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21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
ZOE2 finally delivers on all of ZOE1's empty promises, February 22, 2003
In previews, ZOE 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.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hideo Kojima's underrated masterpiece, August 4, 2004
Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars
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.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
MAJOR improvement over the original, March 15, 2003
By A Customer
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.
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