I should preface this saying that I do not own VR, and that I don't plan on getting into VR in the near future, so nothing I say here will relate to that feature.

Pros:

- Consistent 60 fps, allowing the game to play the way it was meant to. At least, for me. More on that.
- Looks, sounds (more on that), and plays amazingly. Game is a real treat to the senses.
- "Pro Controls" and "Quick Unlock" settings were genius ideas. Huge QoL improvement with controlling Jehuty, and the pace-killing awkwardness of switching subweapons is gone. (Classic scheme is still there, though.)
- While pretty much fluff, the "Model Viewer", "Cinematic Theater", and "Hangar" bonuses offer some nice casual enjoyment to the game. Plus, there's a funny little easter egg minigame in the Hangar that was a nice touch.
- Everything you enjoyed about Z.O.E. 2 brought back in a fresh new package, done (mostly) well this time. Looking at you, HD Collection.

Cons:
- Odd sound bug in the game making the audio very quiet, and broken in some instances. Can be worked around, but it hampers the enjoyment of experiencing the redesigned sound. Definitely the main priority for a patch.
- Certain resolution settings kill the fps and performance of the game. Not something I'm experiencing, but I see others with the issue in the Community Hub.
- Any controller that isn't a natively detected Dualshock 4 can't use the "Positive/Negative Response" feature for certain dialogue prompts. It's a really minor feature to be bugged, but Dingo lore is important, yo.
- Unable to save after completing the story, instead being auto-saved. Irrelevant for casual players, but hampers speedrunners for getting an accurate file timer for their run.
- Privacy Policy is apparently hit-or-miss bugged for some people, making them unable to play. Be wary.
- Denuvo is a thing. It doesn't really affect me, but it does bother some people, so it deserves mentioning.
- No Japanese VA option, though I don't mind the English dub. Possible cheap money-grab DLC for the future? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I grew up with Zone of the Enders as one of the most influential games to come across my long library over the years, with The 2nd Runner being my absolute favorite. It feels incredible playing it again with not only a fresh, beautiful new look, but the unlocked and consistent 60 fps it deserved to be played as. Plus, now that I'm more savvy with video production and streaming, it feels great making content for a game I want to bring as much attention to as I can.

However, as of this writing, the port needs some work. The sound bug is the most prominent flaw by far, but overall the game runs well, only needing some minor fixes here and there. It shouldn't take much at all to get this port to 100% performance, but this is Konami we're talking about. They don't have a great track record, so I can't say "Everything will be fixed" with full confidence.

The PS4 version apparently has none of these issues outside of the JP dub, so if you want a less worrysome experience, get that version for now. I'll be sticking with the PC version since it allows me to make content for it easier, but if nothing's fixed, I'll likely get the PS4 version for speedrunning purposes.

I should preface this saying that I do not own VR, and that I don't plan on getting into VR in the near future, so nothing I say here will relate to that feature. Pros: - Consistent 60 fps, allowing the game to play the way it was meant to. At least, for me. More on that. - Looks, sounds (more on that), and plays amazingly. Game is a real treat to the senses. - "Pro Controls" and "Quick Unlock" settings were genius ideas. Huge QoL improvement with controlling Jehuty, and the pace-killing awkwardness of switching subweapons is gone. (Classic scheme is still there, though.) - While pretty much fluff, the "Model Viewer", "Cinematic Theater", and "Hangar" bonuses offer some nice casual enjoyment to the game. Plus, there's a funny little easter egg minigame in the Hangar that was a nice touch. - Everything you enjoyed about Z.O.E. 2 brought back in a fresh new package, done (mostly) well this time. Looking at you, HD Collection. Cons: - Odd sound bug in the game making the audio very quiet, and broken in some instances. Can be worked around, but it hampers the enjoyment of experiencing the redesigned sound. Definitely the main priority for a patch. - Certain resolution settings kill the fps and performance of the game. Not something I'm experiencing, but I see others with the issue in the Community Hub. - Any controller that isn't a natively detected Dualshock 4 can't use the "Positive/Negative Response" feature for certain dialogue prompts. It's a really minor feature to be bugged, but Dingo lore is important, yo. - Unable to save after completing the story, instead being auto-saved. Irrelevant for casual players, but hampers speedrunners for getting an accurate file timer for their run. - Privacy Policy is apparently hit-or-miss bugged for some people, making them unable to play. Be wary. - Denuvo is a thing. It doesn't really affect me, but it does bother some people, so it deserves mentioning. - No Japanese VA option, though I don't mind the English dub. Possible cheap money-grab DLC for the future? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I grew up with Zone of the Enders as one of the most influential games to come across my long library over the years, with The 2nd Runner being my absolute favorite. It feels incredible playing it again with not only a fresh, beautiful new look, but the unlocked and consistent 60 fps it deserved to be played as. Plus, now that I'm more savvy with video production and streaming, it feels great making content for a game I want to bring as much attention to as I can. However, as of this writing, the port needs some work. The sound bug is the most prominent flaw by far, but overall the game runs well, only needing some minor fixes here and there. It shouldn't take much at all to get this port to 100% performance, but this is Konami we're talking about. They don't have a great track record, so I can't say "Everything will be fixed" with full confidence. The PS4 version apparently has none of these issues outside of the JP dub, so if you want a less worrysome experience, get that version for now. I'll be sticking with the PC version since it allows me to make content for it easier, but if nothing's fixed, I'll likely get the PS4 version for speedrunning purposes.