The Metal Gear Solid series is a well-known and well-loved series in the gaming industry. So of course fans were angry when Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance was announced because it diverted from the gameplay style of the Metal Gear Solid games. While I’m all for Metal Gear Solid’s stealth gameplay, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (MGR:R for the rest of the review) supports a totally addicting, complex, but completely rewarding battle system.
It’s fast-paced, challenging and insanely brutal. In MGR:R you take control of Raiden, a cyborg ninja who is working for a Private Military Company or PMC. He is set out to protect a Prime Minister and after a failed mission, a newly restored Raiden sets out for some unfinished business. The main storyline is about taking down a corporation that includes many government officials who are kidnapping orphans and taking their brains so they could be turned into killing machines against their will.
Raiden, who had been involved in similar treatments as a child, wants to stop those responsible. This is the main conflict of the game, but as the game progresses, there are some twists and turns as well as some interesting moments. The story is never dull and actually adds A LOT of social commentary about war, greed, money, power and beliefs in America as well. We’ve seen things like this done before, but it doesn’t take away from the game. I’m more of a fan of Platinum Games than I am of the Metal Gear series.
They brought their Hack and Slash charm over to this series and it’s sensational. Other games they have made include: Madworld, Vanquish, Anarchy Reigns and the amazing Bayonetta. Right off the bat, I knew that this game had to be good, but I didn’t realize how good the game would actually be.
The combat is fluid. There are a few sweet mechanics in the combat
system worth noting. First off, the free slicing mechanic that has been
hyped up since the game’s reveal known as blade mode is executed
wonderfully. On the Xbox 360, by pressing the left trigger, you enter
blade mode which slows everything down allowing the player to target
specific areas and then letting them slice it up. After damaging an
enemy enough, you can use blade mode to sever highlighted body parts.
This will leave enemies limbless and open for finishing blows. While
not always effective in certain battles, it gives you the upper hand
most of the time. Ninja dash is another awesome function. It can be
used in and out of battle. While using ninja dash, Raiden traverses
through the level in super speed.
You can also use it to climb walls, through small spaces and you can
also escape enemy attack with it. In my playthrough, I never realized
how great ninja dash was until I got towards the end of the game. Some
battles would have been a lot easier if I utilized its functions
earlier. AR mode is a mode I hardly used, but it’s similar to detective
mode in Batman: Arkham City. It tells you where to go if lost and it
shows where health items and hidden pathways may be.
There is another mechanic called Zandatsu which is basically a
finishing move. If you are strong enough or after cutting through
enough of your enemy you can extract a core from that enemy which
automatically regenerates your health and fuel meter (Blade Mode Meter).
This is a real life saver on the later missions. The final mechanic is
known as “Ripper Mode” which is the equivalent to Dante’s Devil Trigger
in DMC. When your Blade Mode meter is full, by clicking both sticks,
Raiden becomes the ripper and he can cut through ANYTHING with super
strength.
This game is no walk in the park and for that, you should do the VR
training missions. There are five tutorial missions that will be
unlocked throughout the course of the game and about 20 VR missions that
must be found throughout the story mode. The VR missions in my opinion
are much tougher than the actual storyline, but they also help you
practice for the story missions that will grade you!
The VR missions include clear conditions such as: Eliminate all
enemies within the time limit, eliminate enemies only using Zandatsu and
much more. The benefit of VR missions is that they give you credit to
upgrade Raiden, but they don’t give you that much compared to the story
mode. In story mode, you’re awarded credit for each kill, big combos,
the amount of Zandatsu used per battle and the time it takes to complete
a mission.
Each battle is graded and at the end of the mission, each battle is
averaged together. After each mission, you’re taken to a customization
screen where you can upgrade Raiden’s blade, health, fuel meter, learn
new skills, change his costume and more. Even though you can customize
his health, there are permanent upgrades that must be found hidden
in each level. The plus side is that once you’ve upgraded Raiden, you
can replay missions with the upgrades added in so you can try to beat
your score.
One thing that I have to praise MGR:R for is that it has terrific set
pieces. Some of the most chaotic moments are where the game truly
shines! The boss battles are really good too. The boss characters are
pretty diverse and each provide a very unique experience.
The downside is that each battle basically consists of finding a
pattern and repeating it to defeat the boss. Apart from that, the boss
battles were one of my favorite moments. I compare MGR:R to Ninja
Gaiden because of its insane combat, but I have to say that MGR:R is
more like NInja Gaiden in hyperspeed. It’s a lot faster and crazier.
From a visual standpoint, MGR:R is one of the most beautiful looking
games that I’ve ever seen. The game while being played is displayed in
such great detail that sometimes I actually died because I was taking in
the beauty of the game. The cutscenes are masterfully done as well in
terms of visuals.
We’re in a time period where games are looking better and better.
Just like Far Cry 3 blew many away by its visuals and just like Tomb
Raider seems to be doing, MGR:R proves that visuals can really be
top-notch. Developers can learn a few things from Platinum Games who
clearly cared about making this game look perfect.
A few things bring MGR:R from reaching perfection. First, it’s
pretty tough. I played on Normal, but some of the later battles are
just brutal “I want to throw my controller across the room” battles.
This is coming from someone who beat DMC: Devil May Cry on every
difficulty with a SSS rank on the Nephalim, Son of Sparda and Dante Must
Die difficulties. There is a steep learning curve, but by mastering
the controls, MGR:R is a VERY rewarding game.
The last boss in particular had me start over at least 20 times. The
game is relentless and that’s just on normal. I fear the hard
difficulty and the unlockable Revengeance mode. Another annoying thing
is the camera. I must say that it’s not ALWAYS that bad, but when it
is, it could be your death. Sometimes the camera is more of a killer
than Raiden and the enemies he faces. The BIGGEST problem I have with
the game is not even with anything gameplay related.
My biggest problem is that the game is just way too short. My normal
playthrough only took 4 hours and 30 minutes to complete all eight
missions and two missions only took about 15 minutes altogether. The
game screams replay-ability in terms of the other difficulties, the VR
missions, and collectibles, but the game is just too short. While I
enjoyed it, I just don’t think the game is worth $60 dollars for the
amount of time it takes to beat the game.
MGR:R is a great return to the Metal Gear Universe even though it’s
an entirely different experience. Some fans may not like the changes
made to the series, but as a whole, MGR:R is an outstanding action game
that should be played by gamers. Despite its short campaign length and a
few other technical shortcomings, MGR:R is a welcome addition to the
series. If there ends up being a sequel, I can’t wait to see what else
Platinum Games has up its sleeves.
Positives
- Amazing Combat
- Gorgeous Visuals
- Entertaining Story
Negatives
- Very Short Campaign
- Slightly Annoying Camera
Score 8.5/10
Replay Value: Moderately High
