Customer Reviews

Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner

5 star:		(57)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In previews, Zone of the Enders seemed like it was going to be one of the Greatest Games of All Time. Unfortunately it ended up being a bit of a dud. Not a horrible game, but nowhere near meeting expectations. The combat itself was OK at first, but it quickly became repetetive. Aside from the bosses, there were only three enemy types. The game was filled with boring seek-and-fetch quests, an unappealing simpering lead character (that kid made Shinji from EVA look like Clint Eastwood,) uninteresting environments, useless sub-weapons, it was too easy, the story wasn't very exciting, the voice acting was abysmal, and so on and so forth. All it really had going for it was state of the art graphics, satisfying boss battles (well, except for the last one) and a VERY cool mech to fly around in. Oh, and a great soundtrack. But the bad more or less outweighed the good, and so the announcement of a sequel didn't really increase my heart rate. However, the current issue of OPM came with a ZOE2 demo, so I gave it a spin. I can't begin to tell you how much of an improvement it seemed to be over the original. I was so impressed that I immediately ran out and picked up the import even though the domestic version is less than a month away. Everything, EVERYTHING about ZOE1 has been improved upon, even the things it did well. Some notable changes are:

* More enemies and targets appearing onscreen, a LOT more. This game is much more hectic and chaotic than the original, which seemed laid back a lot of the time. Enemies are more agressive, and some of the boss battles are more difficult than anything from ZOE1.

* The lead character actually has some charisma going for him. The story (what I've been able to make out with my non-existent Japanese fluency) is gripping, or at least interesting. Characters actually have relationships with each other. Things actually happen to them. The story itself is told via very high quality anime, rather than ZOE1's 3D CG.

* There's more variety in the gameplay itself. Rather than just contiunually roaming through area after area and beating up enemies and looking for programs, you'll chase down huge armored battle-trains, solve puzzles, and follow precise verbal cues or DIE. You can also now grab enemies and use them as melee weapons, and grab pieces of the environment to use as weapons or shields.

The only real flaw I can think of is that the game's voice acting isn't up to the standard of other Konami productions, such as the Metal Gear Solid series or the Silent Hill series. It may be a notch or two above the truly atrocious acting in ZOE1, but that's not saying much.

Trust me, if you liked ZOE1 at all, you'll be amazed at how great ZOE2 is.

When the name Hideo Kojima comes to mind, most people think of Metal Gear or Solid Snake. Without a doubt, they are his greatest creations. But he has another that most don't know about, the series called Zone Of The Enders. The latest and greatest addition to the series is called Zone Of The Enders: The Second Runner. It's, in my opinion, one of the best games ever made. It's also not a very popular game for some reason, which is a shame.

This has got to be one of the fastest games I've ever played in my life, and one of the most fun! Mechs move like we always knew they could, fast and furiously. And the enemies vastly outnumber you. You will literally, at times, face what looks to be hundreds of enemies. But don't be afraid, your mech is much nimbler and stronger than anything the enemy throws at you. And if you're fast enough, you'll have no trouble destroying the enemy before they can even touch you. Now I'm not saying that this game is easy, because it's not. It can be very, very challenging and will always leave you wanting to come back for more. The bosses are particularly challenging. Once you think that you have a boss' pattern down, they'll throw a new, even deadlier attack at you. But I found no parts of the game to be so frustrating that I'd do something like throw my controller at the wall. The fighting can get slightly repetitive with regular enemies, but is always fun to do. The environments are destructible, and you can even pick up some of it to smash your enemies to little robot pieces with it. You can also grab your enemies and use them as a shield or throw them at others. And best of all, no bad camera angles! You control the camera with the right analog stick.

As soon as you see this game in action you'll notice the similarities graphic wise between it and MGS2. That is not a bad thing, this game is beautiful! Honestly, some of the best graphics I've ever seen on the PS2. It blends traditional graphics with cel-shaded graphics, and it works wonders on the eyes. Every explosion is a joy to behold and the mechs are just downright gorgeous with their "vein-like" look. The environments are a little bland and repetitive, but it's no big deal really. There can be a few slow downs also, but nothing to major. The anime cutscenes are well animated and are also a very nice touch to the game because it's an anime-like story. Even if you're not into that kind of thing, you'll enjoy them.

As always, Hideo's games have a wonderful soundtrack. From the techno beat theme song(which is just wow) to the slightest explosion from destroying something, you won't believe your ears. The stage music isn't all that great but the boss music is awesome. The voice acting is pretty good as well. The only problem is that because it's from Japan, the mouths don't always match up with the dialogue. But, from what I've seen, the voices seem to actually only be about half a second off. So maybe something got screwed up in recording. And in the cockpit, the mouths move very fast for some reason. Either way, it's nothing that'll bother you much.

You can probably complete the main game in about 10 hours or so. You'll probably want to play through it a few times though because it's just plain fun. Oh yea, and for the extras. And from what I've heard, there are a ton of them. However, I've only played through the main game once so I haven't unlocked much. I have however played multiplayer with a friend or two and it was pretty fun. It had us for almost a whole day, and we'll probably play it again many times to come. Most people will say differently about the multiplayer though.

If you like mechs, you will like this game. If you like fast combat, you will like this game. If you like fast mech combat, you will absolutely love this game. This game is a blast to play and the hours that you get from it may be the best video game hours of your life. I, for one, believe this is one of the most underrated games ever and not enough people have played it. Even if you aren't a Hideo Kojima fan and/or didn't like Metal Gear Solid, you may still love this game because it's not like anything else out there. The ultimate question is to either rent or buy however. All I can say is if you liked what you heard in my review, then buy it. If you didn't, I say at least give it a rent. That is, if you can even find it. This is a gaming experience that no one should miss out on.

Bought this game this morning. I bought from Gamestop; they were sold out by 11am (I bought the last copy). Shaping up to be the best purchase I've made in a LONG time.

Graphics: High on special effects. Looks as good as the screens we've been checking out these past few months. The cutscenes are amazing, too. Smooth 60fps for the most part too.

Music/Sound: I already love the music. Sound effects are basically what you heard in ZOE1. The explosions sound very satisfying (especially when you take out 2 dozen enemies in one shot ).

Gameplay: SO fun. SO improved. Whereas in ZOE1 my strategy was largely "Dash-Dash-Attack," the way ZOE2 throws swarms of enemies at you, I'm already forced to go with something much more complicated. I LIKE. Button mashers and skilled players alike will LOVE this game. People bothered by the repetitive gameplay of ZOE1 will be pleased to learn that tactics like throwing enemies, creating space, using distance attacks, using the environment, etc. are now pretty much crucial to survival. There's nothing like being dropped into the middle of what literally seems like a CLOUD of enemies (I couldn't see the environment at one point!) then either setting off a HUGE chain reaction of explosions with a burst attack or just mashing the atttack button like a madman TOO fun.

Cutscenes: They are frequent (at least in the early going), but short and very enjoyable. I don't mind them in the least for those very reasons. I haven't had even the slightest urge to skip them.

This game is amazing already. I actually expected to come to this board and see it overtaken by ZOE2 posts, but maybe y'all are playing it right now Must buy; totally lives up to expectations.

I bought Official playstation magazine, and they had a playable demo in the issue of ZOE:2 an its just amazing. The graphics are so beatiful its hard to believe its on PS2 and not X box. The beatiful backgrounds and character models in this game, dont hinder the framerate what so ever. The action continues at a fast pace and doesnt skip a beat. The music makes you feel like your the last chance the world has, and everything is resting upon your shoulders. The story is pretty good considering its done by Hideo Kojima, the mastermind behind the devoted Metal gear series. The characters are designed by todays hottest anime series drawers of Gundam Wing. When you combine these two hot elements your going to end up with nothing less than perfect. The gameplay is fast, and frenzied. The battles make you feel like your robot is superior like its supposed to be, even though it didnt feel like that in the first game. I would waste no time in renting or trying this game. When it comes out just rush through the grandmas beat them away and grab your copy of gold. You most definetely wont be dissapointed

It's not to often that a game sequal comes along and almost blows away its predecesor in almost every catogory, especially when its ZOE(Zone of the Enders). ZOE1 was a great game, ZOE2 is a better game. It has everything that you wanted from ZOE that you didn't get and more(except game length). First off being the graphics, there just amazing. The explosions have a cool cell-shaded look to them that will blow you away every time you see them, along with great character anime. The 2nd runner also has much faster gameplay and increased game difficulty(just fight Anubis, you'll see what i'm talkin about). Another cool addition is the 2nd runner himself, Dingo. He's much, much different than the previous character Leo who was a whiney little who never wanted to involved. Dingo is mean, tough and one of the coolest characters i have ever seen(asid of Dante in DMC). Sure, this game took me 4hrs. to beat but thats not stoping me from playing the couple hundred extra missions that you unlock once you beat it, as well as the intense versus mode. ZOE2 is a great game and a must own for all you die hard mech fans out there. (If this review isn't convincing enough for you to buy it, than at least rent it. You'll see what I mean).

Zone of Enders 2 is a vast improvement overs its disappointing predecessor and wonderful game in its own right. Not since the original Devil May Cry have I been so impressed by an action game. Its a 3D giant robot (aka mech) combat game which does not feature the slow, tank like mechs one finds in most other games, but rather a agile, quick mech that moves with what can only be decribed as grace. The combat is dazzling. In the beginning one faces off againt a swarm of tiny robots (100 at once!). As you chop through them, bigger robots (your size) will come to challenge you, while dozens of small ones are still flitting around. And things get more hectic from there.

The gameplay is cool because it mixes shooting action with melee combat. You can lock onto a foe a fly around them, shooting from all angles. You can also lock onto dozens of foes, than unleash a storm of laser beams (an effect borrowed from the Panzer Dragoon series). If you have a couple of free seconds, you can charge up, generating a massive ball of energy which will do massive damage to the target (and anyone unfortunate enough to be nearby). You can block (for a limited period of time). You can wind up getting a frantic swordfight with an opponent, with both of you flying around looking for an opening. You can grab an opponent, use him as a shield against the lasers a second opponent is firing at you, then swing him around in a circle for a few seconds, gaining momentum, then slinging him into your 2nd opponent, which might knock both of them against a wall (which might partially collapse) or a building (which might fully collapse) doing them both extra damage. Also, one can also pick up stuff lying around (steel girders and suchlike) and start beating opponents with them. Furthermore, as one progesses the the game, one uncovers subweapons (decoys, hyperpowerful lasers, homing missiles, etc) which help keep the game fresh. Classic stuff.

There are a wide variety of game objectives. In one scene you are flying alongside a giant train, taking it apart piece by piece (and destroying all of its bodyguards in the process). In another scene you fight one on one with an opponent who alternates between fighting you in giant robot and Vic Viper (Gradius) form. It uses all of the old weapons from Gradius. That may not mean much to those who were not gaming during the 16 bit days, but its is a nice touch for those of us who remember. In another scene you are on a battlefield, trying to save and patch up wounded allies. In another scene one is trying to minimize the harm two contending forces inflict on civilians. That entails destroying one side (the bad guys) and incapacitating the other (the good guys).

The audiovisuals are as superb as one would expect from Hideo Kojima (the Metal Gear Solid series) and his team. Unfortunately, the story is also what one has come to expect from Hideo Kojima and his team, but the segments are mercifully brief and not nearly as frequent as they are in the MGS series. The well detailed graphics (they are cell shaded but still very well detailed) feature loads of little touches for players to appreciate. Lines of power glow on your robot (an effect present in the original that has been 'borrowed' by many other games since) and while the environmental is not fully destructive, much of it is, and most of those parts that are not destructible reflect damage (case in point being the fleet of massive air ships you take down at one point). The character designs are gorgeous (one is going to have a lot of flashbacks to the mechanical type enemies of MGS such as the Ninja) and the are loads of lighting effects, particle effects, and smoke clouds. Gorgeous character designs, brilliant graphics (to have such a brilliant lightshow going on as dozens of robots clash sans slowdown is a brilliant technical achievement). I also own Panzer Dragoon on the X-box, which has a much easier time of it because it is an on-rails shooter, not a free flying one as is ZOE2, yet ZOE2 boasts more impressive graphics. These guys ought to win some sort of award for technical wizardry. Of course, the music and sounds are also quite impressive, but I daresay that one will be so focused on the action that the music will not have a chance to imprint itself upon one's memory.

Downsides? ZOE2 can theoretically be completed in approx ten hours, though the is an important caveant to that. Something to keep in mind is that high intensity action games like ZOE2 derive length of gameplay from the challenge, rather than from vast worlds (think GTA3 or Final Fantasy X). Some people might find getting killed over and over as they strive to master a level frustrating. Aside from that, I can think of nothing wrong with ZOE2. In summary, Zone of Enders 2 is as compelling action game which should have a place in the library of any gamer that ocassionally just likes to blow stuff up.

You take on the role of Dingo Egret, a former gear pilot who suits up and pilots Jehuty, an Orbital Frame, to stop a madman from activating a destructive force.

I absolutely loved this game. You have fast paced action, with a decent storyline; I think one of the best aspects is how Konami was able to make the controls so easy to use. You have a limited amount of buttons, but you can do so many different things. Definitely worth the price.

And don't bother buying the strategy guide, I wrote a walkthrough for it. Go to Gamefaqs.com and look it up. :) My user name is FAQsimile. >:)

OK, Konami has hit the spot one more time for me. I have been an avid gamer since the NES came out, and I tell you what, this game is intense. The first cool aspect is the graphics. The combination of cell shading, japanimation, and brilliant use of colors make this game both exciting and amazing. The control and gameplay is also intense, with the ability to target many enemies, upgrade your orbital frame, learn new moves and level up, there is non-stop fun from start to finish. I would however recommend purchasing Zone of the Enders first, due to the fact that this story follows closely after that of the first. Konami has compelling stories, and a very good way of keeping gamers buying entire series of games. However, they do give the option for the player to look at the previous story through video clips from the first game, so if you want to spoil the other one completely you can just cheat here.
2nd Runner is a superb game, and even though i have been playing video games for over 11 years, This one makes my hands cramp and my palms sweat. Very intense, very cool. Do not pass this one up

ZOE: The Second Runner does everything that the first ZOE was supposed to do. The last game was plagued with a goofy character/plot, limited enemies and attacks and now its fixed. There are several new enimies, a more badass main character, and...more attacks. The gameplay is still essentially he same thing, fast and action packed. Though this time the particle effects are cel-shaded. Personally I think this gives the action a nice little affect. The orbital frame you pilot, Jehuty, also has some new features as well. Now you can "grab" your enemy and toss him into other guys, or just into the wall if you perfer. Jehuty is also now equipped with homing lasers that can take out masses of small targets. Now I don't know how other people feel, but I think the difficulty has been ramped up some. I've been having a tough time beating some of the bosses/levels. Overall I am enjoying ZOE: The Second Runner throughly with its sharp, clean graphics, flashy particle effects, lightning fast gameplay, superb voice acting, and just a great video game experience. I reccomend this game for any fan of the original or someone looking for a tense action adrenline rush!

I don't make a ton money, so it is rare that I would say buy a game for more then $30, but ZOE2 is worth payig the price for anyone into action games. I think this game is pushing the limits of what the PS2 can do. The Anime feel is captured by Konami. I would love to see this title on the X-box.

The game is short, but that is one of the few negatives about it. I would have liked to have seen more variety in game. Maybe if they mixed in a sniper mission and missions that require more stealth. It is a game that can almost be won by button smashing. It is not that simple, but there are times when that seems to be all you do. The ability to grab items or enemies is a nice touch. There was a few times when the camera got kind of stuck while fighting.

Bottom line, unless you hate action games, this is worth buying.