Playing A Game Zone of The Enders: The 2nd Runner Mars PC

Given it's been over a decade since I played Zone of the Enders, I was surprised at how distinctly the demo of Zone of The Enders: The 2nd Runner Mars reminded me of the original.

At first, I'd mistakenly believed that this sequel was brand new -- but, no, it's a remaster of a PS2 game from 2003. And through that lens, the game's apparent shortcomings make a lot more sense.

To be fair: the remaster looks great, with crisp models and silky-smooth effects. And, admirably, the control scheme still holds up fairly well.

But in the limited demo for 2nd Runner, I could already tell that it re-checks all the bad boxes I wrote about the original:

  • "Camera movement is basically impossible?" Check.
  • "Pretty much [only] two enemies?" Check.
  • "Lengthy dialog sessions" with "insipid banter?" Check.
  • "Terrible" voice acting? Check.

Even within the span of the demo, I was already waiting for it to end.

Progress: Finished the demo.