S&S Review: Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance

Title: Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
Format: PS3, Xbox 360
Release Date: February 19, 2013
Publisher: Konami
Developer: Platinum Games
Price: $59.99
ESRB Rating: M

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance has been in the works for quite a while now, and we can finally get our hands on it.  Platinum Games gives Raiden his first starring role, as the Metal Gear franchise ditches the stealthy gameplay, for a more fast paced, action heavy experience.  The result being one of the year's best games so far, and an easy front runner for GOTY.

Story and Presentation:
The narrative in Metal Gear Rising manages to be similar to previous Metal Gear games, but it also can be a lot different as well.  Like I said, this is Raiden's first real starring role.  Yes I know that he played a big role in MGS 2, but he shared the spotlight with Solid Snake.  In Revengeance, Raiden's story is a lot more personal this time around.  You learn a lot more about his past, and the emotional baggage he's been carrying along with him for all this time.  This does take place after Metal Gear Solid 4, and the business of Cyborgs and PMC's have died down quite a bit.  This causes a new terrorist cell to rise up, and try and reignite the flames of war.  Raiden is sent in to try and stop them, plain and simple.  Just like any other Metal Gear game, there's a lot of politics that go in.  The difference between Rising and Metal Gear Solid, is that there isn't nearly as much story has in MGS.  Rising features a lot more straightforward storytelling, and not as much exposition and backstories as before.  The outcome is a more focused story, that'll keep you engaged throughout.  The story is backed by a great cast of superbly voiced characters.  The standouts being the bosses, the antagonists have a ton of personality, just like in previous games in the franchise.  MGR: Rising is one of the best looking games I've ever played, it's also one of the most stylish games around.  Lots of fantastic explosions, and slow-motion scenes that'll leave your jaw on the floor on many occasions.  From the purely destructible environments, to the smooth player and enemy models, the game looks pristine in and out.  It's also bolstered by a silky smooth framerate that rarely dips.  It stunning to see these grand action scenes all run so smoothly, and this has become a staple of Platinum Games.  The music is just as good, mixing in rock, with techno, with anything else you can think of.  The soundtrack is a pure thrill ride, just like the game.

Core Gameplay:

Don't let the name fool you, even though Rising features the Metal Gear name, this is far from a stealth game.  Just like any other Platinum Games title, this is a pure action game. There are a few bits of stealth elements in the game, like stealth kills and using cardboard boxes or oil drums to hide in plain sight, but none of it is necessary.  Each mission has you moving from one enemy encounter to the next, and as you finish off the last cyborg or mech, you're given a combat grade.  Each combat grade you earn will go to your overall rank that you'll get at the end of the game.  The combat in the game is fast paced and frenetic, and it's just a lot of fun controlling Raiden.  You have your basic heavy and light attacks, and although there isn't a huge combo list, it's fun to mix and match your button presses and just watch Raiden amaze with his stylish moves.  Maybe one of the biggest draws to the combat is the Blade mode, this ability allows Raiden to slow down time to line up the perfect slash.  This ability will pop up from time to time for those bigger set pieces, but the mode is also used to finish off enemy grunts and bosses.  You can also use it to cut off cyborgs arms and extract their nano machines , which nets you more BP, which the game's in game currency.  You can spend the in game currency on life upgrades, fuel cell upgrades, and weapon enhancements.  It was really hard to find anything I didn't like about the game, but I did find that the camera could go out of whack when the action really ramped up.  It's a minor occurrence, but still noticeable enough to mention.  The game is also surprisingly short, which sent me through loop.  I ran through it twice, once on easy and another on normal.  I beat the game on easy in only three hours, so I would suggest playing through it on normal, which could easily add on a couple more hours.  This is the only real problem I had with the game, I wanted a lot more, and I just didn't get it.  You can play the game again with all the unlocked weapons and costumes, and there's some extra VR missions to run through if you're looking to extend your playing time.

Final Thoughts:
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance is one of the best action games I've played in quite a while, and even with the short length, it doesn't take away any of the fun, and that's what matters.  It's one of the most polished games around, technically and gameplay-wise.  It won't take you very long to finish it, but it's one heck of a thrill ride all the way through.

S&S Rating: 9.5/10

@whatsPlay