Getting Revenge Again? –
The rough development cycle of Metal Gear Rising has been well documented and gamers should be knowledgeable with the innovated sword slashing cut-and-take gameplay. Instead of revisiting facts any fan already knows, I thought now would be a good time to ponder some burning questions about this upcoming game.
Gameplay is supposed to take place after the events of MGS4 and stars Raiden, the unwelcomed protagonist from MGS2, with his cybernetic body and high frequency katana.
If you played through MGS4, you know how much Raiden has been through. He chopped off his own arm to escape a concrete avalanche, impaled his own foot with his sword to single handedly stop a ship from crashing into the shore of Shadow Moses, took on a throng of Geckos simultaneously, and held off a group of soldiers using only his mouth and feet. Yeah, it is pretty safe to safe Raiden is either an extreme badass or one completely messed up dude. Or both.
The end of MGS4 has Raiden recovering in a hospital, outfitted with new arms and pretty much an entirely new body. How someone can even survive such a massive transformation is no small task and never really explained in MGS4. Perhaps Rising will shed some light via flashbacks regards Raiden’s complete transformation.
The Limited Edition version comes with a replica of Raiden’s sword.
Next, Raiden and Rose are now back together and Raiden now knows of his secret son. Since Rising is supposed to take place a decent amount of time after MGS4, it is a wonder what role, if any, Rose or his son will play in Revengeance.
One of the main characters in MGS2 was Olga, mother to Sunny. Although it was never fully explained, Raiden rescued Sunny from the Patriots sometime after MGS2. When Rising was first announced, I thought that the story would revolve around Jack’s transformation into the Raiden we know in MGS4 and get to see exactly how he saved Sunny. I think it is unlikely that players will get to see this empty hole in the Metal Gear plotline in Rising unless there are some flashback sequences.
The title “Revengeance” is a question in itself. This Kojima made-up word, I assume, is implying – to get revenge again. But then this begs the questions, when did he first get revenge and against whom? He took down both Solidus and Vamp. Was that his first/second revenge? Or will he get revenge twice in Rising?
Raiden will kill you and then take your power, MegaMan style.
Rising will feature a whole new cast of characters. But will old characters return? Will Snake make an appearance? Will a new model of Metal Gear threaten the world? The Metal Gear series is known for its deep plot so it will be interesting to see Platinum Games incorporates story into this high action gameplay.
Which brings up the next point – gameplay. From the demo that is included with the Zone of the Enders HD Collection, the game will probably be most enjoyed slicing up enemies and chopping up parts of the environment using the new blade-mode feature. The developers have stated that it is possible to play the game using stealth. Will it be possible for a no-kill campaign and will it yield a worthwhile reward? Will stealth camouflage and the infinite ammo bandana make an appearance? Is there a way to tranq enemies from a distance? Will guns even be used at all?
Fans that have been following Metal Gear since its origin will know that this isn’t the first time gamers have be able to play as a sword wielding ninja. Metal Gear VR Missions on the original Playstation featured several levels that gave players control over Gray Fox, the cyborg ninja from the original Metal Gear Solid. Anticipators of Rising might want to check eBay for a copy of this game or at least watch some YouTube clips of these Gray Fox stages. Or in the meantime, you can always play at Raiden in Playstation All-Stars Battle Royale.
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance is scheduled for a February 19, 2013 release on Xbox 360 and PS3.
