Hey I have a copy of the long DVD that includes the full presentation of Zone of the Enders HD Night if you want it. I know its kind of hard to come by, but I'd be happy to pass it along to you.
Oh, how I miss ZOE... Specificaly held onto a backwards compatible PS3 to keep playing these titles, but it eventually died. Can't believe they've decided not to continue with the series based on poor sales of "remakes". Who in their right mind would buy a subpar version of a product they already own? Love the fact you've included a video of decapitating a battleship's bridge, by shooting the vector cannon at vessels in the rear (56:20). Haven't seen it anywhere else on YT. Squealed like a girl, when it worked for me for the first time.
If someone asked me what the story of the original Zone of the Enders game is, my answer would probably be “imagine if the first couple of episodes of almost every Gundam show was the entire show”. Thats what its like.
As always this was incredible work. However it completely misses the most important question of this franchise: Who was the madlad/genius that suggested to make it a literal COCKpit? SOCIETY MUST KNOW THESE ANSWERS!
So Yoji Shinkawa came up with the idea in highschool, where the original designs for the orbital frames started. And yeah its exactly how it sounds. Man just wanted to make a dick joke
I remember playing ZOE: The 2nd Runner as a kid. Man, the fighting sequence, graphics as a whole, OST, voice acting, storyline and weapons (vector cannon) just blew me away. Even now, almost 20 years on, I look back and think, how can they make something so incredible with the available tools at that time?
Right? The PS2 was amazing, but these games were unexpectedly spectacular with the gameplay, graphics, and music. So glad I had a friend introduce me to them back in the day.
And yes, this is definite one of the greatest mecha games ever conceived (well next to Armored Core and Xenogears of course). The mecha alone are such a sight to behold as they are very much Eiichi Shimizu (Yoji Shinkawa may be the creators of the Orbital Frames, but Eiichi Shimizu was very much influenced by Shinkawa's mecha work).
Macross blows up all those other Mecha with swarm of missiles. It's literally Top Gun in a space Opera that's also a musical. Nothing ignites the imagination like an f-14 transforming into a battle mech and back like a ballerina with such grace. Besides other Mecha series have over the top weapon's. That's what I liked about Macross everything was grounded in reality to some extent. And there's no mech toy more sophisticated than a Vera tech fighter model in real life. And the fact they were actually able to make them transform into all three different configurations is astonishing. I remember when I bought my metal YF-19. Crazy the amount of detail that goes into them.
Man, Dolores I was such a banger. Hamstrung by a limited budget and a bit rough around the edges, but the cast is just so damn lovable and one of the few anime that isn't driven by characters been cripplingly stupid. And zero Loli shit!
From Idolo's all star production staff and the games' near perfect emulation of high octane mecha action, Zone of the Enders stands as one of my favorite series of all time. It wonderfully celebrates all the themes that the mecha genre is known for in all the hot-blooded and cheesy glory it's lauded for. I've been waiting for this video for a while now, you did great.
Thoroughly enjoyed the retrospective and it's really cool to see ZoE getting the love it deserves. ZoE 3's cancellation is a shame because MAN those new designs were really sick and the concept of ancient orbital frames is literally the coolest thing ever, but ey what can you do. Great stuff as always man!
I think the VR version of the game gives a good idea of just how physically intense it would be to be a mech pilot, I could only imagine how it would feel if they could add the haptic feedback of the inertial forces felt inside the cockpit
Thank you for making this video. Zone of the Enders feels like that one series you only know one other person that played it but can gush about it endlessly.
Simply incredible video. Zone of the enders was my first experience into not only the Mecha genre but also video games as a whole. Before zone of the enders all I knew were sports games and final fantasy. One day my dad comes home and pops in the original zone of the enders and I was transported to a world my six year old brain couldn't process but I was amazed. Seeing the graphics and the fast moving game play of the game it legit made me a gamer for life, and also a Mecha enthusiast later on in my life. Nowadays I'm a writer for a webtoons comic that's just starting out that blends fantasy and sci fi and it can all be traced back to zone of the enders for my love of Mecha. These games were incredible and I can't thank you enough for reigniting my passion for this series. Here's hoping kojima buys the rights from konami seeing as how they only care about pachinko and Yu-Gi-Oh nowadays Lol Thanks again for the spectacular video. Subbed.
Zone of the Enders is so influential it shaped Gundam mech design from 2007 all the way to 2014. I just want ZOE 1 and Fist of Mars on PC and a collection on modern console.
Thanks for making this video. I always saw this as the future history of the METAL GEAR SOLID Universe. The IDOLO, Jehuty and Anubis are definitely descendants of the Metal Gear Ray when you look at the design of those Orbital Frames. And I can see the Metal Gear from THE PHANTOM PAIN also being an early precursor design wise to what these Orbital Frames would look like.
Zone of the Enders has stuck with me through the years for one simple reason, the gameplay. I have played other mecha games but Zone of the Enders has the most satisfying gameplay. I would love to see a modern game build on this foundation.
While I’ve not finished the video yet, THANK YOU for including the GBA game and anime! So many people forget about those fun and shockingly deep expansions of the story. It really is a shame we didn’t get more.
I knew there was an anime, but I never saw or heard any signs of it. Makes sense now that I know they were Japan exclusives. Idola sounds like it would have been an amazing addition to include with the first game.
@@DragoonWarrior790 Naah! ADV covered them. However, they weren’t fantastic print runs at the time. The creator just prefers the sub, which I don’t blame him for. I preferred the dub myself.
Fantastic Vid that was 100% worth the wait. Though it was kinda shorter than I expected, I think this is equal to your getter retrospective with how you were able to really portray the spirit of what makes ZOE special as it is. It's very refreshing to look at the series as a whole rather than just focus on the 2 ps2 games, since the anime and such do contribute to the bigger narrative that ZOE was doing. Especially in giving credit to the first one, which I feel is sorta underrated, even if the 2nd runner is obviously the better. My stance on ZOE3 is kinda conflicted because initially I wasn't that interested in it, but over time the concept behind it honestly sounded really cool and quite original for a mecha IP. Though at the same time I'd kinda glad it didn't happen given what would come for Kojima and Konami and what we already have is more than enough.
I remember reading in an article that Kojima was considering it, but when the team botched the HD remaster so bad, he canned the idea and went back to making more Metal Gear games. So disappointing.
honey wake up, a new mrcheese video just dropped fr tho man you're my favorite channel when it comes to talking about obscurer mecha topics. keep it up!!
I have a model kit of Vic Viper that goes with me to work spaces or stays on my desk at home. The mecha design of this series is just some of the best ever. The colors, silhouettes, design is all so unique and slick. I'm sad the series never seemed to be able to get a third, or its rumored reboot originally planned with more beastial takes on Jehuty etc, but I'd love for Yoji Shinakawa to dip back into mecha design for any other media: another game, or even an animated series or movie, or even a manga. He's just got such a distinct "look" to his mechanical designs, and while the bikes and other cool gadgets in Death Stranding were cool I wanna see him tackle mecha again. Man, I'd love nothing more too for Kojima Productions to do its own spiritual successor to ZOE, though it's really unlikely...but one can hope!
In regards to Dolores calling James "Uncle". This is something you should take with a grain of salt when viewed in anime. A lot of translators who have never lived here in Japan get this wrong too because they translate and associate the colloquialisms literally. Uncle (Oji-san) in Japanese is a blanket term for middle-to-older age male that you don't know the name of, or for w/e reason to don't want to call by name. Its very common (albiet slightly rude) to hear down here in Tokyo/Japan. Its mirrored by Oba-san for women, although women tend to react in an angry way simply due to the context of them being called out for their age. It can come off as a little odd in English since we dont use the term "Uncle" this way like Japan and Korea do. The real reason for it in the anime (and most other anime) is to highlight her simple and childlike thought process. How you address someone in Japanese has a bit more impact than it does in English... ranging from things like whether or not you use first name.. last name.. surtitles.... etc. Since being called by name, especially without a surtitle like -san or -chan, is a trope many anime/drama series commonly use.
I remember my 1st playthrough of Zone of Enders 2, the final fight against Anubis, I got so into the fight that I realized I was pressing buttons faster than the games was able to pick up my input. It was the only game ever that had gotten me in that zone.
God I remember playing the original ZoE and being blown away. This series needs more love and a come back, but its unfortunate that Konami has become a cesspool of pachinko machines and trash utilization of IPs after the Kojima break up.
As someone who loves offbeat and weird kaiju beyond the norm, I'm honestly surprised that the titular mecha gal Dolores of the anime "Zone of the Enders: Dolores, I" escaped my attention for so long! Cannot wait for your next retrospective!
2nd Runner is in my top 3 favorite games of all time, right along side Sonic Adventure 2 and Metal Gear Solid 3. I've probably played through it over 50 times. Even though this will never happen, I really wish Kojima Productions could purchase the rights to ZOE so we can finally get that third game.
ZoE 1 has a 2nd ending track you can get if you get a high enough rating from the rescue missions called "a light with a name of hope" . you can also get a bad ending with antillia on a course to fall into jupiter if you destroy every building and kill all civilians before the mission to protect the pillar, destroying all that nets you the bad ending.
I remember when I was little I had a demo disc of zone of the enders for the ps2 and I liked the game so much that I kept being obsessed with the demo that I played it so many times When I got the ps4 I hoped they would made a new version/remastered of the game When zone of the enders the 2nd runner Mars got announced i got really excited to play my favorite childhood game I never got to play. Zone of the enders is such a good game.
It sucks that the only game that was ported to 8th gen was 2nd Runner, but hey! If you have a PS3, you can get the HD Collection, and if you're PC, you can emulate the original game should you so desire. EDIT: I should note that emulation is the way I'm playing Zone of the Enders 1, as I'm primarily PC with PS3 and Xbox Series consoles. I'm playing it with widescreen patches, including one that keeps the cutscenes from stretching. I'm also enjoying ZOE1 so much that I bought 2nd Runner on Steam during 2022's summer sale.
@@CheeseGX_ the Reason for fate's sloppy story, is because the writers where trying to achieve too much with not enough time. Intelligents Systems had an idea for Fate to have three stories to appeal to everyone, but they realized that they didn't have enough writers. So they hired an outside writer, Shin Kibayashi was that writer. Intelligent Systems wanted Shin to write the outline for each pathway, what happened instead is that Shin wrote 500 pages for each pathway. Nintendo knew this was too long so they cut the story into pieces without the writers permission and the fact the Nintendo demanded Fates come on the Fire Emblem Anniversary only made things worse. Which resulted in this hilariously mess of a story. The good news this that there is a manga based on Fates that is a little better. Its called Fire Emblem If: the Crown of Niberlung.
HIGH SPEED ROBOT ACTION, those were the words that grabbed my attention and got me to buy the games, and boy do they live up to them. It almost infuriates me really, because a lot of mecha games don't ever give you the freedom of movement ZOE does, and even when some do, they lack the speed or control of Jehuty. And let me tell you, when I first saw Daemon X Machina I was so hyped, finally a successor to ZOE... unfortunately the game had more focus on getting gear than combat. I don't want ZOE to come back, the series is better off being left untouched by modern Konami. But I just want a mecha game that makes you feel good just by moving around, a game that makes you feel like you're watching a anime. A game that can proudly advertise four simple words on the cover, HIGH SPEED ROBOT ACTION
Zone of the Enders 2 is one of the most interesting games I've played. The design of the mecha are so fascinating since Shinkawa used Egyptian imagery to influence their designs. I wish we got a part 3 since that concept art looked amazing.
This title deserves to come back. It would also be a treat if they bring back Dolores (a.k.a. Isis), and the links family from the anime into the games.
Fantastic work! This is one of the best video essays I've ever seen, I'm a big fan of the 2 PS2 titles but I always ignored Dolores & Fist Of Mars (I also didn't even know 2167 existed!). Your vids convinced me to check all 3 out!
Thank you so much for this video! ZOE was a huge, huge part of my childhood love for mecha along with Gundam. Kojima productions made 1 of only 2 games where piloting a mech made you actually feel like an unstoppable Gundam Wing pilot with an overpowered mecha. The other game is .hack GU with the virus boss fight, which is ZOE style combat in everything but actual mecha name. While Xenogears may well be the best mecha game ever, ZOE is the one that let you live out your dreams. You gave real love to the Fist of Mars. No one else on youtube really focused on the whole ZOE franchise and your video was beautifully done. I love all the interesting lore I learned from your video. Tho I take a hard pass on the english dub of ZOE. It really needed the option to switch between audio tracks for people who prefer Japanese audio. The worst boss fight in ZOE 2 was the the one where Ken was a hostage. That fight almost broke my love for ZOE 2 in half. Its really broken. On the flip side, the Vic Viper boss fight is better playable anime than just about any anime video game ever, mecha or otherwise.
A buddy had heard the name in passing but knew I'm "the mecha guy" so when he was hanging out he asked for a recommendation to play. So I booted the ZotE HD collection up on XBOne. He said he had no idea what he was doing but had so much fun he felt bad he played for almost 2 hours straight. I told him don't feel bad, because the first time I played it on PS2 I did the whole playthrough in one sitting because I couldn't take my eyes off of it. Here's to hoping I can spare the cash this year to finally getting my Jehuty and Anubis models
Very good video! I enjoyed every minute and it gave me the insight of what the GBA game had because it's the one I never played because of the reasons you stated. I consumed everyting else. I discovered ZoE 1 on a flea market because another friend once told me that "this seems like a great game". I played the game in one night with another friend who just watched me play. Then I got 2nd runner when it released on PS2 and geez what a game! I still loved the HD release on PS3 and was disappointed about the (unfortunetly not mentioned) PS Vita version cancellation (due to the issues in the PS3 version which were even worse in the Vita version hence the cancellation). And when MarS was announced? BOY WAS I HYPED! And not disappointed. AND I did a run in VR mode and it was worth all the nausea it caused.
I love ZOE and Omega boost so much that i started prototyping my mecha games based on those two, but never went out of that... prototypes. I should keep trying
Another thing about ZOE2 Mars is that they completely replaced the original sound design of the cutscenes. So it sounds completely different. It also would accommodate modern discreet surround sound systems since the original only had Dolby Prologic II sound. I do have mixed feelings about it since Im quite fond of the way the original sounded and the new sound design kind of misses the mark for me at times. Great video btw! ZOE has given me great memories.
A shame that we'll probably never see a return of the Enders Project, the idea of an origin prequel would of been dope. Now if only the Xenosaga series got a similar Remaster treatment that Mars did on the PS4 🤔
Great video. I forgot how I miss and totally forgot what happens in the animes. I got the first ZotE for free and for years I was sure it was just an extended demo because it was too long for a demo and too short for a "real full" PS2 game 😅
It makes me happy to see folks talking about the entire franchise and not just Second Runner or the first game only. Cause this series is still my favorite IP of all time. Both PS2 games, Testament/Fist of Mars, Idolo, and Dolores I.
A major help in selling this game, was the included tanker level of Metal Gear Solid 2. I didn't see or hear it mentioned in the video. That was the reason I bought this game, quite a few years ago :)
Saw this randomly and checked the OVA out, no I'm binging the anime and getting ready to play the PS4 remaster of the second game. I can't believe I'd never really heard of this gem.
I absolutely adore Zone of the Enders. I watched a friend play a bit of the first game, but never actually played it myself. Got my hands on the second game not long after it came out when I was in 10th grade, and fell in love. Easily put a couple hundred hours in it because I was constantly go back and play through, or play the survival mode for hours on end. Any time a friend came over we always had to play the pvp mode. The designs always stood out to me as so unique considering at the time the mecha genre was dominated by Gundam. My senior year I got my hands on the anime, both the OVA and the series, and fell in love all over. I had been considering picking up the remaster of 2nd Runner for pc for a while, but this video convinced me to do so. Can't wait to play it.
Another banger of a video, Mr. Cheese! ZOE is one of the GOATs. Also, to anyone who plans on playing ZOE1 on real PS2 hardware, the game has a bug to where if the battery to your PS2's internal clock is dead, the game will crash after you save.
good thing i didn't try it on my ps2 and skipped to ps3 then. can this happen if my ps3 battery battery dies. im playing the original version on the ps3's ps2 emulator.
I’ll be honest I prefer zone of the Enders over metal gear yes that’s right I said it’s because well it is mecha in space space colony’s and all While metal gear was well the down to earth military more realism Theme Aka military story that we see in real life minus the supernatural shit and Nemo machines and clone thing So again I just prefer Zoe But hey iam also a anime mecha space buff that’s just sick of earth since I see this shiii everyday life Still super pissed and salty as F that we never got a third game 😤😒
I remember buying the first game mainly because of the MGS2 demo (like I'm sure 90% of people did.) I was actually incredibly impressed by it. I remember my first impressions were exactly what they were going for. It felt like a playable anime.
I still remember my reaction when I play ZOE: the second runner on ps2, like how can a game on ps2 can look so gud and the orbital frame are so sick. I played it over and over and over again, even till now i'll still play the remastered version on steam. I've been waiting for ZOE 3 but sadly it never come out. People should know about this game tho. It's really really gud. Still gonna wait and hope that one day ZOE3 will come
This video convinced me to look into the series a bit. Watched the OVA (pausing between its segment and Dolores to do so) ending in me looking up the MVRS version of ZOE 2, which I ended up buying on sale for about six dollars. This was a really cool find, so thanks for making it. :]
Never got around seeing the animes and the GBA game. Much appreciate you talking about them. also thx for the advice MARS being worthwhile. Gonna get it by chance then. Didn‘t see much reason to get it since I played the originals plus HD versions.
I loved the first one. That second one was my favorite it was ridiculously fun and the animation and story were top notch. It was legit like playing in an anime I feel like this is how gundam games should be. Can't believe they did make a third. That would be crazy on ps5
It's rare to find others who also feel how sometimes it's better for the things they enjoy to come to an end rather then continuing until it becomes a hollow husk of itself.
This was a brilliant video and a great retrospective to the series! Definitely hope more people check some of the games out after watching this. Although, I'm still forever haunted by the unkown meaning of "Who's secondhand?". If anyone knows please tell me!
Swiss fan here, thank you very much for this video. I initially bought ZOE2 when it came out, mostly because it had... anime in it. I wasn't a mecha guy before and while I like some franchises that have mechs in it(NGE, Full Metal Panic!), this is still the only game franchise I really got invested in. Never cared about Gundam. Apart from the original PS2 release, I think I got ZOE1 from a flea market and bought all remasters on a Sony console. I even bought the steam release! I also managed to get Idolo with German dub, but I had to watch Dolores online. Fist of Mars I've watched a playthrough but I don't own the game. Although I guess I can live without it, I wish there was a ZOE3 or another anime to build the world more. But sadly, stuff happened... which makes me go: #fuckmgs #fuckkonami #fuckkojima Also: I still prefer Beyond The Bounds over Kiss Me Sunlights. That mix of English and "gibberish" vocals just hits different. But if we talk eerie, you should listen to Origins, which has the vocals of Kiss Me Sunlights backwards IIRC.
Thank you for throwing a nod to Omega Boost. Also there is a wider audience for Dolores, I than you may realize. I ran into it by accident on a streetside cart of bootleg dvds in China in 2007. I'm sure the markets that participate in mass media bootlegging (China, India, Russia, etc.) also saw some Dolores, I viewership.
The only thing I would be pleased to see for ZOE is a PC REMASTER of the first game with anime like treatment for the cut scenes and refined subweapon system. This way it would make episode 1 and 2 a more cohesive package to revisit the lore as a playable anime of the 2000's. I purchased The 2nd runner to finally enjoy it on up to date PC and quested the OVA to complete the story.
YES YES YES FUCK YES THANK YOU MRCHEESE. This is my favorite video game franchise (it’s all nostalgia but idc) and nobody knows about It. You have no idea how happy and excited this videos existence makes me.
After the sudden announcement of Silent Hill getting a new game last year (seriously, that was a curveball, especially with the creator of When They Cry of all things being brought on), I remain somewhat hopeful that Konami can maybe find a way to bring ZOE back from stasis.
One of the greatest mecha games ever made. I'd want that engine and team to make a Gundam 00 game. The speed is perfect for that universe. It's been so many years that at the same time I want a ZOE 3 it's probably best to leave the series be. *Sad Jehuty noises*
I don't mind so much that ZOE is essentially a dead franchise, but I'm extremely miffed there's been NOTHING that has captured the flow of the gameplay since. Really praying for an indie mech game that totally apes the source material ala Bugfables and Stardew Valley.
Fist of Mars was my first intro to the series. I love Gundam and I loved how ZOE Fist of Mars had that Gundam look to it. WHen I played ZOE by Kojima I fell in love with Jehutiy but the 2nd Runner left me awestruck how there was never a third game after. Def one of the best underrated game series. Although Fist of Mars had too much talking...
Seriously, marketing Second Runner MARS with the vr mode at the front was such a bad idea I almost decided to not buy it because I was unsure it would be playable in the original way but I'm super glad I did actually grab a copy
Never played this game. Had a demo of it that came on some disc and I’d play that demo so damn much. Back around when ps2 first came out. It’s still one of my favorite games ever though
A game series that comes close to controlling and playing like Z.O.E is from Software's A.C.E games on ps2. Another Century's Episode 2 in particular. You should do a review on them! I can Even provide footage
