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Zone of the Enders HD Collection
Released On: Oct 30, 2012
73
7.8
Where to Buy
Where to Buy
All Platforms
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 27 Critic Reviews
73
56% Positive
15 Reviews
15 Reviews
41% Mixed
11 Reviews
11 Reviews
4% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 27 Critic Reviews
73
56% Positive
15 Reviews
15 Reviews
41% Mixed
11 Reviews
11 Reviews
4% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
One of the more exciting and worth-your-money HD Collections available to date.
Zone of the Enders HD Collection has become a beautiful package. Both games offer original gameplay. Even though they are eleven years old, a surprising fact. The barrier between the two games can be pointed out as a negative thing, but both games are good enough to enjoy them throughout the full ride. This package belongs in your collection, no matter what.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 62 User Ratings
7.8
66% Positive
41 Ratings
41 Ratings
23% Mixed
14 Ratings
14 Ratings
11% Negative
7 Ratings
7 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 62 User Ratings
7.8
66% Positive
41 Ratings
41 Ratings
23% Mixed
14 Ratings
14 Ratings
11% Negative
7 Ratings
7 Ratings
The best underrated game you will ever play.
You fly around, you slash enemies, you do it in HD.
The story is goofy and try-hard but who cares because you're flying around slashing enemies in the best Mecha-Play you ever had.
Yes, the best. The games actually use your position in such a way that you have to keep where you are, where your enemies are, and what you are going to do with them in mind.
Weapons, throwing, blocking with enemies...
Why aren't you playing it yet?
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PlayStation 3
I legitimately don't know why people would dislike updated graphics.
It's a fast-paced hack and slash+shooting mech game, and also pretty fun.
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PlayStation 3
It may not be Metal Gear, but it's still one of Kojima's best works, and this is a great way to experience it all over again. Not only that, but it's worth picking up the game with the hope that sales will finally push Kojima to make Zone of the Enders 3.
Zone of the Enders HD is a great collection. The first one feels a bit dated and simplistic, but the second one is definitely one of the best mech games ever made. If you've never played these and find yourself intrigued by the concept, don't hesitate to buy it.
Though neither of these games can eclipse the love and attention lavished upon other Kojima projects, they're still decent examples of their genre. [Christmas 2012, p.74]
Time sure wasn't kind on the first Zone of the Enders and the HD remastering of the collection isn't perfect. Luckily the 2nd Runner remains a PS2 Classic and this, coupled with the feeling of nostalgia, are the only reasons you should care about this package.
Its incredibly short stature makes ZOE an almost pointless re-release, and the de-evolved frame rate handling of 2nd Runner isn't much to pine for unless your PS2 copy was lost, stolen, or destroyed. If this is an effort to get people amped and ready for the recently announced Zone of the Enders 3, fans certainly deserve better than this.
Having only ever played the first ZOE when it came out on PS2 and loving it to pieces when I was a kid, I was pumped for this the moment it was announced. Having just completed both games in the pack, I can say it's one of the better HD conversions to modern hardware I've seen for a while. And having not played ZOE 2 before, I can say with certainty this is probably one of the best, if not the best action game I've ever played. There are flaws with the game, like the odd framerate stability issue and the occasional difficulty spike, but nothing that can blemish what is one of the best combat engines you'll ever seen in a game taken beyond scales you can imagine (bit with the warships and the vector cannon in ZOE 2). If you call yourself a hardcore gamer, you owe it to yourself to at least give it a shot.
ZOE 1 is definitely the weaker of the two games (although the plot is easier to follow and the soundtrack is better weirdly) but both feature the genius controls and combat - utilizing the face buttons for ascend and descend plus attacks might seem weird but it's easy to pick up, and when combined with dash on R2 the fights turn into a graceful ballet of swords, lasers and exploding mechs. The lock-on can get confused with the sheer numbers you face in the 2nd runner from time to time, but it's not too big an issue as changing target is easy (assuming you can keep up). And oh yeah - this game is fast. Like, REALLY fast. If you're a newbie you might wanna crank the difficulty down a notch or crack through the first game so you've got a little practice under your belt. I can guarantee you've never played anything quite like this before.
Developers take note - this is how you upscale a game. Not once did I notice a flat or low-def texture in the entire pack. Everything has been cleaned up really nicely. The first does suffer a little with age (you have to remember it was basically a launch title for the PS2) but it still looks clean as hell and runs well to boot. The 2nd runner takes it to a whole new level though - it's astonishing to think that old black box churned out this level of detail and carnage. Enemy counts go through the roof at times, and there's tons of particle effects and physics going on at the same time. The 50/50 cel shading and realism blend looks fantastic and is a joy to behold.
That said, the framerate does stutter badly from time to time, especially in 2nd runner. But it's not that often. In fact, the worst drops came when fighting one on one with many of the game's spectacular bosses. Weird how the game can handle 100+ little enemies on screen at the same time (and the subsequent explosions) and it stutters during Anubis fights, but I can forgive it easily. It doesn't impact the flow of gameplay in the slightest.
I got 4 hours out of ZOE 1 and about 8 hours out of ZOE 2 on normal difficulty, but there's quite a bit of content to get through. You also get a two player versus mode, extra missions in 2nd runner, and the games track your performance and give you rankings for your completion. I already wanna dash through both games again and chase down all the trophies, and the only other game I've done that with is Prototype 2.
Honestly, give this a shot. The only thing holding back my score is the framerate issues. If anything, buying this game is a vote to see a ZOE 3. Hell, borrow it or rent it to give it a shot. If you've never heard of ZOE or played it then this is a masterpiece. Oh, and it comes with an awesome Metal Gear Rising demo.
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PlayStation 3
ZOE 1:
Old school 3D action game with epic story but limited gameplay and map design. The concept (story, presentation and cutscenes) gives an impression of soaringly high ambitions. But if played solely for the action scenes, the game stands alongside its contemporaries from the PS2 era, and not the most impressive of them. The game has no "Wow this is soo awesome" moments in-game. But overall, when looked at as a package, it is quite awesome, and a real treat for mecha/anime fans. I'm saying, consider playing it? But don't rush in with high expectations.
ZOE 2:
The sequel feels super polished, like an MGS game in terms of quality control. But I actually thought the missions felt less satisfying. Like it was hard in the wrong way... I had to restart one sequence involving two generators of some sort, several times. With barely any improvement in each retry. ZOE 2 feels longer and has much more variation in mission structure and especially boss fights. But as with the first game, mecha/anime fans are the main audience while other gamers could consider putting it in their game queue (aka 'backlog'). Just let it go if you don't get to play it. It wont show you any new tricks whatsoever, apart from "you can go up and down in this action game, not just forward/back/right/left!". It's sort of an 8/10 for the production quality and game direction. But the average gamer should be more concerned with gameplay and having fun and learning something useful. In that respect, I don't think anyone "must play" this title. Especially on PS3 with such a strong competition.
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PlayStation 3
I have never played any Z.O.E games, but I thought I would review this HD collection to review the improvements. aaand i was disappointed. There are heaps of graphics issues in ZOE, and 2nd Runner. The framerate would often drop below 30, seriously damaging the experience. They did patch up the graphics issues, but only for 2nd Runner, and only the PS3 version. These issues are what put Enders Project on hold. It does come with a demo for Metal Gear Rising, which is nice, but there's no replayability. If you want to get this collection, buy it on the PS3, but the only reason you'd want to buy it is if you loved ZOE on the PS2, or your'e desperate to play Metal Gear Rising. Otherwise, don't buy this.
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PlayStation 3
Played the first to completion, nothing special at all gameplay wise and only one memorable story moment. Heard the 2nd runner was MUCH better lol turns out the gameplay in 2nd Runner is pretty much the same as the first game, I honestly struggle to spot any significant differences, you basically mash square 99% of the time either to send an homing attack or use your repetitive sword slash, it's pathetic, most sub weaponry is still useless too, and sound effects are some of the most boring I've heard in a while. You don't feel like you're in a mech either, it's completely weightless like a plastic toy.
What do you have to smoke to find these games even remotely good seriously? Probably some of the worst mech games out there. You have to turn off your brain to play these.
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PlayStation 3
Japan really needs to invest in better voice actors, story tellers, and stop shopping for the lowest bidder. The amount of hype this game got from its fans really got me wanting to play this game. Boy was I disappointed. We have been getting alot of from japan the past few years and the hd collection of this crap was a reminder. JAPAN GAME GAME.
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PlayStation 3
Summary Zone of the Enders HD Collection bundles together both of the Zone of the Enders games and updates them with HD visuals.
Rated M
for Mature
Platforms:
- PlayStation 3
- Xbox 360
- PlayStation Vita
Initial Release Date: Oct 30, 2012
Developer:
- High Voltage Software
Publisher: Konami
Genres:
