Zone of the Enders 2 PS4 4k-edition

Might actually give this a shot, always was really interested in this series but never got into it. You guys ever play it?

Saw this recently. I love this game and have the PS2 version.

A few years ago I was playing it non-stop. Did extreme difficulty and unlocked everything. There's a lot of cool extras and I wonder if they'll include them or do the shitty thing and make them DLC. There were different versions of Jehuty (the main robot), difficulty modes, EX missions which have things like survival, VS, boss battle. Wouldn't put it past Konami. If this stuff is not included, I'm going to go ape shit.

I hope they managed to fix it this time around though, as the HD port was atrocious from what I heard (running at sub 20 fps compared to the ~60 on PS2). Game sounds and looks amazing to play, really interested in it though I hope the price is right otherwise I'll just get the PS2 version myself.

So this is a full remake right? Like graphics and everything? No way it will be as bad as the HD version. I never bought that piece of shit.

ZoE 2 really is a blast to play. I know you'll love it.

I have the HD versions, got them way after they fixed the fps issue with a patch, it's 50-60fps now(patch was for PS3 only).
2 is a massive improvement from 1, 1 wasn't much more than a proof of concept for what would be refined and expanded with 2. Shame that there won't be another, concept art indicated a supernatural fantasy aesthetic for the mechs.  
I think this is a remaster of sorts rather than a full remake,cool that it's getting another chance somehow.

From what I know it's a port again, so just the same HD version that arrived on the PS3 (patches included) with a VR mode shoved in.

Was the PS3 version the special edition? With EU Extreme and whatever?

Birdman wrote:Was the PS3 version the special edition? With EU Extreme and whatever?

Took some digging but yes, it has the bonus content only seen in the EU copies so that's pretty sweet!

Japan got that extra content too, at least on PS2. They released a special edition in Japan later which is the one I have.

Looks like this version might be worth grabbing then.

Both of the PS2 ZOE games are two of my favorite action games of all time. Yes even the more repetitive first game: I just love the speed so much, and I like that it has a few interesting wrinkles the 2nd game doesn't, like a world map and some side missions.

I really hope this is a good port. As everyone previously said, the PS3 version was a disaster. :/ Which is a true shame, because ZOE2 hasn't aged a day. The mix between simple but clean visuals, subtle cel-shading (for things like edges and explosions), and animated cutscenes really makes the game hold up over time in a way that few do.

I like the 1st one too, I thought it was a neat experiment for what ZOE2 would refine, such a massive leap in quality. I like that Anubis is the final boss of ZOE1 even though he's unbeatable, great build up for a rad villain.

I really appreciate how ZOE2 has an optional 1v1 fighting mini game, of which you can collect various characters for it in the form of little action figures in NG+. Lots of games back then had extra fighting game modes, like enter the matrix game, urban reign and xenogears.

Zone of the Enders 2 just got a DEMO on PS4, highly recommend it. Game looks gorgeous on a PS4.

I love this game and will buy if it has no issues.

So far it looks great, one thing that is hinted at is that there's "an extra for veteran players". They also added a Very Easy mode for ... no-one basically.

Sounds interesting.
If it avoids the PS3/360's framerate issues, I'm in.

I still have the Japanese special edition which included the EU extreme difficulty and I've beaten that but that was years ago. I always wanted to do runs using single subweapons and see how they affect every enemy and boss.

I can't believe this series never continued. Have we discussed this game before Roy? Have you any experience with it?

This demo was my first encounter with it, looked really sweet and cannot imagine Kojima made this. Looks and plays like a dream. Controls took some getting used to though.

Indeed.

I don't care for VR, but I wonder how it's even playable in a game as fast paced as this? What happens during the back/forward flips? Maybe the cockpit has some kind of rotational device to keep you facing forward, or maybe it fully flips the screen like Breakdown.

Birdman wrote:Indeed.

I don't care for VR, but I wonder how it's even playable in a game as fast paced as this? What happens during the back/forward flips? Maybe the cockpit has some kind of rotational device to keep you facing forward, or maybe it fully flips the screen like Breakdown.

Wouldn't know, since you can just turn it off - and I did haha! Can't imagine playing that game in VR. Hell they even made a joke video about it at MEGA64:

Wait you've only played the demo?

I never played the originals, they were Kojima games which I avoided like the plague (due to high cutscene amounts). We talked about this before I think.

Poor creature.

I vaguely remember mentioning them to you. I agree with you. Let's discuss them again!

I never bothered much with the first game. I mean, I finished it, but this wasn't until the second game was around which in comparison is so much better it doesn't make sense.

I don't recall many cutscenes. ZOE has conversations in the cockpit that are similar to codecs, as well as 3D and anime cutscenes but nothing extensive.

The modes in ZoE 2 are amazing. Ex missions with various conditions like survival, melee only etc, difficulties, VS mode, and 4 versions of your frame. There's also rankings for the main game.

So much gameplay content here.

Says the guy who has yet to delve into Ninja Gaiden   But yeah looking forward to the PS4 release!

And it grieves me on a daily basis!

At least I'm finally getting to Gow so maybe NG could be in the cards after that.

I'll probably be getting this too though after the PS3/360 mess I'll wait until after release and see what everyone says just to be safe.

Hahahahaha! No worries. I am a huge series fan and still haven't finished NG2 on Master Ninja so...yeah. Really curious to hear about your GoW1 adventures.

> ZoE2 Mars
Yeah same, I want to get it day one. But my mind is smart enough to wait if it isn't a disaster launch.

They fixed it:



I already said before it’s fine on ps3 now(360 didn’t receive patches, Roy mentioned patches too). A few areas have frame rate issues but runs 60fps otherwise, can’t say if the ps2 version had these issues.


And Roy no, Kojima produced Zoe1-2, he did not direct or write at all, he just oversaw and assisted the projects. ZOE1 was directed by Noriaki Okamura(his original idea for the PS1 and PC) and written by Noriaki Okamura and Shuyo Murata. ZOE2 was directed by Shuyo Murata(Kojima did appoint him for a different experience) and written by Shuyo Murata, Ryosaku Uedo and Kensuke Yoshitomi. None of this informations is hard to find(guess where?), mind giving credit to the actual creators and not the front man?

None of this informations is hard to find(guess where?), mind giving credit to the actual creators and not the front man?

Take a deep breath before you post like this Gabe, and don't post it. Remember you're not on Gamefaqs or some shit. Guy makes a mistake, it happens. No need for that type of tone.

It's out.
I might import the Asia release which lists English and Japanese.

I have the Japanese special edition and it was no issue to play without English though, except for this one part where you have to navigate a minefield where the mines are in the air AND are invisible or something.

The only way through is to listen to that woman tell you to go left, right, or stop. I had to look up the Japanese words to get through that part. That was an interesting adventure.

Oh and Konami removed Kojima's name from the game completely.

Today is the day plenty of people will send me constant reminders that I need to play this game for another few years.

Alright, I’m going to attempt a useful post about this game. I’ve been taking notes and have written down anything I found noteworthy, from little details to some very important strategies that I never utilized on the PS2 and PS3 versions. I’m going to give a brief overview, some more general tidbits, and then finer details that perhaps are new to some of those familiar with the game, all of which should be helpful to anyone looking to get into this spectacular game.

Note: this is certainly not the definitive source of information for this game or anything like that. I’m going to write a little now, and add later as I keep playing. I’m just going to get this started to maybe generate some interest in the game.

Although this game has a pretty breakneck pace and is very flashy, efficiency is the name of the game here. There are quite a few subweapons(twelve in total, with two of them seeing limited use), but they all have very different functions, with multiple uses. There is also a grab and collision system, which allows you to grab most enemies and either throw them, use them as a melee weapon, or use them as a shield. Using these tools effectively will allow you to clear out large fights in seconds with the proper set ups and execution. The enemies and the player both have low health in this game, so fights usually end quickly.

Enemies in this game are very aggressive on higher difficulties, so you’ll have to really nail down the movement, meter management, grabs and collisions, and the way the subweapons work in order to overcome them.

Here are some general things:
-All subweapons share the same meter
-Your shield is tied to your subweapon gauge. The more you block, the less meter you have for subweapons, and if your guard gets broken, your health takes a big hit
-You can continue to block even if your subweapon gauge is drained.
-Your dash will pick up speed after a few seconds. This applies to the ascent and descent as well.
-When you grab an enemy, you can throw them quickly to get rid of them and do a small amount of damage, or rapidly press O to spin and throw them hard for bigger damage. You have invincibility during the spin.
-The charge shot(hold R1+square, looks like a spirit bomb) takes meter, while the lock on lasers do not.
-Destroying multiple enemies in a chain will restore varying amounts of the subweapon gauge.
-An enemy will take collision damage when hit into a wall, floor, ceiling, or another enemy. This can be done through throws, melee attacks, or various subweapons.
-Some subweapons have varying effects depending on how hard you press the button down. For example, lightly holding R2 will cause Phalanx to shoot in a wider area, while pressing it firmly will concentrate the shots into a smaller area.
-You can break out of most grabs by pressing O when grabbed.

That’s just some of the basic stuff. Here are things I wrote down that may or may not be new to some of those who have played the game a lot. If you know all of these, then I’ve failed you:
-A useful tactic on harder difficulties is grabbing an enemy and letting another enemy kill them for you. In fights involving mummyheads, I like to grab one of them, block, and have another mummyhead wear down their health with the laser attack. If block while holding an enemy, all incoming damage will transfer to them.
-If you dash while holding an enemy or a plate, you can run into enemies and do some damage as well get a good amount of knockback.
-Going further off the last point, as long as you dash while holding a plate, you’ll automatically guard, as Dingo is holding the plate in front of him. This makes it easy to beeline to an enemy and knock them into a wall.
-After using Geyser on an enemy and grabbing it, you can Geyser any surrounding enemies by touching it with the grabbed enemy.
-The stationary, turret like enemies(in the valley after the fight with Vic Viper) produce a different melee attack from most other enemies when grabbed.
-You can heal friendly units by grabbing them and charging with R1, which takes from your subweapon gauge.
-If you grab a plate, rod, or enemy, you can hold R1 to charge them up for extra damage, which takes from your subweapon gauge.
-Explosive barrels can be shot after thrown if you want to blow them up earlier.
-When using wisp, you can hold R2 to hold on to an enemy and knock them into walls, floors, or other enemies.
-During the fight with Nephtis, after she’s run into a Clod, you can grab and throw her into a wall several times before she resets.

Like I said, this is no where near everything I plan on posting, but just some fun things I wanted to say that either gets people interested. I’m going to look for more weapon and boss specific details over the next couple weeks.

Sweet!

this is certainly not the definitive source of information
I don't know. It might be. I haven't seen any in-depth stuff for this game around ever.

I don't think many people looked that deeply into sub weapons because some of them don't seem that useful at first glance.

Wow, my last post had some bad typos. Sorry about that.

>subweapons
Funny you say that, one of my favorite things about the game is the subweapons. I agree that initially not all of them see worthwhile though; when I played the PS2 version when I was younger and didn’t have the higher difficulties, I basically just used Gauntlet and Halberd. Now I use pretty much everything.

The only weapon I don’t know much about is the mine, partially because you get it so late in the game. I’m going to do some “Equip” runs soon(where you start the game with all weapons) and really see what it’s all about.

Geyser is seriously ridiculous though. Having an enemy spread the effect to other enemies can clear fights in a few seconds. The only problem is that when you get to Extreme, those melees while holding an enemy can be too slow for the really aggressive enemies.

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Fantastic posts Infinity, thank you for that! ZoE2 is still on my bucketlist (for real), so one day I'll use this as reference!

ZoE2 notes part 2

Here’s some notes I have regarding subweapons and a few other miscellaneous things. Some of these have a little more to them than others. Again, this is nothing definitive, and I do plan to add more later, but this is some stuff I found through testing on different enemies across different difficulties. I apologize in advance if any of this is incorrect.

Gauntlet
-Moderately low damage, used primarily for collisions.
-Breaks enemies’ guard.
-Very useful in the fight against Nephtis. Can be used on her for collisions as well as the clods to escape pressure.
-Dashing into a gauntlet attack is an easy way to escape the pressure of certain enemies.

Decoy
-Like the name implies, creates a decoy of Jehuty to distract enemies.
-Pressing R2 more firmly will create a decoy that lasts longer, at the cost of more meter.
-Switching subweapons while a decoy is deployed will cause it to vanish.
-Grabs work while a decoy is deployed.
-The amount of meter used to deploy Decoy is also its health bar. Even if you use a decoy that should last longer, it will still be gone almost instantly against certain enemy types.
-You can’t use Decoy to escape an enemy attack that has already started. If you use Decoy while being attacked by Mummyhead’s laser, it won’t work until the mummyhead’s next attack.
-Decoys deployed with Naked or Damaged Jehuty don’t appear to have health because you don’t use meter to use them: instead, they simply run on a timer.

Wisp
-Sends out a wisp to grab enemies from afar and pull them towards you.
-Longer start up than a normal grab, due to the range.
-Holding R2 firmly will allow you to grab and hold the enemy from a distance, letting you knock it into walls and enemies repeatedly.
-While holding an enemy from a distance, you can spin them and damage other enemies with the wisp itself rather than the enemy.
-You can extend the length of the wisp while aiming up or down while holding on to an enemy. This only works in open areas where the enemy doesn’t come into contact with a floor or ceiling.
-Depending on enemy composition, this weapon is incredibly useful against Clods.

Geyser
-Used to stun enemies.
-Can either be thrown on the enemy, or against surfaces.
-Pressing R2 more firmly will throw it further, which gives it a homing effect.
-When thrown at a surface, the area of effect is a narrow beam that shoots off the surface. This does not last as long as throwing Geyser directly on the enemy. (Roughly three seconds compared to six seconds).
-The effect from Geyser does not wear off when an enemy is attacked. For example, if you hit a stunned enemy with Comet, the remainder of the effect will continue afterwards.
-Any grabbed enemy that has been affected by Geyser will transfer it to other enemies if you use the enemy as a melee weapon. For example, it’s easy to Geyser a Raptor, grab it, and swing into a crowd and Geyser several more.
-Very useful during any section with friendlies, as it will help slow down any pressure put on them.

Halberd
-A pretty straightforward laser attack.
-High meter use, but very high damage.
-Disables lock-on.
-Useful for destroying Cellars.
-Leaves you very open to enemy attacks.

Phalanx
-Low damage, rapid-fire weapon.
-Has two firing modes. Lightly hold R2 for a weaker, wider area of effect, or press harder for a stronger, more concentrated area of effect.
-Useful for clearing out mines and other small enemies.
-Disabling lock-on helps when dealing with a large group of small enemies.
-Provides a good amount of hitstun for the amount of meter used.
-During the fight with Nephtis when you have to grab her her and drain the A.I, you can easily interrupt her attack where she damages herself by doing a quick spray from phalanx. This does next to no damage and interrupts her attack, causing her to reset.

Comet
-Used primarily as a ranged guard breaker and homing attack.
-Pressing R2 harder will shoot Comet faster, with less homing capabilities.
-After it hits the enemy, it will bounce back and attack again several times(the most I’ve seen is four, it doesn’t always come back consistently).
-If an enemy is killed by Comet before it comes back for repeated attacks, it will disappear.

Homing missile
-Summons up to 16 missiles that home in on enemies. Hold the button to ready, release to fire.
-Pressing R2 more firmly will generate more missiles.
-Firing a long range normal attack cancels the missiles.
-The missiles can stay readied while using close range normal attacks.
-Taking damage while the missiles are primed will cause them to disappear.
-Works as a guard breaker.
-Very high meter use, especially when using all 16 missiles.

F mine
-Places a mine directly in front of you.
-Can either be detonated by contact with an enemy, or being shot at by any weapon, including Geyser.
-They can be detonated by Jehuty charging near them, but not by dashing.
-You can continue placing them until you run out of meter.
-Once placed, you can use wisp to grab it and move it like you would an enemy. The wisp itself damages enemies like usual as well.
-The mine can be grabbed and charged.
-The melee for the mine is a spin attack similar to the poles, and they can be thrown which makes them explode.
-You can move it manually by bumping into it.
-The mine is placed quickly and does a lot of damage, making it easy to get out of pressure.
-This has an eerie number of parallels to the mine thrower from RE4. Both are mine weapons that don’t seem to get utilized often, and they are incredibly powerful.

Mummy
-A shield that can block all attacks.
-Pressing R2 firmly will restore health at the cost of meter.

Vector Cannon
-Not much to say here, this weapon can only be used during the fight with the battleships and to unlock a secret on NG+. I’ve tried using it at other points but it simply takes too long to set up.

And for the generic weapons you can pick up in some of the environments:

Pole
-Can be thrown with the grab button.
-Can be charged up with the dash button for extra damage, which costs some meter.
-Although the attack is fairly slow, it has a large hitbox and a lot of tracking. With a good amount of space between you and the enemy, this weapon is extremely efficient.

Plate
-Makes for a good shield.
-Dashing while holding a plate will allow you to automatically block.
-Has a melee attack, but it’s weaker than the other weapons.

Barrel
-Explodes when thrown.
-It will absorb a small amount of damage while being held, after that it will explode and damage Jehuty.
-Can be shot after being thrown to cause an early detonation.

When you complete the game, you can use additional frames at the beginning of a new game, here’s some tidbits on those:

Jehuty Ver. 2
-Adds three more shots to accompany your long range normal attack.
-Provides a shield that protects you from normal bullets and weak projectiles without the need to block.
-Blocking does not use meter.
-While holding an enemy, pressing R1 will destroy an enemy rather than charge them up.

Naked Jehuty
-Provides the same shield to protect from projectiles as Jehuty Ver. 2
-Grants unlimited subweapon gauge.
-Provides extra defense.
-Blocking does not use meter.
-Pressing R1 will destroy a held enemy, similar to Jehuty Ver. 2.

Damaged Jehuty
-Blocking no longer produces a shield, so it does not guard against any damage.
-You cannot use long range normal attacks of any kind, including lock-on lasers or charge shots.
-Grants unlimited subweapon gauge.

Here’s some other random points:
-Cellars take much more damage when they’re expanded. The only way to make them expand is to destroy all other enemies in the area.
-While spinning a grabbed enemy, it’s possible to damage another enemy with the spin, and change your lock-on to throw it at a different enemy. This will allow you to get the invincibility of the spin, while getting more total damage out of it.
-Enemy shields block Geyser.
-During the section with Taper, many of the battles can be skipped.
-During the section with the minefield, you can dash straight to the checkpoints if you know the route. You don’t have to wait for Ken to give the commands.
-Depending on the positioning, it’s possible to avoid some of Vic Viper’s attacks by descending into some of the crevices in the arena.
-If you try to grab any small enemies or mines, Jehuty will simply destroy them rather than grab them.
-During the battle with the Bahram battleships, getting too far towards the back of the ship will put you in firing range of another ship’s laser.
-If you do an “equip” run(where you start with all equipment), you’re almost invincible using Damaged Jehuty or Naked Jehuty due to the fact that you can use Mummy to heal yourself with no meter cost.

Hopefully someone finds something useful in any of this!

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Very nice.

The only input I have is on Phalanx but you've already gone over it pretty well. It was the only sub weapon I started testing and noticed how a quick spray will interrupt enemy attacks.

Yeah phalanx gives great hitstun for now little meter you have to use. I really started toying around with the F mine and those things are insane. I get now why you don’t get them until the end of the game haha.

Weren't there some changes to the stat values for the extra frames? I remember Damaged taking insane amounts of damage and Naked obliterating everything non-Aumaan Anubis

>Extra frames
That’s correct, not sure why I didn’t mention this. Thanks for the heads up. I’m going to do a run with each of them to see if I can find other specifics around this.

Absolutely fantastic notes man, great read. I've been a bit absent due to working on the new site but I'll be sure to use these notes in the future!

Thanks! Hope some of it can be useful.

Do you plan to make any videos?

I’ve thought about it. I want a full mastery of the game before I do so, though.

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In the middle of a Super Hard Equip run using Jehuty V2 and it’s just insanity. V2 boosts damage from all weapons and reduces meter usage so I’ve been using some really powerful weapon set ups. Wisp+”charging” an enemy is absolutely broken, can clear out mummyheads instantly. Used halberd on the train and cleared it out with almost no effort. You can also use the passive shield this suit gives to keep bosses in hitstun when near a wall. I looped Nephtis just keeping her near a wall and using the burst attack over and over again.

Awesome stuff.

I hope you record it in the future.

I really want to. This game might have my favorite set of (sub)weapons ever and I want to show some specifics that I don’t think I’ve seen in other videos.

You still working on this boi?

Sort of, it’s on the backburner since I’ve been playing the hell out of GoW2 and 3. I’ve taken a few more notes but I didn’t feel as if it was enough to post yet. I’m still dedicated to having the most expansive list of notes available for this game.

Sounds like me with my Lollipop Chainsaw stuff.

Never played LC, always wanted to.

Well, it turns out you can use the vector cannon during normal fights if you get lucky/have a good setup. I used geyser on a few enemies and then initiated vector cannon and it seems like you get armor about halfway through the animation, so I ended up finishing out and just wiped them out. It’s probably not viable very often but it can be done.

I really wish other games would utilize a grab system, I’ve been looking for titles that have grabs similar to this but there doesn’t seem to be anything.

Shinada from Yakuza 5 is probably the closest we'll get in a 3d space, that guy really was a full grappler when fully upgraded which made him pretty fun despite enemies not being built around it. Matrix has some cool grab stuff too, same with Warrior Within. Guacamelee is fun too!

But similar to Zone of the Enders 2 - no clue.