Zone of the Enders (PS2)
***

Giant mech combat is an anime and video game trend that has steadliy become more and more of a cliche over the years, with little or no innovation, and Zone of the Enders attempts to correct this. Konami's result is something ambitious, but nevertheless very familiar.

When protagonist Leo Starbuck unwittingly stumbles upon the 'orbital frame' robot codenamed Jehuty, he reluctantly accepts a mission to return the suit to its rightful owners, as its original pilot was killed. He's about 12 years old, and takes a lot of crap from all of the veteran pilots who provide his instructions. The mission will not be easy, since he has also has to serves as resistance to a full-scale attack on his space colony. His Jehuty is equipped with an ADA artificial intelligence mechanism, which guides him to his next destination, while sometimes seeming to show emotion past its computerized hull. While Jehuty has a slew of attacks and maneuverability options at its disposal, Leo is still just a scared boy, who doesn't want to kill to survive.

While this could be an interesting tale with a decent script, it simply isn't in this instance. The whole story is dumbed down to such a point that it becomes absurd to hear anyone have an independent thought. ZOE is too content to drive its pacifist morals home, while avoiding a convincing pace. Not to mention, the English voice acting is quite dry, and read without any conviction from the cast's part.

On the other hand, the control scheme is both well laid, and easy to learn, resulting in an ease of play not found in such games as Gundam: Journey to Jaburo. Jehuty is a graceful machine, that is very adept at destroying enemies with lasers and beam swords.

The graphics in ZOE are jaw dropping, some of the best eye candy produced for the PS2 to date. Explosions are spectacular, character models are detailed, and environments are garish. Setting aside the average voice-acting, the audio is similar to the graphics in terms of quality. When something blows up, it blows up good. When an enemy fires a powerful laser cannon, it pierces the night. Great stuff.

Zone of the Enders, while not perfect, is worth a rent. Since it will only take you around 6 hours to complete the game, it's not worth 50 dollars, but it might be worth three if you have some free time.

-James Napier