Rez is a terribly good video game – a synaesthesic shooter from Tetsuya Mizuguchi and United Game Artists, originally released for the Dreamcast and PS2. Donlan has been a fan for years, and he wondered what Ed Nightingale, who loves music games but had never played Rez, would make of it. Ed played the game, and then they had a nice chat.
Chris: Ed! I am so glad you’ve finally played Rez. Before we get into the game, I wondered: do you remember when you first heard about Rez? And going in, what was your conception of it? What did you assume you were about to play?
Ed: I have a vague recollection of a wireframe figure and lots and lots of beats from years ago, which immediately seemed distinctive and something I’d want to play. Sadly I never owned a Dreamcast so it just passed me by. I was expecting something experimental, something mesmerising, something trippy. Now I’ve finally played, it didn’t disappoint.
Chris: Okay, so tell me about it about playing. What were your first impressions of the game, of the opening few levels? Did it work its magic immediately? No – actually, before we get to that: how did you feel when the running man boss started running? Is that still just the biggest RUSH in all of games?