Donlevy Reviews Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance!

[Donlevy Note: After a couple-week hiatus, I'm back! *Cue fanfare* Seriously though, I will TRY to keep the Emporium updated as on-schedule as possible. On that note, if anyone reading this has ANY REQUESTS for me to "Review/Overview" (or something else) send them my way! Not that I'm out of ideas, I'm not, but it'd be swell to have some different viewpoints and ideas!]

Revengeance.

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance.

No, it's probably not a word, but it might as well be one now. Revengeance. Oooooh. I love it! The nature of such a word might give you a hint as to what the newest entry in the Metal Gear series is all about. I love me some Metal Gear (like, a LOT), and I think many people are familiar with the Metal Gear Solid line of games popular on the PlayStation systems. A look at the Metal Gear series as a whole will come at some point soon, but for now, know that the series has mostly been known for it's stealth/action gameplay, and it's balls-out and sometimes over-the-top cutscenes and stories. Which is all awesome.

With Rising, however, a distinct change in pace and gameplay makes it stand out from the stealth-heavy aspects of previous Solid games, while still retaining a narrative and also amping up the craziness that made the series what it is. So it's a different beast, but Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance is unique and innovative in it's own way, making itself a fast-paced extravaganza with more than enough content for the price. And it's just so damn fun.

Raiden has come a long way since his humble beginnings in Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. After his psychological mindf**k, followed by his transformation into a cyborg in the fourth game, Guns of the Patriots, Raiden now works for a para-military security company that operates in the aftermath of the events concluded in MGS4. Raiden, real name Jack, is a former child soldier who was so vicious in combat that he was given the nickname of Jack the Ripper for his atrocities.

Haunted by his past, Raiden attempts to keep it in check with his work, but the Ripper soon shows itself after he encounters a rogue military organization involved in terrorism and trafficking. Raiden goes down the rabbit hole to stop them in the name of justice... and revengeance. Oh yeah. Revengeance. The story isn't as, shall we say, in-depth (a nicer way of saying convoluted) as previous Metal Gear games, but it doesn't shy away from the long winded yet analytical philosophy and political ideal extremes that the series is so (in)famously known for.

The Codec returns from previous entries, and you can call up your Maverick associates to save the game, receive combat tips, or to really expand on what's happened post-Patriots. The story's overall pretty decent, with some fair twists and very Metal Gear-esque moments of crazy. It does kind of get a bit full of itself near the end though, and there's kind of an unusual uncertainty in it's thematic commitment of justice, politics, philosophy, etc. when people start changing their mind.

Okay, yes, that last sentence was, ironically, a bit full of itself as well. Just know it works in some ways, and doesn't in others. The characters though, are varied and great. Some are more memorable than others of course, but everyone has their own little quirks, and the translation is quite good. Jetstream Sam, man. This gives the already excellent fights with the bosses a bit more substance and character.

And what fights they are indeed! A stellar and visceral combat system makes not only the bosses, but the entire levels up to them memorable affairs. Revengeance is, to be clear, not like previous Metal Gear games. It's fast-paced, action heavy, and very much over-the-top in it's gameplay. If you're familiar with previous games by the astounding Platinum Games, like MadWorld, Bayonetta, and Vanquish then you may already have a general idea of not only how exaggerated, but also how polished the gameplay is.

The game runs at a mainly consistent 60 frames per second, with slowdown occurring primarily after multiple-piece over-explosions. You'll be running and cutting anything and everything in your path with your High-Frequency Blade almost immediately. As a cyborg-ninja, Raiden is quick, nimble, and powerful. Using the trigger on the controller, Raiden can run under and over obstacles and deflect bullets via the Ninja Run, which is all done automatically. It's a good system that's only problem is in corners and edges. You may fall off an edge or two if you're not careful.

Taking a page from similar combo-centric games like God of War and Devil May Cry, Revengeance utilizes a combo system involving basic light and heavy attacks. Different combinations of light and heavy attack buttons result in varying attacks, and you ramp up a number of hits against the enemy before you yourself is hit by an attack. You also have rudimentary blocking and countering in the form of pressing the light attack button in the direction of the enemies attack at the right time. Unfortunately, it's an imperfect system that is needlessly complicated and frustrating to time right, particularly in boss fights when it's sometimes hard to see what can and can't be blocked.

You have "sub weapons" consisting of rocket launchers, grenades, and the familiar Cardboard Box (a staple of all Metal Gear games) which you may also use, but defeating certain bosses also grant you their signature weapons to use in tandem with your sword. Each of these weapons replaces the normal heavy attack with it's own unique moveset and upgrades, and the result is a great variety of moves and attacks to perform overall.

But by and large the most unique feature of the combat is what's called "Blade Mode," a feature that, when activated, allows you to, with the right thumbstick on the controller, manually cut up and dismember any object or cyborg that is vulnerable. Blade Mode serves a purpose other than brutally severing a robot's head, however. Every enemy has a small, red hit box that when sliced through reveals the enemies robotic membrane of electronics and artificial fluid...or, you know, a cyborg spine. Taking this heals Raiden, recovers his fuel gauge (which allows him to perform Blade Mode) and adds to his score, in the form of BP (which is used to purchase upgrades). Combat is ultimately excellent and engaging, despite the annoying blocking, and a multitude of weapons and attacks keep combat fresh and exciting.

Also something to mention: the soundtrack is killer. Heavy rock with a hint of metal, and it sounds great in the context of the game. It's sort of dynamic in how it plays during fights, particularly with the bosses, and it really pumps you up for the fights, which in the case of the bosses, require a good amount of dexterity and patience. Thus, the music is actually a clever way of keeping you invested in a fight if you're stuck or unsure of what to do.

There's also an underplayed stealth-component to Revengeance that hearkens back to previous entries, which works by having Raiden quickly and silently take out any enemy as long as you haven't been spotted. These parts are entirely optional, but they feel fun and rewarding to complete properly, even though they also contribute to the sometimes uneven pace of the levels.

The main story missions take place in different parts of the world offering a variety of locations to feature the levels, themselves ranging in length from single boss fights, to city treks. The longer missions unfortunately suffer from rough patches of pace and flow in the progression. It's mostly a linear game in this regard; you have a set area of which you may find some hidden power-ups or whatnot, and then you proceed through a corridor or room and sometimes are unable to turn back. This is fine in itself, since combat is used to junction the sections, but the longer levels can incorporate some frustratingly odd gimmicks or side-events that put a damper on the flow, and hurt further replays of the level.

Saving civilians is optional, but the process to due so can bog down the game when you're constantly restarting the area because of a missed stealth kill, or something silly like a rogue grenade. Further instances actually hinder you either with an unnecessary fight or handicapping of movement (the latter case involving a stealth section). It does need to be said that all in all, these sections are not long individually, and given the rest of the level design, can mostly be overlooked.

What can't be overlooked though are certain egregious difficulty spikes that, on higher difficulties and without most upgrades, are simply infuriating. Do not tell me to "git gud" or some silly nonsense like that. Some sections of the game (*cough* final boss *cough*) are simply just too demanding given the preceding areas. Even with appropriate damage and health upgrades, it can be a nuisance.

But the most heinous of these can be found in the downloadable story missions and the VR Missions. The two DLC missions, which are now free and I still recommend regardless of what I'm about to say, don't have the same method of upgrading the main story utilizes, and as such, can feel overwhelming at times when you are already limited to what you can do. The VR Missions, which are expansive challenges offered to you outside the main game (when you unlock them), can get excruciatingly frustrating since DLC or not, you are heavily limited with what you can do. Perhaps there is a purposeful challenge factor, but there is also just too damn much. I WILL say however, that when (or IF) you complete one of those godforsaken challenges (with a medal), oh you are on top of the freaking world baby.

All that said, the VR Missions along with the DLC and, well, general gameplay, make Revengeance a highly replayable game that continually offers enjoyment even when you complete the story. A normal run of the main missions can take anywhere from 4-6 hours, depending on difficulty, but the game offers repeated runs for not only a score ranking you receive at the end of each mission, but also data storage units and hand chips, among other things, that offer concept art, titles, and stuff of that nature when found. You can get a lot out of this game if you are willing.

Little backstory before I wrap this up: the production of Revengeance was actually fraught with peril from the beginning. Originally known as Metal Gear Solid: Rising way back in 2009 and developed exclusively by Kojima Productions, Rising would have served as an interquel between MGS 2 and MGS 4. Faced with problems working the game around the cutting element, Kojima gave the project to Platinum Games in 2011, and they formulated the game that it is now, while dropping Solid from the name (heh heh) and adding that lovely word Revengeance. I'd say it turned out damn fine.

Revengeance is not the most recent Metal Gear game; it's been out for a little over a year on consoles and was released last January on PC, with the most recent in fact being the prequel to Metal Gear Solid V (called The Phantom Pain, and due out in the future), called Ground Zeroes. But for extended reasons, all of which result in the statement "because I can," I had to share why Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance kicks the ass it does. Time will tell whether or not Revengeance will be as fondly remembered as the other Metal Gear games, but damned if I don't have a say in the matter.

It's fast, fun, ridiculous, action-filled, and packed with content and replayability. And it's gone down in price too, so whether it's Xbox 360, PS3, or PC, Donlevy says you should check it out if you're into Metal Gear games, combo-heavy action games, or just ridiculousness in general.

YAY

• Visceral, fast-paced, and just a lot of fun.
• Crazy over-the-top action with an excellent visual flair.
• Epic boss fights that feel challenging and satisfying.
• Soundtrack really pumps you up. Great sound design.
• Frantic story with some decent twists.
• Cutting mechanic is so cool.
• Highly replayable, with plenty of upgrades, VR Missions, concept art, and other bonuses to unlock.

NAY

• Frustrating blocking/countering system that takes time to get used to.
• Some ridiculous difficulty spikes, particularly in the downloadable story missions, but especially in the VR missions. Feels downright unfair at times.
• Thematic inconsistencies near the end hamper the story.
• Doesn't quite get the pacing right in terms of level progression, where parts of certain levels feel uneven and questionably timed.