Maybe A Dingo Ate Your Baby

Aloha,

Another day, another game from Kojima Productions. Except that it wasn't called that back then. I digress.

Zone of the Enders: The Second Runner is the sequel to a little game called Zone of the Sons of Liberty Demo. Don't worry about playing the first, this is where the action is.

ZOE, like so much that comes from Japan, is about giant robots fighting in space. You control a powerful orbital frame by the name of Jehuty and stylishly wreak havoc with whatever is placed in front of you. That is really all there is to it.

Seriously, the plot sucks, being basically nothing more than a weak link between missions. The characters are two dimensional at best and the setting is so insubstantial it hurts. The voice actors read their lines as though they have no idea what they are supposed to be responding to; there is little actual conversation and a lot of "two people in separate recording booths". The laughable writing and dialogue don't do much to help matters. In fact, just about everything not related to the actual gameplay is so bad, I have to believe it is intentionally terrible to evoke most giant mecha anime.

Fortunately, the gameplay is good enough to make up for all this. While the experience is short (just over seven hours to completion for me), there is enough mission variety and interesting scenarios to keep it engaging. While a few levels fall flat, particularly the mine/infiltration part, overall that Kojima polish shines through. Boss battles are mostly unique and rewarding, though figuring them out can be frustrating and the grab/block/be attacked mechanic is overused. Many stages push the PS2 impressively, from the epic battleship armada to the Aumaan charge with literally hundreds of enemies, to create outstanding and memorable gaming moments.

Throughout the adventure you are awarded various extra weapons to compliment your arsenal. Unfortunately, most of these sat unused in my inventory. The grab, which Jehuty starts with, is overpowered, allowing players to destroy two enemies at once, while being invincible and without using sub energy.

Control takes a bit to get used to, but ends up working fairly well. Still, more customization, particularly aim inversion, would have helped. My biggest complaint about the controls comes from Jehuty being almost too easy to control; there is no sense of gravity or environment because you can float effortlessly almost anywhere. When you run into a cliff there is no sudden jerk accompanied by the scraping of metal on rock, only a sense that you aren't moving anymore thanks to an invisible and substance-less wall. If everything was given more weight, particularly in combat which sometimes feels like beating up a pillow, the whole game would be much more satisfying.

The game utilizes subtle cell-shading to create some nice looking visuals. While most of the art direction is somewhat bland, it is still fun to watch thanks to eye-catching effects. Environments are partially destructible, which adds a nice sense of chaos and power to the fights. However, the feeling of scale is disappointing; only occasionally does the game get across the idea of piloting GIANT robots. The soundtrack is almost too good; such an uninvolving story does not deserve music of this caliber. It pumps you up, but then you realize you aren't really fighting for anything and whole thing falls apart.

ZOE2 includes a good amount of extra content, including tons of battle scenarios, (much like the VR missions in MGS2: Substance), a robust "New Game+" option and a relatively enjoyable versus mode.

Hmmm, I've been awfully negative, haven't I? Despite all my criticisms, I did really enjoy the game and can't wait to see what they will do with the sequel. Worth a look if you are looking for a PS2 action game and can find a copy.

Beyond the Bounds,
Nohman