Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner

Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner, released in Japan as ANUBIS: Zone of the Enders (アヌビス ゾーン オブ エンダーズ Anubisu Zōn Obu Endāzu), is a mecha action and hack-and-slash game created by Konami, and a sequel to Zone of the Enders.

It was first released on the PlayStation 2 in 2003 before being re-released alongside the first game as an HD collection by Kojima Productions for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in 2012. Noteworthy is the fact that of the two games included in the collection, only this one got a standalone release on the PlayStation Store.

Plot
After the events of the first game, The Fist of Mars, and Dolores, i, UNSF forces have launched an attack on the now BAHRAM-controlled planet of Mars with the intention of destroying the superweapon Aumaan.

Meanwhile, former BAHRAM soldier Dingo Egret works as a miner on the Jupiter moon Callisto. He discovers the orbital frame Jehuty and climbs aboard it when BAHRAM forces attack the moon in an attempt to seize it. After being fatally wounded by BAHRAM leader Ridley "Nohman" Hardiman, he is saved by UNSF spy Ken Marianaris and launches one last attack to destroy Aumaan and get his revenge on Nohman.

Why It Rocks

 * 1) Extremely awesome, memorable, and catchy soundtrack, especially its main theme, Beyond the Bounds.
 * 2) Fast-paced and increasingly challenging gameplay, improved from the first game.
 * 3) Sacrifices the first game’s open-world system which involves grinding and sidequests in favor of a linear gameplay where Jehuty gets more and more powerful as the game progresses.
 * 4) Cool mecha design, courtesy of Yoji Shinkawa.
 * 5) Very beautiful anime cutscenes that still look good by today's standards.
 * 6) More weapons than in the first game, each with their own advantages and disadvantages.
 * 7) A decent and fast-paced story: as soon as the action starts, it hardly ever stops, another improvement from the first game.
 * 8) Graphics which look impressive for its time.
 * 9) High replayability value since it featured more modes and unlockables than the first game.

Bad Qualities

 * 1) Terrible voice acting, along with a couple of mistranslations, a flaw also shared with the first game.
 * 2) The whole game is way too short. You can beat it in only 3-AND-A-HALF HOURS!

Reception
The game is widely considered to be much better than the first game to the point of being more well-known, despite mediocre sales. The majority of the reviews for the game in GameFAQs gave it 4 (or 5) out of 5.

Videos
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