Rez for PlayStation 2 Reviews by Gamers

Rez draws on many '80s video game influences: William Gibson's novels, the movie Tron, and countless old vector-display arcade games. I really couldn't believe this game when I first played it; I thought I was back in 1982. It also adds some later influences like the arcade "rail shooter" Space Harrier (from 1985) and more recent rhythm games like DDR. This game looks beautiful and wears its influences on its sleeve.

True, this game is short if your goal is merely to "beat" it. But this game should be savored and felt more than simply "finished." Also, the music is fun and adds to the experience (sounds great blasting through my stereo set-up), but I wish that it had been incorporated into the gameplay itself. Imagine an actual rhythm-based shooter!

As it stands, Rez is a lot of fun and highly replayable. There are some unlockables, but the real joy of the game comes from its shooter roots: setting high scores. Like most shooters, you will play a level over and over again just to memorize the best scoring patterns. I will admit, though, that unlike some of the more impressively difficult shooters (like Ikaruga), it won't take you very long to get basic scoring patterns down.

This game is definitely worth a shot. These days, it would probably be a downloadable game selling for $5-10, but it's absolutely worth a rental, even if you just play through the game to the "end" in close to an hour.

There really isn't any reason why you shouldn't rent this game. Unless you don't have a PS2. Then you should go get a PS2 and then rent this game. The visuals along with sound that reacts to your actions make for a solid rail shooter. Though simplistic in its presentation, it offers plenty of unlockables even after you have beaten the five main levels. There is a reason almost every game publication that has something to say about this game considers it one of the best PS2 games ever.