Zone of the Enders

"An awesome game with a snag or two..."

As my first PS2 game, and one that I've seen the demo for, I expected a lot out of Z.O.E., and I got what I expected. Hideo Kojima, the same person who produced Metal Gear Solid, has come up with another ingenious idea that will hopefully form an amazing series of games. Many people will bash this game for certain facets, but overall those snags aren't really as big as they seem.

Graphics:
10 of 10
Let's face it, the PS2 is renowned for incredible graphics, and Z.O.E. is no slouch. The Orbital Frames are awesomely detailed from head to toe, with one of the people from Gundam X helping them with designing them (in part or in full). The landscapes are awesome-looking as well. Honestly I was surprised at how stunning it looked. From the explosions to the intricate movements of the Orbital Frames I was sold on it.

Sound and Music:
10 of 10
OK, the sound was awesome, but it could have been a bit more than it was. The sounds were picked correctly for their situations, i.e. slashing at an enemy will make a nice cut-like sound when it hits it's target, and the various weapons have sound effects that match. All in all a good package of sounds. The music is simply awesome. The songs in each of the areas fits the area they're in, and the battle variations are awesome as well. The battle music also changes if you've got your shield up or are charging a Burst attack.

Story and Voiceovers
9 of 10
The storyline to Z.O.E. is pretty good overall, albeit a bit standard fare for most games. The main character, Leo, sees his friends killed in front of his eyes, and whilst running away from the scene, stumbles upon something major that changes his life. The voiceovers, which are critical to the story, are simply awesome in my opinion. Sure at times the tone used isn't right (i.e. a question sounding like a statement) but otherwise it's incredibly done. The translation of the dialogue isn't flawed at all (or at least not to me) and really makes the game believable. My only gripe is that the battle computer has to say out just about everything. ''We have shot down the enemy.'' ''We will cease battle position.'' ''We will hold battle position'' and other things like those. They're used every time the event that triggers them occurs.

Length, Difficulty and Replayability
8 of 10
Z.O.E. is an awesome game and all, but the length should have been longer. I completed the game in approximately 6 hours, and wanted more. Sure completing the game opens up VERSUS mode, but how much does that really do? The difficulty was ample for the game. Easy pits you against enemies usually lower than your level, while Very Hard pits you against enemies that tend to be higher in level. Missions also fall into difficulty. Only once in the many times I've played through those missions have I ever gotten an 'A' rating. That's pretty tough. Replayability is also rather slim I'm afraid. Depending on the difficulty, you may get a few extra story scenes. Versus mode is also a plus, but it's rather difficult to use if you're the unlucky person who gets the Background area of the screen.

Overall / Outro
10 of 10 (Not an average)
Z.O.E. overall is an awesome game. Believe me, I was engrossed in the gameplay and story the entire way through the game. From the intro to the ending it's a fast-paced action thriller that'll keep your hands occupied for a while, depending on how long you play at one sitting.

All in all I think it was worth the $50, even if it wasn't all that long. But 6 hours is still quite good for the speed of the game. My suggestion, get it if you're an Anime/Mecha fan. It'd be well worth it.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 01/09/02, Updated 01/09/02