Zone of the Enders originally released in 2001 for the PlayStation 2. This game is a hybrid of a third-person shooter and a hack 'n' slash. I played the HD version of this game via the PS3 HD Collection two years ago. You play as Leo Steanbuck who pilots an Evange- er an advanced mecha known as Jehuty.
It is the year 2172 and a military service known as BAHRAM has been sent to attack Antilla, a Jupiter colony. Meanwhile, Leo and his friends hear of this and they make way to get to one of the Orbital Frames available. Unfortunately, Leo's friends were all crushed by a falling LEV veichle and BAHRAM's special forces known as Viola and Nohman want the Jehuty for themselves. Guided by the AI A.D.A, Leo sets out to stop BAHRAM and rescue various civilians.
The gameplay is as follows; You are tasked to get rid of any mecha related threat across the map while saving civilians in the process. You can gain experience via killing enemies to gain extra power-ups for the Jehuty to use. Doing badly in the SOS missions can give you the Bad Ending, so make sure to avoid too many E ranks when possible.
The gameplay does take some time to get used to, but it is fun nonetheless. However, the one thing I didn't like about it was those damn SOS missions. These missions can get pretty aggravating for me, trying to manage all of the buildings without massive damage can get a lil too intense. It can get confusing to track out the next mission or at least, what you have to do in that area too.
The game isn't too hard, but some bosses like Viola and even the final fight will give you a hard time if you're not careful. Even some fights with enemies can get a little intense at times.
If there's one thing I will give the game some shit for, it's the characters in the game. ESPECIALLY the main protagonist. Leo is honestly Shinji Ikari but much worse. He's really whiny and constantly complains about how he doesn't wanna kill enemies. The other characters I honestly don't care too much for, though Viola was an interesting villain.
The story in the game isn't very good either. Though it has its moments, the story isn't anything special. I don't remember the music too much but the ending theme Flowing Destiny is a favourite of mine.
Also, the game is very short. I clocked in at less than 6 hours on my 1st run. If you wanted to try out the game, I suggest you get it on the cheap or via the HD collection, as you get more bang for your buck that way.
Overall, Zone of the Enders is a good starting point for the series. Not amazing by any standards but a good foundation to set up for its eventual sequel.