http://www.1up.com/do/previewPage?cId=3162950We've been pretty excited to check out Rez HD, the high-resolution remake of Tetsuya Mizuguchi's PlayStation 2/Dreamcast music shooter, ever since it was announced last week. Today, we did. Visiting Q Entertainment earlier this evening, the 1UP crew got to play the game and talk with Mizuguchi about the Xbox Live Arcade version coming next year. He was quick to point out that Rez HD is a direct port and nothing's been added -- Miz referred to it as "Rez with no jaggies" -- but we did get a chance to learn some new details about how it's shaping up in a high-definition world.
While the game is simply a direct port of a seven year-old game, it's surprising how the fresh coat of HD paint makes it feel current. Ardent fans of the original -- James Mielke, Ryan O'Donnell, and myself -- were constantly amazed at how areas suddenly appeared very different from the original, mostly because the colors were simply more vibrant than ever before.
Already running at 60 frames-per-second and with no slowdown in sight, Rez HD appears smooth throughout. It's really no surprise the graphics look fantastic, though; several coders responsible for Capcom's Lost Planet left to form HexaDrive, who are heading up the port.
The true test: the gameplay's still great. For the unfamiliar, Rez appears to be a straightforward simple 3D shooter on the surface, but it's the experience that makes it so cool. By shooting elements of the environment, you trigger sound effects that play along with the music, allowing you to supplement the background audio track. The whole Rez concept of synaethesia seems to culminate in level 5's "Fear is a Mind Killer" track from Adam Freeland, ultimately creating one of the greatest experiences in gaming, where the title completely delivers on its promise of the total integration of visuals, sound, and player input. You need to check it out for yourself to truly understand.
The upgraded port isn't quite perfect yet, though. We did notice Rez HD occasionally lagged to load in bits of data and the analog control seemed a bit too loose, but there's no doubt these elements should be completely resolved by the time it releases in 2008. Rez HD will also support 5.1 surround sound, though that wasn't present in the version we saw.
Thankfully, now that Rez's a downloadable title, gamers won't have to worry about not being able to track down a rare copy anymore.
