Zone of the Enders: The Second Runner MARS Reviews
Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner M∀RS is a faithful remaster of a game that time has not been kind to. It fails at modernizing it for 2018 standards, making it feel like a clunky mess to play.
Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner --- M∀RS is one of the best looking mech games out there, despite being a remaster of a 15-year-old game. Its fast, flashy combat still looks and feels good, but is constantly undermined by an extremely unwieldy camera. With its short, linear campaign, dull story, and terrible dialogue, The 2nd Runner seems stuck in 2003, despite its slick graphical upgrade.
Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner M∀RS is the definitive way to play the best entry in the Zone of the Enders franchise
It's easy for me to understand how Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner captured the attention of players back in the PlayStation 2 era, as it offered, and continues to offer, some gameplay ideas and experiences that still don't exist in abundance to this day. Even back then, however, some of what it does would have been inexcusable to me—and playing the remastered Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner – M∀RS in our modern era, those weaknesses are just too hard to ignore.
Perfectly playable in its original third person view or in brand new updated first person VR support, this mecha game is what the Gundams wish they could be.
Make no mistake about it, Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner MARS is a game that will only really be appreciated by fans of the series.
Surprisingly good remaster of almost forgotten mecha classic with a VR support.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
The most important thing about Zone of the Enders: The Second Runner MARS is its uniqueness. It is not a regular robotic shooter that we've seen so many of them, but it is a Robothc shooter that Hideo Kojima made it! Some gameplay elements are old and of course it has some problems, but in the end Zone of the Enders: The Second Runner MARS is a valuable game and a good choice to play. If you still didn't played the original game, now it's a good time to experience Zone of the Enders: The Second Runner MARS with high quality and specially with VR.
Review in Persian | Read full review
All in all, Zone of the Enders 2: MARS is a noteworthy port of an excellent game. It has flaws, but almost all of them are also part of the original game. There is more they could have done (including a retranslation and redub), but the visual updates and silky-smooth frame rate alone make it a far better port than the lamentable PS3 Zone of the Enders Collection. Fans of giant robots or fast-paced action should consider Zone of the Enders 2: MARS as a must-buy, and those who loved the original can consider this to be the definitive version.
Zone of the Enders: The Second Runner MARS is better recommended to those that have never played the game or want to enjoy its campaign with the VR mode. It is an excellent action game with great combat mechanics.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Granted, outside of the Gundam games, there is little variety for mech combat games, but what is found in Zone of the Enders The 2nd Runner: Mars can be described as an old, almost forgotten game, being polished up into a fine piece of treasure. It's a hidden gem to many and a doorway to nostalgia for others. The updated gameplay that runs at a smooth 60fps and native 4K makes it feel as though it is an imagination developed in today's time. The work of Hideo Kojima is lovely, even from slightly older eyes, and it's an exciting movement from Konami that raises hopes for other works of art to be re-released soon.
A polished, well put together remaster of a game that never really got a fair shake during its original release. If you like mecha punching each other or the idea of piloting one in VR is your thing you can do a lot worse than giving Zone of the Enders The 2nd Runner: Mars a go.
Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner is a classic action game that holds up beautifully.
The 2nd Runner, as a sequel, builds a lot on its predecessor...But perhaps the simplest place it builds from is in sheer content. The first Zone of the Enders game is, in all honesty, practically a tech demo, with a very short story across only a few areas that mostly look similar. The 2nd Runner, meanwhile, does a lot to improve on that, with more actual story, more things to do, and more places to do them in. It's still a lean game without a lot of sprawl, but it feels like it's actually complete.
ZONE OF THE ENDERS: The 2nd Runner – M∀RS is a great experience for gamers who want a good story mixed with mecha features. It gives the original fans a chance to replay the game for the nostalgic experience as well as the ability to obtain some new trophies. New fans can pick this up and play with no knowledge of the previous game, which is always great when only one part of a series is re-released or remastered. However, gamers looking to pick this up for the VR experience may be disappointed with the ‘cinema mode’ cutscenes and the nauseatingly fast movements. Although, you can play through the whole game in full-VR, should you wish to and you have an iron stomach!
The game does offer keyboard/mouse controls. However, on top of being convoluted and confusing at first, there is no documentation for it anywhere. Button glyphs and ADA’s voice (Jehuty’s computer voice) all reference the controller only. Tutorials only reference the controller and make no reference to the keyboard/mouse controls, and to top it all off, they can’t be configured.
It may have a short, nonsensical story and amazingly poor voice-acting and writing, but Second Runner MARS looks great, is fun to play, and adequately fulfills every person’s fantasy of operating a giant robot suit in VR.