Rez PS2 Review @ Gaming Target

Written by Adam Woolcott on July 26, 2002

Review: If you've ever wanted to play a game that made you say Уjust what in the blue hell was that all about?Ф then Rez is your game.

If there's one company that can be counted on to take some wild risks and create some fascinatingly original game software, that company would be Sega. For as long as I can remember, Sega has been making games that not only are really well playing and loads of fun, they're also pushing the envelope in creativity, thinking up ideas that may perhaps be bizarre (Space Channel 5, anyone?), but excellent games in their own right. The shift away from game hardware to strictly 3rd party publishing hasn't changed Sega's ways, as they've pushed out some unique yet outstanding games such as Super Monkey Ball on the GameCube, and the instant classic (and now out of print) Jet Set Radio Future on the Xbox.

In addition to those 2 games, Sega used PlayStation 2 to unveil probably their most off the wall, bizarre, borderline insane game to date Ц that being Rez. Created by the minds behind Space Channel 5, United Game Artists (of whom consist of members of the original Panzer Dragoon team), Rez not only is an extremely unique game, it's also one that does a little mixing and matching Ц combining the trendy music games with the hardcore old-school shooter to create a short, yet memorable experience that will never get the audience it so richly deserves. It doesn't help that Rez is, like JSRF, not even being made anymore Ц but anyone who finds a copy of Rez somewhere most certainly should be picking it up and giving it a play Ц but just know this is not just a game to be played like a typical game, but one that has to be experienced as well, to get the full effect of UGA's vision; whatever it is, anyway.

The weirdness of Rez begins with its story. Basically, there's this big computer that has lots of viruses inside, but the computer itself is evil and needs to go boom. So, you go into the computer, blast all the viruses with your trusty lazer thingie and blast them away, then beat the evil computer brain guy and fully clean out the subsystem. This process repeats for 5 total areas, with each level containing different viruses and giant evil bosses. This is all set to some form of trance music and looks like a really bad acid trip Ц the abstract story just adds to the unusual style and weirdness Rez carries.

From that story description, it's safe to say Rez is your basic shooter, very similar in play style to the famous Panzer Dragoon series. The on-rails nature of the game feels very old-school, and the ability to link attacks with up to 8 lock-ons at one time creates cool combos. But calling it a shooter would be a disservice to the game, because there's a lot more to it.

You could also call Rez a music game Ц similar to Frequency Ц yet not. The actions on screen are all tied to music Ц every time you shoot a virus (even if they look like really beefed up ships from Galaga), a little music note is played; link a combo by targeting multiple enemies and the jingle chances and/or becomes a bit thicker in terms of layering. In a way your actions in the game dictate the beat that goes along with the music that plays in the background. What's cool is each enemy has a different tune when you blow them up, so the different beats don't make the game repetitive.

Each area consists of 10 sub-areas; progressing to the next level is as easy as shooting the УfirewallФ and destroying it to advance. Before getting there you get to shoot down hordes of viruses and make plenty of music while doing it, and maybe even evolve into some new forms. Scattered around the areas are progress nodes Ц these nodes, when shot, work up your progress meter. Some give you one bar on the 8 bar meter, others give you 3 bars. Once you fill it once, you evolve into a new form. But if you get hit by a virus, you devolve back into a less potent and less cool form, until you're just a teeny little ball floating around, instead of a wireframed Уperson.Ф

There's also an overdrive meter that builds up. An overdrive is done when a bar is totally filled Ц pressing circle will set off a shot that destroys anything in your direct path; all to a sweet tune of course. These are best saved for the bosses of course Ц not that the bosses are hard, it's just that the process is time-consuming and being able to wipe them out faster is nice.

Typically, boss fights can last longer than the time taken to get to the boss. Each boss follows a distinctive pattern every time Ц pure old-school gaming at its best. Usually beating the boss just means going through them to figure out this pattern, then doing some major damage. Once you do that, the bosses are rather simple, and actually are only somewhat hard because of the assortment of enemies they send after you during the fight.

Rez is a fairly simple game to beat Ц but really, that isn't the point. It shouldn't take much to beat the levels, and the bosses are as simple as their pattern, but because the game is easy doesn't mean it's not a game that begs to be played. Rez is also a short game Ц one you can probably beat within an hour or so once you know what to do. Again, this isn't really detrimental to the game, because Rez is a beast not seen before. And really, Rez is the kind of game that begs to be played through more than once, just to see how stylish the game is and how much fun it is. Of course, Rez does have multiple modes to play that are unlocked as you progress. There's a traveling mode that lets you play through a level without risk of taking damage to learn it (perfect for learning that boss pattern), as well as a score attack that tallies points like an old-school shooter does. All of these extras are best played once you plow through the game, so the short game time is a plus here.

But being short and easy, while hurting more УnormalФ games out there, actually best fits Rez. Rez isn't a game that NEEDS to be a challenge Ц it just needs to be experienced. Taking in the environments, learning how to make some great music, and just admiring the sheer quirkiness of the game is the intended goal here Ц not a 20 hour shooting epic that has a brutal difficulty level. It's very obscure, very anti-mainstream (for those who enjoy bucking trends), very trippy, and very unique; which is what makes the game as memorable as it is. Every area of the game is tied up to and benefited from your actions, making for a pretty personal and customizable game.

The graphics of Rez, like the rest of the game, have to be seen in motion to believe. Instead of the ultra-realistic graphics we're accustomed to, UGA takes a very Tron-like approach. The game consists of wireframes and flat polygons Ц almost as if the game was still in the basic visual stage, but left that way just to be cool. The enemies and bosses actually have a more solid look to them, but your character is just a wireframe as well. All of the levels contain many obscure references to the history of mankind Ц you just have to look for them to figure it out.

What's cool is how the graphics can be altered by you Ц as the music pumps in the background, shooting enemies also changes the colors that display around you. While it's just a pretty gimmick, being able to do this not only shows creativity Ц but also programming smarts, because pulling off a stunt like that has to be quite a challenge.

The star of Rez has to be the music Ц while it's just trance music (not my favorite kind whatsoever), it has a very cool sound to it, and being able to add to it with your virus-killing ways is a big bonus. Everything revolves around musical notes Ц the sound of clicking options on the main menu is even done in a musical tone. Your weapon firing is also done to a music note, and can be used to create a cool beat on its own if there are no enemies around to shoot at. The game simply revolves around music and everything ties up to that music, thus final classification of this game's genre is absolutely Ц music.