Rez HD review video

2 February 2008

Posted by:Ferry

Rez HD is a brilliant synaesthetic shooter with interactive music from United Game Artists, now available in high res on Xbox Live Arcade courtesy developer HexaDrive and publisher Q Entertainment.

Set in a cyberworld, the legendary fast-paced action-shooter Rez HD, created by Tetsuya Mizuguchi, provides the ultimate audiovisual experience as the player targets the enemies and hacks the system while creating their own beats. Rez opens your senses … let’s go to synaesthesia was the watchword when Rez released in 2001 to become a fan favorite. The dynamic, total integration of visual presentation, sound and player input provides the ultimate audiovisual experience. Old-school vector style graphics, sensory response, and beat synchronization sets the title apart and is recreated in this port for Xbox LIVE Arcade in high-definition and 5.1 surround sound.

Rez consists of five different levels, each with its own unique visual theme and style, musical track and a boss battle at the end. The game also features several different modes and lots of unlockable elements, giving it plenty of replay value. Play through the five areas in regular or Score Attack mode. Go to the Beyond mode and try Direct Assault, Lost Mode, the free play Trance Mission, or take on all the bosses consecutively in Boss Rush. Feel the rhythm: To further enhance the Rez experience, artists including Coldcut, Adam Freeland, Joujouka, Ken Ishii and Keiichi Sugiyama (SEGA’s Wave Master) contributed tracks to the game.

Rez comes to Xbox 360 in HD, see impressions in this video review, and also watch creator Tetsuya Mizuguchi play it while talking about the game.

Click on the bottom-right corner arrow to view it fullscreen.

Rez HD features include:
* Legendary gaming experience: Old-school vector style graphics, sensory response, and beat synchronization sets the title apart and is perfectly recreated in this port for Xbox LIVE Arcade in high-definition and 5.1 surround sound.
* The world of Rez: Rez consists of five different levels, each with its own unique visual theme and style, musical track and a boss battle at the end.
* The game also features several different modes and lots of unlockable elements, giving it plenty of replay value.
* Game modes: Play through the five areas in regular or Score Attack mode. Go to the Beyond mode and try Direct Assault, Lost Mode, the free play Trance Mission, or take on all the bosses consecutively in Boss Rush.
* Feel the rhythm: To further enhance the Rez experience, artists including Coldcut, Adam Freeland, Joujouka, Ken Ishii and Keiichi Sugiyama (SEGA’s Wave Master) contributed tracks to the game.
* New sound and visual effects.
* Full suite of leaderboards and achievements.
* View your play data and others in Replay Theater.
* The return of the trance vibration: an option to select “All Controllers” for all alternate controllers to receive the trance vibration signal from the Xbox 360.

To quote the video review: “Originally released on the Dreamcast in Japan and then on the PS2 in the U.S. in 2002, the original version of Rez was one of the most critically acclaimed games of the time that no one actually played — mainly because it was impossible to find (Sega only trusted it with a criminally small run here), but also because it was so unwelcome in the market then. Five years later, Rez has been rereleased as a downloadable title in full HD, and it’s time for all of us to set things right.

So, is Rez HD even worth it even if you already have the original? Absolutely. The way the game just comes together in this version can’t be stressed enough. In HD, true synaesthesia has been achieved. Rez HD is one of the best games ever made, it costs around $10, and you don’t even need to leave the house to get it. In over a decade of critiquing games I’ve never felt the need to say these words in a review until now: Just buy it.”

Overall — 10