Zone of the Enders Z.O.E

First things first...there is a sort of trinity as far as game designers go, the three of which are Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto, Sega's Yu Suzuki, and Konami's Hideo Kojima. Miyamoto is the master of fantasy worlds, Suzuki the master of realism, Kojima the master of cinematics. And it is his mastery of this which shines in this game.

The graphics are incredible, with anime stylings althroughout (not hard to see, as co-creator Nobuyoshi Nishimura is responsible for "Gundam X"). The emotion on the faces in the cutscenes is like watching an animated feature, while the mecha design is first-rate, sort of a cross between the "Gundam" and "Brain Powerd" (yes, that's how it's spelled) styles. To see so many mecha-based games graphically excel in some areas and falter in others, it's a breath of fresh air to see this one's eye candy deliver so consistently. I especially like the effect of the "veins" on the mecha's exterior, it's creepy in a way, but that makes it look that much cooler.

The control, to put it bluntly...perfect. This is the first time I have ever picked up a game with so many things you can do with the character, and become a master at the controls after one run through the training session. On top of that, the responsiveness is nice and tight, allowing you to switch directions and/or targets with the greatest of ease. The fact that there is one main attack button can make it kind of rough in some spots, but I'll explain that next.

The goal of the game is to drive enemy forces from your home colony. Now, these said forces do pull some very ruthless tactics, and kill very many civilians. The survivors are hiding in buildings in some missions, and those buildings are clearly marked so you don't destroy them, but it's rough achieving 100% when there's three or so (or more!) mecha (called Orbital Frames in the game) breathing down your neck. So don't expect perfect performance unless your name just happens to be Luke Skywalker.

Overall, this game rocks. Truth be told, I got it for the "Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons Of Liberty" demo, but I found that "Z.O.E." is a worthy game in itself. Hideo Kojima knows how to get you to look, then to try, then to buy, then to play to death. And you'll love every minute of it, too.