Konami has left quite an impression in the world of gaming with the release of the Metal Gear series. The most impact I felt was actually when Metal Gear Solid was first out for the Playstation. The stealth gameplay, impressive graphics and memorable soundtrack made the game an absolute hit. From that point on, the sequels and additional titles of the series brought further excitement to both the home video game console and portables. Well now comes a new title that just appeared very recently called Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance for both the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360. Will it be able to maintain the same amount of impact and impression that made the previous titles successful?
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance plays out differently from its predecessors. Rather than being a stealth-type of gameplay, you’re actually slicing the heck out of enemies. You play as Raiden who is a cyborg with the skills of the ninja out to fight against a private military company that is terrorizing the cities. Although the controls are easy to get used to, they can feel a bit loose during movement. On top of that, the camera can seem to be quite uncooperative at times. Nonetheless, the combat itself is simple enough to grasp as long as you understand how the different modes work.
First, there is the Ninja Run mode where Raiden can dash, slide and jump across obstacles. At this point, you can still have him perform attacks, which offers a powerful strategy when you combine your defensive approach to this mode. Essentially, you can evade attacks while leaving some damage in the process. Then you have the Blade Mode where time slows down and you’ll be engaging in some massive slicing and dicing. The effects are pretty stunning and impressive during this moment. The fact that you can get Raiden to cut off your enemies’ limbs in slow motion is absolutely stunning and gross. At some point when they take on enough damage, there will be a red target which when you slice through will reveal a glowing blue slice through it to reveal their spine indicated by a glowing blue. Grabbing this will not only put an end to their ordeal, but it will replenish Raiden’s energy and health.
As you progress through the game, the enemies themselves offer enough challenge to keep you busy but not too excessively where you’ll end up pulling your hair out of frustration. A significant portion of Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance lies with the boss fights. Here, the gameplay gets even more exciting as you’ll be dodging major attacks against these massive implements of destruction. The battles are certainly epic and will keep you entertained. Now I must point out that the campaign is rather short since you can complete the game in around 8 hours.
That being said though, the cut-scenes themselves are pretty impressive and could get you glued to the screen with its top-notch presentation. As a matter of fact, the visuals is where Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance excels at. You’ve got the stunning character designs, dynamic special effects from the explosions, and the fluid frame rate for the most part. The audio also gains some heart-throbbing excitement with the aid of some heavy bass sound effects and awesome soundtrack. Furthermore, the voice acting was executed quite well during the cut-scenes.
Besides the main story campaign, you can also engage in various VR missions. In this mode, you’ll take on numerous challenges testing your combat skills to gain rewards. These mission do unlock as you progress through the game. So there’s more of a reason for you to stay hooked to Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance long after you completed the game. As well, the additional costumes and skills you can unlock will keep you captivated to its gameplay.
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance certainly stands out from the previous titles released in the series by Konami. The gameplay takes a different direction from the usual stealth tactical approach. However, there is a lot of action-packed goodness here. Couple that with an impressive visual and audio implementation and you got yourself a worthwhile title for both the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360. Whether you’re a Konami fan or you enjoy a nice session of slice and dice, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance definitely gives a “rise†in excitement.
