Thursday 30 July 2000
Right now in ZEMITSU Offices, one of the lead reviewers who is specifically focused on reviewing ZAGE games is currently in a discussion with one of his subordinates, the atmosphere calm yet filled with the usual quiet tension of approaching deadlines.
The reviewer's name is Noboru Ishihara, a well-known figure within ZEMITSU for his sharp insights and consistent evaluations, and his subordinate is Yuu Yamada. As usual, Yuu approaches Noboru to confirm their workflow for the month, asking whether they will proceed with reviewing all the games released during this period and prepare their full review report to be published early next month. This routine had become second nature to both of them, yet Yuu's tone still carried a hint of anticipation.
Both Noboru and Yuu are specifically assigned to focus on ZAGE games, a responsibility that carries weight due to the company's reputation for consistently delivering plenty of high-quality titles
"Ishihara-san, what do you think about ZAGE games this month? I know we already gave them a proper review, but still… I really want to hear your personal opinion." Yuu smiled as he spoke, his curiosity clearly visible, his eyes carrying a spark of genuine excitement.
He had always been interested in hearing Noboru Ishihara's thoughts beyond the formal reviews, because within ZEMITSU, Ishihara was widely known not just as a reviewer, but as a truly skilled gamer. His understanding of game mechanics, design, and player experience went far beyond surface-level analysis, making his opinions especially valuable.
Noboru wasn't just good at playing games,he was someone who could dissect them while still enjoying them, and his reviews often reflected that balance. They were insightful, grounded, and consistently well-received among readers. That was exactly why Yuu wanted to hear more, something less formal, something closer to Ishihara's raw, unfiltered thoughts.
Noboru Ishihara smiled faintly as he slowly cleaned his desk, brushing aside the pile of slightly crumpled documents that had accumulated from days of continuous work. His movements were unhurried, almost habitual, as if this small ritual helped him organize his thoughts before speaking. He then took out his cigar, lighting it with a practiced motion before taking a deep puff, the smoke rising lazily into the air.
"My review… well, this month ZAGE released how many games again?" he muttered briefly, as if confirming in his own head. "Total of three main titles, Dino Crisis, Ultraman Fighting Evolution, and Ape Escape, along with one Warcraft 3 expansion, right?"
He leaned slightly back into his chair, exhaling another stream of smoke as his eyes narrowed with focus.
"Well, overall most of them are good, some even pushing things further than expected… but let me break it down properly."
"First, Warcraft 3 Frozen Throne is really good, and also for just 400 yen you can get a whole new campaign, a whole new Dota map, and other ZAGE-made custom maps. Honestly, it's really worth it. The amount of content they packed into this expansion alone already feels like something worth than 400 yen. But still, this is a turning point, because this is the first time ever ZAGE has expanded the content of their game in this way, and that alone makes it significant. It quietly sets a precedent, and because of that, we can expect more like this probably in the future, maybe even larger expansions or continuous content updates."
Yuu nodded, clearly engaged as he listened. "Yes, I love playing Dota, and with Frozen Throne there's a new Dota map. It's filled with plenty of new heroes, new combinations, and different strategies to try. For just 400 yen, which is basically the price of a cheap bowl of ramen, you're getting something you can spend dozens, maybe even hundreds of hours on. Honestly, when you think about it like that, it almost feels unfair in terms of value."
Ishihara chuckled as he puffed his cigar again, the faint glow at its tip flickering subtly as a thin trail of smoke rose into the air. He leaned back slightly, his expression relaxed yet focused as he continued.
"Then there is Ultraman Fighting Evolution. As a fighting game itself, it's not that 'wow', it's relatively standard. The skill ceiling is not particularly high, and the learning curve is simple, which is exactly what you would expect from an IP-based game designed to be approachable. But what truly makes this game stand out isn't just its mechanics, it's the atmosphere it creates."
He tapped the cigar lightly, ash falling into the tray as his eyes narrowed with a hint of nostalgia.
"The way Ultraman fights are portrayed, the weight behind each movement, the impact of every clash, and the sheer number of Ultraman included here… it captures the essence of the series really well. For someone like me who grew up loving Ultraman, that alone carries a lot of value. If you are like me, someone who already loves Ultraman, this game can easily feel like a 10 out of 10 experience."
He paused briefly before continuing, his tone shifting slightly more analytical.
"But if you remove that emotional attachment and look at it purely from a gameplay perspective, then realistically it's closer to a 7 out of 10. It's still fun, still enjoyable, but it doesn't push the genre forward in a major way."
Yuu smiled and leaned forward slightly, clearly eager to respond. "For me personally, it feels like more than that, you know? I mean, sure, the learning curve is simple, but that's not necessarily a bad thing."
He raised his hand slightly as if emphasizing his point.
"This is a new type of arena fighting, right? It's not just another standard format. As a 3D giant battle, you can really feel that the characters on the screen are massive. The sense of scale is there, the movement feels heavy, and even the environment reacts in a way that makes the fights feel larger than life."
Yuu let out a small laugh, clearly enjoying the memory.
"Honestly, when you're playing it, it doesn't feel like you're just controlling a character, it feels like you're controlling something huge. That alone makes it really impressive, even beyond its core mechanics."
Ishihara nodded slowly, taking another puff from his cigar before speaking, his tone carrying a mix of amusement and genuine appreciation. "Yes, you can say that. Anyway, after that game, there is Ape Escape, and this one is clearly trying to be different. I have to applaud that. It doesn't follow the usual structure we often see, and instead it leans into something more playful and experimental."
He let out a small chuckle, as if recalling specific moments.
"It's actually quite funny when you think about it. You are literally tasked with catching these annoying and naughty little apes, and you have a variety of tools available to do it. Nets, gadgets, different approaches depending on the situation. But what makes it interesting is that the apes themselves are not just mindless targets. They are surprisingly smart, not really easy to catch, and they react in ways that force you to adapt."
He leaned slightly forward, resting his arm on the desk.
"Because of that, the gameplay doesn't feel repetitive as quickly as you might expect. Each encounter can feel slightly different depending on how the ape behaves and how you choose to approach it. That kind of dynamic interaction is something we don't see often in video games."
Ishihara exhaled slowly, the smoke drifting upward as he continued.
"Honestly, these kinds of new genres, or at least new interpretations of existing ideas, are really healthy for the game industry. They break monotony, they encourage creativity, and they show that games don't always have to follow a fixed formula to be enjoyable."
Ishihara chuckled softly, shaking his head slightly. "Well, still, it's ZAGE we're talking about. They're always creating something new, always pushing into new genres, that's just how they are."
A faint smile lingered on his face, subtle but genuine, as if he had come to expect nothing less.
"I like it very much. It's fun, it's unique, and it leaves a strong impression. It's the kind of game that stays with you even after you stop playing. I would rate this game an 8.5 out of 10."
Yuu smiled and said, "Hahaha, yeah, Ape Escape is really funny, especially the Zabo-man easter egg in this game. It's that monkey wearing his casual Z-helmet and flying around in a UFO, right? Hahaha."
Ishihara laughed, taking a slow puff from his cigar before continuing, his tone shifting into something more animated. "Yeah, you're right. Then the last one, Dino Crisis… honestly, I don't even know where to begin with this one."
He leaned back slightly, as if recalling his first experience with the game in detail.
"At first, during the first couple of minutes I played, I thought, 'Ah, this is just a Resident Evil clone, but with dinosaurs, maybe?' That was my honest first impression. The structure, the camera, the tension, it all felt familiar. But… I was completely wrong."
He exhaled slowly, a faint grin forming.
"Sure, it shares some DNA with Resident Evil, but at the same time, it's completely different. If Resident Evil can be described as 'Survival Horror', then I would call this 'Panic Horror'. The feeling it gives is fundamentally more intense."
His eyes narrowed slightly as he continued.
"Because unlike zombies, these dinosaur creatures are fast, aggressive, and most importantly, intelligent. I never really thought that raptors would scare me more than any zombie ever could, but they do. And it's not just because of how they look, it's because of how they behave."
He tapped the table lightly for emphasis.
"The enemy AI here is surprisingly advanced. For example, if you're hiding nearby and staying completely still, even if a raptor passes right by you, it might not react. But the moment you make even the slightest movement, it reacts instantly. That kind of responsiveness creates constant tension."
He let out a quiet chuckle.
"And it doesn't stop there. When you shoot them, they don't always just die. Often, they retreat, reposition, or come back later. It gives the feeling that you're not hunting them, they're hunting you."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"Then there's the T-Rex, which feels similar to Mr. X in Resident Evil 2. But this thing… this damn lizard is both powerful and smart. You can't just fight it head-on. Most of the time, you're forced to run, to solve puzzles under pressure, all while it's chasing you. That combination of puzzle-solving and constant threat creates a very strong sense of dread."
Another puff of smoke escaped his lips.
"When ZAGE made Resident Evil, I instantly fell in love with it. Then when Dino Crisis came, I honestly thought they were going to milk the Resident Evil formula, just turning it into a simple clone. For a while, I was actually worried about that direction. But in the end, I worried for nothing."
He let out a quiet breath, his expression calm but certain.
"Yes, Dino Crisis borrows some concepts from Resident Evil, you can clearly see the influence in its structure and presentation. But at its core, it evolves those ideas into something entirely different. It doesn't rely on familiarity, it builds its own identity on top of it. The pacing, the enemy behavior, the constant pressure… everything pushes the experience into something more intense, more unpredictable."
He glanced slightly upward, as if replaying moments in his head.
"It's not just a variation, it feels like a deliberate step forward. Like they understood what worked before, and then asked how to make the player feel even more tension, even more urgency. And the result is something that stands on its own, not under Resident Evil's shadow."
"Honestly, it's really good design. Everything works together to keep you constantly on edge, never letting you feel completely safe. Even in quieter moments, there's always this lingering sense that something could happen at any time."
He gave a faint smile, almost amused.
"I really love this game. It delivers exactly what it sets out to do, and it does it consistently from start to finish. I would rate it a full 10 out of 10, especially because I personally love both horror and dinosaurs."
A faint smirk appeared on his face.
"And there's even a small easter egg, a baby dinosaur wearing a Z-Helmet. Another Zabo-man Reference hahaha. A small detail, but a memorable one."
Yuu let out a small sigh, his shoulders relaxing slightly as he scratched the back of his head. "I know it's a good game, but… I really can't play horror. Even Resident Evil, I can only watch other people play it. Actually controlling it myself is a different story."
He gave an awkward laugh, though there was a hint of genuine discomfort in his expression.
"Not to mention these dinosaurs… they are seriously scary. It's not just the design, it's how they move, how fast they are. It feels too real sometimes. But still…"
He paused briefly, his curiosity surfacing again.
"I'm really curious about how it plays when you go deeper into the game. Like how the tension builds, how the mechanics evolve."
Ishihara chuckled, clearly amused by Yuu's reaction, taking another slow puff from his cigar before answering.
"I didn't realize you were such a coward when it comes to horror, Yamada," Ishihara said with a teasing chuckle, a faint smirk forming as he glanced at him. "But well… you're not alone. A lot of people are like that."
He took another slow puff from his cigar, letting the moment breathe before continuing.
"Thank god there's YouTube now, right? With it, you can just watch other people play instead of putting yourself through that stress. It's actually become quite popular these days, more than people expected at first."
He leaned slightly back, exhaling smoke as he continued, his tone casual but observant.
"There are streamers who play it, and honestly, watching them can be just as entertaining, sometimes even more. You don't just see the game, you see their reactions, their panic, the way they handle unexpected situations, sometimes even their mistakes."
He gave a small shrug.
"In a way, it becomes its own kind of experience. You're not just watching gameplay, you're watching someone go through it in real time, and that adds a different kind of enjoyment."
He paused briefly before adding another thought."
"But because the game is on ZEPS 3, the recording quality might not be as good as on PC. Unlike PC, streaming on ZEPS 3 is still quite limited. They don't really have a built-in streaming feature yet, so most recordings are done through external setups."
He tapped the ash from his cigar.
"So the video quality, the smoothness, it might not be as polished. Still, if you just want to experience the game without playing it yourself, it's more than enough."
Yuu's eyes lit up with excitement, a clear spark of enthusiasm returning to his expression. "Heh! I'll definitely watch it later! But still… ZAGE really is amazing, huh? Their games are consistently good, no matter what they release."
Noboru inhaled his cigar slowly, letting the smoke linger for a moment before exhaling. His gaze drifted slightly, as if reflecting on something beyond just the current discussion.
"At this point, it would actually be strange for ZAGE to miss," he said calmly. "They don't just make good games, they define genres. Every time they release something, it either refines what already exists or creates something entirely new."
He tapped the ash lightly, his tone steady.
"For gamers, honestly, it's a blessing to have a company like ZAGE in this world. It raises the standard for everything else, whether other companies like it or not."
Yuu nodded in agreement, his earlier excitement settling into quiet admiration. "Yeah… you're right, Ishihara-san. When you put it like that, it really does feel like we're lucky ZAGE are among us."
There was a brief silence between them, not awkward, but comfortable, as both of them returned to their thoughts.
Soon after, they continued their work, organizing notes and finalizing details, as the official review from ZEMITSU was scheduled to appear in the next month, August, in Famitsu Magazine. The quiet sound of papers shifting and pens moving filled the room once again, marking the return to their usual routine.
To be continued .
Please give me your power stone and if you want to support me and get minimum 60+ advance chapter and additional 1 chapter a week for 4$ considering subscribe to my patreon patreon.com/Zaborn_1997
Or buymecoffee https://buymeacoffee.com/Zaborn_1997 which same with patreon
current Patreon/buymecoffe chap 1129
Also Join my discord if you want https://discord.gg/jB8x6TUByc