Komani.comThis week’s retro review, “Zone of the Enders,” (Z.O.E.) is an oldie but goodie from the early days of Playstation 2.
This fast-paced, giant robot game created by our good friends at Konami (makers of the “Metal Gear” series) sports an anime-esque storyline along with some of the tightest controls I’ve seen in any game. However, this game seemed to have slipped through the cracks for many gamers at the time of its release, receiving lackluster to average sales at best. Now being a “bargain bin” title, “Z.O.E.” is definitely worth a second look.
Living on a space colony orbiting Jupiter in the 22nd century, you play Leo Stenbuck, a somewhat melancholy youth who fatefully discovers the “orbital frame” (basically a fancy word for big killer robot) Jehuty. Charged with the task of returning the frame to its rightful owner on Mars and saving your colony from the evil that conspires to obtain Jehuty. You’ll command the mech through the savages of war.
My favorite aspect of “Z.O.E,” as I mentioned before, is the controls. Most giant robot games are sluggish and unresponsive with their mechanics (I’m looking at you “Gundam”), and this is certainly what sets Z.O.E apart. The intuitive, swift controls match exactly what you’d expect and desire from games such as these. Dashing to and fro in mid air, firing off rapid laser beams and speedily slicing away at enemies with your sword are just a few of the game play mechanics that are so fluidly presented. From these controls, you also receive a faster paced game, presenting much more rewarding game play.
Your mech is also customizable with certain weapons and upgrades scattered across the space colony. This allows for some interesting combinations in weapons and a good variation to combat when you desire to try something new, keeping battle fresh.
A great addition, which I was surprised to see when I first played the game, is a multiplayer mate. You and a friend can go head-to-head in the fast-paced twitch gaming of “Z.O.E.” using many of the robots seen throughout the game.
The one drawback to this is that there is no split-screen. You’ll both share the same perspective, with one player starting in the foreground and one in the background.
Ultimately, the player in the foreground has the advantage, so that makes things a bit unfair. However, this is a great mode, perfect for short, fulfilling battles against friends.
A big downer for me with this game, as with many Japanese to English games, is the voice-overs. The sound quality itself is great, especially the music, being very close to what you’d expect from a Hollywood blockbuster. This is only to be expected from Konami. However, the voice acting will have you reaching for the mute button or even skipping cut-scenes.
Finally, “Z.O.E.” is short. If you have a lazy weekend, you’ll march right through the single player mode. There are alternate difficulties that give the game a bit of replay value but nothing terribly significant.
“Z.O.E” was a great game when it was first released which is why it’s such a shame that so many gamers missed out. Standing the test of time, I still hold this to be one of my favorite PS2 games.
You might have to do a little searching, possibly to find it on the net. But, hey, you can find this game for around seven dollars on amazon.com if you look hard enough. Such a low price for such a great game is amazing.
You’ll definitely want to check out this gem of a PS2 game. The bottom line: “Zone of the Enders” for the PS2: 8/10.