Zone of the Enders: The Fist of Mars

"Second best strategy game on GBA besides Tactics Ogre"

Finally after a long strenuous journey I have found the two best strategy games on the Game Boy Advance- Tactics Ogre: The Knight of Lodis and this brilliant piece of work, Zone of the Enders: The Fist of Mars. I had looked everywhere for these games since last summer and I had all but given up hope, but then when Game Stop and Circuit City started cleaning out their inventory, god answered my prayers, I got both games with just $50 altogether a week apart from each other. This story may not seem that important, but you must understand that I live in Missouri, and finding niche titles like these is practically impossible. Now it is time to share what ZOE:TFOM is like.

Graphics: 8
Many game magazines dissed on this game for not having that much animation, but I think they are spoiled by Golden Sun (I played Golden Sun and I can still appreciate these graphics). I admit that the field view isn't much to look at, but that isn't the main part of the graphics. The things that define the graphics in this game for me are the cutscenes and the battle screens where you spend most of your time. The cutscenes are all little Japanese anime cut outs that switch around between characters when you press A after reading dialogue. All of the animation is beautifully drawn and each character even has a few different screens to convey emotions. The battle screens are also really cool to look at because the mechs all have a 3D effect and when they open fire the game has some good particle effects. I admit the graphics aren't perfect, but I still think they're better than many other GBA games.

Sound: 10
The background music and attacks are the only sound in the game, but you will hear them 85% of the time anyway so it isn't a problem. One thing I must note about this game is the background music is simply amazing. I have heard X-Box games and Game Cube games with worse music quality than this game, it is simply that good. Also the battle noises are really good sounding, with some excellent gun shot sounds that made me wonder if I was playing a console game.
The sound is superb all around and it never gets on your nerves.

Control: 10
This game is like every other grid strategy game, accept for one big exception, the battle mode. When a unit moves in on a target, it triggers a battle screen where you move a cursor to either avoid or attack an enemy unit. I have to say that it is one of the most innovative strategy ideas ever developed and it can either really tilt battle in your favor or it will cause you to throw your GBA in frustration. I personally got used to the battle system rather quickly and it helped me get through this game without many problems.

Story: 10
Even though Hideo Kojima didn't have any thing to do with this project like he did with the other ZOE games, the story is still captivating. The basic elements of the story revolves around a young man named Cage who escapes a ship destroyed by a mysterious black mech. He escapes in an orbital frame named Testament with a mysterious girl named Myona. The story is really complex and it requires your complete attention. If you stick with it, no matter what path you take you will get a really big pay off.

Life Span: 10
The life span of this game is like many other strategy games where it will take you upwards of 40 hours to complete. The life span is also expanded by the fact that there are two paths you can take and once you choose your path the story goes in different directions. This game is fun no matter how many times you play it.

To wrap things up, if you are a strategy fan you need Zone of the Enders: The Fist of Mars and Tactics Ogre: The Knight of Lodis. I don't include Advance Wars because I think that the computer takes way too many cheap shots and it took me forever to finish missions on that game. This game is also the best strategy game for starters because it eases you through the beginning and gradually gets harder.

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