Developer: Platinum Games
Publisher: Konami
Platform: PC, PS3, 360
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance – Review
Those of you who longed for Raiden to have his own game, wait no longer, that day has finally come. The Metal Gear universe made way for a spin-off for everyone’s favorite moody hero-to-be. If you’re looking for a game that fits the stealth genre like the others in the franchise, you might be surprised that this title is actually a hack ‘n slash game. Then again, Raiden’s blade was made for some cyborg chopping action.
Story:
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance will revolve around the gloomy Raiden, who appeared in several other Metal Gear games. Sadly the creators expected you to know enough about Raiden to actually decide not to offer you a decent background story. This might be disappointing for those who are new to the Metal Gear universe or those who were hoping for a great story about Raiden’s past. All of this is easily forgotten when the fairly simple, yet likeable storyline evolves over the 8 chapters you will have to guide Raiden through.
Raiden is currently a part of a private security company that is trying to protect all that is right in the world. However it seems that several others like him (cyborgs!) do not share his point of view and rather see the world in chaos. To accomplish this goal they will need a decent army to support them, so they are ‘recruiting’ children to serve as their cyborg army. (After a decent brainwashing session and a brain transplant that is.)
Not only will the game revolve around Raiden’s quest to get back the missing children’s brains, but you will get to see his dark side pop up once in a while. A dark side Raiden expected to be further away.
Graphics:
We all know the new generation of consoles are on the way and it shows in the current big releases. The developers are trying to make the current consoles run at full potential and Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance is a great example of this. During the playthrough we get treated to plenty great looking enemies, characters and environments. Admittedly some of the environments may look a bit empty, but the fact that you can destroy most of the items in it will put your focus on those.
Sound:
During your playthrough you will get treated to plenty of dialogues who are in that typical Metal Gear atmosphere. (Meaning they make no sense from time to time.) Plenty of references to other franchises or popular series will be made throughout the game which will only add up to the likeability of the game. Same goes for the voice acting which is done in a superb way.
The soundtrack of the game has a track list that simply keeps you coming back for more. Music wise Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance will keep you pumped up and will motivate you to go from one battle to another. (Screw playing stealthy!)
Gameplay:
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance is a Hack ‘n Slash game and it will immediately feel like one. The basic controls for combat are quite simple and easy to get accustomed to. This will mean ,for those who are fan of the previous Metal Gear titles, stealth is pretty much out of the picture for the most part of the game. This does not mean the creators didn’t have several original concepts/ideas in store for this title.
Unlike most games of the hack ‘n slash genre Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance works with a blocking/counter system instead of being able to use a simple dodge. An original and fun idea but the learning curve may cause a decent amount of frustration from time to time. As in a lot of fighting games you will need to time when to block and when to counter. This pretty much means you will get beaten and smacked around a lot when trying to master the blocking mechanic. After getting the hang of it, it will feel like a fun system, except at boss battles. During boss battles you will encounter a decent amount of ‘unblockable’ attacks that will be annoying to counter or dodge, seeing the game doesn’t really have a dodge system. Overall practice makes perfect, and believe me, you will need to practice.
Another original concept MGR adds to the equation is the ‘blade mode’ in which you can switch from the fluent hack ‘n slash action to a first person sword wielding mode. (As lack of a better description.) The game mechanics rely a lot on using the so called blade mode to finish of several bosses, stronger enemies or obstacles. Again a very amusing concept to mess around with but before you actually master it, some bosses might cause annoyance when using the blade mode mechanic. Some bosses require you to cut them at certain spot with pinpoint accuracy and missing will often go together with a penalty causing you to lose health or die. Also keep in mind blade mode consumes energy, thus you will not be able to use it constantly.
In between missions (chapters) you will be able to upgrade Raiden’s abilities, overall stats, weapons and even appearance. Bossfights tend to mean, upon defeating them you will unlock the weapon they use and you will be able to buy it, use it and upgrade it. A fun extra for those who like variation when killing cyborgs. If you’re an explorer like me, you will encounter ‘hidden’ data storages for you to discover and unlock VR missions with.
A playthrough of Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance will only take you around 6 hours which is a pretty common length for a hack ‘n slash game. Sadly it feels a bit short for a game that has such a big fanbase. Luckily if you explored enough during your playthrough you will have unlocked several VR missions. These VR missions are comparable with an extra mode of challenges to keep yourself occupied with, to break several high scores or increase your battle points with which you can unlock upgrades.
There is only one real awful thing that might ruin the flow of your killing spree and that is the camera. The lock-on system feels awkward at best and plenty of times when you access your blade mode the camera directs you towards a target or a place you weren’t even aiming for. Unforgiveable? No. Annoying? Most certainly.
Conclusion:
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance opens up the way for those who wanted to get to know the Metal Gear universe in a different way or even those who never tried one of the earliers games. The game offers a variety of concepts that make this game an original hack ‘n slash title. Along with original concepts there might be slight annoyances, but not that much to ruin the game. (Tip: Don’t start out on higher difficulties if you have problems learning the mechanics of the game – bosses might be very annoying otherwise.)
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance - Review,
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Why would they make a game that is not what MG is all about? I still remember it from PS1 as being a stealth game, this feels like a marketing maneuver, or easy money of some sorts. 🙁
Well the game is quite good – however it is an attempt to involve more people in the Metal Gear universe I reckon. Or an attempt in creating a second series of games that work differently.
Then again how Raiden is portrayed in the game is pretty much a clear cut case to make the game in to a hack ‘n slash.
I may just get this now… xD
Yeah it’s a fun game. 🙂