Tag Archives: Zone

Review – Zone of the Enders HD Collection (Part 2)

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What’s good, guys? Joshua Evo back again with Part 2 of my Zone of the Enders HD Collection review. This time, we’re going to take a look at the second game of the series, Zone of the Enders, The 2nd Runner.

My apologies for the huge delay on Part 2, it’s been pretty busy around here as of late. Anyway, let’s get right into the review. ZoE: t2R, apart from obviously being the sequel to the original Zone of the Enders, is widely considered the better of the two games due to things like its much faster pace, wider array of enemies and refined character designs and overall look. The cutscenes had been changed from 3D CG models to a more traditional anime look and the dubbing (while still pretty comical) was improved. Particularly Nohman’s voice characterization, which was SO over the top that you almost had to admire how nutso the guy was. Much different from a voice over the radio that you never saw, like he was in the first game. This time around, the game focuses on the character of Dingo Egret, former BAHRAM soldier turned mining man, who happens to find himself (not unlike Leo Stenbuck from the first game) in the wrong place at the wrong time. Dingo, being the army-hardened-soul-hiding-a-traumatic-past, climbs into the cockpit of our old friend Jehuty and must battle his way out using the skills the combat skills he mastered in his time as one of the enemy.

As well as those mad brooding skills that round out his anime roots.

Like Zone of the Enders HD, 2nd Runner HD is simply that, an HD version of the original game. As I stated previously, aside from the Metal Gear Solid Rising: Revengeance demo, t2R is the primary reason that gamers picked up the ZOE HD collection so obviously, the HD remastering of this game was treated with heavy attention to detail… 

…one would think.

If you’re a regular and astute reader, you’d realize that this is one of the FEW reviews where I didn’t say which console version of the game I reviewed. That’s because I have such reverence for the series that I got it on both Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 and will be discussing both. There was a lot of talk before the release of this game that the Xbox 360 version was the superior one, as the PS3 version was said to have severe lag and frame drop issues. Upon firing up the PS3, Xbox 360 and PS2 versions, I found out that while not game-breakingly severe, the PS3 version did in fact suffer from some pretty nasty lag issues. The Xbox 360 version also has some lag but it doesn’t seem as bad. There’s also a few fairly obvious graphical issues, particularly during a main story point where Dingo visits his mentor, Lloyd.

A 1.0.1 patch has since been released and fixes some of the lag and frame rate issues. Now, I must stress, this are hardly issues that anyone would consider game-breaking, more and that the collection (Limited Edition or otherwise) definitely still warrants a purchase for anyone who was a fan of the original games or just missed out on them the first time. As touted, the version of the game included on the HD collection is the UK version of the game and does indeed have added difficulty levels and generally feels tougher than its PS2 counterpart. Some of the levels have also been lengthened with new battle sequences that do a decent job of throwing in more action for players to enjoy. The game also retains a solid amount of unlockable content which encourages multiple playthroughs and a relatively fun VS mode. As with ZOE HD, trophy support was also added to t2R and further extends the replay value of the game. All of these great gameplay elements, topped off with a very manageable price tag make the ZOE HD Collection a worthy addition to any gamer’s library.

– Evo out

Coverage from SF Konami Gamers Night 2012

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What’s good, everyone? Joshua Evo and Jessica Valentine here with a special news update from the Konami Gamers Night 2012 event. TGS has come and gone and with it came a whole slew of news and updates from Konami, a lot of which was recapped at this event, with just enough room for some special surprises. Additionally, there were numerous playable demos available for press and attendees to check out and we’re happy to say that Konami did not disappoint. We’re going to go through a few of the major highlights of the night and touch on as much of the facts as we can. We’ll start with one what is arguably Konami’s flagship title.

Metal Gear

President of KDE-US, Tomoyuki Tsuboi took the stage to talk about the 25th Anniversary of the Metal Gear franchise. He touched on how Konami has commemorated the milestone with the release of the Metal Gear Solid HD collection and the announcements  of Metal Gear Solid: Social Ops to be released on social gaming platforms, the Metal Gear Solid feature film, Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes, the prologue to Hideo Kojima’s next MGS project and the opening of a new Kojima studio based out of Southern California. 

Undoubtedly though, the biggest MGS news revolved around the upcoming joint Kojima Studios and Platinum Games release, Metal Gear Solid Rising: The presentation began with the showing of an extended trailer, complete with game play. Konami then announced the MGSR:R Collector’s Edition which includes the game, a soundtrack, special packaging and most interesting of all, a plasma lamp with a partial replica of Raiden’s signature high-frequency sword.

A playable demo was available for attendees to get their hands on. If you have played any of Platinum’s other big titles like Bayonetta or Vanquish, then MGSR:R will feel very familiar to you. It’s got the same fast-paced, over the top, quick reflex action as those games while still retaining the character of Raiden that Kojima created along with a few other familiar sights to MGS4 players.

Metal Gear Solid Rising: Revengeance is scheduled to be released on February 19, 2013. I personally am all over this game.

Zone of the Enders

OK so you all should know by now that your dear editor, is a HUGE fan of this series and Konami most definitely did NOT disappoint. Brand Manager Keith Vlaming took the stage for the ZoE presentation and began with a little bit of history of the series and confirmed that the ZoE HD collection would be released on October 30, 2012 for the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles at a price point of $39.99. In addition to the overhauled graphics and sound, a new opening cinematic created by Hideo Kojima was added to the game. Another interesting bit of news is that the version of ZoE: The 2nd Runner that is included on the HD Collection is NOT the previous U.S. release but rather the European released Special Edition which is said to contain “new missions, new difficulty levels and much more.” The big announcement however, was the confirmation of a ZoE: HD Collector’s Edition here in the U.S. If you all remember my previous ZoE news-round up, I speculated on what would be included in the Collector’s Edition based on comments made by Hideo Kojima on his Twitter and I turned out to be right.

Photo Credit to Konami

The ZoE: HD Collector’s Edition comes with the game, an exclusive soundtrack that includes remixed tracks of the ZoE music as well as a world exclusive, 100-page artbook which includes art from renowned artist, Yoji Shinkawa. A price point was not set announced but it’s a safe bet that it’s probably around the $50 – $60 range. Additionally, it was confirmed that every copy of the ZoE: HD Collection would come with a consumer demo of Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance in the same manner that the original Zone of the Enders game came with a Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty demo almost 12 years ago. 

As with MGSR:R, ZoE HD had a playable demo on hand that I of COURSE had to check out. I’m happy to report that the game feels just as fans remember it and looks and sounds absolutely phenomenal. I look forward to picking it up and seeing the the new version of ZoE: The 2nd Runner has to offer.

Silent Hill

And on to the next! Hello everybody. As some of you may know coming up there are two additions to the Silent Hill family coming shortly. The first of which is the new Playstation Vita exclusive Silent Hill: Book of Memories releasing on October 16, 2012. This marks the first time that the franchise will come to a handheld system. I am happy to report that I did manage to get some time with the game, only about 10 minutes but just enough to get a first impression.

At first looking at Konami’s Silent Hill: Book of Memories, the game looks like what one would expect on a handheld system. Smaller sprites the graphics aren’t spectacular, etc… To me this takes away from the game as it doesn’t really bring the signature atmosphere that I feel was key to it’s console predecessors. Again smaller screen less to work with, it’s expected. However, I didn’t get to any cut-scenes and didn’t even start from the beginning of the game, so my assessment could be off.

Credit to Konami

Moving onward, there are several features that have gotten me definitely interested in the game. The first is character customization, I am a total nerd for character customization, I like changing outfits and hair, I guess this is my version of barbie dolls. But you have to admit it’s way cooler than Barbie dolls! Anyway… I also am excited for the 4-Player co-op feature. Now if only I owned a Vita and knew three other people that have one. Oh well, I will cross that bridge when I come to it.

There is one last feature that was unveiled last evening, and to be honest, is probably the feature that is making me seriously consider getting this game. That feature is…. wait for it…endless gameplay. Silent Hill: Book of Memories will generate new and unique dungeons as long as you desire to play the game. This coupled with several endings makes the replay value of this game potentially off the charts.

Konami also announced that Silent Hill would be coming to Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights. Personally I love stuff like this, Halloween, Video Games, what else can a girl dream for? If I lived in Southern California or in the Orlando area of Flordia, there is no doubt in my mind that I would go to this attraction.

Speaking of Halloween….

…or near it for that matter, Silent Hill: Revelation 3D, the second installment of the movie franchise hits theaters on October 26th. Adelaide Clemens, who plays “Heather Mason” was on-site to talk about her role and show a trailer to the upcoming flick. She seemed nice, though she did admit she was not a gamer.

To sum up, Silent Hill: Book of Memories for the Vita hits shelves on October 16th. Ten short days later, the new movie starring Adelaide Clemens, Sean Bean, and Kit Harington hits theaters. October is going to be one busy month.

Additional News Notes and Wrap Up

Konami also touched on the release of Pro Evolution Soccer 2013 and some new release plans for the various social gaming platforms.Specifically a U.S. Release of their successful social game Dragon Collection in the Fall of 2012. They also showed a slide that showcased several other upcoming titles including Castlevania: Lords of Shadow – Mirror of Fate for the Nintendo 3DS, scheduled for an early 2013 release. 

Konami definitely has a lot in the pipe for the remainder of 2012 and is has a very strong showing going into 2013, as this event showed. On a personal note, I had a great time meeting several media personnel and would like to extend a thanks to Konami for allowing Disk Read Error to be a part of this event. All in all, it was a blast and I’m terribly excited for what they’ve got in store for us. (SECONDED!!!!!)

– Evo out.

-Jessica “Up, Up, Down Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A, Start” I’m Out!-

Gaming News – Zone of the Enders News Round-up

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Off the jump, I need to ask you all to please bear with my over-nerding out. It’s Zone of the Enders news, so I can’t NOT be excited.

Not too long ago, Revoltech put out some action figures of Jehuty and Anubis, the focus mecha of the always amazing Zone of the Enders series. I recently got a hold of them at Comic-Con 2012, right about the time that I found out that there’s also a Vector Cannon Jehuty that I need to get my hands on but I digress. In an earlier post, I went on about how there has been a LOT of ZOE activity ramping up recently after a very long hiatus in the form of the release of the ZOE HD collection and the conceptual art for “Enders Project” shown back in May of this year. At TGS, Hideo Kojima, Konami and Revoltech continued building the hype.

Kojima tweeted these images of what look to be Naked Jehuty and Ardjet pre-production figures from Revoltech. Both figures continue the amazing attention to detail and high articulation for which Revoltech Figures are renowned. The Ardjet model is obviously in early pre-production, as it’s missing its paint but there’s probably no doubt that the finished product will look just as high quality as its predecessors.

Source > @HIDEO_KOJIMA_EN

Also, Konami confirmed via Twitter that the ZOE HD collection will be released on October 30, 2012 for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, which is a good two months before most anyone predicted. It’s priced at $39.99 and you can pre-order it on Amazon now.

Source > @Konami

OK, that seems to be the all of the ZOE related news for now. Thanks for bearing with me and partaking in the hype. I don’t know about you all but for me, October 30th can’t come soon enough!

– Evo out

Gaming News – Zone of the Enders HD Collection Premium Bundle announced

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As you may or may not know, Konami and Kojima Studios announced a while back that they would be releasing a Zone of the Enders HD collection for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. Kotaku is reporting Hideo Kojima has confirmed via Twitter that now there will be a premium edition bundle released in Japan in October and has also released some of the first images. If anything, it’s definitely a serious bit of collectible eye candy for fans of the series.

Source > Kotaku

The additional content that’s packaged with the bundle has yet to be confirmed but based on information from Kojima’s Twitter, it’s a safe bet that there’s most likely going to a Remixed edition of the soundtrack, as he has posted a picture of a CD and track list complete with remixing artists. 

Additionally, the cover art for the premium bundle is purported to look vastly different from the standard edition. Kojima also tweeted a CG render of what looks to be alternate cover art.  If the trend that is seen in a lot of western collector’s edition holds true in Japan, then this may be the the cover that greets players who happily unbox their ZoE: HD premiere editions. It’s also possible that this is the actual final packaging for both standard and premium editions.

The Zone of the Enders HD Collection is currently slated for a late 2012 release in the United States. No word yet as to whether the premium bundle will see a stateside release.

Source > @HIDEO_KOJIMA_EN

– Evo out.

Updates!

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What’s good, everyone? It’s been a while since our last bit of communication but work has been ramping up something fierce and it’s all any of us can do to keep up! I DO have a bit of news for you all though!

First of all, I now have a Tumblr and seeing as how it’s going to be largely video game or other random nerdness related, it will of course be linked to this blog. You can visit it by clicking here. 

Second, some of us are working on new article types to post. No spoilers just yet but hopefully you guys get a kick out of what we put out and DO keep in mind that a lot of it is not meant to be taken TOO seriously, yes? 

Third, i’m going to be closing the poll early for the next “30-31 Days of…” as we have a pretty clear winner for this. Pokemon! So starting in July, we’re going to be covering our 31 Days of Pokemon. As per usual, there’s no real rhyme, reason or pattern to our choices, just a kind of sharing of our personal favorites for whatever reason. I’m also planning on TRYING to get some guest authors on this project so if you all know of any serious Pokemon nerds who are fairly prominent internet-heads, i’m open to suggestions! 

That should be it for now. Other than that, I’m going to be updating the “What we’re Playing” page soon since there’s new stuff coming out and frankly, Diablo III has caused a NEW level of carpal tunnel for me. Also, if case you missed any of the announcements, Hideo Kojima has begun work on a new Zone of the Enders project. I put up a video detailing what I knew about the project at the time as well as my personal feelings on the news and the series as a whole up on the DRE YouTube Channel. You can also see the video itself by clicking here.

So, I once again want to thank everyone for following the blog, reading what we have to write and just being awesome and supportive as a whole. We’re hoping to have some new content to review for you guys VERY soon and I hope you all enjoy the upcoming 31 days event! 

- Evo out.

Day 9 of 31 – Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner

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All the way to Day 9? I’m actually sort of impressed with the crew. Good job, guys!

 

 

If you can’t read the text in the image, I apologize as marquee photos of this game are kind of hard to come by. Zone of the Enders: the 2nd Runner (or Anubis in Japan) is the sequel to the Playstation 2 launch title Zone of the Enders. It’s also one of my top three favorite video games of all time and currently occupies the #1 slot of my own personal “Greatest Games No One Knew About” list. The first ZOE game was a decent effort for a launch title but was more memorable to gamers as “that game with the robots that came with the Metal Gear Solid 2 demo disc” which was a pity. When ZOE2 hit the shelves, it wasn’t a particularly widely touted game but those who were in the know were treated to much faster game play, a more fleshed out and expanded story, shinier graphics, new weapons and powers and a more optimized mech combat gaming experience. I first heard about it when my cousin from Canada visited for Christmas one year and happened to have the game with him. I hadn’t heard ANYTHING about it at that point, apart from a small blurb in a gaming magazine, so when he fired it up, it was a wholly satisfying and surprising experience. My brother and I ended up playing the hell out of it so much that when my cousin returned home after the holidays, he left it to us with the words “I was going to sell it back since I was done with it but I’d rather leave it to people who love playing it that much.” That sentiment holds true for me even now, as I fire ZOE2 up from time to time just to play through it again (as it is quite short). I have a pretty incredible amount of fan-nerd-ness for this franchise with a particular emphasis on ZOE2. The way it ties into it’s predecessor but still takes on a story of its own, the huge battles, memorable characters, the soundtrack and hybrid of rail shooter and open wandering game play are things that just combine together almost seamlessly to form the incredible story of the Orbital Frames Jehuty and Anubis, their runners and the larger conflict that the world around them that they are simultaneously the center of. It’s a game that shouldn’t be missed AND lest we forget, a HD Collection of the Zone of the Enders games was announced and is slated to hit the shelves in Fall of 2012. Hopefully, the sales and interest generated are enough that Hideo Kojima sees fit to green light what  fans of his and of the ZOE series have been clamoring for for years now; Zone of the Enders 3. 

-Evo out.

 

Well it’s about time we talk about this awesome title! Zone of The Enders from my point of view, has got to be one of the most creative games I have ever played that revolved around giant robots. The first installment of the series was indeed a sleeper hit, mostly because it was probably out-shined by the demo disc of Metal Gear Solid 2 that was included with the game (REALLY? A DEMO DISC? COME ON PEOPLE!). However, when the second game came out for the series, I was blown away by how amped up the battle system of this game was. It was MUCH more fast-paced and it was very much enjoyable. I especially loved how I could grab enemies and repeatedly press the Circle button to almost comically spin them around and throw them into a wall (or other enemies for that matter). I also found it hilarious that you could also use enemies as melee weapons by grabbing them and using the attack button to swing them around, but my favorite thing about this game was the unique design of some of the robots. When I see the main robots Jehuty and Anubis with those lines of energy coursing through their bodies, it gives me an idea on how powerful and badass these two are. Seriously, it’s like they are giving a message to others saying, “if you %*@# with us, were gonna beat the living hell out of you”. This kind of attention to detail to the characters and the other robots and craft made me into a fan immediately and I have been drooling over it ever since. All in all, Zone of The Enders is one hell of an underrated series. It has been hiding behind the shadows of some of Konami’s best titles and has yet to see the light of day. Hopefully with the release of the HD collection in the fall this year, people will finally give the proper attention to this awesome masterpiece and maybe, just maybe, like my brother said, long time fans like he and I will be able to finally play Zone of The Enders 3.

–James B. Boss