Zone of the Enders was solid hype pressed onto a DVD, gaining instant notoriety for containing a demo of Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty nestled inside the case on a separate disc. Grubby-handed gamers were so eager to wrap their mitts around their Snake that this notorious demo could have been bundled with any old tat and the game would have sold.

The Camera Never Lies?

ZOE:TSR’s camera doesn’t fail in what it sets out to achieve, really, it’s just that - when things are hectic on-screen - it’s hard to keep up. Jehuty locks-on to a target, then orbits them whilst fighting. Whereas, in the aforementioned Ocarina of Time, Link gets priority and remains in the centre of the screen, ZOE and its sequel have your opponent as the focal point. This can be disorientating, but is actually quite effective when you get used to it. The original ZOE wasn’t ‘tat’, perhaps, but the gulf between expectation from the public, and what was delivered to them, was pretty immense. With the Kojima name attached (albeit only as ‘Producer’), gorgeous screenshots advertising the game in the glossy gaming mags and a demo of seemingly monumental significance thrown-in to the bundle, the public naturally assumed they were in for something awe-inspiring. Instead, ZOE was just a very average game with some neat graphical effects and presentation. The Second Runner is a far more accomplished (if still flawed) mecha game and contains some real one-off game experiences.

[inline:1] Set in a future where Mars and Jupiter have been colonised, Earth finds itself increasingly isolated and fractious towards the rapidly evolving colonies. A rogue militia, named BAHRAM, has sprung-up from the outposts, and are committed to gaining independence from Earth. Harnessing Metatron – a powerful ore found only on Jupiter’s moon, Callisto - the saga of Jehuty (a mecha, which are called ‘Orbital Frames’ in the ZOE-verse) and its fraternal twin machine Anubis forms the core of the story, filled with deceit, treachery and an interesting subtext about the use of power and the desire for freedom.

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Download ZOE 2 movie A The core control method and camera hasn’t changed from ZOE: left analogue moves you around, right analogue moves your reticule and the triangle and X buttons move you up and down. Confusing on paper, this method actually works pretty well in practice and soon becomes second nature. The degree of control you have over your mecha is lively and fun, even if the right stick doesn’t quite reposition you quickly enough. Luckily, L2 locks-on to an opponent and, once they are the object around which you orbit (think Link’s lock-on ability in the 3D Zelda games) you get used to using Boost (R2), up and down movement and your attacks themselves to position yourself effectively at high speed. Combat is played-out in various areas that normally contain an objective, and these objectives vary between escorting or rescuing allies, being navigated through a defensive shield and many others that are suitably inventive. Sometimes, traversing the areas between combat zones can take a while and become slightly boring but, thankfully, the later missions in the game are more focused, set in smaller, tighter areas and have a design that exploits the combat system more dynamically.

[inline:3]Kojima Spit and Polish

The Second Runner uses every conceivable trick and effect the PS2 is capable of, so you get that cool screen blur effect on heavy impacts, clever use of cel-shading on explosions only (so that not all of the RAM is used up by textures), stylised trails coming from the sharp edges of the Frames and a LOT of enemies on-screen. Okay, so many of them are repeats of the same model, but it’s still great to see a game put thirty-plus enemies up on the screen with very little slowdown. In general terms, the game looks very similar to other Kojima-directed projects, with a heavy use of greens and greys in the palette. As per the first game, much of the scenery is deformable. Using the sub weapon Grab, you can yank-up pieces of hardware such as support struts and panels, and use them for attack or defensive purposes – sometimes both. Grab can also be used to snatch enemies out of the air, who can then be either used as a shield (using R1) thrown at another enemy or at an obstacle, or as a club with which to batter the opposition. The often arena-like levels, therefore, are pretty gladiatorial – getting in close, flinging other Frames around and watching them explode against collapsing skyscrapers is kinetic and satisfying.

On top of the close-quarters fighting, you also have the use of the aforementioned sub weapons, which are selected from a list using L1. More and more are collected through the game, ranging from a crazy bullet-spraying machine gun called Phalanx to the defensive-minded Mummy, where you hover behind a huge shield and regain energy. Most sub weapons use up your SUB energy bar (slung beneath your Metatron-fuelled health bar), so cannot be deployed constantly and have to be reserved for crucial moments.

[inline:4]The most obvious flaws in ZOE: The Second Runner are holdovers from the first that are only slightly addressed and repaired in this sequel. In a cliched, Kojima-like fashion, cutscenes are almost constant and, although beautifully executed and stunning to watch, undermine the gameplay by accounting for a lot of the running time. It even has its own ‘codec’-style scenes, with conversations taking place in boxes around your HUD. Used sparingly, these would be a welcome break from the carnage, but are mostly just incredibly boring – a fact not helped by the dreadful translation and voice acting which takes an interesting plot and almost manages to destroy its pacing.

There are three elements, though, which make ZOE:TSR well worth checking-out, beginning with the graphics and presentation. As mentioned, the cutscenes are stunning in places, with a lovely use of camera angles and showing-off the game engine to maximum effect. FMV is actually handled through traditional animation, and this anime looks gorgeous, suiting the tone of the game to a tee. In-game, the visuals are a combination of Kojima-style clean, sharp lines (artwork by the amazing Yoji Shinkawa, making the Orbital Frames a sight to behold) and cel-shaded explosions. The sparing use of this technique really comes-off, giving the game a standout appeal. Many sections are almost like fully traversable levels of Rez, without the on-rails limitations.

[inline:5]What’s on the end of the stick, Vic?

SPOILER! Leo Stenbuck – the character you played in the first ZOE – had a heart of gold. Desperate to preserve life, many of your tasks involved guarding habitats (containing his friends, family and fellow colonists) against attack. In this game, his compassion and humanity is just as obvious and, although he doesn’t get to pilot Jehuty (and continue to teach the AI set ADA how to be more human), he does get a fabulous consolation prize: he pilots the mecha Vic Viper. Just wait until you see, in one of the best cutscenes ever created, his fight with Anubis. Amazing stuff. Secondly, most of the boss fights are immense encounters, with victory only coming when patterns are fully learned, stretching you to your limits. Taking down an Aumaan Battle Cruiser’s defences then ripping its engines apart with the Vector Cannon (a massively powerful sub weapon) is amazing. Going toe-to-toe with a space-compressing Anubis at the core of Aumaan is dazzling, too. Thirdly, the mecha version of the Vic Viper will make fanboys simply weep for joy. Is that really a reason to buy, you ask? If you love all things Konami and Gradius it is, yes. Great fan service.

Beating the game unlocks a weighty bonus section. During the game, you can discover floating files called EX Missions. Each one expands the bonus section, adding boss battles, area battles and a survival mode. The best bonus, though, is Zoradius - a Gradius minigame featuring the mecha Vic Viper. An into-the-screen 3D shooter in the style of Space Harrier, it's another excellent bit of fan service and a decent game in its own right. The tacked-on two player mode, though, can be ignored.

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Download ZOE 2 movie B When all things are considered, Zone of the Enders: The Second Runner is an extremely weird package: the controls are at turns both frustrating (just you try disengaging a lock mid-battle, and see how disorientating it is) and exhilarating (you can time blocks and parries to perfection, with practice). The graphics and audio are fantastic, but the voice acting is shocking and the cutscenes – though pretty – totally overused. Some of the battles are epic, lasting a good few minutes (the Independence Day-esque battle with the LEVs, which are Earth’s version of Orbital Frames, is another highly impressive level), but the overall game is very short.

Although a mass of contradictions, ZOE:TSR has some real quality in places. Many battles are almost as tactical as a 3D fighter, and the sense of accomplishment when you level-up, gain a new sub weapon or beat a boss is exceptional. Sadly, camera issues (see ‘The Camera Never Lies?’), overuse of cutscenes and teeth-grindingly bad localisation harm the package irrevocably. Kojima did, however, introduce a game to the world that genuinely acts, looks and behaves differently to most games available, and is worth checking out if you like the premise.