Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner MARS

A game that fans of the series and old school gamers mustn’t let escape. Great combat, adult plot and anime scenes build the identity of this classic from Konami, plus the VR and 4K technologies. A cult game has arrived on PS4.

15 years after its original release, ZOE 2nd Runner is still a good robot combat game. Thanks to a great remaster in 4K it doesn´t look too outdated, except for the anime sequences. We enjoyed the VR mode, which allows us to play the entire game in first person perspective.

It’s fun and twitchy, and it really shouldn’t be as good as it is in VR. The game runs at a chaotic pace (this remaster in traditional mode is 60fps in 4K) as you zip around the screen and zoom up close for melee strikes. But it does work, as it’s effectively teleporting you from enemy to enemy if using melee, and playing out like a classic arcade shooter if using homing lasers. If you’ve never played the series, it’s time to start; if you have, then there’s no better reason to own PS VR. [Issue#155, p.90]

Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner M∀RS is both an antique and gem of its time, and one worth reexamining–especially if you’ve got a VR headset. But before diving in head first into an Orbital Frame, run a diagnostics on whether you are interested in returning to a PS2 game.

The standard game is an excellent high-definition remaster and is the best version of the game to date. The VR mode ruins that impressive achievement and is wholly unnecessary. In short, play this for the high definition remaster and give the VR mode a very wide berth.

Another great re-release of a fantastic title that is unfortunately held back by the newly added VR mode.

Konami wants to show its best past, but the company does it by eluding the original creative team. Zone of the Enders MARS: The Second Runner works well with virtual reality, but we miss some extra content and more effort to maintain the cult work.

Too often the action becomes a total slog as you fight the same enemies over and over—while also fighting the camera and lock-on systems.

Beyond the resolution increase, improved audio mix and middling VR, there’s really not much to this remaster. The exclusion of the first game also makes recommending last gen’s collection easier.

More than a basic remastered, ZoE: The 2nd runner : M∀RS tries to bring VR to the original game released 15 years ago. Unfortunately, this part isn't well executed. Still, ZoE remains great to play, and the 4K support with HD textures is a plus.

Fast and exciting gameplay that just isn’t enough to carry the game on its own. Uninspired and convoluted story that ends to fast for its own good , leaves a bland taste in ones mouth.

Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner MARS is a solid remaster with spiffy HD visuals and high-quality audio, but these updates can't cover the fact that it's a PlayStation 2 game at its core.

The addition of PSVR is gimmicky, but fun, with VR shining in cabin-based games like this one, was re-jigged to be. The rest of the game despite showing its age heavily in places manages to feel a fresh experience, as surprisingly nothing has really come out in all this time that comes close to how slickly agile aerial mech combat feels here.

The Zone of the Enders universe is absolutely ripe for a VR game to call its own, but The 2nd Runner’s appreciated if inelegant support perhaps wasn’t the right way to go. There are those expected magic moments of robo-battling ecstasy, but they’re weighed down by archaic design and somewhat awkward integration. It’s way past time for Konami to stop obsessing over the preservation of this cult classic and start thinking about what a great Zone of the Enders game might look like in the years to come. That, I suspect, is where the real magic lies.

This second Zone of the Enders remains the charming game that it was but this new version, that can played in VR, brings no added value, not even offering the Japanese VO or subtitles written correctly.

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. Even with its VR mode, there’s nothing here that newcomers will find particularly impressive.

The 2nd Runner is an improvement on the original in many ways, to be certain, but held against modern standards, Zone of the Enders comes off awful rusty.

Hideo Kojima has been accused at various points of promoting style over substance, and in this remaster of Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner that’s more apparent than ever. For all of its fantastically designed mech, and its tight and often enjoyable combat, Zone of the Enders 2nd Runner is an ugly, poorly-told and overly short slice of nostalgia that can’t be saved by the introduction of VR.