ZOE – This Ain’t No Ender’s Game

ZOE – This Ain’t No Ender’s Game

The PlayStation 2 video game Zone of the Enders is a cornucopia of science fiction mainstays: giant robots, oppression, crazy guys piloting those giant robots, and interplanetary war as seen through a child’s eyes. Zone of the Enders hits all these hallmarks, but ultimately fails to bring all these elements together in a meaningful way.

The game’s plot is nothing new. Leo Steinbeck stumbles his way into the Orbital Frame (aka the giant robots) Jehuty, the weapon that military force Bahram is instigating a war over. Paired with Jehuty’s artificial intelligence ADA, Leo must fight and kill to survive.

There are whole genres of science fiction that deal with children being forced into the army. The mecha series Gundam are full of them. Leo Stenbeck hails from the passive-aggressive mold of the robot pilot. He fights against older, more savage, more experienced Orbital Frame pilots, yet lets the pilots go when killing them would be a far safer alternative. ADA starts as the voice of reason in this regard, yet mellows her opinion by game’s end. It is the typical trial of a child warrior.

The gameplay overflows with potential, but falters on a few key points. You need the use of both control sticks (on a PS2 controller) to operate Jehuty: one to alter its elevation, and one to move forward and back. This is rendered moot by the ability to lock onto an enemy robot, which puts you on the enemy’s direct path.

Combat involves swords, a chargeable blaster, and a grab/throw function. These are supplemented with optional, “futuristic” sub-weapons. But all too often these subweapons are uninspired. The Bounder is as described: an energy ball that bounces off the enemy. It has poor aim and deals little damage. Button-mashing the sword weapon is a far more effective tactic.

Some weapons are gimmicks. Partway through the game, the player need a Sniper rifle to advance. So he gets one and uses it. The weapon is never mentioned again. The player can pick advancing enemies, but the damage is so ineffective that the Sniper is not worth considering. The Decoy is another one-shot weapon. You need it to confuse one boss enemy. That’s it. Normal enemies see right through it.

The difficulty consists of long stretches of normalcy, bookended by spikes of challenge. Only two instants forced me to play seriously: the point where one hit will destroy Jehuty, and the other having to throw time-bombs off the Frame’s hull before they explode.

The game features voice-acting. Terrible voice acting. Leo does nothing but whine, and ADA has a monotone, Siri-like voice. Everyone else is bland and stereotypical.

In the end, ZOE tries to be a good game, but it’s plagued with the pitfalls of poor gameplay, uninteresting combat, and fluctuating levels of difficulty. Due to its short length, it feels like half a game. It paves the way for the sequel, which is a much better game. Otherwise, you can pass this.

Zone Of The Enders II – Second Time’s The Charm

Zone Of Enders 2 – Second Time’s The Charm

The videogame Zone Of the Enders introduced us to the Orbital Frame (giant robot) Jehuty and the interplanetary war it gets involved in. Bland gameplay and uninspired plotlines made the game a paltry failure. So it falls to the sequel, the 2^nd Runner, to inject a much needed dash of life into the franchise. It does so in spades.

Characters are still bland. Dingo Egret replaces Leo Stenbeck as Jehuty’s pilot. His advanced age and military training is supposed to present him as more mature, but he comes across as a jerk. Villain Nohman is a psychopath, his insanity escalating as the game proceeds. ADA, Jehuty’s onboard AI, remains the same.

Combat is a lot of fun because you actually have options. In the original you could grab and throw the enemy. In 2^nd Runner, you can grab everything. Everything in the environment becomes a weapon. Or you can mash the throw button to “charge” the throw, which dispels enemy beams. You can even use enemies as shields.

The subweapons actually have a use. The Geyser weapon freezes enemies in place for a short while, while the Wisp weapon gives you two mobile orbs, joining the normal blaster’s shots with their own. Although it uses a lot of energy, nothing beats launching eight or ten Homing Missiles to completely destroy your enemies.

Speaking of enemies, their intelligence has received a substantial upgrade. Oftentimes they will work in packs in order to bring Jehuty to its knees. But single out the leader and destroy it, then the others become easy meat.

Boss battles are actually difficult. The first one is the Nephtis. Its’ gimmick is an impregnable barrier, blocking both sword and blaster attacks. Fortunately there are a lot of girders to grab and throw. Later on there are no girders, so the player can either use plates as shields, or trick her into ramming the force field behind you. In the final battle with Nephtis there are no girders or plates to use as shields – but there are enemies to grab. You must use them as shields, but they aren’t going to go easy. Eventually they shake free. The player must time his efforts so that the Nephtis will charge you while you still have the shield. Otherwise the Nephtis will ram you to death.

As in the original, the 2^nd Runner features dialogue. And like the original, the dialogue is terrible. The phrase “already getting ready” is only the first of many mistakes (the use of the word “pal” is increasingly grating). It’s almost if the translators can’t speak English at all.

The directors must have taken the fans’ words to heart, because the 2^nd Runner hits the right spots the original missed. It completes the story that the original started, while still being a fun game to play. Trust me, the game will tax your reflexes and prowess, but you will come back for more every single time.