Rez

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JaySevenZero
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Rez

Post by JaySevenZero »

Here's where you can leave your thoughts regarding Rez for possible inclusion in the podcast when it's recorded.
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Alex79
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Re: 303: Rez

Post by Alex79 »

Rez is an incredible video game. It's one of the only games I have purchased multiple times. Firstly for the Dreamcast, which I paid well over the odds for at the time, then later for the Xbox 360 and more recently Rez Infinite on the PS4. It's one of those games which, for me, transcends gaming and becomes more a piece of art. I'll often put it on just to play through area 4, my personal favorite stage, with its relentless thumping techno soundtrack. And the soundtrack itself, it's amazing. It's really adds to the trance like state that I'll find myself in after only a few minutes of play. I do think that without the audio, Rez would be an instantly forgettable on rails shooter, but the way the sound ties all the visuals together, the audio cues when you lock on and release, when you transition between each stage of the level and the way the music drops down before reaching the boss only to kick right back in again - Rez isn't a game, it's an experience, and one I am happy to have over and over and over again.

THREE WORD REVIEW: Synesthetic Techno Masterpiece.
deacon05oc

Re: 303: Rez

Post by deacon05oc »

I remember when I got a PS2. I got 2 games, Metal Gear Solid 2 and Virtua Figher 4, as well as a demo disc. On that disc was a demo for Rez. And believe it or not, I played that demo as much or more than my first 2 game purchases. It was quite the experience. I had played music games like Parappa the Rapper before, but Rez makes you feel like you are music. I eventually got the full game on PS2 and played it quite regularly. I sold the game and at the time did not know of it’s rarity. I was quite disappointed when I thought I could easily acquire this game again and saw that it was being sold for prices I wasn’t willing to pay. Once I got Xbox 360 and it was released digitally I was relieved I could experience Rez again. I put in just as many hours as I did before. I don’t tend to do recommendations but I would for Rez. It’s a fantastic game that hooks you with the very first beat.
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Jobobonobo
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Re: 303: Rez

Post by Jobobonobo »

Rez is a very special game for me. When it was re-released on the Xbox 360, a good friend of mine had recommended it to me and said I should check it out. Unsure, I downloaded the demo and after its basic but memorable first level, I was sold. Its combination of simple wire-frame graphics that evolve in complexity the better you get at the game along with the music changing along with your actions made it the most mesmerizing experience in gaming I have had to date. The graphics are unusual for a Dreamcast era title in that the graphics are absolutely timeless in their aesthetic which helps it age beautifully. The soundtrack is a real belter with each tune engrained into my brain and has helped me appreciate electronica as a genre more fully. The rail shooter gameplay is easy to get into and in later levels, multitasking by shooting multiple enemies at once while quickly shooting down missiles is a skill I am still trying to perfect to this day. Bosses are some of the most fun I had going up against in any game and are a true feast for the eyes at times. The final level of Rez is perfect. A telling of not only the evolution of life on earth but what happens after you die, it is a truly emotional way to end a game with its accompanying track, FEAR by Adam Freeland, being one of the soundtrack’s biggest highlights. While the game only has 5 levels, each level is such fun to play through that Rez is one game I constantly go back to and is definitely an effective counter to the truism in the games industry that bigger always means better. This is an absolute classic and will forever be in my top ten list of favourite games ever.
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Re: Our next podcast recording (20.1.18) - 303: Rez

Post by Simonsloth »

I suspect my feelings towards Rez will make me unpopular but bear with me while I explain. I have always struggled to see why this game is held in high regard by so many people. Whenever playing it I wanted to like it but I just didn’t.

In general I pride myself on my broad tastes in all forms of media be it games, film, music or the written word. Unlike the teenage version of me I rarely dismiss something unless I have experienced it firsthand.

Rez is a game I have experienced over and over again but never liked. I have tried to play it and enter this trance like state that I’ve heard so much about where music, visuals and thumbs become one but all I ended up with was frustration and a creeping sense of boredom.

I don’t know why. I am usually the first advocate of critical darlings and niche titles but for some reasons Rez just never seemed to click.

I bought Rez infinite most recently after the announcement of the cane and rinse playlist for 2018 to give it one last shot. I paid 24.99 for the privilege and thought my VR headset on my PS4 would give it that edge it needed.

It didn’t. I regretted my purchase and felt a little annoyed that I had made such an error. After completing the original Rez for the final time my finger hovered over the x button to delete it. Just as I was about to press it I realised I hadn’t played area x the new mode.

*Click*

This was it. The music. the visual feast. the trance-like state. I finally I had it. My hands and the game became one entity. At that moment I finally understood. It was incredibly emotive and I was sad to see the credits roll. The experience was incomparable and I felt truly euphoric.

I think the reason why Rez is so well loved is that it is quite an intense and personal audiovisual experience. The vanilla Rez personally never felt right but area x felt like it was made just for me. My eyes have opened and I now understand. Thank you.
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fieldy
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Re: Our next podcast recording (20.1.18) - 303: Rez

Post by fieldy »

I am a big fan of most of Mizaguchi’s work but I count Rez among one of my all time favourite games. Picking this up first on PS2 then on XBLA and soon on PS4 as Rez infinite it’s one of the only games that I’ve purchased on multiple platforms.

On paper this game sounded right up my alley - a Japanese on rails shooter/ rhythm game set to a techno/trance soundtrack but Rez is more than the sum of its parts, when played using headphones or VR this game offers an experience unlike any other. Being fully immersed in the visuals and music one can enter that ‘zen’ state and it truly is something wonderful.

The game itself is somewhat short but it has huge replay value both for score attack and for just relaxing - my favourite level is area 3 and as a result I have also become a big Ken Ishii fan but really the soundtrack as a whole is excellent. Every track gives each level its own feel along with the visuals and colours used.

The ‘story’ of Rez merely serves as a justification for it and in my opinion is unnecessary, I think the game would be better served without this but perhaps it wouldn’t then appeal to a wider audience who might not want to play a game without a story. Either way Rez works for me on so many levels and I’ll keep coming back to it again and again.
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