New Remaster of PS2 Classic Released on PS5 to a Perfect User Review Score

A new remaster of a PS2 classic has been released on PS5 via the PlayStation Store, and it has a perfect user review score. And this is surprising because the new remaster only has a 69 on Metacritic, which is not the greatest score. That said, it’s not uncommon for critics and consumers to diverge on games. In fact, it is increasingly common. This is perhaps one of the greatest examples yet, though, as the game in question has a 4.95 out of 5-star rating on the PS Store after 538 user reviews. This is a 99 out of 100 on the Metacritic scale, a score that has only ever been achieved by a single game: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.

The new PS2 remaster in question comes from Crystal Dynamics, and it’s Legacy of Kain: Defiance Remastered, which is obviously a remaster of 2003’s Legacy of Kain: Defiance. As its remaster, the original — also done by Crystal Dynamics — didn’t review overly well, earning a Metacritic range of 70 ot 75. But it was popular with consumers on PS2 and the original Xbox, just like this remaster is proving to be, hence why it has received a remaster over two decades later. And this remaster is the highest-rated 2026 release on the PlayStation Store when filtering by user review score.

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2003 PS2 and Xbox Game

For those unfamiliar with Legacy of Kain: Defiance, it was released in 2003 by developer Crystal Dynamics — a studio best known for the Tomb Raider series — and published by Eidos Interactive. It is the fifth and final game in the Legacy of Kain series, which can be traced back to 1996. Consquently, the series has been dormant for over two decades, but began to return in 2024 with Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered, and now it’s back with this. More than this, the series is to return this year with Legacy of Kain: Ascendance, a brand-new installment, but one that will be a bit different as a 2D metroidvania game.

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One of the Great Games of All Time Is Only $1.24 for PS5 Users Right Now

For those interested in Legacy of Kain: Defiance Remastered, based on its stellar PlayStation Store user review score, it is available on both PS4 and PS5 for $24.99. Interestingly, it is PS4 Pro enhanced, but not PS5 Pro enhanced.

As for what is new, it has new HD graphics, “refined” controls, a “modernized” game camera, the ability to toggle between new and classic graphics, a photo mode, alternate character skins, a “comprehensive” lore reader, and, most notably, unreleased content and “lost levels” from the original game.

All of that said, and as always, feel free to leave a comment or two letting us know what you think, or join the conversation over on the ComicBook Forum.