Ratings

Story: 7/10
Design: 8/10
Gameplay: 10/10
Presentation: 8/10
Overall score: 8.3/10

Developer: Platinum Games
Publisher: Konami
Genre: Action
Platform: PS3, Xbox 360, PC
Released: February 19 2013

Let’s be honest, there are still many gamers out there who can’t get behind the hype of the critically acclaimed Metal Gear Solid series. While some find the Japanese games’ narrative to be too convoluted and overly reliant on political conspiracies, others can’t stand the over-the-top plot points that border on downright insane. Of course, there are others still who have difficulty enjoying the MGS trademark stealth/action gameplay.

Well, Metal Gear Solid haters, I have news for you. In Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, Platinum Games have created a supremely fun third person hack-and-slash Metal Gear Solid spinoff which will appeal to anyone who enjoys a melee combat-based videogame. Not only this, but the game offers a strange blend of weirdly amusing humour as well. Yes, this may very well be a MGS game for those who wouldn’t be caught dead playing an MGS game.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a Metal Gear Solid game if the drawn out storyline didn’t leave you scratching your head. You play as Raiden, who as fans will remember, was the main character from Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. Raiden, a former child soldier, is now a cyborg, and wields a deadly Katana blade capable of slicing even the most powerful of robots into dozens of small pieces. Unfortunately, Raiden can’t do the same to other objects in the game, such as concrete buildings, but let’s ignore that as the game’s limitation.

When Revengeance begins, we learn that it has been several years since the events of Metal Gear Solid 4, and The Patriots have been defeated while the Private Military Companies (PMC) have split into many small splinter groups. Raiden is an employee of PMC Maverick Securities. While he’s serving in Africa on security detail, he is attacked by two cyborgs from PMC Desperado Enterprises. Desperado’s goal is to create chaos across the world so that they can profit from the ensuing wars. Here, Raidan is badly damaged and soon his white armour is replaced by a significantly more deadly and upgradable black armour kit. At this point our hero goes after his assailants who have kidnapped the African Prime Minister he was supposed to protect.

During his journey, Raiden faces off countless enemy cyborgs as well as mechs and helicopters. He also partners with a robotic dog. Eventually, Raiden reaches Pakistan, yes Pakistan, where the important peace negotiations are taking place with the United States leader. No, Nawaz Sharif sadly does not make an appearance.

Overall, in terms of quality, the narrative of the game ranges from silly to stupid, but is punctuated by plenty of goofy humour that sometimes pokes fun at the series. If you are a fan of the MGS games, then you may find the exposition-filled dialogue to be interesting, but gamers new to the franchise may be left both confused and bored by the storytelling. Personally, what I liked best about the narrative was Raiden’s personal growth, which although cheesy, kept me hooked.

As explained above, Revengeance is an all-out action game, although it does have its stealthy moments. The game is about cutting enemies with Raidan’s main weapon, his energy blade. One also has access to other weapons such as rocket launchers and others which can be unlocked later, but I consistently found myself employing the blade, because it was such a joy to go all bakra eid on my enemies. That being said, the secondary weapons in the game feel quite underpowered and aren’t as satisfying to use.

Raidan can cut just about any enemy or vehicle with his blade, and has available to him a series of combos, ranging from the simple to the more complex. The melee-based gameplay here is absolutely perfect in terms of balance. Not only can Raidan attack, but he can counter-attack as well, by timing his parry and launching a deadly combo in return. Overall, the core gameplay is highly addictive.

Our favourite psychotic cyborg can also go into a Blade Mode, which can launch a bullet time mode similar to that from Max Payne. Here, Raidan can carefully choreograph his moves to conduct strategic strikes. Of course, to balance the scales, Blade Mode drains Raiden’s energy, which ensures that players use the special mode sparingly. To replenish his energy, Raiden must employ Zandatsu, a technique that allows him to take nourishing pieces from his enemy. Often, when Raiden is cutting his enemy like a butcher and slicing off their limbs, the scenes can be quite grotesque.

Raiden can also Ninja Dash, which is a fun stealth option allowing him to move extremely fast in order to execute enemies stealthily and without warning. Controls are quite easy on the gamepad, and I recommend that any PC gamers playing the game use an Xbox controller, as the game is a bit of a nightmare on the keyboard. The only really frustrating aspect of the gameplay, aside from the relatively short (5-7 hours) campaign, is the game’s buggy camera angle, which can run into a variety of annoying issues. These issues are most prevalent when the action is at its most frantic, and on occasion Raiden seems lost in all that action.

Revengeance is most fun during the entertaining boss battles, which feature a mixture of quick time events and cut scenes. These battles culminate in a finish that is easy to execute, yet highly entertaining regardless. Impressively, some of the bosses are quite huge, which makes their defeat an even more satisfying experience.

In terms of production values, Revengeance features decent sound effects and excellent music. The graphics, while average on the Xbox 360, are somewhat better on the PC, but not breathtaking either. However, it is the compelling gameplay that makes Revengeance stand out. Just like Raiden’s blade, the action is sharp, fast, and a result of excellent workmanship.