PlayStation 2

Rez

I cannot find fault with the game, although it is a single player experience, watching can be fun and the developer deserves praise for pushing the boundaries further.

Granted, this review is pretty short and right to the point, but replay wise Rez holds up very well. With secret stages, many modes of gameplay (Score Attack, Beyond Mode, Boss Rush, and Trance Mission) and over 20 features that are waiting to be unlocked, Rez is really worth every penny. Final word: Rez is a lush, exciting, addictive, and best of all innovative! Pick up Rez, you only owe it to yourself to do so.

That's it. That's all I can say. Unfortunately, Rez is a game that falls into that "Marmite" category, where you will either love it or hate it. If you think all that I have written stank profusely of hyperbole, get out and rent it at least and, should you fail to be enchanted by it's sheer unbridled splendour, then I have pity on you. It is genuinely one of, if not the most inspired, inspiring, amazing, venerable games in this reviewer's memory. It makes one truly sad for the recent demise of the United Game Artists, and the subsequent departure from Sega of the game's visionary creator, Tetsuya Mizuguchi. It is a sure sign of this game's quality and aesthetic, artistic merit that it is already one of the principal games put forward by yes-people in the “Are Games Art?” argument. And that can only be a good thing.

I thought Rez was a blast but I will admit that it is not a game for everyone, rather its more fitted for hobbyists and collectors. I will keep Rez frontline in my collection for some time to come and I will be proud to show it off. Congratulations to the development team for creating a unique and solid game that while not groundbreaking, is pretty damn close.

Rez is a game that’s difficult to describe. It’s so different that there’s nothing to really compare it to, and just the premise in itself has to be seen to believe and understand. Unfortunately, finding this game is a challenge, because Sega apparently only had one print run of the game before deciding to stop making it. Sure, it makes the game a fairly rare collectors item, but many people will now miss a chance to play something unlike anything else available. Certainly the game is way too weird for the mainstream (hell, too weird for many hardcore too most likely), but anyone looking for something bizarrely unique and original should look into Rez. It may be easy, but it’s one of those “trips” that’s worth taking more than once.

It boils down to this: if I had to make an argument that games have become a legitimate art-form, I would present ICO and Rez. While ICO has a beautiful Impressionist veneer on an equally beautiful game design, Rez has only the modern art cover without a lot of gameplay. If I was reviewing art (which no one should ever have to do) and not video games, Rez couldn't help but score higher.

It's quite a loss, because while a great new sports game is fine, a great new racing game is fine, those and even a great sequel like Metal Gear Solid 2 lose in some small way to a great game that manages to strike out and do something new. Rez begins with one of the oldest of gameplay concepts, but the ambition and skill of the artists that built up what stands around that concept allow it to rise far above what we normally assume a shooter is.

Rez não é para qualquer um... mas ao contrário de muitos jogos, é acessível (o jogo só utiliza o direcional e dois botões) e recompensador como poucos. Se você curte algo diferente, ou é um músico frustrado em busca de um jogo que deixe você encontrar seu ritmo, Rez é a resposta.

So then, Rez is an incredibly original piece of software, it lies somewhere between being a game and a piece of functional art. You should avoid this game if you are looking for a standard shoot ‘em up, there are better examples of the genre out there. Everyone else should give it a go if they want a bit of trippy fun. The lack of true depth knocks the score a tiny bit, but it is still a little gem. A funky, trippy...

Es ist nicht einfach, ein Spiel wie Rez zu bewerten. Auf Anhieb wirken sowohl Grafik als auch Spielprinzip zu einfach und wenig fordernd. Doch hat man die erste verwirrende Spielphase überwunden und lässt sich ein wenig auf das Spiel ein, lernt man die Vorzüge von Rez schnell zu schätzen. Denn durch die pure Simplizität hat man sehr schnell die Möglichkeit, Rez auf sich einwirken zu lassen. Und so kommt es, dass man schnell eine halbe Stunde nach der anderen vor dem Bildschirm verbringt, die Gegnerwellen vom Bildschirm fegt und versucht, Eden wieder in seinen Ursprungszustand zurück zu versetzen. Leider ist dies relativ schnell geschehen. Und trotzdem: Rez ist ein außergewöhnliches Kunstwerk, das versucht, neue Wege zu gehen. Und Pioniere haben es immer schwer, Fuß zu fassen.

Rez is one of those games which shouldn't be released at full whack. The forthcoming PlayStation 2 release is even less attractive, thanks to Sony's inexplicable reluctance to permit cut-price software. When Rez eventually turns up cheaply it will become indispensable, but until then it's a luxury. Albeit an extraordinarily pretty, addictive and entertaining luxury. For people with disposable income and aspirations of class, perhaps.

On paper, UGA's "music shooter" may sound a little dull, but it's one of those games that simply must be seen--and in this case, heard--to be fully understood. The game part of Rez is most definitely lacking when compared with that of other shooters. But the visual design and pounding beats make up for the lacking gameplay and turn Rez into far more than a basic five-level shooter. Of course, Rez isn't for everyone. Anyone looking to Rez for gameplay depth and challenge will likely be completely disgusted by what they find. But if you're in the mood for something that is decidedly different than other games on the market, Sega's quirky, abstract art-influenced shooter just might fit the bill.

Unfortunately, the game is super short and seems more like an experiment than a full game. Rez is still a rare experience that introduces a bafflingly surreal world that somehow makes perfect sense in an upside-down way.

Un programa dotado de inteligencia artificial conocido como Edén que pulula por la red de redes ha tomado conciencia propia y se ha encerrado en sí mismo. Si alguien no lo saca de allí las bases de datos de todo el mundo correrán un grave peligro....

Here's what you do: Rent it on a Saturday night when you and your friends are bored. One person gets the game, the other has to bring the stuff. What stuff? Well, bringing whatever gets your rocks off will be good enough. If you know Mizuguchi, tell him to bring more hotties like Space Channel 5's Ulala, because this game doesn't have much of a chance.

Can't…think…straight. In…a trance. Rez…good. Wait a minute – No, it isn't! It was all a brainwash trick by Sega and Rez's trippy techno vibe. Good thing I snapped out of it before I gave this wireframe shell of a shooter a higher score than it deserves. Y'know what you got? F-plus. Click.

There are two ways to look at this game. For some, Rez will be an incredibly creative experience that fuses art and game. It's got the look, it's got the style, and it's got the feel. Others will just see it as a plain shooter that is way too short. No cool enemies, no cool pick-ups - just a cursor and a shoot button that will save the world in one sitting. Which side will you be on? I don't know, but make sure you try before you buy.