Rez HD

[miffy495]

It's out. I know this because I refused to sleep tonight until it had gone live. I have to be up for class in 3 hours, but it's worth it because I have now seen the first level of Rez in high definition. While I was waiting, I played the entirety of the latest episode of Sam And Max Season Two. I fear the puzzles are becoming a tad too obscure and are falling into the "Oh, come on!" variety, but that is something for another thread.

Seriously? Throw the slug at the gong and then shoot it to open an interdimensional portal? What the fuck?

In short, if you have an Xbox 360 and anything resembling a sense of wonder or fun, you must buy Rez HD. Immediately. That is all.

[Nick]

The temptation to buy a 360 grows.

[Marek]

3 more hours until Rez HD for me. The wait is horrible.

[Roderick]

I played Rez about a year back, and I know you're gonna kick me for this, but I didn't get it. Perhaps I was doing something wrong, like not lining up the shots properly, or not being doped up.

[Wrestlevania]

The temptation to buy a 360 grows.

Come on in, water's fine.

I played Rez about a year back, and I know you're gonna kick me for this, but I didn't get it.

I can see how someone might not get into it. There's a lot you need to like about it, from the distinctive art style to the very particular music, but I'd give it another shot -- especially as it's been somewhat reworked for the 360.

I'm hoping to pick it up sometime in the near future, as I don't think my Dreamcast will last much longer.

[toblix]

Is this another one of those giraffe games I hate?

[brkl]

It goes much better with heroin.

[Wrestlevania]

Is this another one of those giraffe games I hate?

If you mean, "is this Jeff Minter's latest Tempest rip-off?" No, it most certainly is not.

Take a risk and try it.

[toblix]

If you mean, "is this Jeff Minter's latest Tempest rip-off?" No, it most certainly is not.

Take a risk and try it.

I certainly will. But if I hate it it's your ass.

[eljay]

Just out of curiosity..... do you not remember this toblix?

[Ben]

Rez HD is shiny orgasmic deliciousness wrapped in a sweet aural pastry of awe and wonder. Buy it and play it. RIGHT NOW!

For those who don't know, and will ask a bunch of stupid questions about possibly not getting it or something (stupid because it would be easy enough to discover, not because you don't like it) then here's a run-down of the basics taken from another board:

What is Rez?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rez_HD

Rez, developed under the codename K-Project, is a rail shooter video game released by Sega in Japan in 2001 for the Dreamcast and PlayStation 2, with an European Dreamcast release and United States PlayStation 2 release in 2002. The game was developed by Sega's United Game Artists division, which contained several former members of the disbanded Team Andromeda, the Sega development team behind the Panzer Dragoon series. It was conceptualized and produced by Tetsuya Mizuguchi, when he was still a member of United Game Artists and now being well-known for recent games such as Lumines, Lumines Live! and Meteos. Mizuguchi's company, Q Entertainment, announced at a pre-show for the 2007 Tokyo Game Show that it would be bringing a high definition version of Rez to the Xbox Live Arcade sometime in 2007.[1][2]

The game is notable for replacing the typical sound effects found in most rail shooter games with trance music, with sounds and melodies created by the player as they target and destroy foes in the game, leading to a form of synesthesia, enhanced by an optional Trance Vibrator peripheral. Although Rez was critically acclaimed, it did not get much commercial attention in the United States, partly due to its esoteric gameplay experience.

Trance Vibration Support

http://kotaku.com/341968/rez-hd-will...ance-vibration

A specific peripheral developed when the game was being ported for the PS2, Sega's "Trance Vibrator" peripheral proved a popular item thanks to a particularly notorious blog post. In spite of its infamy in that regard, it did also have a significant impact on how the game felt and was experienced - vibration and feedback is critical to the call and response style game and sound play mechanic. While the 360 version will not have a similarly dedicated peripheral or support the original, the game supports a 'Trance Vibration mode, which allows up to 3 extra 360 controllers to be connected and used as extra rumble packs that can be placed, er... as you see fit.

Xbox.com Splash Information

http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/r/rezhd/

Set in a cyberworld, the legendary fast-paced action-shooter Rez HD, created by Tetsuya Mizuguchi, will provide the ultimate audiovisual experience as the player targets the enemies and hacks the system while creating their own beats. Rez will open 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.

* 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.

Price

http://www.siliconera.com/2008/01/08...e-arcade-soon/

Rez will only cost 800 Microsoft Points ($10). That’s even cheaper than original price of Lumines Live! Before the PlayStation 2 reprint, used copies soared well above the $50 retail price tag on eBay. Prices for a physical copy of Rez will finally bottom out since a much cheaper alternative is entering the marketplace, more specifically the Xbox Live Marketplace.

VIDEOS

Rez HD Level 1

Rez HD Level 2

Rez HD Level 3

Rez HD Level 4

Rez HD Level 5

IMAGES

[Marek]

FYI, Ben has entered the thread.

[Wrestlevania]

I have just topped up on MS Chump Change (via Xbox.com, rather handily) and shall be purchasing Rez HD this very night!

...after T's 1st birthday tea party of course.

And when is Ben going to post something..? I seem to remember he despised Rez, calling it:

...the Video game equivalent of a paddling pool full of festering, diseased elephant diarrhea.

[twmac]

Sent out a message on my friends list (sorry Miffy I should have known you wer etracking this one) urging them to get this.

The 360 I'm on right now is not mine so I'm waiting for the guy to get back from work to coax him into downloading it.

[toblix]

Just out of curiosity..... do you not remember this toblix?

Oh, haha, I thought that whole thing was about Space Giraffe. I'm still planning to do it.

I was kidding - otherwise you would be banned right now.

It's just slated for Q1 2008 at the moment.

Oh shit, better hurry. Living with my parents, getting the whole darkness-loudness thing going has been totally impossible. In a couple of weeks I'll've moved, and then I'll do it, I promise! How long do I have to play before it gets awesome, or is it awesome right from the start? Do I have to do a drug?

[n0wak]

For those who don't know, and will ask a bunch of stupid questions about possibly not getting it or something (stupid because it would be easy enough to discover, not because you don't like it) then here's a run-down of the basics taken from another board:

For a second I thought I mistakenly took a wrong turn at Albuquerque and ended up on Neogaf

And I will so buy this today after work. It'd be nice to have a break from Burnout Paradise and even nicer to give Q Entertainment my money. Seriously. I should setup a direct deposit to their bank account. Everytime they release a game they can just take my money. I won't object.

[Ben]

For a second I thought I mistakenly took a wrong turn at Albuquerque and ended up on Neogaf

Hehe, say what you will about Gaf but they make damn fine official threads.

[miffy495]

Sounds like you think you offended me, Twmac. Far from it, I was merely happy to know more people were following it so closely.

How long do I have to play before it gets awesome, or is it awesome right from the start?

It does get better as it goes. Level 5 is something everyone should experience just because it's the most mind-blowingly weird and awesome thing I've seen in a game. That said, it does start out pretty amazing as well, so if you don't get hooked by the time you're halfway through the first level, it may not be your thing. I'd recommend the demo, but I'm not sure how much it covers as this was a game I didn't need to see the demo to know I had to buy it.

Do I have to do a drug?

Having experienced Rez both sober and after having *ahem* partaken, I have to give my preference to sober here. It might simply be that I smoke pot an average of twice a year and I don't care for it much, but I just felt like being impaired toned down my skill level and made me frustrated with myself. I can see how those who partake regularly would find the game utterly amazing in that state, but as a gamer who got good at the game before trying it as such, it just felt wrong. The game will put you in that state unaided. No drugs required. Playing Rez high was like the time I tried to juggle while drunk. I do not recommend either unless you're very, very good at the activity and are confident you'll get a satisfying result.

[twmac]

Glad you weren't offended Miffy, I have just started to treat LIVE messaging from people I barely know the same way as I treat facebook invites: unless they are interesting/important I find them to be loathsome.

I downloaded the Demo because I can't wait for the full version just now. It represents the game very well indeed. The framerate is sublime (I played a DC version originally and I remember thinking it was awesome but choppy in places) and it works well as a teaser because the game is just starting to get really catchy when it stops.

Whether you like this type of music or not it will have you tapping your feet in time.

I have to wait 6 more hours for the full version.

EDIT:

Eurogamer just creamed themselves:

http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=91540

[Wrestlevania]

Good golly gosh, Rez HD is even better than the original.

I'm finding the game easier to control, foremost, as I wasn't ever capable to getting the higher 'forms' on the Dreamcast. Never played it seriously or for long sessions on the DC, but still -- it just feels more fluid using a 360 stick.

And I managed to finally make it to stage 5, which is something else I never achieved during my Dreamcast dabblings.

If you like video games, you need to buy Rez HD. It's managed to turn my brain into a giddy blob of jolly primordial jelly all over again.

I simply can't find fault with the remake; it's absolutely, delightfully and completely perfect.

[miffy495]

Hear hear. You'd never made it to stage 5? Gasp. I hope you enjoyed yourself thoroughly.

I'm with you on the higher "forms" though. I'd only ever gotten up to the Giga versions of the bosses before. First time playing through the second level, I got to the Tera right away, which promptly kicked my ass. Oh well. Back for another shot. Or, in the case of the higher forms of the player, I'd only ever been laser-buddha once on the PS2. I can see it happening far more frequently on 360.

[Marek]

Rez is great. I first played it around the time it came out but had partly forgotten what it was really like.

While it's not at all necessery to like house or techno music to enjoy Rez I think it does add a little to the experience when you do. During Rez I occasionally get a bit of that good feeling in my stomach that I also feel during the highs and lows of a really good DJ set. But it's impossible to explain what that really is.

In case you are an American who only listens to rock or hiphop: the above has extremely little to do with drugs. Also stop using the word "rave", it sounds retarded.

[Ben]

While it's not at all necessery to like house or techno music to enjoy Rez I think it does add a little to the experience when you do. During Rez I occasionally get a bit of that good feeling in my stomach that I also feel during the highs and lows of a really good DJ set. But it's impossible to explain what that really is.

Know exactly what you mean. The chorus section of Adam Freeland's Fear is a great example of this; it just feels so uplifiting when it drops. (The sample comes from the beginning of the song California Soul by Marlena Shaw btw.)

As is the synth section from Creation (Ken Ishii), which is introduced during the final levels of Area 3 and really kicks in during the boss battle.

[twmac]

Played the full version and had to stop for awhile becuase I don't want to finish it in one go.

I will say that I found it a little easy, but i had been playing Omega 5 for the previous 3 hours so my brain was in some kind of weird zone (I'm training up my reflexes for The Club).

I tend to only listen to rather nasty raggacore, glitch or D'n'B if I'm going to listen to electronic music but I think that the music is such an intrinsic part of Rez that it really doesn't matter if you like that type of music; liking the game makes me like the music, despite the fact that I wouldn't be caught dead listening to it out of the context of Rez.

Going to sit down and play all the way through the game tomorrow.

[Wrestlevania]

Second session tonight and I'm definitely improving:

Managed to survive about 5 waves of the final final boss in area 5 -- that being the female avatar which slowly rebuilds itself with each subsequent wave you destroy.

Which means I managed to get the 'bad' ending:

"She is still trapped inside..." (or similar)

I now have Score Attack mode unlocked, which is very addictive. I've not beaten the top score yet for area 1, but I'm pretty close. As good a reason as any to replay the stages at least!

Having been through it twice now, area 5 is definitely my favourite:

The combination of the music by Adam Freeland and the very distinct 'evolution' aesthetic is brilliant.

Has anyone tried the special effects (under 'Settings & Help') yet? I tried out Bloom right at the end of tonight's session and noticed a couple of things:

1. I was able to spot collectibles more easily, as they shone out more.
2. The boss at the end of the first stage seemed harder; launching twice as many bombs in the initial sphere stage, then growing twice as many arms in its subsequent 'octopus' stage.

Now I'm wondering if each optional visual effect changes the gameplay in its own unique way somehow...

NB: Sorry for all the spoiler tags, but I'd like to preserve as much of this for new people as possible -- anything to make sure Rez HD is as unique and surprising as it can be.