As a fan of Metal Gear and most things Mech, you'd have thought that I would be on board with Zone of the Enders, a space epic featuring orbital frames capable of destroying whatever stands in their way.
Its main selling point (arguably) was that it came with the playable demo of Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, but I was quite happy to wait for a demo from elsewhere. I didn't need to buy a whole other game just to get my hands on it, and in truth, I probably wasn't as big a mech nut back then as I am now.
Z.O.E. wasn't met with massive acclaim but was rewarded with a sequel that did exactly what needed to be done in the form of Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner... and I've still not played that either. And yes, I own multiple copies of the series...
Let's see if we can change that.
Fun Times
My word, where do we begin? I was emulating the PS2 original and was going along, grabbing screenshots of the intro video for use in this post when it just kept going on and on. I kept pressing that screenshot button, wanting to show everything off. After 175 photos, most of which were unusable, it was clear that you just needed to watch it yourselves.
If you couldn't find the play button above, it starts off looking like an intro cinematic to the game itself, but soon turns into an extended length trailer, a hype reel for the entire game. It bloody worked, let me tell you that. The mix of PS2 renderings and simple animation go together surprisingly well, and it felt like even if I couldn't ever play The 2nd Runner, that I sure could watch it somewhere.
For anyone concerned about going into a sequel without knowing what went on in the original title, there's another video package for you that sums up the events of Z.O.E., though I'm not sure how successful it is in doing its job. I get the impression that you can ignore it...
With that out of the way, I just dove right in.
We're Dingo Egret, a miner on Callisto who spots an unusual source of energy in a place it shouldn't be. Thus begins The 2nd Runner, as we lumber our way through an icy canyon. Progress is slow, but then we are in a chunky mining mech. We've got a jet boost on the R2 button, but it's more bunny hop than anything useful.
After proving we can walk, its time for more cutscenes.
We've stumbled into an Orbital Frame, the name for the Mechs in this place, and as we do, we learn of an attack on the surface. Our mining mech gets obliterated by these unknown foes, and we find ourselves with only one option - to hop into this mysterious orbital frame.
We're greeted by the robotic voice of ADA, who is going to need to power up this frame mighty quick, as it's currently sliding down a crevice, as well as appearing to be the focal point of this attack.
In a flash of energy and John Woo slow motion, we arrive, reborn if you will, as Jehuty, the same frame as the first game. Why is it here? What happened for it to be boxed up? What do we do with it now?
All unanswered questions, and indeed, questions that could only be asked if you have a passing awareness of the first game. Though we can answer the last one. We admire it.
In terms of mech design, there are a few camps. Broadly speaking you've got big chunky Western mechs that look authentic and realistic, and you've got the graceful, humanoid, incredibly pointy Eastern mechs, that look like men in suits on an episode of The Power Rangers. I don't like that style at all, which is perhaps the reason I've moved away from Z.O.E., but... I mean... damn this is an excellent looking Mech, right?
It blends the two camps together. It looks otherworldly and impossible, but at the same time, you could imagine that, eventually, humans could make it work. It's going to be the star of the show, so it better be something worth looking at. Hopefully, it's as stylish to control as it looks.
It doesn't take long to find out, as Raptors descend from the skies as our first opponents. It can be a little hard to follow the high-speed nature of the combat, as you flit between targets in a matter of frames, rather than seconds, and circle them in all three dimensions, but it boils down to a few simple inputs.
The square button is your attack button. If you're close, it'll be a melee attack, which can combo to knock enemies backwards, or up or down. At that point, you're far away enough for a ranged attack, and each press of square shoots out a little blue ball of energy that homes in on its target.
These attacks can be modified by the R2 button, your dash button, and it acts to charge up your weapons. A dash attack is stronger at melee ranges. It can home in on many more targets at range, with the screen filling up with blue targeting indicators before the arena fills up with dazzlingly bright energy attacks.
Everything about the combat looks graceful and powerful. It's over the top, it's unrealistic, but it's sort of grounded in those fundamentals. You can change your height and position to get near to your opponent or far from them. If you're locked on to them, you can generally forget about the rest of your surroundings until you're finished with them - you'll often not be able to keep track of the surroundings anyway, so why bother?
To help you get your bearings, indicators for where to go and what to defend against float around Jehuty in the form of rings. There is a way to distinguish which danger indicator to worry about the most, as it takes range and threat levels into account, but trying to keep an eye on it while you're slashing away at another frame can be tricky.
If you need some time out, just find some space and hold down the block button, R1. It'll defend against the little attacks only, but it's there to give you some breathing room - you don't have to charge into every fight at a hundred miles an hour.
As the light shows continued, we were working our way through these canyons to find Roger, whose frame has sustained some damage. As we get to him, though, we learn that things are about to get a little more complicated.
A boss fight is an excellent way to show off the flight mechanics, though you sure can't see them in screenshots - obviously, this entire game looks better in motion, even with it looking really bloody good in stills.
When locked to a target, you'll always move relative to them, to the point where you don't have to worry about where you are so much. You can then focus on how and when to launch an attack or hang back and wait.
Ardjet has quite the lengthy health bar, but her attack patterns are like any other video game boss, and she will succumb before too long. Dashing to charge up my ranged attacks, blocking her melee attacks before immediately countering with my own... repeat as necessary.
Are these colours and lighting effects just brilliant or what? I actually think the emulation isn't even doing them correctly, with lights appearing on a layer above things, rather than getting obscured by this or that. Still, in the heat of the moment, it doesn't seem to matter in most cases.
It runs alright too, with a bit of slow down, especially when I'm hammering the screenshot button, or there's just a little too much going on at once, but it's playable, and I'm certainly having a good time playing it.
Ardjet starts to amp up her attacks, but the wind up is so long and telegraphed that she'll be a sitting duck when it finishes and I start slashing at her from the sides.
Dingo is having quite the unexpected morning and now decides that the best course of action is to go into the enemy ship and take the fight to them. I know I don't mind the approach...
These visuals... gah, they're something else. This was clearly when the team were still in MGS2 mode, as the similarities in everything from the mech detailing to the environments and even the HUD are there for you to see. The colour palette is lovely, and even if these spaces don't make much sense, or give any clues to their purpose, they provide a rich backdrop to the explosive combat you're no doubt getting up to.
We've not even started to grasp how capable this orbital frame is, as we're prompted to tear apart the scenery and use it as a weapon. This pole can be used to hit things (here it's blowing up an enemy spawner), we can chuck it like a javelin, and it will gladly explode on impact with a heavy attack if we use it as a shield of some sort.
We can even pick up enemies directly and swing them into more enemies. They'll also struggle to break free, especially if you plan on hurling them into a nearby wall, floor, or ceiling for extra damage.
Getting shot at, repeatedly, by a Mummyhead doesn't really allow you to grab things quickly, however. Looks dramatic though. I need to up my game.
Frustrations
Getting into a second boss fight proves I need to up my game, as all of a sudden, I forget how to play The 2nd Runner. No energy attacks can penetrate Nephtis' shields, so I need to grab something to throw at her.
Despite on-screen pointers and rows and rows of grabbable spear-like improvised weaponry, I couldn't find anything to grab, and if I did, I often completely missed the shot, all the while being on the receiving end of an awful lot of damage.
Incidentally, that glowing yellow ring is a nice example of the lighting effects being layered on top of things in this emulation. Maybe I was distracted by that too much to know how to fight...
In a pathetic flash of all the colours (seriously, how good does that look?), I hit the Game Over screen, and that ends Dingos morning.
Or does it?
Further Fun Times
The 2nd Runner has been re-released along with Z.O.E. in a Zone of the Enders HD Collection, which I own for both the PS3 and Xbox 360, but still haven't gotten around to playing. What I have played, however, is the M∀RS Trial, the PS4 remaster, complete with VR.
Finally - if you ever wanted something like this - you can play The 2nd Runner from inside the cockpit of Jehuty. You can see my efforts in the video above, but it's not a fantastic experience so far.
I've had to replace the cutscenes because they're displayed as just a giant cinema screen in VR, and there wasn't a whole lot of need to look anywhere other than straight. I once looked down at my legs and had a few quick turns to one side or the other, but none of these movements was necessary for any gameplay reason.
It's interesting to see the attacks from a new perspective and to give you some idea of what Jehuty is doing, a little holographic model shows you what you'd be seeing in the standard third-person game. I don't think I'd manage the whole game inside VR. Besides, I only own the demo, which stops before the second boss fight.
Final Word
I've always known that Zone of the Enders was about mechs and the outer solar system, and I've always known that it sure looked fancy and played like nothing else, but I never had that urge to get around to playing them.
Given that I have two remastered copies of both games, and that I had fun playing The 2nd Runner here through imperfect emulation, there's probably little reason not to get stuck into them. I'd probably go with Z.O.E. first, even if it's flawed, or short, or just not as polished as The 2nd Runner - I have to assume there is at least a little bit of plot that matters going into the sequel.
For fans of Metal Gear, don't expect Metal Gear levels of story or anything. These games feel like side projects to get some ideas out into the wild and stretch some creative muscles, rather than an absolute must-see story. But that's not a bad thing. Not every game has to be an epic for the ages. Just don't compare it to what the team have gotten up to before or since (though that danger ring sure looks to have inspired MGS4, hmm?).
If you want a stylish, futuristic, action-heavy game, Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner may be quite a good shout. Its presentation is top-notch, its gameplay is robust and reliable, and it'll offer up a challenge too. I know I'll be playing a lot more of it, now that I've finally gotten around to it.
FILLING YOU IN
Oh, it's been a while. Nobody will know that it has been a while, but it has been a while. A while since I did anything with this blog, and a while since I fired up the Xbox 360, and I did so for two reasons: to finally get around to playing what I wanted to play (mostly Z.O.E.) and to then sell it as surplus to requirements, or whatever a more apt phrase may be.
The time has finally come to let someone else get something out of this ageing console. I'm well aware that more recent Xbox consoles have backwards compatibility and that there's little reason to own a 360 anymore, but I'm sure someone will want it. I hope someone will want it... I don't want it...
What better way to say thanks than by playing through the Z.O.E. HD Collection? Probably by playing Halo or something, but I'm not interested in that (and if I ever am, I think this ageing PC is just about good enough for the Master Chief Collection on PC, so I'd do that).
Starting with Z.O.E. before The 2nd Runner is a must, though even with the knowledge of what goes on in the afternoon you'll spend completing the first game won't help you untangle the complete anime nonsense that you'll find in the sequel. And that playtime is that short. I was playing on Easy for both, because I just want to experience the story, and you absolutely whizz through what's on offer.
The 2nd Runner doesn't increase the play time all that much, but it is easily 10 times better than the first game, even after both have been remastered and stuck in high definition. The polish present in this game is lovely to see, and the switch from awful CGI to traditional cel-shaded anime is probably what makes it 9 times better.
A main character called Dingo and a female called Ken isn't as bonkers as the plot gets. I don't watch anime, but this screams anime, for those of you who are interested. Anime Space Mech Battles, for all of 6 hours, sometimes with tens and tens of enemies and auto-target reticles on screen at once. I shudder to think about framerates on the PS2 if I caught the odd dip on the 360.
What I enjoy most about the world of Z.O.E. are its style, its design choices, and some of its ideas. I would love a western, sensible, somewhat grounded approach to this kind of stuff, but on some level, what makes Z.O.E. so enjoyable and unique is that it is so bonkers compared to the competition - if bonkers is the right word, and if it even has any competition.
It's absolutely a must play. Tune yourself out of the plot and just go with it. Spam the attack button, watch all the dazzling effects, and just have a blast for an afternoon before putting your toys away and carrying on with life.
Ah, life. Made all the more better for having played Zone of the Enders.
Fun Facts
To help merge the animated cutscenes with the PS2 rendered gameplay, explosion effects were drawn with a 'quasi-toon-shade' look, blurring the two styles together to sell an anime feel.
Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner, developed by Konami Computer Entertainment Japan, first released in 2003.
Versions played: PlayStation 2, 2003, via emulation.
Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner M∀RS Trial, PlayStation 4, 2018.