Z.O.E.: Zone of the Enders (with Playable Metal Gear Solid 2 Demo)
Front Cover
Medium:
DVD-ROM
Release Date:
3/23/2001
Date Imported:
4/26/2006
List Price:
£39.99
Publisher:
Konami
Studio:
Konami
Label:
Konami
ESRB Age Rating:
Mature
Platform:
PlayStation 2
EAN:
4012927020685
Description:

Amazon.co.uk Review Apart from the likes of the Mechwarrior series, mainly aimed at hard-core gamers, robot fighting sims have not really caught on in the West. Due to an extremely canny piece of marketing on Konami's part Z.O.E. comes packaged with a demo of the sequel to Metal Gear Solid, a serious candidate for best game ever and the game that introduces the delights of Gundam, Patlabor and others to a more general European audience.

Forget the derivative sci-fi back story: Z.O.E. is all about arcade action. Pilot your oversized Mech through dozens of encounters with other automated units all out for your blood. An element of strategy is added by the arenas you fight in, a cross between Judge Dredd's Mega City 1 and Akira 's Neo Tokyo--too much collateral damage to the local citizenry or architecture and it's game over. The graphics are astonishing: laser blasts and explosions fill the screen and no matter how many enemies you face the frame rate zips along. Like a lot of Japanese conversions, the longevity of the game is questionable, but while it lasts you will experience an adrenaline-packed arcade romp

But, in all honesty, a lot (a majority?) of UK gamers will be buying Z.O.E for the one-level demo of MGS2: Sons of Liberty. This is probably the most anticipated console game ever and will be a defining moment for the PS2--if the whole game lives up to the demo's promise then the wait will have been worth it. But if you have got Z.O.E. for the demo, make sure that you play the main game as well otherwise you will be missing out on an exhilarating if short-lived gaming experience. --Michael Bartley