Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner

"ZOE is back, and beter than ever!"

Ok, about 3 years ago i picked up ZOE 1 for my birthday and even though i beat it in one day, i thought it was one of the best games for the PS2 to date. Then, with time, ZOE 1 got old and, well boring. I craved more of the high-speed mech action that I had come to love in ZOE.

Then about a year or so ago, I got word that ZOE 2 was in the workes. I could hardly belive it. But then i read a review on the demo of ZOE 2 and was a little weary. The review had said that the game had great graphics, but the game play was much like, and almost identical to the first ZOE. They said it was a bad thing, but i say that its a good thing.

GAMEPLAY - 10/10
If you have ever played ZOE 1, then your pretty much set when it comes to controls. But that does not mean that there isnt anything new in ZOE 2. First off, there are the ''Combo Finishers'' as I like to call them, but they are just the last attack you do in a combo against the enemy. Kojima added in 2 new ''Combo Finishers'' along with the basic ''strait slash'' finish. Now you are able to do a ''down slash'' and ''up slash'' at the end of your combos.

Also in ZOE 2, you get a variety of sub-weapons that you will ACUTALLY NEED TO USE in order to get past the game the first time through. These sub-weapons include many old favorites such as the Decoy, Phalanax, and the Geuyser. But there are also many new and awsome sub-weapons such as the Homing Missles, 0-Shift, and the visualy stunning Vector Cannon.

Now comes the Burst Attacks. In ZOE 2 you have the same Burst Attacks as you did in ZOE 1, just with a couple of additional features. First off, your close-range Burst Attack is exactly like the one off ZOE 1, no changes. But your far-range Burst Attack has recived a minor upgrade. In ZOE 2 instead of just shooting the ball right when it pops out, you can choose to either change it up, then throw, or just pop it up, then throw; your chose I guess. Also your ''Charge Up'' has recived a minor improvment too. In ZOE 2 when you charge up, any enemys around you recive damage from the power eminating off of you. Very useful at times.

Now last, but not least, is the new gameplay feature in ZOE 2 , the grab. Yes, i know you could grab in ZOE 1, but the grab in ZOE 2 has been completely redesined for maximun butt-kicken power. Instead of just being able to grab enemys, you can now grab objects as well. These objects range from poles and and bars to tiles and pieces of buildings. Also in ZOE 2 when you grab an enemy, you have many many things you can do with it. You can charge up and kill it, throw it at the wall or an enemy, spin it around and throw it at the wall or an enemy, se it as a shield, swing it as a weapon, just about asnything you can think of, you can do.

All and all, ZOE 2's gameplay is top-quality and lightning fast, just how a real mech fight would be.

STORY - 9/10
ZOE 2's story is much better than ZOE 1's. You get to meet many people from the first ZOE and see how they have matured and grown. You get to see what becomes of Jehuty and Anubis. You get to goto Mars and Almaun. And it answers everything that was left over from the first ZOE. This game has action, adventure, suspence, romance, passion, and plenty of suprisses. Its just like watching a really good anime movie.

GARAPHICS - 10/10
ZOE 2's graphics are supurb and remind me alot of MGS 2's graphics. The cell-shading is especialy nice in the smoke ane explosions. Also, every thing in the game is just about destroyable, so at times you can see major eye candy. And if you want to see even better eye candy, shoot the Vector Cannon once and you'll see why I think it is the most visualy stunnig thing in the game.

The anime cut scenes are also very nice, with fairly well animaton and character design.

REPLAY VALUE - 9/10
I've gone back and have beaten this game a little over 8 times, so I can honestly say it has imense replay value. The levels are just so unique that i can play them over and over without them getting repetitive. Also once you beat the game, you can choose through 4 models Jehuty to play the game with and you can also choose wheither or not you want to start with all the sub-weapons.

FINAL SCORE - 9/10
This is a great game with plenty of extras afterwards. The only real big let down for me wa the VS mode. The characters are so unbalanced compared to Jehuty and you have to have a timer on. Otherwise this game would of got a 10/10. But still it is a great game that would be a excelent investment to your gaming collection.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 06/04/03, Updated 06/04/03