This game deserves to be a cult classic. Its not for everybody, but deserves a look for those needing a refreshing game
Rez has been associated much with the release of the Lumines series, and it shows, but don't expect the puzzle dropping blocks gameplay from the Lumines series. Rez is made by some of the same people that eventually made the Lumines puzzle franchise. Playing Rez, although a different type of game than the puzzle medium, has some roots feel to the visual presentation medium that most are now familiar with Lumines.
Rez is a rail based shooter. To me, the whole genre of "rail shooter" usually means a simplistic uninspired and tired form of gameplay. Rez at its core gameplay is very simple. It is based in a TRON like resemblence to a user infiltrating a computer system. The actual gameplay consist of using one analog stick and two controller buttons for targeting and attacking enemies, but stay with me now that although in my a palsy setup of this game, Rez has taken a simple gameplay design and expands it to an intense and addictive experience. On learning the gameplay concepts of the game: there is a targeting box onscreen. Using the targeting box you hold down X to lock onto "viruses". Letting go of X fires on these viruses and obliterates them. Some viruses take a little longer to lock onto, and also this lock on allows more than one virus to be locked onto at a time. When deleting a full wave of viruses some powerups become available on the playing field. Firing on powerup items and consuming them upgrades your character and increases its firing ability, along with giving you the shooter standard "smartbomb" that fires on all enemies.
This last paragraph alone will still not convince anyone to pick up this game as an exceptional shooter. The gameplay is very simplistic. It has nothing completely new to the shooter genre when concerning gameplay. The one and only not to be missed elements of Rez that one should look at is the cohesive flair of techno style that it offers. All actions are synched to a dance club style beat that is progressively trance like through each mission. Each level's music track is made by a different artist and provides a new and refreshing beat to play the game along with. The visual style combines some of the best feel of any PC music player's visualization, but combines the nuances of ones own gameplay to splash designed effects onto the vis background and changes to the synched soundtrack, and all on this Tron like digitalized feel of a world. The effect is amazing. The eyecandy will keep your eyes popped, and how well you play the game also affects how you progress through each level.
Foremost what makes this a competent game and not just eyecandy is the pacing it provides. Placement of enemies to target hark back to shooters like Starfox. The game's replayablity with unlockable modes allows players to come back to each level to master it. Other special modes that change the visual presentation, or even a mode to just "chill out" are included, so that even in completing the somewhat short main missions, there is still a lot to look forward to.
This game came out (2001) at the end of the tour de force of the rave culture that peaked more at the late 90's. It can fit this genre perfectly. As far as the gaming genre to this day (2007) still offers a unique gameplay style and presentation that does not exist anywhere else. Rez should be picked up by anyone curious, but will not fit all of the gaming demo as an exceptional game. My own personal vote: Play this at least once. Buy it if you can find it or find a friend who has it. It really is an interesting and fun moment in gaming culture that should be experienced.