Platinum Game’s Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance was shown off by Konami behind close doors. Fortunately, us here at Just Push Start were able to infiltrate the VIP section and gain some hands-on with the action-packed title. First off, in case you don’t know yet, MGR:R is action-oriented, which is a drastic departure from the stealth that Metal Gear Solid is synonymous for containing. I must admit that I was skeptical of Revegeance at first, but my short time with the title has left me wanting more.
Before I begin, let me make one thing clear. The game is a solid action title and will most likely succeed when compared to other games in the genre, but when put up against the standard of Metal Gear Solid games, it has a lot more to prove. It gives off a feeling similar to that of Resident Evil 6. Sure, it’ll be a solid action title on its own with some epic moments, but it a complete travesty when stacked up against earlier entries in the franchise. Revengeance is composed of solid mechanics and feels like the action game that Ninja Gaiden 3 tried to become. However, it has been stated several times that the game doesn’t try to be Metal Gear Solid and it definitely isn’t. So maybe we should cut it some slack and accept it for what it is, because it is over-the-top insane and intense.
The demo opened up with the tutorial showing off the direct control over the blade’s deadly path. By holding the left trigger — the demo was player on Xbox 360 — time slows down and the camera zooms in behind Raiden. In this mode, flicking the right stick sends a quick slice in any direction. It’s heavily reminiscent of Fight Night’s Total Punch Control, and that is a good thing. Never before (to my knowledge) has a game given player’s this level of control over where the blade lands with such precision. You can split an enemy in half, just take off an elbow or just go crazy on the right analog stick and diminish the enemy into a bunch of tiny, unrecognizable pieces of flesh and muscle. It’s so detailed its almost sickening, but also somehow enthralling.
The tutorial put Raiden’s precision to the test by forcing him to take out pop-up enemy cut-outs that are mostly covered by cardboard cut-out hostages. In this moment you learn how careful and well-placed each strike has to be. Moving on to real enemies, the action got kicked up a notch. Sprinting at lightning-fast speeds allows Raiden to avoid gunfire as well as close the distance between him and his enemies. Once Raiden stands within reaching distance of his foes, they’re pretty much toast. Using the direct-control slashing was so enjoyable it was hard to not overuse it and even harder to stop from finding out how many meaty pieces an enemy could turn into. The look on the face of a nearby Konami representative implied that I may have been having a little too much fun turning the soldiers to mincemeat. Cutting down the Gekko and attack helicopter — once again, into multiple tiny scrap parts — were equally as fun. Whether or not this feature ends up being a fun gimmick for the first hour of gameplay or if it can maintain the player’s interest during the entire campaign remains to be seen. As it stands right now, it definitely has potential to be one of the craziest and bloodiest action titles of 2013.
