I recently sat down to play and review the newest “Metal Gear” game, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, and I have to say the game is surprisingly fun and addicting. If you are not a fan of the series or are a new comer to the games, here is a little background. Revegeance is the ninth game in the he Metal Gear series, with a plot set four years after the events of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. The story focuses on the cyborg ninja, Raiden, in a fight against a private military company known as Desperado Enterprises.
Concept
The initial concept of the game may sound… contrived BUT the best part is that it knows that is ridiculous and runs with it to give you an epic and beautifully made game. Your character, Raiden, will almost die several times, will cross the globe to foil an incredibly convoluted storyline and fight huge enemies with your robot dog (and no, its name is unfortunately not K-9.)
Arguably the best part of the game is not the story, or the graphics, but rather the innately awesome things you can with your character’s impossibly sharp sword.
If you have an afternoon to kill, Revengeance is a great choice to keep you occupied.
Revengeance is a great standalone game for people who haven’t played the series but still caters to those who are loyal fans to the “Metal Gear” world with cameo’s of previous characters as well as an overtone that is reminiscent of the previous game in the series.
Playability
The gameplay focuses on fighting enemies using a sword and multiple subweapons to perform combos and counterattacks. All the attacks are brutal and amazingly done. My only issue is that there are SO many to learn. Occasionally it would take me several tries to learn the complicated move but the payoff was always worth it. This is both a good and bad thing. Many will see mastering the complicated moves as a challenge, I found myself, however, rage quitting once or twice only to pick the game back up again a few minutes later.
In battle players can parry attacks and counterattack enemies and perform multiple combos. The “Ninja Dash” ability is also very helpful as you leap and bound over obstacles throughout the game. The Zandatsu move is imperative and involves “cutting” through enemies and “taking” parts, energy, ammunition, items, and information from the bodies of dismembered cyborgs and robots. Because Raiden runs on energy, performing this maneuver is often crucial to keep him alive and the game moving. This is a totally bad-ass move though sometimes in the heat of the battle, it was the last thing on my mind even if it was something I needed to do.
The “free slicing” mode is a great addition to the battle system. This mode allows players to precisely slash enemies and objects along a geometrical plane. Another fun aspect is the reconnaissance missions that players have to perform. Some of this requires Raiden to (stealthily) sneak around underneath a cardboard box. I should mention that Bladewolf, Raiden’s machine dog, is adorably amazing.
One of the best parts of the playability is that literally almost anything can be cut by Raiden’s blade. You can cut a car into tiny pieces or use the blade to cut through a fence to get to the next level.
Music/Sound
The soundtrack sets the tone of Revengeance. The high intensity background music to the battles helps keep your adrenalin moving. You instantly know when something is about to go down or when something important is about to happen because the soundtrack perfectly accentuates the moment.
The voice acting is well done and fits the characters well. Occasionally it feels forced between the minor characters. Word of advice? Turn on subtitles. Trust me, there are a lot of characters with hard to understand accents and the subtitles will be a lifesaver.
Replay Value
The replay value of this game is mixed. The storyline is unfortunately short. The campaign only takes roughly 5-10 hours to complete. However, there were several side quests and VR missions that I hadn’t completed by the time I beat the game. I was able to continue the game after I had beat it to complete all the superfluous missions that had been left unplayed.
Overall the replay value is low but even if you do decide to replay the campaign mode, it will only take you an afternoon anyway.
