Rez

"Gentlemen, Open Your Senses....."

Once in a while a game comes along that serves a purpose beyond just entertainment. It stands as an example of human creativity, merging with technology to produce a synthetic world that's nothing less than astounding. Rez is an amazing creation that stands apart from other games due to its perfectly created virtual world.

Available for the DC as a Japanese and European import, and developed by United Game Artists, Rez is at its core a simple on-the-rails shooter, in the vein of Panzer Dragoon, Space Harrier, and Omega Boost. You move your character up/down/right/left as the terrain unfolds in front of you. You've got a lock-on firing weapon and an ''overdrive'' (i.e. a smart bomb), and that's it. Simple enough....

...but the setup is where the ordinary stops. Your character is invading a computer to try and stop....something. You dive through wire-framed landscapes, as enemies appear above, below, behind, and in front of you. The environments are beautifully done - they remind me of the classic film Tron, or what William Gibson must have envisioned when writing Neuromancer. They succeed in making you believe you're inside a giant computer. The enemies come in all shapes, sizes, and colors, including giant unfolding flowers and a lightbeam-riding vehicle that resembles the Tron Lightcycle. As you lock-on and destroy them, different power-ups emerge: red nets you an overdrive (you can hold up to four at once) and blue evolves your character into some pretty incredible-looking forms. Travel through the layers successfully and you'll reach a boss - the battles are often long and multi-formed, reminding me of Radiant Silvergun. Beat the boss and you open new areas. The game is a magnificent visual creation, effectively enfolding you in an alien world much like Sega's DC import Cosmic Smash.

You can't talk about Rez without mentioning the audio. Much has been made of how you contribute to the soundtrack via your actions on-screen, and this feature has been implemented perfectly. The soundtrack to each layer consists of techno/house/ambient beats, and each lock-on, firing, and enemy explosion adds its own note or sound to the musical track. It never sounds muddled or messy, but is a wonderful addition to the gameplay. You can try to create your own song as the landscapes whiz by, or can simply play the game - the extra audio can be as much or as little a feature as you want. I must also mention that some of the tracks are wonderful just by themselves. There is also a Travelling Mode that is cool to just sit back and watch.

Hard-core shooter fans will be disappointed at the game's relative ease, but Rez is much more than just a simple shooter, despite its rails-shooter roots. It delivers an experience that few games deliver - complete immersion in an alternate reality. Rez's synthetic universe will stay with you long after you put down the controller, and you will look forward to your next visit. The visuals are augmented by the audio perfectly, and vice-versa. There are also many secrets to unlock, providing high replay value - and some of the secrets are very rewarding. Rez is only for a single player, but sometimes the best games concentrate on only one. It's the kind of game that can't be defined by a single genre, but ends up being a unique title that every gamer should experience.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 12/11/01, Updated 12/11/01