Zone of the Enders Z.O.E (2001) (VG)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Director:

Noriaki Okamura

Writers:

Takashi Kitao (scenario/script: game design unit)
Satoru Kobayashi (scenario/script: game design unit: KCE School)

Release Date:

28 March 2001 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

Life and Death

Plot:

A space colony named Antilia revolving around Jupiter in the late 22nd century is attacked by a terrorist force called BAHRAM...

Plot Keywords:

War Violence | Fictional War | Emotional Breakdown | Tragedy | Tragic Past

Cast

Remy Le Boeuf	...	Leo Stenbuck (voice: English version)
Cynthia Marcucci	...	ADA (voice: English version)
Ali Johnston	...	Celvice Klein (voice: English version)
Jean Mazzei	...	Viola (voice: English version)
Bruce Robertson	...	Rock Thunderheart (voice: English version)
Debbie Rogers	...	Elena Weinberg / Boy C (voice: English version)
Roger Jackson	...	Nohman / Axe (voice: English version)
Scott Keck	...	Slash (voice: English version)
Carl Hubenthal	...	Nightraid (voice: English version)
Doug Boyd	...	Corporal (voice: English version)
Jim Singer	...	Boy A (voice: English version)
Liz Stimson	...	Reporter (voice: English version)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Masashi Ebara	...	Nohman (voice: Japanese version)
Yui Horie	...	Celvice Klein (voice: Japanese version)
Rio Natsuki	...	Elena Weinberg (voice: Japanese version)
Takeharu Ônishi	...	Axe (voice: Japanese version)
Hiroyuki Oshida	...	Nightraid (voice: Japanese version)
Hiroki Shimowada	...	Leo Stenbuck (voice: Japanese version)
Chiharu Tezuka	...	Viola (voice: Japanese version)
Kosuke Toriumi	...	Slash (voice: Japanese version)
Kiyoyuki Yanada	...	Rock Thunderheart (voice: Japanese version)
Miki Yoshino	...	ADA (voice: Japanese version)

Also Known As:

ZOE (USA) (promotional abbreviation)
Zone of the Enders (USA)

Country:

Japan

Language:

English | Japanese

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Australia:G | UK:15 | USA:M

Company:

Konami Computer Entertainment

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Metal Gear Ac!d (2004) (VG)

Soundtrack:

A Light with a name of HOPE

Probably one of the best games for the PS2

Yeah, "Zone of the Enders" excels in just about every single category that I can think of. Gameplay, graphics, control, and the best thing about this game: its story. I admit that when I first heard of this game, I didn't pay much attention to it, but after listening to what my friend told me about it and reading several reviews, I decided to rent it from Blockbuster Video. "Zone of the Enders" takes place in the far future when Earth has set up a colony called Antilla that's orbiting Jupiter. A 14-year old boy named Leo, who after witnessing the deaths of several of his closest friends during an enemy invasion, hops into Jehuty, a giant mechanized robot and sets out to defend what is left of his home.

This game totally blew me away. Not just the beautiful graphics, but its amazing storyline. You can actually care for not just the game's young star, but for the enemies as well, the human enemies I mean. The "orbital frames" are stunningly animated and are pretty tight looking. The game's ending, which I won't dare reveal, leads to the possibility of a sequel. I really like the way that Jehuty can actually be "upgraded". All right, throughout the game, these "servers", which are usually in heavily guarded areas, you can actually download a weapons program into Jehuty's mainframe and then use them. The only problem with that is that as the game progresses and you learn to control Jehuty and use its weapons, is that the enemies actually start to become smarter as well and it can sometimes be frustrating especially if no Metatron Ore(health power-up) is present.

Complaints, of course since no game is perfect. First, the voice actors suck. You can tell just by the way the characters read their lines, that they're just reading the script and aren't really voice-acting. Second, the game is just too short because it can be beaten inside of five hours. Third, the one thing that especially seems to p*** me off, is that some people have bought this game just for the "Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty" demo disc that's included with it. Nothing against MGS2, but what I mean to say is that since Hideo Kojima is a genius and all, I'm sure he put forth a lot of time and effort into making "Zone of the Enders" and "Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty" the games that they are.

"Zone of the Enders" gets a 9/10