As someone who has played the Soul Reaver games extensively I couldn't help but notice similar features and characteristics shown by both Death and Raziel.

Both are dead

Both are pale/blue-skinned

Both have gaunt or skull like faces

Both have black, greasy hair

Both are very agile and fast moving characters

Both leech off souls of the dead

I also noticed similarities in their personalities and dialogue in that they are cold and calculative and also with the obviousness that they are both serious characters, they can sometimes be sarcastic and rude but in a tongue-in-cheek kind of way.

Oh and both are INVINCIBLE.

I will finish off by pointing out that I am not trying to say that the characteristics of Death were ripped off from Raziel I was just wondering if anyone else noticed the similarities.

So what do you guys think?

I'm loving Darksiders 2 by the way, was well worth the wait, well done Vigil!

Raziel has an awesome story though, initially anyway those Legacy of Kain games get seriously convoluted with all the time travelling and whatnot.

Totally different. Death has a lower jaw. Yeah there are some similarities for sure, Death is like Raziels big metalhead brother. Now I really want a new Soul Reaver game.

@Humanity said:

Raziel has an awesome story though, initially anyway those Legacy of Kain games get seriously convoluted with all the time travelling and whatnot.

I agree, the time travelling almost lost me in the story, loved the gameplay though, stealing souls was satisfying as hell.

Deaths story isn't quite as interesting, at least not in his past because we already know what he is about, being Death and all, but following his journey in the events of Darksiders 2 is definitely holding up.

@TheSouthernDandy said:

Totally different. Death has a lower jaw. Yeah there are some similarities for sure, Death is like Raziels big metalhead brother. Now I really want a new Soul Reaver game.

Well, I think totally different is a bit of an exaggeration. :P

I would love a new Soul Reaver game on the next gen consoles but if they did, they NEED to bring back Michael Bell to voice Raziel.

@krazy_kyle said:

@Humanity said:

Raziel has an awesome story though, initially anyway those Legacy of Kain games get seriously convoluted with all the time travelling and whatnot.

I agree, the time travelling almost lost me in the story, loved the gameplay though, stealing souls was satisfying as hell.

Deaths story isn't quite as interesting, at least not in his past because we already know what he is about, being Death and all, but following his journey in the events of Darksiders 2 is definitely holding up.

I haven't played Darksiders 2 but do they ever go into how they became the horseman or anything about their past?

@Humanity said:

@krazy_kyle said:

@Humanity said:

Raziel has an awesome story though, initially anyway those Legacy of Kain games get seriously convoluted with all the time travelling and whatnot.

I agree, the time travelling almost lost me in the story, loved the gameplay though, stealing souls was satisfying as hell.

Deaths story isn't quite as interesting, at least not in his past because we already know what he is about, being Death and all, but following his journey in the events of Darksiders 2 is definitely holding up.

I haven't played Darksiders 2 but do they ever go into how they became the horseman or anything about their past?

Not sure, even if they do, I haven't quite gotten that far yet.

@krazy_kyle said:

@TheSouthernDandy said:

Totally different. Death has a lower jaw. Yeah there are some similarities for sure, Death is like Raziels big metalhead brother. Now I really want a new Soul Reaver game.

Well, I think totally different is a bit of an exaggeration. :P

I would love a new Soul Reaver game on the next gen consoles but if they did, they NEED to bring back Michael Bell to voice Raziel.

Yeah I just went and watched the intro on youtube. That dude sounds awesome.

@Humanity: yes

@Scarlet_Rogue: Is it just Deaths backstory and is it any good? I am still teetering on the edge of getting Darksiders 2 but I'm more of a sucker for good story even if gameplay is just average (although I heard it's pretty great)

@krazy_kyle: I think it's great when games really delve into the past of the characters you play. In Castlevania: Lords of Shadow it was neat to see how the shadow lords fell from grace and came to be. In Legacy of Kain you get all that amazing backstory.

@Humanity said:

@krazy_kyle: I think it's great when games really delve into the past of the characters you play. In Castlevania: Lords of Shadow it was neat to see how the shadow lords fell from grace and came to be. In Legacy of Kain you get all that amazing backstory.

There is certainly a backstory but we already knew it all from the first Darksiders which is what the problem is, there is nothing new brought to the table in terms of backstory in the grand scheme of things but I think you learn more about Deaths past in more detail rather than focusing on all of the horsemen combined.

Death is voiced by Michael Wincott so he wins.

@krazy_kyle: I don't believe Death is dead. He also isn't powered up by souls, War was in the first game.

@Humanity: Yes a lot of the backstory is filled. On Death, some on the horseman, and a bunch of overall Darksiders lore.

@krazy_kyle: Death is not dead, he is very much a living being. Death is also not invincible. Also the first Darksiders has almost nothing on nephalim, nor is the original formation of the Horsemen mentioned in any detail unlike Darkiders 2.

Compared to Raziel, Death seems far more ruthless and wiser. He seems a much more active player in the scheme of things rather then a passive one. Tho i suspect a lot of it is down to technology, and inability to fully flesh out raziel as a character.

@krazy_kyle: I don't believe Death is dead. He also isn't powered up by souls, War was in the first game.

A lot of media takes many elements from other media, so it only makes sense that a whole lot of characters can remind you of a whole lot of other, older characters.

@krazy_kyle said:

@Humanity said:

Raziel has an awesome story though, initially anyway those Legacy of Kain games get seriously convoluted with all the time travelling and whatnot.

I agree, the time travelling almost lost me in the story, loved the gameplay though, stealing souls was satisfying as hell.

Deaths story isn't quite as interesting, at least not in his past because we already know what he is about, being Death and all, but following his journey in the events of Darksiders 2 is definitely holding up.

Weren't you both a little sad Kane killed him unknowingly?

Its odd because i think War sounds a bit like Raziel

I actually hadn't thought of that, which is odd since the first Soul Reaver is one of my favorite games. Hell, I own Soul Reaver action figures!

This makes me realize that on a subconscious level, I probably like Darksiders II without even needing the Darksiders name attached to it.

@krazy_kyle: I don't know what you're talking about and I CERTAINLY know nothing about hitting the jump button while in mid jump to try and use my ruined wings as gliders repeatedly while playing Darksiders 2...seriously, I keep doing that, so I'm glad I'm not the only one who noticed these.

@eclipsesis said:

@krazy_kyle said:

@Humanity said:

Raziel has an awesome story though, initially anyway those Legacy of Kain games get seriously convoluted with all the time travelling and whatnot.

I agree, the time travelling almost lost me in the story, loved the gameplay though, stealing souls was satisfying as hell.

Deaths story isn't quite as interesting, at least not in his past because we already know what he is about, being Death and all, but following his journey in the events of Darksiders 2 is definitely holding up.

Weren't you both a little sad Kane killed him unknowingly?

Its odd because i think War sounds a bit like Raziel

I was always a bit torn since I liked Kain from the earlier games as a dark protagonist, but in the first Soul Reaver when he shreds Raziels wings and casts him down into the abyss - while I get why he did that from a character standpoint it always bothered me as it was such an incredibly dick thing to do.

@Humanity:

Ah that opening cinematic was amazing, and Raziel looked so good, first of the winged kind if i rememeber correctly. I have always hoped for another Legacy of kain game and i hope if they do they manage to keep the story and very strong narative

Good catch, they do favor one another to me as well.

I'd love a new Soul Reaver game...or even a gussied up version of it on the current gen.

Then it would be me, Jade, Pey'j and Raziel spending all of out time together...lo

What I would do for another LoK game... As long as they can somehow come back from the ending of Defiance... also bring back Amy Henning

Death actually looks like Mick Thomson.

@krazy_kyle: Not only that, but with a shroud equipped, he resembles him a lot.

Fairly certain that it's a nod to Soul Reaver. Either way, it's pretty cool.

@krazy_kyle said:

@Humanity said:

@krazy_kyle said:

@Humanity said:

Raziel has an awesome story though, initially anyway those Legacy of Kain games get seriously convoluted with all the time travelling and whatnot.

I agree, the time travelling almost lost me in the story, loved the gameplay though, stealing souls was satisfying as hell.

Deaths story isn't quite as interesting, at least not in his past because we already know what he is about, being Death and all, but following his journey in the events of Darksiders 2 is definitely holding up.

I haven't played Darksiders 2 but do they ever go into how they became the horseman or anything about their past?

Not sure, even if they do, I haven't quite gotten that far yet.

Without really giving anything away:

It's hinted at during the first ten minutes of the game, then the majority of the story deals with it at least to some extent.

You're explicitly shown their origins a few hours in and it becomes a point of contention for Death.

The achievement for meeting the Lord of Bone I thought was a direct reference to Soul Reaver and Raziel...

Absalom is voiced by Simon Templeman a.k.a. Kain