Jan 31
Rez HD Impressions: Big Disappointment
From all that I’ve heard about this game, I would have thought that it was the second coming of Christ … or, more appropriately, something like Geometry Wars, a simple Xbox Live Arcade game that took Microsoft’s online community by storm. However, after playing through the demo a number of times I have realized that this is not the case. Rez HD, unfortunate as it may seem, is nothing special, and is not worthy of your $10 investment.
… and here’s why.
I’ve never played Rez before. In my earlier days as a gamer, in the last generation, I focused the most on action games and was very frugal as to what games I bought. Of course, Rez would not have caught my eye, as the game could be called a cult-hit or perhaps more accurately, a game that not too many people knew about but those who did loved it. Naturally, after hearing endless buzz about how this would be one of the best games on Xbox Live Arcade all year, I decided to check out the demo.
The basic premise of Rez HD, a remake of earlier Dreamcast and Playstation 2 games of the same name, is to fly through neon-colored blocky worlds, shooting geometrical space ships to continue. You play as some trippy reincarnation of that guy from Tron and fly through these levels shooting everything in site. I’m really not sure if there’s some supposed story in the game, but from what I have played of it, it was, at the very least, confusing. The game is an on-rails shooter, thankfully, set to music that pulses as you continue through levels and starts to get more and more tense as you progress. The levels are continuous; once you finish one, it immediately takes you to the next without any annoying waiting period.
All of this sounds dandy on paper, but the way in which the game is presented on Xbox Live is not up to par with my expectations. The game throws you into a Strawberry Fields Forever-type world, without a tutorial, and throws a handful of “enemies” at you. (I use the term “enemies” very loosely here, as within the first 10 levels of the game, over which the demo spans, I was not once injured by any of them.) These enemies, however, are not difficult to defeat, taking only a shot or two to kill, and the relatively short levels are sparsely populated by them. The shooting is as easy as, you at once learn, pointing your cursor at an enemy and hitting the fire button. When the level is over, a cubic enemy appears that you must shoot to release a disco ball-like object that projects light and adds to the increasingly hallucinatory environment. Then you go to the next level. Repeat this process, add a few marginally difficult “boss” (see above parenthesis) battles and you have Rez HD.
Rez HD is easy, not like standing-you-ground-in-a-round-of-a-boxing-match-with-Uwe-Boll easy but more like tying your shoes easy. Honestly, this was perhaps one of the quickest demos that I have ever played through; a single playthrough of 10 levels and a boss took a mere 7 or so minutes. The shooting is so easily crafted and imprecise that I had no trouble of defeating almost every enemy in every level … without taking a hit.
The experience of Rez HD, however, was positive. For one, I liked the psychadelic atmosphere that I was immediately thrown into, as well as the more casual gameplay experience that proceeded as the levels went on. However, the whole environment was simply too abstract for me. It felt as if it didn’t matter if I shot at enemies or not, and I didn’t seem to care when I came to the end of each level. I experienced possibly the one thing that developers of video games want to avoid: boredom. I was bored. The enemies are colorful shapes; shooting colorful shapes is boring.
If you are a hardcore gamer, up for a challenge, then I would have to suggest that you skip Rez HD. However, if you enjoy these types of kaleidoscopic casual games, have played and enjoyed the game in the past or are a complete achievement junkie then I’d have no words for you against the game.
(Editor’s Note: I am aware of how “orgasmic” this game may seem with the optional vibrating add-ons for Rez HD. However, these extra vibrating controllers seem like a bust, and very useless for guys like me. Now, if you’re a female, that’s a different story…)
Categories: Demo, Impressions, XBLA, Xbox 36011 Comments so far
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i was impressed with Rez on the ps2. but by no means was it AMAZING. i thought it was fun. and it helped me pass the time. i enjoyed it from what i played.
I have to compeltely disagree with you here. This game is truly amazing and should be played by anyone who takes gaming seriously. As for the dificulty of the first level, I agreee it is simple and easy to beat, but as you play more it gets much more challenging.
Still the enemeis and winning and getting to the end of a level are not the point of the game (there aren’t even levels, you just get more points for hacking the info boxes). The point is the synthesis between the music and the game. That a game allows you to take part in the music like REZ does is absolutley amazing. Next time your playing (and I’ll admit being stoned helps but is far from neccesary) try to play along witht music. Each attack and lock on sort of creates its own score to teh game, making you part of the music. It is really amazing and one of the only games that truly does this.
I can see that if you were going intot his game expecting something liek Geometry Wars how you would be totally disspaointed. The point of that game is to challenge you as a player the point of REZ is to immerse you in the music and create a sort of gameplay that doesn’t really revolve around beating the next boss but around creating something that involves you in the music (vibrator attachment obviously helping greatly if your a girl).
So yea,your complaints are totally valid if you are playing the game as a shooter or trying to simply get to the end but that isn’t the point of REZ. You aren’t supposed to be flying through being killed non-stop (though later levels can do this to you) your supposed to be going through becoming one with the music. This sounds really stupid, I know, but really its an amazing game for even attempting to do that and challenging our conceptions of gaming and what it is supposed to mean. Obviously, this style of gaming isn’t for everyone but you need to understand how it truly is a different kind of game that rarely ever comes along.
In short it really isn’t about the gameplay (which is fun, but very simple) but about the music and the flow of the gameplay.
Kagato says you fail at life… play more then the demo and come back and tell us how you liked it…
Now go play the Demo of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night and say its garbage… I dare you…
The game does have a tutorial. You just have to select it from the menu instead of it being in the first level of the game.
How terrible!!!!!
@ Bfeld: Shhhh…
@Cowzilla: Yeah, I totally understand that it is more about music and the sync between the two but it’s just not what I’m looking for in a rhythm-type shooting game. Maybe I’ll purchase it to play the later levels as you suggested.
I’m with Razak on this one. But then, I played a single session of E4 for five and a half hours straight (no exaggeration) simply because I was entranced by it.
personally, just by looking at the picture…
It looks like an incomplete pixar movie. You know, when they make the 3D people they have to include basic body structure which is composed of main points of movement (ie joints) and lines connecting points?
But seriously. I don’t imagine even if i was a gamer that I would even concider playing this game primarily on the fact that the screencap looks like the game in incomplete and underdesigned.
But I guess games are all about looks, are they????
Wow I guess I was wrong in saying everyone should experience this game. I know not everyone can be pleased but this game amazed me…..hit up the forums for my review!
That’s one level you played not 10 as you state. While I’d be the first to say this game isn’t for everyone you have to play the full game, not just a one level demo to get the full picture and to be able to tell people it isn’t worth $10. As stated in an earlier comment there is indeed a tutorial.
I just don’t see this game’s music making me want to spend ten dollars. It’s not like this is the only game out there. What about Every Day Shooter?