Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner
Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner
Description (IGDB)
The sequel to Zone of the Enders is based around mecha combat with the player once again controlling the "Orbital Frame" Jehuty. Unlike its prequel, the game is now centered on action elements with the player not needing to protect civilians in need and instead Jehuty contains more weaponry than in the previous game. The plot is set two years after the events from Zone of the Enders and focuses on Dingo Egret, a former member from Mars' military organization BAHRAM whose leader Ridley "Nohman" Hardiman wants back with him. Nohman shoots Dingo following his rejection but the agent Ken Marinaris saves Dingo by connecting his body to Jehuty and forces to work in order to defeat BAHRAM. The game had a new director, Shuyo Murata, who producer Hideo Kojima appointed in order to provide a different experience. The team worked to cover the criticism the original Zone of the Enders received resulted in The 2nd Runner having more action elements. The game received generally favorable critical response due to the improvements it has in comparison to the previous game. Critics praised the game's graphics and gameplay elements but criticized its short length and presentation. Despite the positive critical reaction, the game suffered mediocre sales. North American & Japan got regular ZOE2, but the regular edition of ZOE2 was never released in Europe. Europe directly got the ZOE2 Special Edition.
Description en cours d'enrichissement.
Médias
Avis des critiques et joueurs
Critiques de la Presse (Metacritic)
« Fun to play and offers a great story and awesome visuals. The hardest thing you may have to decide is when to hit the save button and stop playing. The game draws you in quickly and holds your attention. »
« Takes what was cool about the first installment and builds a gorgeous, challenging, and satisfying game around it. [Apr 2003, p.47] »
« Using some of the finest visuals to grace a next-generation platform, and solid gameplay, the game proves that PlayStation 2 has more than a bit of fight left in it. »
« The game is a whole lot faster than the previous game. There is so much going on at the screen at once, it might be hard for players to keep up, but that will never be the case. »
« The game is very story-heavy and linear because of the heavy focus on story. Outside of that, though, the game is a vast improvement over the previous game. »
« While short, grabs you for those few hours and won't let go. The game is such an improvement over the first installment that those who didn't like the first game will probably like this one. »
« It plays mostly like the first, so if you liked it you’ll love this one. »
« When it comes to the raw energy and unadulterated action, ZOE2 has few peers. [May 2003, p.72] »
Avis des Joueurs (Metacritic)
« Una mejora significativa con respecto a la primera entrega que no logra despejarse de la necesidad de contarte (o intentar contarte) una historia de una profundidad aparentemente real pero objetivamente vacía, como el interior de un mecha cuando le quitas el alma de niño que lo pilota. Hideo Kojima parece divertirse (como un niño) como productor en este título que tiene de infantil lo que carece de madurez y, por eso, trata al jugador como un niño, no como un jugador con voluntad de diversión. El error conceptual está servido con un combate que sí mejora y es más divertido pero abruma cuando entiendes la innecesaria cantidad de momentos cliché que desprende. »
« I love the mech suit fighting! This also played very clean and well as far as the story goes. While the battle gameplay can be a little tedious, as I was spamming the basic attacks and doing mostly fine, the difficulty spike increases shortly after you start playing it. This is a lot of fun! »
« Although I was never particularly drawn to mecha games, Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner was a refreshing exception. The combat system was smooth, satisfying, and visually captivating, making each battle a thrilling experience. The game improved on its predecessor in every aspect, offering a wider variety of weapons and environments. The graphics remain some of the best on the PS2. The characters were engaging, and the story, complemented by anime-style cutscenes, added an intriguing layer to the overall narrative. However, the game's main flaw is its length; it can be completed in just around 8 hours, which leaves you wanting more. »
« Zone Of The Enders is already a wild ride of mecha based anime goodness that honestly still doesn’t make the most sense, but it has some interesting lore behind it, and The 2nd Runner thankfully picks up where the original leave off. You start off as an entirely different pilot, and while you have no original attachment to Judity, the game makes it very clear that you two are stuck together. This makes for a nice dynamic of unrelenting hero with his robot girlfriend and big booba friend. Along the way you start to met more and more people from the original game, and it builds well as a **** game is just as cutesy and high octane action as ever, having the buildings scaled down like a train set; along with a bunch of new enemies coming out in full force to attack you. While the game still has some problems with controls, it’s not as bad as the first one, and both games are still quite manageable given enough time and energy. Sadly the game does have a few difficulty spikes that are just absolutely baffling, and one boss fight in particular just had me reset the whole game as when you pick a difficulty, you stick with it throughout. Thankfully the rest of the game is far more manageable after those initial difficulty spikes, but it certainly isn’t a push over, even on easy difficulty. 2nd Runner is longer than the first game, but not by much nor should it have been given the story they wanted to deliver, and how much filler it would have had if they did increase run time. That being said the game could use a few extra modes to make things a little spicier.Story is fairly standard revenge plot mixed together with callbacks to the first game. While it certainly won’t win any creative awards, they do at least add a good amount of flavor with returning characters, and it’s really a treat to play this game after playing the first one. The climax to the final boss is also a spectacle to behold, and would certainly have studio trigger have a run for it’s money as you deliver those final blows, but mostly I just remember the little train sets.2nd Runner is a good sequel to build on the first game, but it still suffers greatly from some very bad difficulty spikes and annoying puzzles. While I don’t think this should turn away anyone wanting to some mecha action; it certainly could have done a better job at pulling the casual crowd. Overall I enjoyed my time with this cult classic, and wish the game series all the best as I would love to see a follow up to this game. »
« Just a perfect game. I loved it when it was released. Even if nowadays it's gameplay could be considered a bit repetitive, the RPG elements anemic at best, and the replayability close to zero, it was, for a while, one of the most visually stricking games available. The nostalgia factor might be at play here, not gonna lie. »
« Iconic art direction, solid music score and the gameplay is alright. It has a lot of potential to be a really amazing game but the combat lacks depth and thus the level design often has to resort to various gimmicks to make up for it. It is a shame there isn't that many games like this which could take the formula further and expand upon it. »
« Fast-paced hack and slash+shooting mech game, also pretty fun. "YOU RIKE IT?" »
« I have never played a bigger improvement on a game than ZONE OF THE ENDERS: THE 2ND RUNNER, a Do you like fast-paced action robots and good anime story den go forward , a The difficulty is awesome you always feel like you're being challenged just the right amount And a graphic still looks beautiful to this day, Your Next Favorite game »
