Post by ravenwithoutcause on Feb 4, 2005 3:21:00 GMT -5
I’m sure that everyone reading this remembers the release of the original Zone of the Enders, maybe not necessarily for the game itself, but definitely for the MGS2 Demo disk that came with it. As far as giant mech games go, it sold relatively well, although most claim that had happened because of the afore mentioned demo. The game had solid controls and good graphics, but what it came down to was an average game that, sadly, many people returned. Later the GBA saw the release of Zone of the Enders: The Fist of Mars, an interesting game providing a deeper look into the ZOE world that enhanced people’s perception of the first game (which was lacking a consistent and well conceived plot). The second installment in this series didn’t do all that well however, it had a slightly interesting battle concept for a turn based tactics game, but the novelty wore off fast and banished the game to obscurity. The release of The 2nd Runner however delivers on all the promises of the first game and then some.
Taking place 2 years after the events of the first ZOE you play as Dingo Egret, a miner on the ice moon of Callisto, a satellite of Jupiter. During a regular mining expedition the crew notices an unusually large deposit of metatron ore and you are sent to investigate. It’s not a metatron deposit you find however, but an Orbital Frame. Unfortunately, during the investigation the Martian military force, BAHRAM, attacks Dingo and the LEV (Laborious Extra-Orbital Vehicle) he was riding in is destroyed. Now, due to unavoidable circumstances Dingo has become the 2nd runner of the powerful frame Jehuty and its onboard battle A.I., ADA.
Graphics wise this game is superb. Combining 3D textures and a unique cel-shading technique, ZOE2 has created an original style that blends the game world to compliment the anime flavor of the story and cut scenes. The cell shading can be seen on a number of things, like robot armor and such, mixed right in with the polygons, but the best use of it has to be the smoke and dirt effects. Blow up an enemy to find very anime-like smoke rising from the wreckage, skim along the ground and blow up dirt with similar animated flare. It just really makes the game look great once you combine it with the good lighting effects of lasers and explosions. If there’s any complaint to be had with this game’s graphics it’s that there is the occasional slowdown when you have too much going on in the screen. Several enemies on the screen is no problem, but add those enemies to the buildings and landscape that may be blowing up around you and it creates a problem. It’s really not that big of a deal, it’s just slowing down a game that moved at insane speeds beforehand; think of it as dramatic pause.
The combat is definitely one of the biggest improvements from the original game. The controls are almost identical, with a few notable exceptions. Now, during the four strike sword slash, depending on what button you finish the combo with will knock the enemy in a different direction i.e. Up, Down, or Forward. The grab function has also been revised with much success. Not only can you grab and throw an enemy; you can grab them to use as a weapon or shield. My favorite move has to be grabbing the largest enemy I can find and then spinning around and around, damaging anything that comes near, and then hurling him into a wall. It’s the varied way that you can fight almost all the battles the makes The 2nd Runner so much fun. Whether you want to fly at a distance and shoot homing lasers, or rip a metal beam off a building and go play baseball with some unfortunate mech is up to you. The number and usefulness of sub-weapons has also increased. In fact, several points in the game force you to use some of them to proceed. You’ll quickly develop favorites that you’ll constantly use; for example, I prefer the Zero Shift system, which allows Jehuty to warp around at sub light speeds. If a certain situation calls for a particular sub-weapon, ADA will suggest it to you in the middle of a fight. Using the L3 button to confirm her suggestion will create a preference for that weapon, and when you get into similar situation ADA will automatically switch to that sub-weapon. Pressing R3 will tell her no and ignore the request.
Multiplayer’s back, unfortunately not as one of the games upgraded features though. The same old system is here with not much to see. The only saving grace is getting to use ships like Leo’s Vic Viper in combat; other than that you’ll probably pass this feature over. Bah to Konami for not making it split screened.
The story in this game isn’t anything new: liberate Mars from the evil Earth oppressors and its own corrupt military, blah, blah, blah. It’s been done before, but ZOE2 doesn’t do a half-bad job of it. An interesting new protagonist and hot-blooded sexy love interest spice the story up with some imaginative characters.
CG sequences from the first game have been replaced with anime scenes, and really decent ones too. The voice syncing is so-so, but not bad. It’s all good then, right? Well, everything except the translation. Some things that are said in the context of the game sound ridiculous or downright bad. When fighting a boss, Dingo should not yell, “That’s too rough!” Shame on you Konami; a little more time in the oven could’ve fixed such minor translation errors.
Music in the game is comprised of everything from futuristic techno to spoken word chants. It sounds really nice. The first time through the game I had barely noticed it, but when you sit and listen closely you notice that it does an excellent job of setting mood; it blends seamlessly into the gameplay.
Bottom line, BUY IT OR I LOSE ALL RESPECT FOR YOU! A 9.5/10
Taking place 2 years after the events of the first ZOE you play as Dingo Egret, a miner on the ice moon of Callisto, a satellite of Jupiter. During a regular mining expedition the crew notices an unusually large deposit of metatron ore and you are sent to investigate. It’s not a metatron deposit you find however, but an Orbital Frame. Unfortunately, during the investigation the Martian military force, BAHRAM, attacks Dingo and the LEV (Laborious Extra-Orbital Vehicle) he was riding in is destroyed. Now, due to unavoidable circumstances Dingo has become the 2nd runner of the powerful frame Jehuty and its onboard battle A.I., ADA.
Graphics wise this game is superb. Combining 3D textures and a unique cel-shading technique, ZOE2 has created an original style that blends the game world to compliment the anime flavor of the story and cut scenes. The cell shading can be seen on a number of things, like robot armor and such, mixed right in with the polygons, but the best use of it has to be the smoke and dirt effects. Blow up an enemy to find very anime-like smoke rising from the wreckage, skim along the ground and blow up dirt with similar animated flare. It just really makes the game look great once you combine it with the good lighting effects of lasers and explosions. If there’s any complaint to be had with this game’s graphics it’s that there is the occasional slowdown when you have too much going on in the screen. Several enemies on the screen is no problem, but add those enemies to the buildings and landscape that may be blowing up around you and it creates a problem. It’s really not that big of a deal, it’s just slowing down a game that moved at insane speeds beforehand; think of it as dramatic pause.
The combat is definitely one of the biggest improvements from the original game. The controls are almost identical, with a few notable exceptions. Now, during the four strike sword slash, depending on what button you finish the combo with will knock the enemy in a different direction i.e. Up, Down, or Forward. The grab function has also been revised with much success. Not only can you grab and throw an enemy; you can grab them to use as a weapon or shield. My favorite move has to be grabbing the largest enemy I can find and then spinning around and around, damaging anything that comes near, and then hurling him into a wall. It’s the varied way that you can fight almost all the battles the makes The 2nd Runner so much fun. Whether you want to fly at a distance and shoot homing lasers, or rip a metal beam off a building and go play baseball with some unfortunate mech is up to you. The number and usefulness of sub-weapons has also increased. In fact, several points in the game force you to use some of them to proceed. You’ll quickly develop favorites that you’ll constantly use; for example, I prefer the Zero Shift system, which allows Jehuty to warp around at sub light speeds. If a certain situation calls for a particular sub-weapon, ADA will suggest it to you in the middle of a fight. Using the L3 button to confirm her suggestion will create a preference for that weapon, and when you get into similar situation ADA will automatically switch to that sub-weapon. Pressing R3 will tell her no and ignore the request.
Multiplayer’s back, unfortunately not as one of the games upgraded features though. The same old system is here with not much to see. The only saving grace is getting to use ships like Leo’s Vic Viper in combat; other than that you’ll probably pass this feature over. Bah to Konami for not making it split screened.
The story in this game isn’t anything new: liberate Mars from the evil Earth oppressors and its own corrupt military, blah, blah, blah. It’s been done before, but ZOE2 doesn’t do a half-bad job of it. An interesting new protagonist and hot-blooded sexy love interest spice the story up with some imaginative characters.
CG sequences from the first game have been replaced with anime scenes, and really decent ones too. The voice syncing is so-so, but not bad. It’s all good then, right? Well, everything except the translation. Some things that are said in the context of the game sound ridiculous or downright bad. When fighting a boss, Dingo should not yell, “That’s too rough!” Shame on you Konami; a little more time in the oven could’ve fixed such minor translation errors.
Music in the game is comprised of everything from futuristic techno to spoken word chants. It sounds really nice. The first time through the game I had barely noticed it, but when you sit and listen closely you notice that it does an excellent job of setting mood; it blends seamlessly into the gameplay.
Bottom line, BUY IT OR I LOSE ALL RESPECT FOR YOU! A 9.5/10
