Rez

"Must...get...new...retinas...."

Although it's nothing new on the shooter side of things, Rez is one of those unique game experiences that will appeal to a very select audience of people, many of whom probably own this game already. It does almost everything well that it sets out to do, and if you're one of the select few who enjoy this sort of thing you will get an immeasurable amount of enjoyment out of the experience.

So what is Rez?

It's a shooter.

Go on, look disappointed. You were expecting something more dramatic weren't you? Something ''genre-bending''? Well, no. Rez is a shooter. Straight up. In terms of overall gameplay it ranks below Panzer Dragoon on the complexity scale. You shoot things. They explode nicely. The game mechanics really aren't much to speak of. It sounds boring on paper.

So why should you do whatever it takes to track it down?
Simple. In terms of execution, Rez is a beyond stunning game: a highly simplified game mechanic is driven by throbbing soundtrack, pulsating visuals, and the constant tempo of vibration through the controller. The fusion of sight, sound, and physical feedback meld into an experience that gets inside your mind and leaves you feeling deeply affected for hours after you play. I

What should you expect visually?
Well, in the credits, the creators of the game give a lot of credit to [Russian?] abstract art pioneer Wassily Kandinsky. Accurately, this game is a visual combination of Kandinsky's work with obvious influences ranging from Tron to Tempest 2000. Which is to say you'll be staring at a lot of wireframes. This is one of the first games where the quality of the display makes a huge difference--on a decent S-Video setup the graphics are razor-sharp and very dense, comprised of several layers of pulsating polygons. Although minimalistic and sparse in screenshots, the game is incredible in motion.

So what else is there?
Aside from the main game, you're given the option of playing through in ''travelling'' mode, which means you don't die. Since the game can be more about physical/mental stimulation than challenge and high scores, it makes sense for such an option to be in the game. You also get a few unlockable items--an extra level, new character models, new visual effects---kind of spare, again, but the game never gets to the point of ''I want to stop playing, but I only have to go through it five more times to unlock free goodie X''--the experience is enthralling enough to make you want to play it just because, which is refreshing.

What's wrong with the game?
Longevity aside, it looks like the game was basically kicked out the door halfway through development. I say this for a few reasons:
a.) it was going through development about the same time Sega was making the frugal decision to kill off the dreamcast
b.)it's a niche title, so it wouldn't sell very well anyway
c.)the final level of the game is entirely different in visual presentation, pacing, design, and overall feel from the rest of the game, making it feel like perhaps there was supposed to be more to the game
d.)one of the unlockables is an additional level that has no connection to the rest of the game, and you can only play it by itself--not in conjunction with the other five levels.

That's the list though, really. Sega didn't botch this game with horrible voice acting or a horrible camera system, there are no awkward or jerky animations, and the entire game has a crisp interface and compelling, consistent design throughout. It's a great game. Very twitchy, and yet relaxing at the same time. If you like technical shooters ala Ikaruga or Radiant Silvergun or Gunstar Heroes you may be disappointed by the lack of depth, but for anyone who likes electronic music, unique gameplay experiences, and pretty explosions, it could only enrich your life further to track this game down.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 11/17/03