Rez HD

Game: Rez HD
Genre: Rhythm/Shooter
Platform: Xbox 360 (Xbox Live Arcade)

Five years ago, Sega unleashed a game that was too far ahead of its time to be a financial success, but gained a loyal cult following due to its bizarre rhythm-based gameplay and decidedly trippy visuals.  The game was Rez, and after a half decade of only being available on eBay for hundreds of dollars, Microsoft has revived the title, added a coat of HD gloss and made it affordable.  And this time, there’s no excuse to miss out on one of the most unique and addictive shooters ever.

To be clear, Rez HD is not really a new game.  It is, in fact, identical to the original releases of Rez, but with vastly improved visuals.  At its core, Rez is a rail shooter.  You control a polygonal humanoid traveling on a set path through virtual environments within a corrupted computer network.  While you are unable to control your direction or speed, you are in command of an aiming reticule with which you can lock on to up to eight enemy targets at once.  It works similarly to the boomerang in recent Zelda games, and it’s extremely satisfying, especially when you target eight separate enemies, then unleash lasery death on them all at once.  

If this were the totality of the Rez experience, it would be very hard to recommend a title like this.  Rez’s greatest strength, however, is in the sensory experience.  In addition to being a shooter, the game features a rhythm aspect unlike any other title.  You don’t exactly make music with your attacks, nor do you have to attack in any pattern or rhythm.  Instead, the trippy trance music that makes up the game’s soundtrack starts off as a simple, minimalist beat, and each enemy you defeat adds a new layer of sound to the score.  The result is a lush, psychedelic soundtrack that evolves as you play, drawing you deeper into the game.  Every shot you fire becomes a small part of the symphony of electronic sounds, whether they’re in beat or not.  It’s a truly distinctive system that never punishes you for being tone deaf, but always rewards you just for playing.

Rez is as much a treat for the eyes as it is for the ears.  Based on old school vector graphics (think Tempest or the original Star Wars arcade game), the look of the game is somewhere between Tron and the Lawnmower Man.  Your enemies are blocky geometric creations, and while their poly-counts may not be that high, they are distinct and visually interesting.  The environments, on the other hand, are pure techno-craziness, with tons of transparencies, pulsating lights and vector effects that make you feel as if you’re traveling through the nervous system of some massive computer network.  In motion, the game is truly a sight to behold, as it doesn’t really resemble any other game out there. 

In addition to the HD remix, the download also includes the original version of the game, which is kind of useless except as a comparison to the new visuals.  Other than that, you've got your standard mode, a tutorial, score attack mode and "Travelling" mode, allowing you to play through the game without the risk of dying.  All in all, it's not a whole lot of content, seeing how the game is only five levels, but the patterned enemies and scoring system lend themselves well to repeated playthroughs to get that perfect score.

At 800 Microsoft Points, Rez is an absolute steal, and this HD remix is best way to experience one of the industry’s most unique games.  I highly recommend it for any gamer looking for something a little different than standard shooters.

Read Full Review Veggie Jackson Wed, 30 January 2008 03:38PM 3 Comments