Review

Developed by:Kojima Productions/Platinum Games Published by:Konami Genre(s):
  • Action
  • Hack and Slash
  • Platform:
  • Microsoft
  • PC
  • Sony
  • Cost:$59.99 ESRB Rating:MATURE Players:1 Release date:February 19, 2013 Reviewed on:XBox 360
    8

    Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance

    Ever since this game was announced back in 2009, I’ve been patiently awaiting its release. A game that is from the Metal Gear universe, featureing the cyborg version of Raiden, and includes  an interesting cutting mechanic made quite an impression on me. Years and a new development team later, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance is finally here. Let me “cut” to the chase by saying that this new Metal Gear is definitely worth our time!

    Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (MGRR) picks up the story following the events of MGS4. Three years have passed since the fall of the Patriots, the secret government organization that controlled the world’s economy by instigating and prolonging wars. Peace talks between countries have been successful, and although there are still some international disputes, they are minor. Of course, not everyone is happy with these recent developments. The large Private Military Companies (PMC’s) that were making major profits from the Patriot-supported wars are a thing of the past. Currently, there has been in increase in the presence of small rogue PMC’s equipped with advanced cybernetic technology. Now there is a conflict amongst the few companies that can manufacture and distribute the militarized cyber technology, and with the competitive war-dependent market, the conflict is only growing more severe. Only a small spark is needed to ignite another major war (or wars). It’s a good thing that Raiden has joined a peace-keeping PMC; with Snake seemingly retired, the world is going to need a good soldier.

    Let’s get this out of the way right now; MGRR isn’t like the other Metal Gear games. If you were looking for another stealth-based title with an awesome, yet deeply complicated story, then this isn’t the game for you. The characters aren’t as multidimensional as the ones found in previous games, the story fails at giving decent social commentary despite that being its goal, and the visual creativity of the environments tend to leave something to be desired. That said, if you are a big MG fan like myself, then you won’t want to miss out. Platinum has made a great action title here, one that’s a new take on MG’s conventions.

    Remember those cool action cutscenes from MGS4; the ones that showcased Raiden’s ability to lay waste to everything in his vicinity using only a sword?  Well, this game allows players to actually control the carnage onscreen. Utilizing a well mapped control scheme, gamers can orchestrate brutal combos with ease. Popping an enemy into the air, knocking around two more, amputating a fourth’s arm before slowing time and cutting the still airborne bad guy directly in half is an exhilarating experience. Basically, I really felt like a ninja cyborg; a force to reckon with on the battlefield. That doesn’t mean the bad guys were a push over. It just means that the game does what it’s supposed to do, reinforce the hero’s talents while making the gamer responsible for each and every victory!

    The combat is only outdone by the action packed encounters that arise during the campaign. I mean, you get to fight a Metal Gear Ray during the game’s opening level for crying out loud! And while you don’t quite reach the same scale as Kratos fighting a giant monster or Asura battling planet-sized enemies, the fights are still epic in their own right. One thing that helps in this regard is in the way the game uses quick-timed events. Normally I hate QTE’s; the end result feels like I’m just pausing the action onscreen, like I am not contributing. That’s not the case here. The prompts are more like suggestions then a win or lose ultimatum. Take, for instance, an early fight against a helicopter. This aerial opponent would launch rockets in quick succession after being heavily damaged. At this point, the game lets you know that you can activate what’s called Ninja Run and use it to run up the rockets. If you chose to activate it (done by holding down the Right Trigger), Raiden will use the rockets as stepping stones to reach the copter. The screen will flash to let you know that it’s an opportune time to utilize a certain ability, which usually resulted in an adversary being dispatched in a remarkable way.

    Now to be fair, there are the “press this button before being blown up” types of QTE’s but they aren’t frequent enough to hurt the gameplay. What I thought would hurt the gameplay is the overreliance on this new ‘ZanDatsu’ cut mechanic. The feature allows nearly anything to be cut at any angle at any time during gameplay. Pressing and holding the Left Trigger will activate Blade Mode; time will slow down and the camera will zoom in closer from behind Raiden. Here you can make precision cuts using the Right Analog Stick or make quick horizontal and vertical slices using the X and Y buttons respectively. This element was/is one of the key selling points of the game, so hopefully you can understand my concern. The good news is that it’s more than a mere gimmick that the battle system is built around. For starters, enemies need to sustain a certain amount of damage before Blade Mode becomes really effective. Also, when in use, it constantly drains an energy meter, meaning its use is limited during a fight (unless the meter is refilled via combat). Setting up the right moments to use this ability is half the fun; again, the screen will flash giving you the green light!

    Just when I thought the novelty of cutting things was wherein off, the game started throwing curve balls at me. Like introducing a boss whose body parts can separate at will (he’s basically “uncuttable”). The fight against this cool character was a highlight of the game. Another curve came in the form of unlockable weapons that change up the flow of combat. One weapon is a staff made up of robot arms holding on to one another in a straight line. This long reaching weapon can be spun to rapidly slash enemies at various ranges as well as relax itself to be used like a whip. Another weapon utilizes electric currents to stun enemies and magnetic attraction to propel Raiden toward foes. Then there are the sub-items; over the course of the game, Raiden will get rocket launchers, grenades, even the classic card board box to sneak past enemies. Last but not least, are the light RPG elements. Gaining enough BP (battle points) will allow the purchase of a longer health bar, stronger attacks, and more. All of these things helped to keep the combat interesting throughout the campaign.

    Honestly, despite some cheap enemy tactics, the combat remained fun from the beginning to the end. That’s not to say, however, that the game is perfect. I do have some minor complaints, one being the graphics. I think this is the first time where a game looks better during actual gameplay then it does during a cutscene. For whatever reason, the cutscenes have a grainy look to them with the character and environments losing the level of detail seen during gameplay. There isn’t much keeping me enthralled besides the combat during the campaign as the story isn’t that strong. This meant that the ever changing quality of the visuals made it harder to “believe” what I was seeing. Then there are the boss fights, most of which are great. I don’t think I’ve ever enjoyed the repeat use of a boss character in a game and that holds true here as well. To add to this is the fact that the last boss encounter goes on for way too long. It feels like a lot of padding to extend the title’s length at times.

    None of the aforementioned issues really hurt the game as I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Revengeance. The fights were well crafted, the graphics (excluding cutscenes) were really good, and I never felt like I had to struggle with the controls. The story was weak when stacked up against other Metal Gear arcs but it does give us enough reasons to complete the campaign. Rounding out the experience are collectibles scattered around each level, the return of VR missions, a ranking system that evaluates each fight, and the ability to replay the campaign with all your progress/unlocks saved from the previous game. At the end of the day, I had fun and I’m sure you will too!

    Gameplay:

    8

    While the story may be lacking, the action is spot on. Kudos should be given for the fact that the cutting doesn’t get old!

    Graphics:

    8

    The visuals are great, most of the time!

    Sound:

    8

    Though what was said was melodramatic at times, the voice work was pretty good. The special effects and music were fitting for a title like this.

    What's New:

    9

    The ‘ZanDatsu’ Cut Mechanic is just as cool as it was during E3 back in 09!

    Replay Value:

    7

    The main reason to keep playing is just how fun it is battling cyborgs and giant machines. VR missions and unlockables will also help keep the disc in rotation.

    Final Score:

    8

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