Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner (PS2) - Let's Play 1001 Games - Episode 858
6💥 Fan of the channel? Help support the series ► https://www.patreon.com/GamingJay1001\n💥 Follow me on Twitter ► https://twitter.com/GamingJay1001\n💥 Check out the website ► http://letsplay1001.com/\n💥 Check out the book ► http://www.amazon.com/1001-Video-Games-Must-Before/dp/0789320908\n\nI'm Gaming Jay: Youtube gamer, let's player, fan of retro games, and determined optimist... Join me in this series while I try out EACH of the video games in the book 1001 VIDEO GAMES YOU MUST PLAY BEFORE YOU DIE, before I die. The game review for each game will focus on the question of whether you MUST play this game before you die. But to be honest, the game review parts are just for fun, and are not meant to be definitive, in depth reviews; this series is more about the YouTube gamer journey itself. From Mario games to the Halo series, from arcade games to Commodore 64, PC games to the NES and Sega Genesis, Playstation to the Xbox, let's play those classic retro games that we grew up with, have fond memories of, or heard of but never got a chance to try! And with that said, the game review for today is...
Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner
from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zone_of_the_Enders:_The_2nd_Runner
Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner, known in Japan as Anubis: Zone of the Enders[b], is a third-person shooter hack and slash video game that was developed and published by Konami for the PlayStation 2 in 2003. The sequel to Zone of the Enders is based around mecha combat with the player once again controlling the "Orbital Frame" Jehuty. Unlike its predecessor, 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. The 2nd Runner was released on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 as a part of the Zone of the Enders HD Collection in 2012. A remaster, The 2nd Runner M∀RS, was released in September 2018 for Microsoft Windows and PlayStation 4. It features enhanced graphics with 4K resolution and VR headset support, as well as an updated sound design supporting surround sound.
Although Zone of the Enders had an open ended ending, director Noriaki Okamura claimed there were no plans for a sequel to the original game.[24] However, in May 2002 Konami announced Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner.[25] The team behind The 2nd Runner had a different director, scriptwriter and game designer. This was done to create a "whole new Z.O.E."[26] Shuyo Murata, who previously did the cinematics for Zone of the Enders, wrote an idea for the sequel which involved Jehuty surviving to an addiction to Metatron, the game's energy. Producer Hideo Kojima liked this idea so much that he appointed Murata as the sequel's director. However, no elements from Murata's plan were used in the game. Kojima stated that most of the game's credit is owed to Murata.[27]
The Konami staff worked in the game's graphics to make it stand out within other games released for the PlayStation 2.[27] Several staff members from the Metal Gear series worked in the special effects. In order to give it an "anime feel," the team implemented a "quasi-toon-shade" to the explosions.[26] The action was improved so that the player could fight several enemies at the same time unlike in the prequel where fights were one-on-one. In order to the deliver this action feature properly, the team spent a year working on a new 3D camera. In response to criticism, the team avoided backtracking and went through a more linear game design. The variety of enemies also were increased to avoid monotonous gameplay.[26] The game offers several missions in which the player is assisted by non-playable characters in the form of LEVs. This feature was originally intended to be used in the prequel but it only appeared in the form of cutscenes. For The 2nd Runner the team managed to implement this feature during gameplay.