Rez

"Synaesthesia Rocks!"

There are many video gamers that buy the same sports titles, year after year. These folks will buy 'Madden 2002' without question, even though they already own 'Madden 2001,' '2000,' and God knows how many other 'Madden' games. The basic idea of the game - simulated football - really hasn't changed much, if at all, so why do these folks want the same stuff each and every year? Because most people are timid little creatures that can't handle anything new, strange, or unfamiliar. Heck, I've seen guys who already own the latest Madden, and watched them as they go and buy... another freakin' football game, like 'NFL 2K2' or what have you. In the meantime, tons of creative, unique games rot unwanted on the store shelves, as the predictable gaming masses go for yet another round of animated steroid freaks chasing after a little football. (Or another tired first-person shooter, or another racing game where cars - get this! - drive around a track and try to get to the finish line first.)
What is the point of all of this whining, might you ask? Well, I'm trying to set the stage for 'Rez,' an astoundingly unique shooter that will undoubtedly sell very poorly, despite strong reviews and one of the most amazing audio-video packages I've ever witnessed in a game. Most everyday gamers will ignore 'Rez' and write it off as too weird or unrealistic. And that's a shame, because 'Rez' has left a mark on me like few other games have in quite some time.
The story behind 'Rez' is the usual Sega weirdness. Here it is, straight from the official Web site:

The “Project K” Network has recently been upgraded to handle the rapid expansion of the information age and the core, known as “Eden,” holds the most advanced artificial intelligence the world has ever seen. Unfortunately, Eden cannot handle the ability to create her own thoughts and buckles under the pressure in an existential breakdown. She is lost deep inside the system, and you’re the only one that can bring her back online, saving the world from utter chaos. You must blast complex viruses, unlock passwords, and destroy firewall bosses as you search for Eden.

As I'm fond of saying: ''only Sega would come up with something like that.'' God bless 'em.
As far as gameplay goes, 'Rez' is a fairly traditional shooter. 'Panzer Dragoon' fans will easily recognize the interface. You guide your little character around the system, and fire beams at anything in your path. By holding down the shoot button, you can lock onto a group of enemies or power-ups, and by releasing the button, zap them all at once. Doing this gets you more points, and that's what any shooter is all about: the high score. Trying to achieve a high score seems almost archaic in this era of epic endings and 40-hour role-playing games, but I was loving it. The enemies come in the same patterns each time you play, so attentive gamers can beef up their scores by remembering where the critters will pop up. You can also collect evolution power-ups to change into more powerful forms, and nab overdrives that zap everything on the screen at once.
All in all, this description makes 'Rez' sound like a pretty average shooter. But the game is more than a shooter; at the risk of sounding overdramatic, it's an experience. The game takes place in a computer-ish world, and it looks like the movie 'Tron' on acid. Lush wireframe landscapes rise and fall all around you, as all sorts of wild colors sway on your screen. And as if that weren't enough, the game has an amazing electronica score, and the current song grows more and more complex as you enter the deeper layers of each level. Plus, every enemy you destroy makes its own sound effect. So if you time your shots just right, you can play in perfect harmony with the background track. And even if you don't feel like timing your shots, the array of sounds in 'Rez' is something special. (Thankfully, the wide variety of sounds never becomes a terrifying cacaphony.)
The 'bosses' at the end of each stage are some of the most imaginative fiends in recent memory. The artistic mileage that 'Rez' gets out of wires, cubes, and lights is quite staggering, and the multi-tiered bosses often change shape and form as you fight them. The level of creativity is inspiring.
If anyone has a critique of 'Rez,' it's bound to be one of these things (or both): the game is too short, and it's too easy. Unfortunately, I have to agree on both counts. Rez's five worlds go buy too quickly, and many gamers will beat it on their first or second try. But does that mean that it's not worth buying? Absolutely not. Shooters are all about going back to better your score, after all. And 'Rez' has tons of unlockable stuff, from new color schemes to different game modes. It will take you quite some time to unearth all of the game's secrets, without a doubt. Besides, game play is about quality, not quantity. I'll remember the 'Rez' experience long after I've forgotten about some generic fantasy role-playing game that lasted forty hours.
The game's graphics look rather primitive in screen shots. But to see the game in motion is quite spectacular. Everything seems to dance and pulse to the music, and levels will collapse upon themself as you dig into the deeper layers, to spectacular effect. The wireframes may turn some people off, but that's how it goes. Remember: just because something isn't 'realistic,' it doesn't mean that it can't be beautiful.
As I mentioned earlier, 'Rez' has a spectacular soundtrack. The music is dance-ish electronica, with more than a touch of ambient tossed in. The track on Level 5 is especially good, and made me start digging around for an MP3 of it as soon as I could get on-line.
If you own a PlayStation 2, you owe it to yourself to take a trip through 'Rez.' There's really nothing else quite like it, and it's an experience you won't soon forget. Perhaps it would be best to use a real-life example. I was having a get-together at my place, and my roommate popped in 'Rez' just as people were starting to arrive. And while the gathering had nothing to do with 'Rez,' it wasn't long before everyone was sitting in my living room, watching my roommate play through the game. If something can get MY friends to sit still and pay rapt attention for an hour, it must be special. A great shooter, and a one-of-a-kind creation.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 01/25/02, Updated 01/25/02