Zone of the Enders

Back when it first came out in 2001, a buddy of mine bought Zone of the Enders because - and this is the same reason everyone who got the game got it - of the included MGS2 demo. But one day he actually started playing it, and let me give it a shot. I remember how fluidly it controlled; at this point, 3D games in general usually played very rough, and a game about flying robots? Seemed like it would be impossible. But ZOE nailed it. Flitting about, pot-shotting mechanical enemies, and slashing things up with a beam sword was a joy to control, as I remembered it.

Six years later, after resolving to join the 21st century and get a PS2 of my own, I decided to try and relive that experience. After all, for ten bucks, what could I lose? I knew going in that the rest of the game was vapid and meaningless, but had high hopes for the fighting-robot action.

So has ZOE's control scheme stood the test of time? Well, sort of. Parts of it are executed very well; auto lock-on, swift strafing movement, the distance-sensitive switch between close- and long-range weaponry. Other parts, though, show their age. Manual aiming is a chore, and camera movement is basically impossible. And, thus far, the game reminds me of PN03 in that there are pretty much two enemies throughout the entire game. Two hours in, fighting them is already getting repetitive.

As for the rest - yeah, it blows. Every aspect of the story is irritatingly poor: from lengthy dialog sessions set in the first-person view of the cockpit (the only on-screen action is subtitles), to insipid banter between the young, emotional hero and the robotic pilot program, to terrible and regrettably frequent voice acting, to Hideo Kojima's trademark direction of having at least as many minutes of cutscene as gameplay.

I mean, sure, it could be worse. But it was a coattail-rider then, and is entirely forgettable now.

Progress: EPS.2