoK:Defiance, similar to the previous games.