Rising wears the skin of the Metal Gear universe, but it’s a Platinum Games production at heart. The action is hectic at times, but its controls are very tight. Like Devil May Cry and Bayonetta, you’ll do fine when you settle into the tempo. What sets Rising apart from other hack and slash games, though, is Blade Mode, which allows you to cut with precision. Chaining combos and blade mode together leads to badassery.
Speaking of badassery, Rising has no shortage of spectacular moments. If you ever wanted play as the Cyborg Ninja in MGS1 or Raiden in MGS4, then Rising is your dream come true. Raiden moves at 60fps with absurd fluidity, which adds to the flow of combat. Graphics aren’t MGR’s forte, and some environments are
bland. Yet enemies are detailed and fall apart according to where you cut. They vary in size, strength and numbers, which require you to stay sharp. Oh, and the bosses. Many games these days only use them as an excuse to end a particular chapter. Not so in MGR, as the bosses test everything you have learned. There’s a slight difficulty spike in these encounters, but once you get it they become the best bits of the game. I would shell out $60 just for the bosses alone. In terms of consistency, the last boss is rather out of place, and parallels between him and Raiden aren’t very convincing—he’ll definitely have people talking about him for a while.
Many are concerned with Rising butchering the series’s storyline. It didn’t. It’s certainly not on par with the brilliant mindfuckery of some previous titles, but it handles the Metal Gear universe with respect. The game uses allusions to older games in the series to establish both its world and Raiden’s character progression, both of which are moderately well done. There’s a lot of detail in the Codec calls, and it’s nice they aren’t forced down your throat. If you’re interested in the world of the franchise then there’s no lack of detail, but if you just want to cut shit up, the cutscenes and Codec won’t get in your way.
Many are concerned with Rising butchering the series’s storyline. It didn’t. It’s certainly not on par with the brilliant mindfuckery of some previous titles, but it handles the Metal Gear universe with respect. The game uses allusions to older games in the series to establish both its world and Raiden’s character progression, both of which are moderately well done. There’s a lot of detail in the Codec calls, and it’s nice they aren’t forced down your throat. If you’re interested in the world of the franchise then there’s no lack of detail, but if you just want to cut shit up, the cutscenes and Codec won’t get in your way.
The gameplay and cutscenes add up to around seven hours on the first playthrough, but there’s a ton of secrets to unlock as well as VR Missions that are tough as hell, and that’s coming from a guy who got Big Boss rank in MGS3 and 4. The music deserves a special mention because I love the soundtrack. It’s mostly power metal, and the lyrics are themed to the respective characters, similar to the Sonic Adventure 2 soundtrack. Some may complain that it’s a little edgy but they really got my heart pumping during those boss fights. Metal Gear Rising is incredibly fun and you should play it.
