- Release Date: March 28, 2001
- Genre: Action
- Style: Action Adventure
- Similar Games: Armored Core 2 (PlayStation 2), GunGriffon Blaze (PlayStation 2)
Game Description
On the fringes of human existence, deep within the black void of space, live the people known as "Enders," pioneering colonists who've endured great hardship to settle Mars and the gravity of Jupiter. Far from the inner sphere of control, the Enders live with relative autonomy, but that also means they live without protection. The colonies are ripe for invasion.A young boy named Leo Stenbuck is thrust into the conflict as he and his companions witness the beginnings of the terrorist threat in a junkyard. While his friends are all killed, Leo manages to escape and discovers an enormous robot called Jehuty. As its pilot, Leo finds himself wrapped up in a battle that will determine the course of the Zone of the Enders forever.
Zone of the Enders for the PlayStation 2 was produced by Hideo Kojima, who is best known for designing the Metal Gear series. In it, players will take on the role of Leo as he pilots Jehuty through a dangerous world of terrorism, intrigue, and bloodthirsty enemies waiting to see him destroyed and the Enders conquered.
The game primarily takes place in Leo's home world of Antilia, the orbiting colony of Jupiter. Players will control Jehuty on an overworld map, digging into the title's plot by traveling to various cities and locations, searching for discs and items that will upgrade its systems. They will also answer various S.O.S. calls when the enemy suddenly attacks. In contrast to similar titles that have appeared on the PS2, Zone of the Enders' gameplay eschews the more traditional simulation aspects in an attempt to give the game a quicker pace.
Jehuty has a number of different attacks with which to take out the array of enemies it will face. It can lock on to enemies, and depending on the distance, it will attack in different ways. For distant volleys it has a projectile attack, and when things get up close and personal, it will unleash an electrical sword for even more damage. It can also acquire special weapons to do larger amounts of destruction, or it can pick up a nearby enemy and throw it into other enemies or buildings.
In Zone of the Enders, players will often find themselves fighting in populated areas, such as cities, and they must do what they can to avoid collateral damage. If they destroy too many buildings or allow too many casualties to occur, they will receive a poor rating for the stage. Once the main game is defeated, a two-player battle mode will unlock, allowing gamers to select from a number of different robot-types and take each other on.
~ Jon Thompson, All Game Guide
Review: Overall
Hideo Kojima is a respected game designer best known for the Metal Gear series as well as other popular titles such as Policenauts and Snatcher. Zone of the Enders, the first game created under his stewardship for the PlayStation 2, does not quite live up to previous efforts, but is still a satisfying experience.While this does carry the tag of a mech game, when one plays it that almost feels like a misnomer. The control in the combat sequences is very tight, almost amazingly so, and the speed at which the game moves is blazing, giving these sequences the feeling of an arcade experience. The lock-on and weapons modes are very impressive in terms of gameplay, and quite intuitive to get the hang of. While there is some depth to this process, one of the big problems with it might be the ease of use. Depending on how one plays the game, it isn't terribly difficult to get the better of your opponents no matter what the difficulty is set at. Still, while you're playing it the controls are very tight and fun to dive into.
The plot, while it seems to suffer from some translation issues, is still quite deep, although you won't get the stellar voice acting of Metal Gear Solid here; it's obvious that the dialogue took a back seat in the production of Zone of the Enders, which is a real let down, but still, it isn't so horrible that you'll want to skip the various cut scenes that pop up over the course of play. The story itself takes enough twists and turns to keep players intrigued and occupied while they barrel through the game.
Beating the game probably won't take most players too long, as there's really only ten to twelve hours of solid gameplay within Zone of the Enders. The big problem with this is that the game becomes slightly repetitive, when you find yourself fighting the same enemies over and over, and scavenging for more of the same as well. The situations you found so tantalizing in hours one and two, like fighting in cities, become rote towards the end, although the game's massive bosses, which often contain several forms, keep it rolling along. These boss battles, while not terribly difficult, are really a feast for the eyes.
The two-player mode that is unlocked when you beat the main game doesn't have a lot to it, but as an additional mode that comes as a reward, it is a decent addition. In it you can pick from a number of the game's different mechs and go at it against the computer or a friend. This is where the battle system reveals more nuance, but it is a shame that they couldn't have developed this kind of strategy to a greater degree in the single-player experience.
As far as visuals go, there's not much on the system that rivals Zone of the Enders. No matter how much is happening on the screen the frame rate never dips; the game always rushes along, maddeningly at times. Buildings will crumble, enemies will explode, lasers will fill the screen.
Your opponents, as well as Jehuty itself, are all modeled in a brilliant and unique visual style, although there just aren't enough enemies to really get you excited. The voice acting is sub-standard, but the actual sounds of battle and the techno music that accompanies it are dead on, giving the gameplay portions of Zone of the Enders the perfect feel, even if they do tend to get repetitive.
Overall, Zone of the Enders is not the second coming of mech games, and players who want a true taste of Hideo Kojima's brilliance will likely have to wait for Metal Gear Solid 2. Standing on its own, Zone of the Enders is still a beautiful and entertaining title that falls just short of the initial hype.
~ Jon Thompson, All Game Guide
Review: Enjoyment
It starts off as an amazing experience, but as you go on, the game gets a touch dull, which is unfortunate, but it is still worth it to play for the tight control and awesome boss battles.~ Jon Thompson, All Game Guide
Review: Graphics
While they do get repetitive towards the later portions of the game, the graphics in ZOE are truly outstanding, really showing off the types of effects and speeds that the PS2 is actually capable of.~ Jon Thompson, All Game Guide
Review: Sound
The voice acting could be much better, but the soundtrack and noises of battle are dead on, and really serve to add to the immersive quality that the game possesses.~ Jon Thompson, All Game Guide
Review: Replay Value
While there is just 10 hours of gameplay in the single-player mission, the multiplayer game that opens once you beat this is a nice touch.~ Jon Thompson, All Game Guide
Review: Documentation
The instruction manual is on the lighter side, and doesn't really go through as many things as you'd probably like, but it is still acceptable as a basic control guide.~ Jon Thompson, All Game Guide
