Final-Zone 2
Reviewed by Michael LoCascio
To this day, I can't quite understand how NEC managed to
screw up so badly with the Turbografx-16 here in the United
States. With all of the superb titles that were released
over numerous years for the P. C. Engine in Japan, one would
have thought that the TG-16 was bound for success. Well, it
didn't quite turn out that way, and one of the main reasons
was NEC's awful marketing of their revolutionary CD unit.
For some reason, they thought it wise to release a number of
sequels for games that had only been made available in
Japan. You would think that if they were going to charge
$400 for a video game system that they'd at least give
players something that they can relate to in their catalog
of games. Instead, they went ahead and released titles like
Valis II, Cosmic Fantasy 2 (which was primarily a Working
Designs product), and the subject of this review, Final Zone II.
Final Zone II focuses on a group of soldiers who are out to
prevent the apocalyptic plans of a mad scientist from
reaching fruition. The evil doctor Alif Ruman apparently has
it in for one of the members of this fellowship, and desires
to slaughter the good guys just as much as they wish to
thwart his maniacal efforts. Bowie, Franks, Velder, Hanson
and Momoko will have their hands full with Ruman's forces,
but they won't jump into the battle defenseless: each of
them possesses a special type of Power Suit that not only
protects them (to an extent) from enemy fire, but also
places various types of destructive weapons at their disposal.
Final Zone II is an overhead shooter designed along the same
lines as the old classic, Commando. It is a one-player only
contest which consists of seven stages. Like many other
action games that appeared on the Turbo-CD, Final Zone II
contains animated cinemas between stages which serve as
story-telling devices. While there is some plot progression
over the course of the adventure, most of the events that
took place in these cinemas managed to completely elude me.
There are numerous references to the first Final Zone
adventure - or at least I think they're references, because
I often have no idea what the heck these characters are
talking about. If nothing else, NEC could have at least
provided us with a little more background information on
what is actually going on here. As they are, the cinemas
will likely only serve to confuse you.
Of course, the plots in these types of games are usually
irrelevant, and Final Zone II certainly isn't an exception
to the rule. The action is straightforward: advance forward
and blast at anything or anyone that stands between you and
the end of the level. The controls are simple: one button
activates your standard weapon, while the other button
triggers a special weapon that is available to you in
limited quantities. The controls and game play are solid, if uninspired.
I was a bit disappointed with the lack of depth or variety
in Final Zone II. Now, I realize that this is essentially a
'what you see is what you get' genre in general, but Last
Alert (also for the Turbo-CD) showed just how much can be
done with the simple premise of overhead shooting. Instead
of requiring you to complete certain tasks or meet assigned
goals, Final Zone II simply asks that you blast your way
through every level. Even the enemies generally remain the
same from one stage to the next. There is one level in which
you must take command of a helicopter, but the game play
remains exactly the same.
One refreshing element of Final Zone II was the ability to
select from the various members of your party in certain
stages. You are required to use assigned characters in
Stages 1-3, but come Stage Four you'll be given the chance
to choose from two or more of your party members. Each
character possesses different types of standard and special
weapons, and some members have larger life meters than others.
There are two types of power-up icons that occasionally
appear during your journey. Each icon flashes a certain
letter that denotes the way in which it will help you. For
instance, a very common icon is the one that displays the
letter 'B'. Pick up this type of item and you will receive
extra ammunition for your special weapons. However, if you
wait for just a few seconds, the 'B' will change to an
'H'. Grabbing an 'H' icon will restore a portion of your
life meter. Far less common than the 'B' item is the 'P'
icon, which can extend your life meter. Give the 'P' item
a few seconds and it will switch to an 's ', at which point
it can refill your entire life meter.
As far as difficulty is concerned, Final Zone II is a bit
uneven. You'll fly through certain stages only to encounter
bosses that wipe you out in a matter of seconds. On the
other hand, some levels that are extremely difficult feature
boss characters that are surprisingly weak. The stages are
relatively lengthy, but don't expect an epic adventure here.
There is no save feature, so the entire game will have to be
completed in a single sitting. You do have a limitless
amount of continues however, and you'll need them: should
all of your energy be depleted, the game will be over.
Opting to continue will send you all the way back to the
beginning of the level that you were on. This can become
somewhat annoying when you find yourself able to breeze
right through a level, only to be continually defeated by a
nasty boss character.
The graphics in Final Zone II are very simplistic and could
have been done just as well on a HuCard. The locations are
bland and not very colorful, while the same, dull enemies
pop up over and over again. Even the cinema scenes, which
are usually the main attraction for Turbo-CD games, are
extremely disappointing. Most of them only take up a very
small portion of your television screen, and they aren't
very well-drawn to begin with.
The music is generally up-beat and listenable, although it
certainly doesn't push the limits of the Turbo-CD.
Ironically, the one track that does take advantage of the
system's capabilities is by far the worst track in the
entire game. Should you choose to use Momoko in Stage Four,
you will be treated to an awful pop song consisting of
cheesy lyrics such as, 'Like a shooting star, I will be
here if you fall!' Well, it doesn't go exactly like that,
but I'm sure you get the point. Imagine a Britney Spears
song in a Contra game, and you will have some idea of how
ridiculous this nonsense sounds in Final Zone II.
Interestingly enough, the music that plays in each level is
usually determined by what character you choose to use. For
instance, choose Momoko and you will have to listen to that
horrifying pop song. However, if you choose to use Hanson in
that same stage, you will be treated to an entirely
different tune. Whether you're on Stage One or Stage Six, if
you're using Bowie you'll hear his particular track. Stages
Three and Seven seem to be the only levels that play a
specific tune regardless of which character you're using.
While the sound effects in Final Zone II are nothing
special, they certainly get the job done. The only annoying
effects that I noticed were the sound that your helicopter
makes while firing, and the high-pitched noise made by
Velder's saber. Thankfully, you aren't actually required to
use Velder in any of the levels, and he isn't a very good
character anyway.
As tedious and uninspired as it is, somewhere along the way
Final Zone II manages to be an enjoyable video game. The
action will keep you on your toes, and it can be quite fun
to experiment with the five different characters. Still, I'd
recommend Last Alert before this if what you're looking for
is a solid overhead shooting game. If you make it through
Last Alert and you happen to still want more, give Final
Zone II a look.
Overall: 6 out of 10
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