Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner review (PlayStation 2)

Jehuty's talkative onboard computer, ADA, generally gives you hints when the situation requires something beyond basic battle tactics, but you don't have to absolutely adhere to her comments, and that's what makes the combat system so great. There are dozens of different ways to attack enemies, and when you receive additional subweapons (usually at the end of a level), they make combat all the more dynamic. There are homing missiles that can kill a shielded enemy in one shot, a gauntlet that can push enemies from great distances (it's particularly useful for pushing them into walls), a machine gun that shoots energy bolts, and another energy weapon capable of stunning enemies--just to name a few. These subweapons become invaluable over the course of the game, and The 2nd Runner does an excellent job of pushing you to use them by constantly throwing new types of enemies at you as well as new attack patterns for enemies that appear constantly throughout.

The only noticeable issue with The 2nd Runner's combat system stems from a combination of problems associated with the camera and targeting. Since the action in the game is so fast, the camera occasionally has trouble switching to a good vantage point. This is much more noticeable in the indoor environments because the camera is set in a confined space, but it's not nearly as prevalent in the outdoor environments. Additionally, the camera can make targeting a problem simply because targeting doesn't necessarily depend on which object is closest to Jehuty but rather what's in his line of sight. For example, in one of the later levels, Jehuty has to destroy the engines on a series of massive battle cruisers; however, when you try to target the engine of a battleship, the game will try to target the other battleships instead, so you have to struggle with the camera a little to get everything to work properly. Otherwise, manually targeting enemies works well even though it does take a little time to get used to.

It's worth noting that not all of the missions in Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner are straightforward combat missions. In one mission, you're required to protect a group of LEVs (relatively archaic mechs) from a Bahram assault while minimizing civilian casualties in the area, which should be a mission type familiar to fans of the original game. In another mission, you have to carry a disabled orbital frame up to the surface of the planet--the catch here is that if an enemy hits you, Jehuty automatically drops the orbital frame. There's a lot of variety to the levels, and some levels, particularly the last three, are some of the most adrenaline inducing of any shooter to date.

It's also one of the best-looking PlayStation 2 games to date. Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner sports a partially cel-shaded look. You won't see cel-shading on the level of Jet Set Radio Future or The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, but the technique that the development team has used has resulted in a soft but vibrant look that fits with the anime nature of the game. All of the orbital frames are quite stylized and filled with plenty of small details, such as pulsating veinlike lights that surge throughout their bodies, and despite their robotic appearance, they still successfully convey some form of personality. The enemies aren't quite as detailed, which is a favorable trade-off in this case since it allows the game to have dozens of enemies onscreen at once. The environments also benefit from the visual technique used in the game, and most of them have a really clean look. All of the special effects in the game are quite excellent as well, particularly the explosions, the smoke, and some of the weather effects. All of this detail comes at a price, though, because the game does have some horrendous slowdown at some points, especially when there are multiple particle effects. It doesn't make the game unplayable by any means, nor is it all that irritating, but it does detract from the overall feel of the game.

Surprisingly, the game's soundtrack is just as diverse as its visuals. The 2nd Runner has everything from J-pop-inspired music to more classically influenced tracks, complete with chants that help escalate the epic sensation in some of the game's later levels. It also does a nice job of remixing the main theme to fit certain situations. As for the voice acting, the characters actually do a good job of voicing the dialogue, but the dialogue itself is so horrible that it's not really all that memorable.

Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner is what the original Zone of the Enders should have been. Its excellent combat system, combined with the game's focus on blowing up everything in sight, makes for an enjoyable gameplay experience. That the game looks excellent and that the soundtrack almost perfectly complements the game only make it that much better. While the main single-player portion isn't all that long (about five to six hours), The 2nd Runner offers some unlockable missions that you can play through using different forms of Jehuty. These missions are scattered throughout the main single-player game, so you have to keep an eye out for them. In addition, there's a fun versus mode that lets you play as one of several orbital frames from the game, including the Vic Viper, which can actually transform. The bottom line is that Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner is just fun to play, and it will inevitably keep drawing you back in even when you've already seen most of what the game has to offer.