+fast-paced, engaging combat with intuitive controls, plenty of unlockable weapons, and combos
+solid turn of the millennium dark mecha story, with great mecha designs by kojipro veteran Yoji Shinkawa
+map is completely open and every area is can be visited again. many areas have optional missions and hidden collectables as well
+good mix of boss fights between gigantic mechas and dogfights with other mechs
+great scenario design, with more than just straightforward hack and slash challenges ahead of you. there's a bomb defusal section, a sniper section, your mech gets corrupted and limits your moveset, among other objectives
+the OP rules, tho sadly it's the in-game CGI cinematics instead of a 2d animated video like is in the HD collection boot-up
+the fog is a little heavy but otherwise the environment design is top-notch, astonishing for an early '01 ps2 game, and emblematic of kojipro's technical prowess
+a very nonintrusive leveling system is in play as well, making your mech feel very powerful by the late game even if you miss certain hidden powerups
-camera control has not aged well... it snaps behind you every time you release the left stick, with very little control on the right stick. the dynamic battle camera rocks though
-the hd remake of this game was a little rough, with some noticeable frame drops in boss fights towards the latter half of the game
-the rescue missions are very easy to screw up, as any civilian deaths can drop your rank tremendously, and each mission can only be attempted once per playthrough. considering how imprecise the combat is, it's easy to cause collateral damage, or for enemies out of your control to cause collateral damage
-speaking of which, there's an early-game boss battle that takes place in an area that later has a rescue mission, and any building damage he causes will affect your mission rank later on...
-the ending is abrupt, making the game feel almost like a side story in its own mythos
-too short!! excusable because it's such an early ps2 title (and probably was on a shoestring budget with a tiny team) but 5 hours is a little slim
-a couple of objectives are difficult to find, aka the padding is a little too obvious
a lot of my minuses here are nitpicks, as this really is an enjoyable game and an interesting early mecha game where speed and fluidity reign supreme in combat. sadly it was not ported to ps4 like 2nd runner was, but it's incredibly cheap on both ps2 and in the ps3 hd collection, and more than worth it.
+solid turn of the millennium dark mecha story, with great mecha designs by kojipro veteran Yoji Shinkawa
+map is completely open and every area is can be visited again. many areas have optional missions and hidden collectables as well
+good mix of boss fights between gigantic mechas and dogfights with other mechs
+great scenario design, with more than just straightforward hack and slash challenges ahead of you. there's a bomb defusal section, a sniper section, your mech gets corrupted and limits your moveset, among other objectives
+the OP rules, tho sadly it's the in-game CGI cinematics instead of a 2d animated video like is in the HD collection boot-up
+the fog is a little heavy but otherwise the environment design is top-notch, astonishing for an early '01 ps2 game, and emblematic of kojipro's technical prowess
+a very nonintrusive leveling system is in play as well, making your mech feel very powerful by the late game even if you miss certain hidden powerups
-camera control has not aged well... it snaps behind you every time you release the left stick, with very little control on the right stick. the dynamic battle camera rocks though
-the hd remake of this game was a little rough, with some noticeable frame drops in boss fights towards the latter half of the game
-the rescue missions are very easy to screw up, as any civilian deaths can drop your rank tremendously, and each mission can only be attempted once per playthrough. considering how imprecise the combat is, it's easy to cause collateral damage, or for enemies out of your control to cause collateral damage
-speaking of which, there's an early-game boss battle that takes place in an area that later has a rescue mission, and any building damage he causes will affect your mission rank later on...
-the ending is abrupt, making the game feel almost like a side story in its own mythos
-too short!! excusable because it's such an early ps2 title (and probably was on a shoestring budget with a tiny team) but 5 hours is a little slim
-a couple of objectives are difficult to find, aka the padding is a little too obvious
a lot of my minuses here are nitpicks, as this really is an enjoyable game and an interesting early mecha game where speed and fluidity reign supreme in combat. sadly it was not ported to ps4 like 2nd runner was, but it's incredibly cheap on both ps2 and in the ps3 hd collection, and more than worth it.