Let me start by saying make sure after reading this review you check out the gameplay footage below and that after playing this game I can only hope to one day be as bad ass as Raiden.
Not this guy!
This guy! Or Cyborg…Well I think they prefer the term cyperson. Still on the fence about all that. Anyways, I was lucky enough to get my hands on a copy of Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance before it released and it was an experience like no other.
Im going to throw out a disclaimer here and say that if you don’t approach this game with an open mind you WILL be disappointed. In order for studios to continue to grow they have to branch out and from time to time create new experiences for the fans even if this means stepping away from the old template that has worked for so long. With that being said remember that this game is Metal Gear RISING and not Metal Gear SOLID and you’ll be okay. Whew. Now that we got the awkward part out of the way let’s get to the heart and soul of Rising.
The gameplay is a complete 180 from the previous Metal Gear games. Where those games focused on stealth and moving undetected, this game favors straight up engagement and hand-to-hand combat. Your goal is to get in there and clear out the enemies as quickly as possible. There are some elements of stealth that will award you more points for not being detected or quietly sneaking up from behind and killing someone, but it is easy to recover from being seen by just taking out anyone nearby with a few quick slices here and there. The game has also introduced “blade mode” where the player controls the direction of the blows dealt by Raiden with the left bumper and right stick. While I do see the effect they wanted to achieve I wasn’t completely impressed with the execution of this mode. If you accidentally use the left stick(which happens a lot due to the fast paced nature of the game) then the camera is sent flying into weird angles that you have to adjust for leaving you at a brief disadvantage. Out of all the features my favorite was of course the quick-time events. I’m a sucker for any game that takes those movie elements usually are only lived in a cut scene and makes them playable.
The story in my opinion is one that fans will enjoy. It’s well told, littered with action, and the cut scenes are polished to perfection. A good amount of effort is put into letting you see each characters role in the story and each enemy like any other Metal Gear game is faced with an inner conflict of their own making them somewhat human even if they aren’t.
For those die-hard Metal Gear Solid fans there are things for you to appreciate as well. You the iconic codec sound when getting a call, the sound you hear when someone’s been alerted to your presence, and of course when you die – or so I’ve heard because I never die – there’s the traditional long-winded scream of agony by your teammates. You also get to kick some Metal Gear ass along the way!
All-in-all this game is one that I would recommend checking out. And like always I’m dying to know what you think so keep the comments coming and spoiler free. If you haven’t already click like and follow to your right so we can keep you updated with Rmote Control news. Toodles!
~Ryzng
My gameplay and reactions.