Rez

From Sega Retro

For the Xbox 360 game, see Rez HD.

n/a

  • Sega Dreamcast
  • Sony PlayStation 2
    NTSC-J

Rez title.png

Rez PS2 JP SSTitle.png

Rez
System(s): Sega Dreamcast, PlayStation 2
Publisher: Sega
Developer:
Distributor:
Sony PlayStation 2
Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (Europe)
Peripherals supported:
Sega Dreamcast
Dreamcast VGA Box, Jump Pack, Visual Memory Unit
Sony PlayStation 2
Trans Vibrator
Genre: Midnight High Shooting (ミッドナイトハイシューティング)[1][2][3], Shooting[4]

















Number of players: 1
Official in-game languages:
Sega Dreamcast
  • 日本語
  • English
  • Français
  • Deutsch
  • Español
  • Italiano
  • Release Date RRP Code
    Sega Dreamcast
    JP
    ¥6,800 (7,140)6,800e[2] HDR-0178
    Sega Rating: All Ages
    Sega Dreamcast
    EU
    MK-51192-50
    ELSPA: 3+ OK
    Sega Dreamcast
    DE
    MK-51192-50
    USK: 6
    Sega Dreamcast
    ES
    MK-51192-50
    aDeSe: Todos los Publicos
    Sega Dreamcast
    FR
    MK-51192-50
    SELL: Tous Publics
    Sega Dreamcast
    UK
    £29.9929.99[8] MK-51192-50
    ELSPA: 3+ OK
    Sony PlayStation 2
    JP
    ¥6,800 (7,140)6,800 (7,140)[12] SLPM-62101
    Sony PlayStation 2
    JP
    (Special Package)
    ¥8,800 (9,240)8800e[3] SLPM-62100
    Sony PlayStation 2
    JP
    (The Best)
    ¥3,000 (3,150)3,000 (3,150)[13] SLPM-74006
    CERO: Free
    Sony PlayStation 2
    US
    SLUS-20344
    ESRB: Everyone
    Sony PlayStation 2
    EU
    SCES-50501
    ELSPA: 3+ OK
    Sony PlayStation 2
    EU
    (Promo)
    SCES-50501
    Sony PlayStation 2
    DE
    €119.00119.00[11] SCES-50501
    USK: 6
    Sony PlayStation 2
    ES
    SCES-50501
    aDeSe: Todos los Publicos
    Sony PlayStation 2
    FR
    SCES-50501
    SELL: Tous Publics
    Sony PlayStation 2
    UK
    SCES-50501
    ELSPA: 3+ OK
    Sony PlayStation 2
    IT
    SCES-50501
    ELSPA: 3+ OK

    Rez (レズ) is a rail shoot-'em-up video game developed by United Game Artists and initially released by Sega simultaneously for the Sega Dreamcast and PlayStation 2 in 2001. It was conceptualized and produced by Tetsuya Mizuguchi and built by many former members of the disbanded Team Andromeda, the Sega development team behind the Panzer Dragoon series.

    Mizuguchi's company, Q Entertainment, released a high definition version, Rez HD to the Xbox Live Arcade service in 2008.

    Story

    The game is set in futuristic computer "super network" called the K-project where much of the data flow is controlled by an AI named Eden. Eden has become overwhelmed with the amount of knowledge gathered on the network after a virus infects her, causing her to doubt her existence and enter a shutdown sequence, which would create catastrophic problems everywhere should she be able to complete this. The player plays the protagonist virus, Swayzak (the same that infected Eden earlier), invading Eden's mainframe and battling the mainframe's defense systems to reveal the true being at Eden's core.

    The K-Project name and much of the game's visual and synesthesia inspiration comes from the Russian painter Wassily Kandinsky, whose name is mentioned at the very end of the game credits, whereas the Rez name was inspired by the Underworld track of the same name.

    Gameplay

    Rez is a rail shooter in which the player takes control of an onscreen avatar traveling along a predetermined path through the computer network. The player cannot affect his or her movement in any way. The player targets foes by holding a "lock-on" button while moving an aiming reticule over up to 8 enemies. Once the "lock-on" button is released, Swayzak fires shots that home in on each target. Failure to hit an enemy or projectile in time may cause a collision, which reduces Swayzak's current evolution level by one and changes his avatar's form. The game is over if Swayzak is hit while at his lowest possible level. At higher evolution levels, the avatar appears as a humanoid figure, while it appears as a simple sphere at the lowest level.

    Some enemies drop power-up items when destroyed. Two different items enhance Swayzak's avatar by increasing his "evolution bar" by one and three points respectively. Another item enables Swayzak to trigger an "Overdrive", which releases a continuous shower of shots at all enemies on the screen for a short period of time. In some game modes, score bonus items also appear periodically.

    The game consists of five main areas. The first four are divided into ten sub-sections and conclude with a boss battle. The final area contains a larger number of sections and a boss rush, in which the player must fight variations of the bosses from the first four areas. Swayzak then goes on to the network's core to restart Eden in a final boss battle.

    The final area features a variable difficulty scale, depending on the player's performance in the first four areas. According to Sega, this system was employed to make the game more accessible to casual players, while also making it more challenging for experienced players, thus potentially increasing its replay value. In addition, completing all five levels unlocks alternate gameplay modes, color schemes and secret areas.

    Unlike most games, Rez contains almost no sound effects or spoken dialogue. Instead, the game is set to trance music, which plays in the background and gradually evolves as Swayzak moves among sections. The music is enhanced by musical effects (such as trills and drums) generated by the player's actions, enemies and surroundings. Player actions are usually locked to the rhythm of the music, such that shots and hits against enemies occur exactly on each beat (as opposed to occurring in real time). Graphical elements such as the polygons that make up Swayzak's avatar, as well as background elements, also "beat" in time with the music. In reference to these coordinated effects, Sega focused its marketing of Rez primarily on the game's qualities of "synesthesia", the association of different senses and stimuli with one another.

    History

    The game is notable for replacing the typical sound effects found in most rail shooter games with electronic 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 made by ASCII. Although Rez was critically acclaimed, it did not get much commercial attention, particularly in the United States where a Dreamcast port failed to surface. Working titles for the game were K-Project, Project Eden, and Vibes, and before it was given a proper name, The Sound Project[14].

    Versions

    On the Dreamcast, Rez runs at a full 640x480 resolution at 30FPS, while on the PlayStation 2, the game opts for an interlaced mode, doubling its frame rate at the expense of graphical fidelity.

    Both versions have been superseded since the rights moved from Sega; the 2008 Xbox 360 release of Rez HD brought the game up to 720p with a 60FPS target, and the 2016 PlayStation 4 release of Rez Infinite brought the visuals to 4K with virtual reality headset support. A 2017 PC conversion of Infinite supports up to 16K resolutions at higher frame rates, among various other graphical options.

    Production credits

    Main article: Rez/Production credits.

    Magazine articles

    Main article: Rez/Magazine articles.

    Promotional material

    Dreamcast version

    PlayStation 2 version

    PS2PressInformation 2001-09 Rez SCEE Press Release Rez.pdf

    PDF
    SCEE press release
    PS2PressInformation 2001-09 Rez SCEE Press Release Rez.pdf
    Logo-pdf.svg
    Print advert in Electronic Gaming Monthly (US) #151: "February 2002" (2002-01-08)
    Logo-pdf.svg
    Logo-pdf.svg
    Print advert in MAN!AC (DE) #2002-04: "04/2002" (2002-03-06)
    Logo-pdf.svg
    ETD PS2 CZ advert.jpg
    CZ print advert
    ETD PS2 CZ advert.jpg

    Artwork

    Gallery

    Official photographs

    Physical scans

    Dreamcast version

    Sega Retro Average 
    Publication Score Source
    {{{{{icon}}}|L}} Division by zero.
    Based on
    0 review
    Sega Retro Average 
    Publication Version Score
    100% Consoles (FR) PAL
    40
    [15]
    576 Konzol (HU)
    90
    [16]
    Bonus (YU)
    93
    [17]
    Dreamcast Magazine (UK) PAL
    82
    [8]
    Dorimaga (JP) NTSC-J
    90
    [18]
    MAN!AC (DE) PAL
    77
    [19]
    PSX Extreme (PL) NTSC-U
    87
    [20]
    Sega Dreamcast
    80
    Based on
    7 reviews

    Rez

    Dreamcast, JP
    Rez dc jp backcover.jpgNospine-small.pngRez dc jp frontcover.jpg
    Cover
    Rez DC JP Disc.jpg
    Disc
    Rez DC JP Manual.pdf
    Manual
    Dreamcast, EU
    Rez dc eu back cover.jpgRez dc eu front cover.jpg
    Cover
    Rez dc eu disc.jpg
    Disc

    PlayStation 2 version

    Sega Retro Average 
    Publication Score Source
    {{{{{icon}}}|L}} Division by zero.
    Based on
    0 review
    Sega Retro Average 
    Publication Version Score
    100% Consoles (FR) PAL
    40
    [15]
    Consoles + (FR)
    88
    [21]
    Edge (UK)
    90
    [22]
    Electronic Gaming Monthly (US) NTSC-U
    78
    [23]
    GamesMaster (UK) PAL
    64
    [24]
    GMR (US) NTSC-U
    80
    [25]
    Hyper (AU) PAL
    80
    [26]
    MAN!AC (DE) PAL
    77
    [27]
    PlayStation 2 Official Magazine - UK (UK) PAL
    90
    [28]
    Playbox (FR)
    70
    [29]
    Play (DE)
    73
    [30]
    Players (DE) PAL
    81
    [31]
    Play (US) NTSC-U
    80
    [32]
    PlayZone (DE) PAL
    75
    [33]
    PSM2 (UK) PAL
    66
    [34]
    Power Unlimited (NL)
    85
    [35]
    Silicon Mag (US) NTSC-U
    77
    [36]
    Xgen (CZ)
    90
    [37]
    Sony PlayStation 2
    77
    Based on
    18 reviews

    Rez

    PlayStation 2, JP
    Rez PS2 JP Box.jpg
    Cover
    Rez PS2 Disc.jpg
    Disc
    PlayStation 2, JP (Trance Vibrator 同梱版/Special Package)
    Rez PS2 JP Box Back SpecialPackage.jpgNospine.pngRez PS2 JP Box Front SpecialPackage.jpg
    Cover
    PlayStation 2, JP (PS2 the Best)
    Rez PS2 JP Box PS2TheBest.jpg
    Cover
    Rez PS2 JP disc best.jpg
    Disc
    PlayStation 2, US
    Rez ps2 us cover.jpg
    Cover
    Rez PS2 US disc.jpg
    Disc
    Rez PS2 US Manual.pdf
    Manual
    PlayStation 2, EU (Promo)

    Rez PS2 EU promo disc.jpg
    Disc
    PlayStation 2, EU
    Rez ps2 eu cover.jpg
    Cover
    Rez PS2 EU Disc.jpg
    Disc
    PlayStation 2, UK
    Rez PS2 UK Box.jpg
    Cover
    Rez PS2 EU Disc.jpg
    Disc
    PlayStation 2, FR
    Rez PS2 FR cover.jpg
    Cover
    Rez PS2 EU Disc.jpg
    Disc
    PlayStation 2, DE
    Rez PS2 DE cover.jpg
    Cover
    Rez PS2 EU Disc.jpg
    Disc
    PlayStation 2, ES
    Rez PS2 ES cover.jpg
    Cover
    Rez PS2 EU Disc.jpg
    Disc
    PlayStation 2, IT
    Rez PS2 IT Box.jpg
    Cover
    Rez PS2 EU Disc.jpg
    Disc

    Technical information

    Main article: Rez/Technical information.

    ROM dump status

    System Hash Size Build Date Source Comments
    Sega Dreamcast
     ?
    CRC32
    MD5
    SHA-1
    2001-06-01 GD-R Page
    Sega Dreamcast
     ?
    CRC32
    MD5
    SHA-1
    2001-07-30 GD-R Page
    Sony PlayStation 2
     ?
    CRC32 a8d2e814
    MD5 ca4217f3fa0aaf1ce1fa858df4b8c3f2
    SHA-1 9cb874374363bfb54c5338c995575e46dd9d6d39
    230,785,296 CD-ROM (EU) SCES-50501 (V1.03)
    Sony PlayStation 2
    CRC32 d9684381
    MD5 e12971a834314ea440c8723c6bec7aa3
    SHA-1 d2998963c25c6a6b723f9385604f53df3ea017fc
    230,773,536 CD-ROM (JP) SLPM-62101 (V1.01)
    Sony PlayStation 2
     ?
    CRC32 0ba84ce3
    MD5 847cabd84fb8230e4578472de356e935
    SHA-1 328f0db861b39b7c56b793818032a9dd850edb63
    230,773,536 CD-ROM (JP) SLPM-74006 (V1.01)
    Sony PlayStation 2
     ?
    CRC32 76b51326
    MD5 d0f7adbe1245c5d0ec6f68b4d785d845
    SHA-1 f6ac65761e9d8c8c9eb9d3377ff53719557ae346
    230,785,296 CD-ROM (US) SLUS-20344 (V1.01)
    Sony PlayStation 2
     ?
    CRC32
    MD5
    SHA-1
    2001-09-30 CD-R Page

    External links

    References

    1. File:Rez dc jp backcover.jpg
    2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 http://sega.jp/dc/011103/ (Wayback Machine: 2008-01-12 17:27)
    3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 http://sega.jp/ps2/rez/ (Wayback Machine: 2001-12-13 22:57)
    4. https://sega.jp/history/hard/dreamcast/software.html (Wayback Machine: 2020-11-05 15:30)
    5. http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/tg/stores/static/-/videogames/bs-dreamcast/ (Wayback Machine: 2002-02-14 23:45)
    6. http://www.chipsworld.co.uk/detProd.asp?ProductCode=5410 (Wayback Machine: 2002-03-07 08:15)
    7. https://groups.google.com/g/uk.games.video.dreamcast/c/P1nJy9u1Oyo/m/xXixtyrKeAIJ
    8. 8.0 8.1 Dreamcast Magazine, "No. 31" (UK; 2002-01-31), page 20
    9. http://www.amazon.de/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00005RJ9W (Wayback Machine: 2006-06-21 06:12)
    10. http://www.micromania.fr/zooms/?ref=19832 (Wayback Machine: 2002-12-18 15:27)
    11. Play, "12/2001" (DE; 2001-11-21), page 53
    12. 12.0 12.1 http://www.jp.playstation.com/software/title/slpm62101.html (Wayback Machine: 2007-05-14 11:16)
    13. 13.0 13.1 http://www.jp.playstation.com/software/title/slpm74006.html (Wayback Machine: 2006-07-02 02:43)
    14. Next Generation, "September 2001" (US; 2001-08-21), page 37
    15. 15.0 15.1 100% Consoles, "Février 2002" (FR; 200x-xx-xx), page 86
    16. 576 Konzol, "Január 2002" (HU; 2002-xx-xx), page 59
    17. Bonus, "1/2002" (YU; 2002-01-25), page 58
    18. Dorimaga, "2002-18 (2002-10-11)" (JP; 2002-09-27), page 33
    19. MAN!AC, "01/2002" (DE; 2001-12-05), page 71
    20. PSX Extreme, "02/2002" (PL; 2002-0x-xx), page 41
    21. Consoles +, "Janvier 2002" (FR; 200x-xx-xx), page 108
    22. Edge, "Christmas 2001" (UK; 2001-11-29), page 74
    23. Electronic Gaming Monthly, "February 2002" (US; 2002-01-08), page 156
    24. GamesMaster, "January 2002" (UK; 2001-12-20), page 91
    25. GMR, "February 2003" (US; 2003-01-07), page 93
    26. Hyper, "February 2002" (AU; 2002-01-02), page 75
    27. MAN!AC, "02/2002" (DE; 2002-01-02), page 62
    28. PlayStation 2 Official Magazine - UK, "January 2002" (UK; 2001-12-29), page 98
    29. Playbox, "Février 2002" (FR; 200x-xx-xx), page 55
    30. Play, "01/2002" (DE; 2001-12-19), page 108
    31. Players, "2/2002" (DE; 2002-01-02), page 64
    32. Play, "February 2002" (US; 2002-xx-xx), page 59
    33. PlayZone, "02/2002" (DE; 2002-01-02), page 106
    34. PSM2, "January 2002" (UK; 200x-xx-xx), page 65
    35. Power Unlimited, "Jaargang 10, Nummer 3, Maart 2002" (NL; 2002-0x-xx), page 46
    36. Silicon Mag, "February 2002" (US; 2002-0x-xx), page 24
    37. Xgen, "Únor 2002" (CZ; 2002-0x-xx), page 30


    Rez

    Rez title.png

    Main page | Comparisons | Credits | Development | Magazine articles | Video coverage | Reception | Bootlegs


    Sega Dreamcast
    Prototypes: 2001-06-01 | 07-30

    Sony PlayStation 2
    Prototypes: 2001-09-30