Sega on Playstation2 Feature

<p>Sega make their multi-format move into Europe on January 30th when REZ, Ecco the Dolphin and Headhunter all go on sale for the PS2.<br> <br /> <br> <br /> TVG recently received code for REZ and Ecco the Dolphin, and whilst we’ve decided to hold the reviews back for a while, we thought it’s only fair to let you know what to expect.<br> <br /> <br> <br /> <b>REZ</b> <br /> <b><br> <br /> </b><br> <br /> REZ has been a title that has excited me since it was known as Project-K, details about the title were scarce except for the fact it was coming from United Game Artists, headed by Sega Rally creator Tetsuya Mizuguchi, and was something to do with music. <br> <br /> <br> <br /> Well REZ more then lives up to my ultimate expectations, playing unlike anything that’s ever come before it. When certain other developers are trying to innovate by mixing different genres into one and calling it a new genre, cough <i>Dark Summit</i> cough… leave it to Sega to truly show the world what the word means.<br> <br /> </p> <br /> <div align="right"> <br /> <table border="0" width="20" bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="right" cellpadding="2" style="float: right"> <br /> <tr> <br /> <td width="100%"> <br /> <p align="center"><a href="http://www.totalvideogames.com/tvg.php?gallary=true&all=false&newsid=270&img_name=270-0.jpg"><img height="100" hspace="2" src="http://www.totalvideogames.com/webconsole/data/news/images/s_270-0.jpg" width="135" vspace="2" border="1"><br> <br /> </a><font size="1">One of the best Sega titles, period.</font></td> <br /> </tr> <br /> </table> <br /> </div> <br /> <p>Essentially REZ is an on-rails shoot-em-up, however if you play it like that then you’re not going to <br /> be playing REZ in the way that it was meant. In fact it’s probably doing the game a great injustice to call it a videogame, perhaps it’s best to explain it as a title merging visuals and sound into one supremely crafted interactive experience, nah sounds a bit weeny, suffice to say it’s easier just to say have a go then try to explain <br /> REZ in mere words, but here goes…<br> <br /> <br> <br /> If you’ve followed or read any previews for this, you’ll realise that each time you shoot an enemy a musical note emits, stringing together combos produces a rhythm. It’s actually a lot more complicated then this, but if you begin to think about it whilst playing you’ll fail dismally, instead I’ve found it better to just immerse yourself in the experience and be one with the music.<br> <br /> <br> <br /> It’s not only destroying enemies that emits a note, targeting them emits a sound as well, so you get a little rhythm between targeting them and destroying them, making the order that you target enemies crucial to the sounds you create. Whilst using your lock-on creates more elaborate music, i.e locking on to the maximum number of targets (8) lets out a quick snippet and then a vocal cry, whilst targeting four enemies produces an escalating scale, still with me?<br> <br /> </p> <br /> <div align="right"> <br /> <table border="0" width="20" bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="right" cellpadding="2"> <br /> <tr> <br /> <td width="100%"> <br /> <p align="center"><a href="http://www.totalvideogames.com/tvg.php?gallary=true&all=false&newsid=667&img_name=667-6.jpg"><img height="100" hspace="2" src="http://www.totalvideogames.com/webconsole/data/news/images/s_667-6.jpg" width="135" vspace="2" border="1"><br> <br /> </a><font size="1">REZ</font><font size="1"> will amaze you, give it a chance.</font></td> <br /> </tr> <br /> </table> <br /> </div> <br /> <p>Play like this, targeting the enemies on screen with your lock-on still isn’t the right way to play <br /> REZ, as it’s NOT a shoot-em-up. Frequently you’ll have gaps when there’s no enemies and thus it begins to sound a little… lacking, the trick is to keep hammering away at the X button throughout the entire level/track, trying to keep in tone with the music, the beat, and then string in the music that emits when you target an enemy into this. <br> <br /> <br> <br /> During your first few goes the music that you’ll produce sounds a bit naff, but as you come back to the levels and earn 100% in the ‘analyisation’ ranking, the music becomes more elaborate, with later levels sounding like acoustic heaven.<br> <br /> <br> <br /> Along the way you’ll collect different power-up’s, blue power-up’s level up your character, which again allows you to produce more elaborate music, whilst red power-up’s give you an overdrive that works like a special weapon destroying all enemies on screen, and creating a big break-beat kind of effect. <br> <br /> <br> <br /> Throughout the levels you’ll see little cubes, hitting these start a countdown that pushes you onto the next stage in the level and pumps up the tempo and beat of the sound, by the last stage the music is really going for it with heavy bass, vocals and some stunning samples.<br> <br /> </p> <br /> <div align="right"> <br /> <table border="0" width="20" bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="right" cellpadding="2"> <br /> <tr> <br /> <td width="100%"> <br /> <p align="center"><a href="http://www.totalvideogames.com/tvg.php?gallary=true&all=false&newsid=270&img_name=270-2.jpg"><img height="100" hspace="2" src="http://www.totalvideogames.com/webconsole/data/news/images/s_270-2.jpg" width="135" vspace="2" border="1"><br> <br /> </a><font size="1">I'm in love with this title.</font></td> <br /> </tr> <br /> </table> <br /> </div> <br /> <p>Sega has drawn in some great artists to provide the backing tracks to each level, including the likes of dj Shadow, ColdCut and Tim Bran.  <br /> Simply put the music is fantastic throughout with a range of different styles, <br /> it's not to everybody's taste, but European and Japanese clubbers should enjoy <br /> it.<br> <br /> <br> <br /> I’ll save the critical appraise for the review, suffice to say Christmas has come early for me, albeit a very trippy yuletide one at that! <br /> REZ is a truly unique ‘game’ and of the finest Sega created titles ever, one that everybody can play yet it’s individuality will divide gamers into those that love it and those that don’t. <br> <br /> <br> <br /> I’ve mentioned Nights as a title, not for their similarity but in the way they both refused to bow down to a singular genre, this same aspect may harm <br /> REZ’ chances of success. Hopefully with Sony behind the marketing and promotion of all Sega PS2 titles we’ll see this properly pushed, this needs to be played in <br /> clubs, and if Sony needs someone to demonstrate then I’ll be more then happy to volunteer.<br> <br /> <br> <br /> <br> <br /> <b>Ecco the Dolphin<br> <br /> </b><br> <br /> Ecco’s port to the PS2 is mainly the same as the Dreamcast version that was reviewed <br /> last year, so it’s the same mixture of absurd storylines, breathtaking visuals, atmospheric sound, and mellow gameplay. <br> <br /> </p> <br /> <div align="right"> <br /> <table border="0" width="20" bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="right" cellpadding="2"> <br /> <tr> <br /> <td width="100%"> <br /> <p align="center"><a href="http://www.totalvideogames.com/tvg.php?gallary=true&all=false&newsid=349&img_name=349-1.jpg"><img height="100" src="http://www.totalvideogames.com/webconsole/data/news/images/s_349-1.jpg" width="130" border="1"><br> <br /> </a><font size="1">A visual masterpiece, and now a solid adventure title <br /> too.</font></td> <br /> </tr> <br /> </table> <br /> </div> <br /> <p>However the developers, Appaloosa, have listened to criticism <br /> levelled at the Dreamcast version, in particular the problems aimed at the lack of direction found within the game. <br> <br /> <br> <br /> Any of the few people who picked up the title on the Dreamcast, must have found <br /> themselves scratching their heads on more then a few occasions, aimlessly wondering around the great wide open without a clue what to do next. <br /> Appaloosa have taken this on-board, providing more hints within the game, activating the levels frequent crystals will show a cut-scene detailing what you’ve got to do next. Whilst the games clues can now all be accessed by pressing start and selecting them from the level guides. The map function was practically useless in the Dreamcast version; this has been completely reworked for the PS2 adaptation making it a lot easier to realise where you are and where you need to go.<br> <br /> </p> <br /> <div align="right"> <br /> <table border="0" width="20" bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="right" cellpadding="2"> <br /> <tr> <br /> <td width="100%"> <br /> <p align="center"><a href="http://www.totalvideogames.com/tvg.php?gallary=true&all=false&newsid=349&img_name=349-0.jpg"><img height="100" src="http://www.totalvideogames.com/webconsole/data/news/images/s_349-0.jpg" width="130" border="1"><br> <br /> </a><font size="1">Ecco will impress you.</font></td> <br /> </tr> <br /> </table> <br /> </div> <br /> <p>Ecco was a stunning title that was criminally overlooked the first time around, the modifications that <br /> Appaloosa have made may sound simple but they enhance the game beyond recognition, tightening up the gameplay to what is now a extremely polished and well <br /> focused adventure title.  Despite the fact that the game is over a year <br /> old, it still looks terrific, with varied and detailed textures, fantastic <br /> underwater effects and smooth motion, truly bringing this underwater title to <br /> life.</p> <br /> <p>To find out more about Ecco the Dolphin, please check out the<a class="NAV" href="http://www.totalvideogames.com/tvg.php?game_id=1198"> <i>Game Index Page</i></a></p> <br /> <p><b>Headhunter</b></p> <br /> <div align="right"> <br /> <table border="0" width="20" align="right" cellpadding="2" bgcolor="#CCCCCC"> <br /> <tr> <br /> <td width="100%"> <br /> <p align="center"><a href="http://www.totalvideogames.com/tvg.php?gallary=true&all=false&newsid=213&img_name=213-2.jpg"><img height="100" hspace="2" src="http://www.totalvideogames.com/webconsole/data/news/images/s_213-2.jpg" width="135" vspace="2" border="1"><br> <br /> </a><font size="1">One of the best Dreamcast titles is coming to the <br /> PS2, make sure you check it out.</font></p> <br /> </td> <br /> </tr> <br /> </table> <br /> </div> <br /> <p>We've yet to get our hands on PS2 code for Headhunter, however the developers <br /> are promising an authentic adaptation, which when considering the original was <br /> one of the best looking titles on the Dreamcast is not a bad thing.  The <br /> action based gameplay should appeal to most PS2 owners, and hopefully this will <br /> give the game the opportunity it deserves.  </p> <br /> <p>To find out more about Headhunter, please check out the<a class="NAV" href="http://www.totalvideogames.com/tvg.php?game_id=1229"><i> Game Index Page</i></a>.</p> <br /> <p> </p> <br /> <p>These titles are classic examples of Sega games that previously suffered from the company’s ineptness to <br /> promote them, and thus Ecco and Headhunter were criminally overlooked the first <br /> time around. Hopefully Sony’s marketing clout should ensure these games get the recognition they deserve when they’re released at the end of <br /> January, and more gamers can realise just how wonderful the titles truly <br /> are.  If anything they'll bring about a sense of freshness to the slightly <br /> stale PS2 catalogue, so Sony owners rejoice it isn't long before you can begin <br /> playing some of the greatest games ever made.<br> <br /> </p> <br />