Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner epitomizes almost everything a sequel should be insofar as it improves upon its predecessor in every conceivable manner--and there was a lot to improve upon. The original Zone of the Enders was heavily criticized for its whiny protagonist, self-indulgent storyline about killing and war, and its gameplay, which ultimately fell short of delivering the epic anime-style mech battles that the game was so obviously inspired by. Conversely, that's one of many things, and probably the most important thing, The 2nd Runner does so well. The majority of the battles in the game are fast-paced and hectic, almost to the extent that it can be a little overwhelming at times. But thanks to its excellent controls and sheer depth, the combat system will ultimately be one of the reasons this game will keep drawing you back in even after you complete the single-player campaign.

Jehuty returns in Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner.

Of course, The 2nd Runner does more than successfully convey the feel of anime-style robot combat, which its predecessor somewhat failed in accomplishing. The game also tries to deliver a story that's a little more palatable, with fewer lessons on the grim reality of war--though, it's certainly worth pointing out that the story in The 2nd Runner is just as pervasive as, if not more pervasive than, the story in the original. For the most part it seems successful in accomplishing its goal of having a more interesting storyline: The new lead character is Dingo Egret, an expert pilot who has mysteriously exiled himself to mining duties on one of Jupiter's many moons. Soon after his arrival, he and his miner companions come under attack by the imperialistic Bahram forces. During the scuffle, Dingo stumbles into a large storage unit that contains the orbital frame Jehuty, the very same giant robot from the original game, which he then climbs into in order to fight off the Bahram onslaught.

Dingo is a hardened veteran who doesn't have quite the problem with killing that Leo Stenbuck had in the original Zone of the Enders, but there are times when a sense of moral obligation starts to creep into the storyline and Dingo goes from being an indifferent rebellious type to being an individual who cares about all creatures great and small or even inanimate. The secondary characters in The 2nd Runner, which include an older Leo Stenbuck who is now the pilot of the Vic Viper (the ship from Konami's classic Gradius and Life Force shooters), draw out Dingo's sentimental side through disjointed dialogue that at times sounds as though the scriptwriters glued a series of random words together. This doesn't create completely incoherent dialogue, but you can't help but laugh at some of the exchanges that take place between characters.

Within the context of the game, it becomes clear why Dingo can pilot Jehuty without any problems, and for the most part, you should have no problem controlling the powerful orbital frame either, nor should you have any trouble understanding how to use Jehuty's skills in different situations. At first, there's a temptation to just mash buttons and hope for the best. While this strategy works in the beginning, you'll find that Bahram's army quickly adapts to the button-mashing technique, forcing you to try a little harder. Even Jehuty's most basic attack, melee energy sword, does damage with every slice, and it can also knock enemies into different directions or even into walls, depending on the button pressed at the end of the combination. This causes additional damage to the enemy, and it also gives you a little more breathing room.

Dingo is not quite as whiny as Leo from the original game.

There are dozens of times when you don't have to fight an enemy at close range. Most of the Bahram ships on the lower end of the spectrum don't really have any defensive capabilities and therefore can be destroyed with energy missiles. This missile system functions similarly to the one seen in the Panzer Dragoon series: You simply hold down a button to lock on to multiple enemies on the screen and then let go of the button to release a deluge of destruction. These missiles can do quite a bit of damage on stronger enemies as well, provided they don't have their shields up, but even then, a missile attack can be used to set up yet another type of attack. Jehuty possesses an additional projectile skill that enables it to charge up a massive ball of energy and launch it at enemies. Unfortunately, this particular attack is only really useful when you have the element of surprise, otherwise the charging element leaves Jehuty susceptible to attack when used in a close-quarters battle.

An enemy can raise its shields to become impervious to most forms of projectiles, but at the same time, it can't maneuver very well with its shields up, which gives Jehuty a chance to come in and grab the enemy without being damaged. Once it's in Jehuty's grasp, an enemy can be flailed around and used as a weapon against additional enemies nearby, or you can even use the enemy as a projectile by spinning it around and tossing it at a specific target. This particular ability is useful, and it's quite cool to see enemies go flying through a structure, which comes crumbling down on top of them. The ability to grab objects in the environment also comes into play later in the game when you have to use sheets of metal and enormous metal pylons to defeat certain boss characters or to progress past a specific part of the level.