IgnusDei
31st Jul 04, 7:24 PM
Released in 2001
Develloped and Published by Konami
http://www.konamijpn.com/products/zoe/english/index.html
Graphics: 4/5
Sound: 4/5
Gameplay: 3/5
Concept: 5/5
Execution: 3/5
Controls: 4/5
Enjoyement: 5/5
Replay: 2/5
Difficulty: (scalable), played at easy.
learning curve: 5/5
No patches, no bugs, and no mods. dur.
Ah, i've been meaning to finish that little gem since i've laid eyes on it. circumstances forced me to play it three years after its release.
You are Leo Stenbuck, the formulaic 13 year old boy that stumbled on a high-performance mech while BAHRAM, a martian insurrection army, attacks your home: the jovian orbital space colony Antillia. Being the only one capable to take on the Bahram's Orbital Frames (the mechs), you unwillingly find yourself taking down enemy installations and fighting some really nasty bad guys along the way, just so you can escape with your life.
Zone of the Enders was released shortly after its console. As you may all know, this is a period when developpers tend to make really, REALLY bad games just to test the waters. ZOE was one of the first to distinguish itself as being decent. Many elements of the game attracted fanboys like bees to honey (FLYING MECHS! BENDY LASERS! WOOHOO!), and they are nicely executed...but many, MANY shortfalls kept the title from being a truly great game.
The game's concept can be nicely summed up as "Virtual On meets Psychic Force", meaning you duke or shoot it out with other robots in mid-air. Jehuty (your mech) can do both very nicely with its power sword and arsenal of backup weapons, and the resulting fights can really impress..at least visually.
Fighting is pretty much done with the "square" button, with distance determining which attack you'll initiate. Up close on a locked on enemy, you'll swing your sword around. Be far, and you'll shoot. other, more powerful attacks can be initiated if you're standing still or moving while pressing the R2 button. That's it. You've mastered your mech. The best way to defeat your foes is to dash up to them and let fly your sword. That may not always work, though: The AI is smart enough to try and block and parry, so being a little creative with your attacks help. Sometimes, approaching is nigh impossible thanks to some heavy artillery, and you'll find yourself in a shooting war. Of course, you're not just limited to the basic attacks: Over the course of the game, you'll find some interesting back up weapons, and these can be a real help in defeating bosses or even mission objectives. Unfortunately, others are completely and UTTERLY useless. Oh, speaking of mission objectives, the game is ACTUALLY a bit non-linear: besides clearing the levels of enemies, you often have to make sure civilian buildings don't get destroyed in the fighting, snipe away at an energy core, and find passcodes to access weapons or modules to accomplish break through certain obstacles. Unfortunately, this can be a drag: you'll find yourself going back to locations you've visited before just to see precisely what you missed...and you harldy get any clues to help you find what you're looking for. It doesn't help that you'll encounter the same units over and over again: there are only THREE types of enemies. It's not all bad, though: they DO get harder to kill over the course of the game, and can seriously hurt you at higher dfficulties.
When it's all over, you'll find yourself saying "What? that's it? aww man...". The game is very, very short and can be finished with one 5-hour long sitting. You will find yourself wanting more, interestingly enough, but there is little reward to start all over, save perhaps for the challenge of playing at a higher difficulty, or even try and get a better rating as to unlock Levels and Orbital Frames for the 2-player Versus mode...
The graphics are nice (hey, it's konami!). Though the texture resolution is tad low, it's a fair trade for the lack of slowdown in-game. Design wise, you cannot help but marvel at the curves and glowing veins of your own Jehuty, and the Boss OF's are a fearsome sight. Concept artist Yuji Shinkawa injected fresh blood into the genre, and its a shame it didn't bleed over other styles and franchises as well. The terrain , though impressive, is not going to win any architectural awards.
The aurals do their job: nothing really stands out: explosions make a nice boom, power sword slashes make a nice...something. But thankfully, no sounds are silly or feel out of place...save for the voice acting. This is one of the worst attempts any cast has made at voice acting, and you'll find yoursellf cringing at some poor intonations of poorly localized lines.
The background music tracks are standard fare techno beats meant to complement the action. In contrast, the Intro and Title screen songs are melodous and melancholic, and are worth listening to in their entirety.
The controls are well thought of: As i've said, the one square button can do much already, and in conjunction with other buttons, can do more. Simpler functions include lock-on, altitude control, and blocking. Everything you'd need for this game. My only gripe is the r3 joystick: the free look camera. It's a wee bit too sensitive for those precise sniper
shots, and it's too slow to for you to look around for that one squad with the password. or that barely visible cloak generator.
All in all, This is a very enjoyable 1-day rental: plenty of action while it lasts, but nothing to write home about.
the good: Fast and explosive mecha combat, wonderful mechanical designs, great visuals, good controls. decent soundtrack with some nice tunes.
the bad: Short length, so-so enemy AI, lack of opponent variety, TERRIBLE voice acting, some useless weapons, some annoying backtracking required, BENDY LASER AREN'T LETHAL ENUFF.
rating: 75: FAIR
Develloped and Published by Konami
http://www.konamijpn.com/products/zoe/english/index.html
Graphics: 4/5
Sound: 4/5
Gameplay: 3/5
Concept: 5/5
Execution: 3/5
Controls: 4/5
Enjoyement: 5/5
Replay: 2/5
Difficulty: (scalable), played at easy.
learning curve: 5/5
No patches, no bugs, and no mods. dur.
Ah, i've been meaning to finish that little gem since i've laid eyes on it. circumstances forced me to play it three years after its release.
You are Leo Stenbuck, the formulaic 13 year old boy that stumbled on a high-performance mech while BAHRAM, a martian insurrection army, attacks your home: the jovian orbital space colony Antillia. Being the only one capable to take on the Bahram's Orbital Frames (the mechs), you unwillingly find yourself taking down enemy installations and fighting some really nasty bad guys along the way, just so you can escape with your life.
Zone of the Enders was released shortly after its console. As you may all know, this is a period when developpers tend to make really, REALLY bad games just to test the waters. ZOE was one of the first to distinguish itself as being decent. Many elements of the game attracted fanboys like bees to honey (FLYING MECHS! BENDY LASERS! WOOHOO!), and they are nicely executed...but many, MANY shortfalls kept the title from being a truly great game.
The game's concept can be nicely summed up as "Virtual On meets Psychic Force", meaning you duke or shoot it out with other robots in mid-air. Jehuty (your mech) can do both very nicely with its power sword and arsenal of backup weapons, and the resulting fights can really impress..at least visually.
Fighting is pretty much done with the "square" button, with distance determining which attack you'll initiate. Up close on a locked on enemy, you'll swing your sword around. Be far, and you'll shoot. other, more powerful attacks can be initiated if you're standing still or moving while pressing the R2 button. That's it. You've mastered your mech. The best way to defeat your foes is to dash up to them and let fly your sword. That may not always work, though: The AI is smart enough to try and block and parry, so being a little creative with your attacks help. Sometimes, approaching is nigh impossible thanks to some heavy artillery, and you'll find yourself in a shooting war. Of course, you're not just limited to the basic attacks: Over the course of the game, you'll find some interesting back up weapons, and these can be a real help in defeating bosses or even mission objectives. Unfortunately, others are completely and UTTERLY useless. Oh, speaking of mission objectives, the game is ACTUALLY a bit non-linear: besides clearing the levels of enemies, you often have to make sure civilian buildings don't get destroyed in the fighting, snipe away at an energy core, and find passcodes to access weapons or modules to accomplish break through certain obstacles. Unfortunately, this can be a drag: you'll find yourself going back to locations you've visited before just to see precisely what you missed...and you harldy get any clues to help you find what you're looking for. It doesn't help that you'll encounter the same units over and over again: there are only THREE types of enemies. It's not all bad, though: they DO get harder to kill over the course of the game, and can seriously hurt you at higher dfficulties.
When it's all over, you'll find yourself saying "What? that's it? aww man...". The game is very, very short and can be finished with one 5-hour long sitting. You will find yourself wanting more, interestingly enough, but there is little reward to start all over, save perhaps for the challenge of playing at a higher difficulty, or even try and get a better rating as to unlock Levels and Orbital Frames for the 2-player Versus mode...
The graphics are nice (hey, it's konami!). Though the texture resolution is tad low, it's a fair trade for the lack of slowdown in-game. Design wise, you cannot help but marvel at the curves and glowing veins of your own Jehuty, and the Boss OF's are a fearsome sight. Concept artist Yuji Shinkawa injected fresh blood into the genre, and its a shame it didn't bleed over other styles and franchises as well. The terrain , though impressive, is not going to win any architectural awards.
The aurals do their job: nothing really stands out: explosions make a nice boom, power sword slashes make a nice...something. But thankfully, no sounds are silly or feel out of place...save for the voice acting. This is one of the worst attempts any cast has made at voice acting, and you'll find yoursellf cringing at some poor intonations of poorly localized lines.
The background music tracks are standard fare techno beats meant to complement the action. In contrast, the Intro and Title screen songs are melodous and melancholic, and are worth listening to in their entirety.
The controls are well thought of: As i've said, the one square button can do much already, and in conjunction with other buttons, can do more. Simpler functions include lock-on, altitude control, and blocking. Everything you'd need for this game. My only gripe is the r3 joystick: the free look camera. It's a wee bit too sensitive for those precise sniper
shots, and it's too slow to for you to look around for that one squad with the password. or that barely visible cloak generator.
All in all, This is a very enjoyable 1-day rental: plenty of action while it lasts, but nothing to write home about.
the good: Fast and explosive mecha combat, wonderful mechanical designs, great visuals, good controls. decent soundtrack with some nice tunes.
the bad: Short length, so-so enemy AI, lack of opponent variety, TERRIBLE voice acting, some useless weapons, some annoying backtracking required, BENDY LASER AREN'T LETHAL ENUFF.
rating: 75: FAIR