Whilst taking a departure from the core values of most Metal Gear games, Revengeance is an interesting take on the Raiden character.
Developer: Platinum Games | Publisher: Konami| Genre: Action
PlayStation 3 | Xbox 360 | Windows PC
Offering a generally fun overall experience, Rising stands on its own as an action game with some extremely corny one-liners.
Taking place after the events of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (MGS4), a lot has changed - 'The Patriots' are no more due to numerous Private Military Companies (PMC's) destroying the specialist organisation. Now, the world is riddled with PMC groups who have created cyborg technology capable of manufacturing soldiers equipped with superhuman abilities, including Raiden himself.
Raiden is now working for a PMC group known as Maverick Securities consisting of various specialists in certain fields such as military and computer technology. Whilst some PMC's are trying to bring good to the world, many are doing the exact opposite - this is where Desperado Enterprises comes in, who's mission it is to encourage war so they can take advantage of its various rewards including money and further evolution of technology.
Raiden is hired to protect the African Prime Minister N'mani - who wishes to see the world at peace, specifically Africa, this doesn't go down very well with Desperado Enterprises, who eventually ambush Raiden and N'mani. This is essentially where the game starts - you're put in control of Raiden once again who is hell-bent on hunting down the attacker, however this as you will find out, is not the biggest problem Raiden faces by any means.
Right from the start, you're put straight into the action, which is quickly followed by a tutorial if you wish to go over any of the gameplay mechanics - this is advised as whilst this game might seem like a straight up action game, more tactics are involved than initially meets the eye. One of the first abilities you'll come across is the option to utilize Raiden's 'Ninja Run', which is an effective way of dodging enemy bullets and overcoming physical obstacles - ultimately this is a lazy way of maneuvering the landscapes as you won't be required to do anything except hold down a single button.
Expanding on his ways with a sword in Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (MGS2), Raiden is now equipped with a high-frequency blade that has the ability to slice through practically anyone and anything that gets in its way. Raiden can enter a trance-like state, in which you are able to slash through enemies at an extremely rapid pace, making for massive damage and long combos - this is a great way of disposing the more difficult enemies and looks visually awesome as splatters of blood shower the environment around you.
Occasionally you'll have the chance to explore the game's very minor stealth elements, which consist of sneaking up behind enemies and taking them down in a quick series of attacks - this is something you should explore as it saves a lot time, making for a better rank at the end of battles and/or chapters. You will be given a rank based on various aspects including damage taken, time spent, the amount of combos and so forth - this often encourages replaying a certain chapter, especially if you're into getting the best possible outcomes, it's also a good opportunity to claim bragging rights if you manage to get an S rank throughout the entire game.
Enemies range from some pretty simple cyborgs who don't put up much of a challenge at all, more of practice in preparation for the enemies further on in the game, including Metal Gear's themselves - boss fights have a strange learning curve as some of the earlier fights are often more difficult than the later ones. Either way, most boss encounters are both enjoyable to play out and visually striking as most villains are throughout the entire Metal Gear franchise. review1
Whilst Rising is a massive departure from the stealth espionage elements seen throughout the Metal Gear franchise, it shouldn't put gamers off too much - as an action game, it does its job very well offering some over the top sequences, including jumping on moving missiles and taking down a helicopter. If you're a veteran of the series, Rising could come as a shock due to the sheer amount of difference, but once you've seen past that, you'll have a generally good time plowing through enemies, accompanied with a healthy amount of challenging gameplay.
7/10
