Back in 2001, Hideo Kojima created Zone of the Enders as a launch title for the PlayStation 2. Most often people will comment that they purchased the game only for the Metal Gear Solid 2 demo disc that was included. That didn’t prevent Kojima from creating a sequel, titled Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner. While the series never reached the success and popularity of the Metal Gear franchise, that has not stop fans from asking for a third entry into the Zone of the Enders series. While Kojima has stated that early work has begun on a third title, Konami has released the Zone of the Enders HD Collection to test the waters. Are these games worthy of the title of cult classics, or are they best left in the past?
The first Zone of the Enders takes place in an orbital Jupiter colony called Antilia. BAHRAM forces have began invading the colony, and amidst all the chaos, a boy named Leo stumbles upon an Orbital Frame called Jehuty. Leo reluctantly pilots Jehuty and fights the invading forces, and never once forgets to complain about it. There are a couple other characters introduced into the story, and aside from Viola, they just amount to little more than just a name. Most of the dialogue in the story is very…wangsty, for a lack of a better word. Leo complains constantly throughout the game, and is not a very likeable character. Leo’s past is touched on, and he does start to mature in the final act. However, once that change begins and the game starts to get interesting, Zone of the Enders abruptly ends. It seems like Kojima only had time to tell half of the story, and the narrative really suffered due to this.
The 2nd Runner fairs much better in the storyline department. The main protagonist this time around is Dingo, who is a former BAHRAM pilot. While mining on one of Jupitor’s moons, Dingo stumbles upon Jehuty and now fights against BAHRAM, albeit reluctantly. Dingo is forced into fighting after being fatally wounded and then linked to the Jehuty to keep him alive. Leo makes a return as a side character, and you can see his growth from the first game. However, the main character relationship is between Dingo and female pilot Ken Marinaris. Make no mistake, The 2nd Runner tells a very predictable story, but that does not stop it from being an entertaining one.
Gameplay wise, Zone of the Enders is fast paced, arcadey mech-based fun. The first game does feel really repetitive, and requires little to no strategy to defeat your enemies, but seeing as how the game is ridiculously short, it does not really become an issue. The Jehuty can dash in all directions, rapid-fire long distance shots, perform burst attacks, attack with a sword, and use one of several secondary weapons. Close-range combat is a highlight of the combat for the whole series; it just really has a crazy anime feel to it.
There is a very basic leveling up system employed by the series. During combat, Jehuty will gain experience points and eventually level up. Once you level up you gain automatic boosts to your life and attack power. Enemies level up along side you, and at higher levels they are capable of doing things, such as dodging your attacks or using secondary weapons.
While combat is a lot of fun, actually controlling Jehuty may throw some people off. The camera will snap to Jehuty’s back after you stop moving, which can prove jarring for the first thirty-minutes or so. You do have the ability to move the camera with the right analogue, but it moves far to0 slow to keep up with your fast movements. Thankfully you have the ability to lock-on, which is extremely useful when battling multiple enemies.
The 2nd Runner improves immensely on the combat from the first game. First off, there is a greater variety in terms of enemy types that you will go up against, and enemy A.I. was greatly improved. No longer can you rely on simply dash-shooting your way to victory. While battles in Zone of the Enders were more of a matter when than if, The 2nd Runner will actually test your piloting skills.
Mission types in the first game fall under defeat the enemy with a passcode and find where to plug the code into. Zone of the Enders is a semi-open game, which means there is an overworld map that allows you to go to smaller maps which make up the levels of the game. Sadly, most of the environments look identical to one another, and with names like Town 1 and Town 2, you may get discombobulated from time-to-time.
The 2nd Runner, once again, rectifies this with improved level design and more variety in mission types. While the levels in the second game are more linear, they also sport more variety than its predecessor. Also, missions feature more variety in them, even most of them just have you destroying hoards of enemies. Luckily the combat is so fun and addicting that you will not mind this.
Boss battles are a highlight for both games, especially for The 2nd Runner. While the first few boss battles in the first game are more of a test of patience, often times the battles tested your piloting skills. These battles really had an anime feel to them, and I could not help but have visions of some of the Mobile Suite Gundam battles between Amuro and Char come into my mind.
In terms of replay value, the first game is a one and done affair. The 2nd Runner, on the other hand, boasts some replay value because the special edition was the one that was chosen for the HD Collection. This means that there are 20 EX missions to be had, and there is also a VS. mode. While playing The 2nd Runner you may find Orbital Suits to unlock for use in the VS. mode. Combat remains the same, but the Orbital Suits do sport different abilities from one another. VS. mode is a fun little diversion for you and your friends to play, and you may just create some of your own memorable battles in this mode.
Graphically, both games look really nice. While The 2nd Runner is the better looking of the two, Zone of the Enders is still a nice looking game. While the environments are not much to write home about, the various Orbital Frames (especially in the second game) look impressive. Battle effects look spectacular, and the way the camera pans back during close-range combat creates a cool effect.
While the gameplay and in-game graphics have aged incredible well, the cutscenes for the first game are a different story. While not horrible, the CGI cutscenes from the first game could have used a bit of an HD polishing. While that would not have helped the fact that the characters look emotionless, it would have made them easier on the eyes, especially jumping from the great looking in-game system to the old looking CGI. The 2nd Runner ditched the CGI and went with anime cutscenes, and they still hold up today. While it would have been nice to see the cutscenes in HD, especially compared to the excellent intro done by Sunrise (Mobile Suite Gundam, Cowboy Bebop). As it stands though, the cutscenes are not bad, but they can be a bit jarring when playing the first game.
On a technical aspect, Zone of the Enders HD Collection is a good conversion. While not running at 60 frames, the games are still fast paced affairs. The only time that frame rate was an issue was during a few boss battles while missiles and plasma shots were flying all over the place. Once thing that may annoy some people is the excessive use of light blurring, however it is not a detriment to the gameplay.
The sound department is an extremely mixed bag. First off, the voice acting ranges from bad (Zone of the Enders) to passable (The 2nd Runner). While a majority of the VO cast from The 2nd Runner are from the Metal Gear series, you cannot help but wonder if there was an issue when localizing the script. A majority of the script is dedicated to cheesy dialogues and corny one-liners. You will roll your eyes quite a bit, especially during Zone of the Enders, but there is a certain charm to the B-rate performances that are given. On a positive note, everything else sounds fine. The battle effects sound explosive, and the sound of metal-on-metal during melee battles sound good. The soundtrack in the first game is OK at best, but the second game has some great tunes.
Make no question about it, Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner is the reason why anyone should buy this HD Collection. While the first game is not bad by any means, it is just exceedingly average and way too short. Zone of the Enders did a nice job laying out the foundation for The 2nd Runner, and as a whole the Collection is certainly worth the time of not just Kojima fans, but to action game fans in general.