Complementing the game’s strong graphics are its sounds and effects. Zone of the Enders has an odd mixture of background music, ranging from a harmonious, ethereal score to pulse-pounding techno music for in-game battles. The gunfires, sword clashes and everything else in between for audible cues are standard case. The voice acting does a fine job of displaying the character’s emotion. Although after a few hours Leo’s adolescence (and squeaky-ness) shines through and may start to annoy some, I didn’t find much of a problem with it. Some reviewers took the time to bash Kojima’s selection on the high-pitched, bratty sounding lead character, but in some odd way it lends to the game’s overall evolution of Leo by showing his young, immature side of things. Regardless, the aural package offered by ZOE matches the high quality of its graphics.

Ironically, ZOE’s visuals are not its strongest area (a feat most would laugh at just looking at the game.) No, the greatest technical aspect of Zone of the Enders lies within its brilliant controls and tight controls. Somehow, some way, Hideo Kojima was able to harness a nearly perfect camera system for the game. As any developer (or critic) will tell you, having a solid camera for an action title is crucial. While fighting an enemy (by borrowing the now-infamous lock-on system originated by Zelda 64), ZOE allows for complete 360-degrees fighting without a stutter. There are no set axis or plane to battle on – players can latch onto the sights of an enemy and fight by merely pressing simple button combinations and pointing toward the enemy. The player isn’t require to be right in front of the opposing force, as the camera automatically swings around for a more dramatic look at the action (although the total control over Jehuty is never compromised in this situation.) All designers simply must take time to have hands-on play with ZOE in order to understand how controlling an action game should be done.

Still, though, amid all the technical feats Konami managed to advance, they seemed to disregard (as is the story with most 1^st generation PS2 games) ZOE’s overall gameplay. Although the first handful of hours will make most (as it convinced me) think that simple, fun beat-the-crap-out-of-the-opposing-bot strategy would keep their interest for long, after a while ZOE’s gameplay readily starts to wear thin. Even with the breakups cued for cinemas to shake things up, the main core of Zone of the Enders never really changes. Sure, some missions may be altered by assigning Leo to find an item in order to access a weapon, or "protect" a building/persons from baddies, but ZOE’s linearity comes into focus all too soon. On top of this, the average gamer will be able to complete ZOE’s entirety in well less than ten hours. With this short time, gamers expecting a legendary tale with a memorable cast will surely be disappointed. Just as you think you’re beginning to understand or relate to one of the characters’, Zone of the Enders magically (and for the gameplay’s sake, at times thankfully) ends all too quickly. At least you’ve got the free Metal Gear Solid 2 demo to play after.

Last year, Zone of the Enders was hailed as the beginning of a new evolution in games. As one of the PlayStation 2’s first "real" titles, ZOE was intended to signify the changing of times. But despite its mechanical genius in visuals and controls, ZOE’s overly redundant gameplay sticks out as its Achilles’ heel. That’s not to say the game should be avoided, for the reason that, if not for a little while, the gameplay is pretty exciting and so flashy that you’ll forget that Zone’s gameplay consists of the same thing every five minutes. However, the inevitable feeling of emptiness will sink in, and will leave us asking for a lot more after we’re satisfied with the razzle-dazzle.