Nowhere Near the End 'Zone'; 'Dr. Mario's Got the Cure

By AARON CURTISS

May 24, 2001 12 AM PT

aaron.curtiss@latimes.com

Where’s Sherwood Schwartz when you need him? The creator of such classic TV shows as “Gilligan’s Island” and “The Brady Bunch” could have worked wonders with the story of “Zone of the Enders” for Sony PlayStation 2.

It’s not that it’s a bad idea--a cute kid stumbles into hero status by taking the controls of a giant mechanized war machine and saving civilization from destruction. In reality, though, there are about 22 minutes’ worth of interesting stuff spread across several hours of “Zone of the Enders.”

If there’s one thing Schwartz understood, it’s that audiences love it when stories get to the point quickly--which brings this column to its point: “Zone of the Enders” is an interesting and engaging concept wrapped in so many layers of bad drama that it ultimately becomes frustrating and tiring.

The game follows Leo Stenbuck, a kid who watches his pals get slaughtered and then finds himself behind the stick of Jehuty, a giant Gundam-style battle robot that can fly and comes armed to the hilt.

The problem is Leo is a pacifist of sorts who doesn’t like to see people die. Now, there’s nothing wrong with living a peaceful life, but few people buy video games stocked with dueling robots so they can stick daisies in the barrels of their Gatling guns--especially if it means sitting through anime-style cut scenes in which young Leo debates moral dilemmas with Jehuty’s on-board computer, ADA.

In fact, so much of the game gets bogged down in prerecorded dialogue that it’s easy for players to forget just why it is they bought “Zone of the Enders”--aside from the free demo disc for the upcoming “Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty.”

But when “Zone of the Enders” actually lets players play, there’s a lot to like. As a mechanized fighting game, it rocks. Battle arenas are completely three-dimensional, and players command Jehuty to pummel enemies lurking above, below and all around.

Control is super-smooth with PS2’s analog thumbsticks, and the battle sequences are superior. Players have a wide array of weapons--from the Halberd laser sword to the Phalanx machine gun, which varies in firing pattern depending on how hard players press the “O” button.

In combat, Jehuty deploys different tactics close-in from those used from afar. For instance, players can swoop in for grab-and-throw attacks or circle from afar, taking potshots at enemies that get increasingly aggressive and intelligent as the game progresses.

Never does “Zone of the Enders” slow down during intense moments--a testament to PS2’s graphic muscle. Every move Jehuty makes is smooth and silky, which makes it a joy to slink around a battle zone looking for bad guys to engage.

Given all the things “Zone of the Enders” has going for it, it’s a shame that designers didn’t pack a little more play--and a lot less story--into a title that demonstrates all too well how a good game can go bad.

‘Dr. Mario 64’

“Dr. Mario 64” for Nintendo 64 suffers from no such problem and comes as close to a pure play game as there is. Adding friends--as many as four can play at once--makes for even more fun as players scramble to wipe out the game’s multicolored viruses.

The goal of the game is simple. As Dr. Mario tosses colored pills into a medicine bottle, players try to line up the colors next to corresponding viruses. Get enough of the same-colored pills in a row or a column and they will zap adjacent bugs. Put them in the wrong place, and they just sit there clogging up the bottle. Bottle fills before the viruses die, players lose. Pretty simple, eh?

As a single-player game, “Dr. Mario 64” is not quite as addictive as “Tetris.” The tiny step it takes up in complexity makes it less the sort of game that any moron can pick up in 30 seconds. It takes about a minute.

But as a multi-player party game, “Dr. Mario 64” holds its own. Players can send piles of junk into their friends’ bottles as they clear their own, which adds a level of skill and strategy.

Visually, the game is as simple as its concept. But, hey, who needs fancy graphics on a game like this? Intense players won’t even notice the game’s few graphic flourishes--including the animated Dr. Mario or the taunting bugs holding down opposite corners of the screen.

With multiple modes of play adding plenty of replay value, “Dr. Mario 64” is--forgive the obvious pun--just what the doctor ordered.

Aaron Curtiss is editor of Tech Times.

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The Skinny

“Zone of the Enders”

Price: $50

Genre: Fighting adventure

Publisher: Konami

Platform: Sony PlayStation 2

ESRB* rating: Mature

The good: Nice play

The bad: Too many cut scenes