“Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance” takes place in 2018, four years after the events of “Metal Gear Solid: Guns of the Patriots.” Gamers play as the main character Raiden, who was turned into a cyborg prior to the year 2018. He makes his first appearance in “Revengeance” working for a private military company, Maverick Enterprises. For fans of the “Metal Gear” series, Raiden still appears as the dark and ominous hero, with the troubled past. However, some fans will still dislike Raiden.
When Raiden was first spotted, he was turned into a cyborg and wielded a high frequency sword, which is powered by fuel cells. This sword is extremely powerful and can be upgraded throughout the game. Gamers can virtually cut through anything they want, making it somewhat distracting at times because instead of pursuing the mission, they’ll find themselves hacking and slashing a bus into thousands of pieces.
This game, however, is unlike any type of “Metal Gear” game that fans will play. Whereas the objective of “Metal Gear” was to be stealthy and sneak around with Solid Snake, Raiden likes to get up close and personal. Players are no longer hiding behind corners and instead are taking advantage of the VR Mode, which gives them a tactical perspective of the environment. This means running in Ninja Dash, cutting at their desire.
While the game play is fast-paced, always keeping the gamer involved, it does make it a hack-and-slash game. The game was created by Platinum Games, who developed games like “Bayonetta” and “Vanquish.” These games are known for their fast, in-your-face action, which pay extreme detail to the ninja-like feel.
Director Hideo Kojima of Kojima Productions had originally announced this game in 2009, but it was canceled due to the complex controls. Platinum Games took over the development of the game in 2011. In an interview done by Konami, Kojima explains the issues with the game’s original concept. The truth behind “Rising” helps tell gamers the story of how this project came to be.
The angle in which Kojima took with Platinum Games was a smart move because it’s not too complex. Kojima only stayed on as a producer of this game because he wasn’t too involved with the project or the storyline. With failure, though, comes something pristine and polished. Kojima can continue to work on “Metal Gear Solid 5,” which is promising news for fans.
Even though the controls aren’t as complex as they could have been, at times they do feel a bit quirky. Dodging or parrying Desperado Enterprise enemies doesn’t always come easily and can leave Raiden disoriented. This makes for an unhappy thumb stick, as gamers have to violently move it around so he comes back to his senses.
However, Free Blade mode is quite on par, as you move your other thumb stick in different directions. A faint blue line will appear showing you where Raiden will swing his blade. This can make for accurate swipes and hours of entertainment as you can dismember different body parts.
The graphics are quite beautiful, and for a game that moves quite fast, you still can stop and admire the urban streets of Africa. The animations are very smooth, and there is extreme attention to detail when lacerating enemy limbs. Icons will show up during boss fights to let Raiden know he can activate Free Blade mode and start slicing away.
The sound of swinging the sword remains appealing, and the different noises accompanied along with that make it a terrifyingly exciting experience. Whether it’s bullets flying past you, rockets whizzing by or the uneasy sound of Gekkos closing in, combine this with the Japanese rock music and you have an adrenaline pumping experience.
Still keeping to its “Metal Gear” roots, the CODEC is still used, where you can stop gameplay and gather intelligence from your fellow team members. This can be useful during boss fights, as well as obtaining more information about the storyline.
Throughout the game, Raiden will acquire new weapons, upgrades and moves to fit his already qualified arsenal. Combat is rated with a grading system, and the higher the mark, the more BP you will obtain. The more BP you obtain, the more you can purchase these upgrades.
At times, the camera angles can be your enemy, as well as the controls, but the rest of the content makes up for that. While the game can be frustrating, it continues to deliver. If you’re not a fan of hack and slash games, then it’s understandable not to pick this title up, as you will not be missing anything detrimental to the “Metal Gear” series storyline. Yet if you do want to look for something different in the form of style and game play within the “Metal Gear” series, then this title is something to consider.
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sohare@ramapo.edu
