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Reviews
There aren't many game
designers mentioned in the same breath as Shigeru Miyamoto and
Yu Suzuki. But Hideo Kojima is one of them. The mind behind
Metal Gear Solid has established a reputation for dramatic
cinematics, innovative game design, and attention to detail.
Kojima has been working on Konami's new mech-o-drama, Zone of
the Enders, in tandem with the new Metal Gear, and it's
blatantly obvious which project Kojima has spent the majority
of his time working on. The product of neglect, ZOE, fails to
live up to the lofty Kojima standards but delivers a
technically sound and smooth-playing experience.
ZOE takes place in 2172. Humans have left
Earth to reside in space colonies throughout the galaxy. Leo
Stenbuck, ZOE's young protagonist, resides in Antilia, a space
station orbiting Jupiter. Denizens of such far-flung colonies
are tagged as enders and considered the lowest of all the
social classes. Normally a sleepy community where its citizens
go methodically about their everyday lives, Antilia springs to
life when a marauding group of orbital frames invades the
colony in search of a hidden mech. Caught in the middle, Leo
gets blown into a hangar by a large explosion, but not before
watching his friends become slaughtered by the blast. Leo
takes refuge in the hangar until he is discovered and
accidentally stumbles into the cockpit of Jehuty, the very
orbital frame that the enemy mechs are searching for. Leo,
after some prodding from the mech's owners, takes on the
responsibility of ridding his colony of the stalwart frames.
Piloting the orbital frames in ZOE is a blast,
thanks to a near-perfect lock-on function and responsive
movement control. You may engage the enemy without worrying
about navigating terrain, as well as zip in and out of
buildings while dodging enemy attacks at the same time.
Jehuty's offensive arsenal differs according to its distance
from a locked-on enemy--at a distance, Jehuty's primary attack
acts as a projectile, but up close, it lets the frame use its
electrified sword to slash the enemies into scrap heaps.
Likewise, using the secondary attack from long-range lets
Jehuty use its special weapons, and while up close, it will
grab the enemy and send it careening into the side of a
building--or better yet, into another group of frames. The
combat system is smooth and intuitive but unbalanced. The
entire game may be beaten on all four difficulty settings
using just one attack. You can mix it up if you wish, but
there's no fun in knowing that when the chips are down, you
can always bail yourself out.
The game design is very simple. Jehuty flies
above Antilia in what is best described as an overworld. When
Jehuty soars directly over a town, a single button press lets
the frame swoop down to the surface. Once on the ground,
Jehuty must search for programs, as well as discs that give
the frame new abilities. Acquiring the discs is accomplished
by destroying certain enemies, finding hidden areas, or
shooting floating canisters using a frustratingly erratic
aiming system. Many times, you will have to return to
previously visited areas to retrieve items and then take them
somewhere else for use. The infantile scavenger hunts seem out
of place when coupled with the fast-paced nature of the game,
and the constantly respawning enemies don't help matters,
either. Jehuty must occasionally answer your SOS calls--when
it does, you're graded upon how many buildings were destroyed
and how many innocent civilians perished. The ratings you earn
ultimately determine the ending you receive. After the
one-player quest is completed, a multiplayer mode, which lets
two players compete head-to-head, is unlocked. It's a nice way
to perfect your combat skills, and it accentuates ZOE's finest
trait.
ZOE has the kind of graphics that will
make your friends stop wondering why you camped out in the
rain for a PlayStation 2. For the first two hours, it's the
most visually impressive PlayStation 2 game to date.
Everything moves at lightning pace while buildings are
crumbling, lasers are being sent in multiple directions, and
heat blur and other nifty effects are all firing at once. It
can approach sensory overload at times, yet the frame rates
never falter. The anime-influenced orbital frames are
incredibly detailed and have a unique style. Dynamic
high-resolution textures simulate energy running through
veinlike ducts, and gorgeous particle effects are used to
illustrate the thrusters. Each of the massive bosses changes
form after taking damage, and they are, by far, the graphical
highlight of the game. Both the beginning and end of the game
are loaded with FMV sequences that help move the plot forward,
while the middle of the game is bolstered by real-time
cinemas. Like the gameplay, the graphics become a victim of
repetition--while there are plenty of areas to explore, they
all look roughly the same. This holds true of the enemies as
well. Sans bosses, there are just three different enemies that
you must fight over and over.
From an auditory standpoint, ZOE has its good and bad
points. The raucous techno changes on the fly according to the
action taking place onscreen, and the explosions come from all
directions if you're playing with a surround-sound system. As
is the case with many games developed first for the Japanese
market, the script is wordy and far too sappy for the older
audience that ZOE is attempting to attract. The dry,
emotionless voice acting only makes it worse.
For the first couple of hours, ZOE is a class-A game. But
amazement then gives way to apathy, due to the lethargic
gameplay. Redundant enemies, objectives, and landscapes
eventually wear on you to the point that the measly five to
seven hours it takes to complete the game seems too long. The
combat system is the focus, and the remainder of the game is
left to twist in its own monotony. While it has its moments,
Zone of the Enders will ultimately be remembered more for its
packed-in demo of Metal Gear Solid 2 than its own
accomplishments as a video game.
From GameCenter
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