Review: Rez HD (XBLA)
Tetsuya Mizuguchi's creations are transcendent. No other game developer has shown such an awareness of what makes games engaging on a base level. He creates whole experiences, such as Lumines, Every Extend Extreme and Rez that tap into a very primal part of our brains. Playing these games gets you into a trance as the sights, sounds and motions (the vibration of the controller and the pressing of the buttons) synchronize. I never had a chance to check out Rez when it was first released for the Dreamcast, and then I only recently picked up the PS2 version. I had heard people talk about the game for quite some time, most notably Gabe from Penny Arcade who used to obsess over the game in various news posts. Rez HD was my first time experiencing this particular world, and I have to say it's pretty crazy amazing.
There are only a few games that I have played in my lifetime that I can say are perfect gaming experiences. It's remarkable to me that out of those few games, most are created by Q? Entertainment. The feeling you get when you experience Rez HD is that of a futuristic Star Fox, but perfected. The gameplay is fairly simple, you move your reticule over enemies and it targets them. Release the button to fire. Stack targets for combo points. What is amazing is the translation of this simple on-rails shooter to complete sensory experience. Your shots fired sync in time to the music, which is synced in time to the vibration of your controller which is synced in time to the vibration of the other controllers surrounding you. That's right, you can use your additional 360 controllers to act as the "Trance vibrator". I found placing controllers behind my back and neck were ideal, helping me focus deeper on the game play experience.
The music is incredible. I could imagine a party being deejayed by someone playing Rez HD on a big projection screen, the music pumping loudly in time. In fact, out of everyone I have shown the game, no one has balked at watching me play. It's a fascinating game to sit and watch and contemplate. There's so much beauty going on all at once, it's difficult to keep track of what is going on at any given time. After about an hour of silence and watching me play, Qais said softly "I love video games". Any game that gets you to reaffirm your love of the medium is completely worthwhile. I am excited to see how else Mizuguchi is going to enrich our gaming experiences in the future.
Score: 5/5 An essential game that will reaffirm your love of the medium. A true work of art.
What say you?!