The Scorecard:
Graphics -- 5.0 / 5 If you have a look at the screenshots or the movies below, you can easily see that a perfect score is a given in the graphics department. The lighting effects, laser effects, va-voom camera angles, and explosion effects really prove that Hideo Kojima and his crew of Konami developers haven’t been slacking off at all. Z.O.E. most definitely tops the mech genre for every console in terms of graphics. In fact, the speed of gameplay and constant frame-rate is mind-boggling. These have to be among the best visuals we have seen for any platform. Konami definitely has our round of applause here.
Controls -- 5.0 / 5Z.O.E. possibly has the best controls we have ever come across. We are still asking ourselves, how did Konami do it? Perhaps we will never know. Z.O.E. contains full Dual Shock 2 rumble capabilities and occasionally even takes advantage of the touch-sensitive analog buttons. The bottom line is that you can be a total surgical school dropout and still have hands stable enough to master this game. Within seconds of holding the Dual Shock 2, you will already be playing like how the mechs fought in the trailer (no joke!).
Sound -- 4.75 / 5 Thanks to the PS2\'s awesome audio capabilities and some extra labor on behalf of Konami, the experience offered by Z.O.E.\'s sound is an aural feast as it stands. With smooth laser sounds, explosion effects, and voices, you\'ve almost got yourself a game that\'s as good to the ears as it is to the retinas.
Replay Value -- 4.5 / 5 At PS2web, we’ve been playing the Z.O.E. demo over and over and over which just goes to show how much we love the full game even more. The extremely fast-paced action that Z.O.E. has to offer will just keep sending you back for more. We’re surprised we haven’t received seizures yet from too much Z.O.E.. With an intriguing plot, brain-teasing puzzles, entertaining missions, and a reasonable game length just adds on to the positive note. The only negative that we can think of is that the battles can occasionally get somewhat repetitive.
Rent-or-Buy -- Buy It!The verdict is final. Z.O.E. is undoubtedly the best mech game up to date on any platform. There is simply no comparison to what we have seen now from previous mech games in the past. This is next gen gaming at its finest. Z.O.E. is under constant debate at PS2web for the best PS2 game out and you can bet I had cast my vote in favor of Z.O.E..
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