#the second runner

‘Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner’

[PS2] [FRANCE] [MAGAZINE] [2003]

Consoles+, October 2003 (#141)

Presses play for the 4,561st time on the MP3 of a song on a game trailer from 2003

“High Speed Robot Action” says the strap line and the game delivers. They literally don’t make ‘em like this any more: a lean high concept game executed with style, the highest available production values, and a bunch of silly goodies. The original Zone of the Enders was arguably a little underdeveloped and this sequel, at the mid-point of the PS2’s lifespan, manages not to overstretch the premise even as it gives it a more thorough workout.

To wit: up, down, and 360-degree horizontal movement; a block button; a boost button which modifies your attacks; and a single contextual primary attack button for both shooting and melee. A secondary attack button executes one of a selection of limited-use situational moves. And that’s it for the duration of the game.

That carefully curated palette of abilities sees you through unique boss fights, cleverly gimmicked set-pieces, more boss fights and the steadily dwindling amount of ordinary gameplay you’d expect from a product of the Kojima stable in the mid-2000s. It’s less than ten thrilling hours of mech smashing even allowing for the healthy number of “game overs” required, with no filler.

As I haven’t played the original release I can’t speak to the accuracy of the port, although by all accounts it’s excellent. What I can say is that even - or perhaps especially - in this crisp 1080p PS4 version it retains the feel of early PS2 titles, all stark, sharp edges (antialiased here), high polygon detail, flat texturing and extensive post-process effects. The Norihiko Hibino score and chirpy audio design are also pleasantly of the time, the confusing localisation and best-they-could-do-with-the-material performances less so. (Even by the standards of the time this was not great work.)