I beat final zone II back in the day- but since I no longer own it can't list it on pcedaiusuken (yeah I always mangle that site's name) as "cleared". 
is it really that bad? It's been a while...
I must say though - some of these top ten lists are completely absurd- imo. I get kicks out of absurdity though so don't consider me a complainer! 
For some random fresh views on Final Zone II, I just recently got the game from ebay (got it yesterday). I bought it purely based on the funny voice acting, and that I liked Commando, and it looked like Commando with Mecha-suits. Now, not counting the cut scenes, which are horrid, don't help the story one bit, but are endlessly entertaining....the game breaks down like this.
Pros
+Decent graphics
+Very fast moving character
+Multiple Character Choices
+Fast action
Now the problem is...
Cons
-Game is amazingly incredibly short (I beat it in 2 hours, only 7 lvls?)
-1 random horrid space shooter level
-Forced to play 2 characters several times and only getting 2 chances to play (imo) the 2 best characters
-NO SHOOTING WHILE MOVING, WTF
-Infuriating "explosive damage" mechanics
-Restrictive level designs
-Very easy once you get used to it
-NO MULTIPLAYER
The few things the game does right, it shoots itself in the god damn foot on. Multiple characters that are (mostly) very different? Hell yes. Too bad were pigeon holed into playing the main character or his wife (who are almost the same) most of the game, and since the game is SO bloody short, there isn't even a chance to correct this. The action is nice and fast, but not being able to run and shoot takes away from the "Commando" experience. I have NEVER played a game of this style that forced me to shoot and move, it wasn't strategic, it was aggravating. Especially considering how many of the other level and enemy unit mechanics play out, particuarily some of the mini-boss routines, it hobbles your character, and thus fun factor, greatly. Plus in the short 7 levels, I can name several times where the game suddenly restricted where I could walk (again, mostly boss battles) forcing me to play a certain way not condusive to feel of the game (or sane strategy)
Again, voice acting/cutscenes aside, this is a game with a ton of potential that did everything it could to cut it's own nuts off, or cripple it's few original fun ideas. The game needed 12-24 levels, maybe a password feature if the levels remained as long as they are. It needed full access to all the characters, co-op mode, shooting while moving, more boss variety, and no random restrictions on your movement capabilities.
I'm not mad I bought it, I got it pretty cheap...but I wouldn't have paid what I did had I known. Final Zone II gets a 4/10, I had fun, but I had to fight for it, and when I finally won my fun, the game was long over.
Ya that can be in the top 10 worst CD's, if for nothing else, the missed opportunities.
Whew...rant over lol
I actually like the music in Final Zone II, and, guess what, I actually like our arch-nemesis, the cyborg doctor (his name escapes me at the moment).... they could have really done something with him.
I won't rant right now, but I REALLY love the songs with the vocals. I used to have the lyrics for the songs and FZII wallpapers on an old website.
I agree with your analysis of the game. I wouldn't mind the brainless level design if the controls / play mechanics weren't so horribly flawed. I do like the "electric whip" weapon that you can swing around (who's the character that has this? Velder?)... but outside of this weapon, there is no fluidity in the game (and I'm being overly generous).
I
like Commando, and it wasn't perfectly executed either (as far as play mechanics are concerned). This puts FZII in its own class of annoying. I'm not going to say that Gunsmoke was the ultimate improvement on Commando, but I think FZII would have benefitted greatly from a competently executed "Gunsmoke"-sort of play mechanic. I think it would have been neat and a tad less generic than what we got.
