In some ways, HD bundles have more to prove than modern sequels or original games. The quality of a re-master collection relies on the old games holding up in addition to what they bring to the table – if it falters on either side, and it’s probably not worth your time. Zone of the Enders HD Collection struggles here: On one hand, the first Zone of the Enders is a sort of necessary evil, a misstep on the road to success. It was and remains an extremely repetitive and directionless action game. But it laid the groundwork for an elegant, excellent sequel you shouldn’t miss – and Zone of the Enders 2 is reason enough to own this HD re-release.

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Part third-person shooter and part melee action game, Zone of the Enders was unlike most other games at the time, yet the only thing it really had going for it from a marketing perspective was that it evoked Evangelion. An antisocial introvert in a robot suit defending friends from villains inspired by gods and mythology? Anime fans know the premise well.The process of saving the world in the first game involves flying Jehuty, a bipedal Orbital Frame mech, and freeing your city from its evil-robot infestation. The cheesy, poorly voiced cutscenes aren’t exactly motivating, and the aging 3D cutscenes don’t help sell it, so the drive for moving through the narrative falls on the encounters. Trouble is, the one-note mission design involves identical combat scenarios in simple, similar settings, followed by returning to past locations to do it again. Grinding through waves of robots until securing a weapon needed to proceed isn’t an exciting means of progression, and exhausting backtracking makes up the majority of the original’s campaign.Where Zone of the Enders succeeds is in its combat. It’s a bit watered-down by today’s standards, and it’s wasted on unsophisticated encounters, but the complexity of how Jehuty’s tools function together enforces strategic thinking in spectacular scenes. Alternating between melee and ranged combat plays an integral part in every battle, whether it’s against grunt groups or big bosses. Deftly dodging a laser beam so you can flank an enemy, only to then destroy a group of swarm missiles and charge up a crucial shot feels fantastic. Close-range combat is almost automatic, with Jehuty boosting between bad guys as you mash the melee button, which strikes an equal balance of mind-numbing simplicity and entertaining show of force. This leaves Zone of the Enders in the awkward position of boasting an interesting combat system that isn’t put to very good use throughout its empty kill-all-the-evil-things story.Konami kept quiet about promoting Zone of the Enders in promoting the HD Collection, opting instead, justifiably, to showcase the superior sequel, The 2nd Runner. This one involves more mature and personable characters, ambitious battles, and some outstanding special effects to emphasize how dangerous you are as Jehuty. The wider range of colors, environments, and arena designs give each scuffle with Raptor robot grunts a distinct identity – you’ll remember the opening winter canyon battle because it establishes an impressive precedent, both with its gorgeous visual style and hectic, swift fighting – that holds strong throughout. Combat remains mostly unchanged from the first Zone of the Enders, both in terms of the simplicity and satisfying, layered variety, but feels faster and more involved, leading to lengthy, intense engagements that are both more challenging to play and fun to watch.The 2nd Runner succeeds most compared to the original in how it capitalizes on Jehuty’s movement in 3D – the sequel challenges the way you think about space in a more grand fashion than the first game. You’ll find yourself boosting upward to chase fleeing foes, jetting to the side or backflipping to avoid incoming attacks, and getting turned around amid the excitement. In appearance, Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner is frantic chaos, but there’s a sweet science to its robo-slaughter that makes expert pilots feel like gods.Each cleaned up well on the HD side, most notably by (mostly) stabilizing the PS2 versions’ significant frame rate slowdown, as well as sharper character models and cleaner textures. The artistic style, from the Orbital Frames’ designs to the vibrant and varied presentation of the world, stands out above any update, though. Load times can be excruciatingly long at times too, and are a constant reminder of where these games came from. Even still, there’s not been anything like Zone of the Enders since; it’s refreshing and exciting again in the way that’ll make you hungry for another one.