Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance

Breaking from years of tradition, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance largely does away with the stealth mechanics of its heritage and embraces high-speed ultra-violence. It's a novel take on the franchise to be certain, but does it hold up under pressure, or has Platinum Games gone too far?

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Given the troubles that Revengeance had during its early development, with Kojima Productions all but giving up after finding it tough to work the swordplay in as the basis for a Metal Gear game, it’s surprising to see how well Platinum Games have actually done here. There’s very little wrong with Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, and the amount of times that the game will surprise you, amaze you, and make you smile a wry, corner-of-the-mouth style grin is a testament to the continued high quality of the titles that this developer keeps coming up with.

Metal Gear Rising suffers from something I like to call the MGS4 Syndrome. This is where the character models all look fantastic and detailed while the environment looks like complete shit. Besides a few moments (like the Japanese garden) the game just looks pretty bland and uninspired which isn’t that big of a deal since I’m here for the gameplay, not to look at how the background textures look. It’s also pretty damn disheartening at how quickly objects you slice apart disappear; if you’re slicing at a single object for long enough you’ll even see pieces disappearing as you’re still slicing i...

Despite its best efforts, developer Platinum Games sometimes gets in the way of its own pace -- especially for those who aren’t into the franchise. However, Rising’s troubles are rarely enough to derail the incredible momentum of an always-entertaining, action-oriented Metal Gear spinoff. Whether or not you have ever enjoyed Metal Gear, this is a must for anyone who appreciates melee-combat. It’s simple, fast, and clean, with enough supporting content like additional weapons and secrets to encourage a campaign replay – or more, if you find yourself obsessed with the idea of a no-kill run.

Metal Gear Rising is a unique change of pace for the series. While it's far from a perfect game, it's fun hack and slash title with some of the most over-the-top boss battles we've seen in a very long time.

It's remarkable how clearly Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance reflects the sensibilities of both Platinum Games and Kojima Productions.  This truly is a game neither studio could have produced on its own. That said, it's fair to wonder who, exactly, the audience for Revengeance is. Action game junkies are apt to be put off by the verbose, referential weirdness of the experience, while gamers who prize those qualities just might not be able to hang with the more mechanically demanding (read: frustrating) parts of the game. Their loss. Revengeance's dichotomy is a strength, not a defect. Its idiosy...

The Metal Gear games built an army of fans with a combo of stealth and intricate storytelling, but they’ve never been known for pulse-quickening action. Until now. Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance is an awkwardly named spin-off created by the team behind the hack-and-slash favourite Bayonetta, and it promises to bring fast and furious swordplay to the war-torn world of the series.

The amalgamation of Platinum Games action and Hideo Kojima absurdity is realised with Metal Gear Rising: Revengence. The title's high octane, adrenaline-fuelled combat is complemented by a melodramatic narrative involving a band of unique and powerful warriors, fighting for ideals, honour, and the love of war. However, this is not the flawless journey that many were dreaming of, with a handful of caveats detracting from its appeal.

Despite the flaws and interruptions of the story and presentation, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance is a superior title. Platinum Game’s genius for creating thrilling action games and simple to learn, yet difficult to master combat systems is in full effect here. If you’re a fan of the Metal Gear franchise you should consider Revengeance an essential purchase. Otherwise it will depend on your tolerance for cod-philosophy and hilarious(ly bad) voice acting.

Cutting or chopping stuff up is normally quite mundane. A real chore. It's so dull that supermarkets sell pre-sliced fruit and vegetables in bags. Slicing up carrots, apples, potatoes or whatever is pretty boring, but Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance makes chopping fun. Like, really really fun. It's so enjoyable in fact that chances are you'll be constantly distracted by things to slice into tiny little chunks, whether it's an innocuous wooden crate, a perfectly innocent tree or a rusty burnt o...