My Words On:

Story/Plot: It is an unsaid ordinance that games that conjure up spin offs should be able to stand up on their own without the game/s it spawned off from. The character/s that are taken from the main game should be able to walk on their own endeavors with very little confusion from their previous path. At least a gamer, that is what I really feel. It is a very well known fact that this Metal Gear derives from a bigger game that I am not too familiar with. The gamut of story line, characters, and all the things that came from those games are oblivious to me so entering Metal Gear Rising, I am almost lost in translation(I played the previous Metal Gear for ps3 a LONG time ago and I was lost back then).

The not so distant future where cyborgs are within our military and police. Special forces of course have some enhanced beings within their ranks. Of course when the law has it so does the lawless crowd. This is where our ninja turned cyborg, Raiden comes into play. In a world where war is the major economical booster, there are those who wish for war to erupt while we have the protector of the weak-badass-of-the-week-ninja-cyborg-poet-killer-jack-the-ripper Raiden who will do anything to find his way while staying true to the ideals of peace. For the most part that sums it up but there are a lot of tidbits that I feel like I should've known to make things clearer. I'm not sure if some of the characters that Raiden faced had some sort of footing in the past Metal Gear. I'm not sure how much Raiden played a part in the old games and why is he the way he is; or is it simply he is the way he is. Is Metal Gear just that? A gargantuan robot? To me it feels like there is more than a subliminal message that there should be some history as a gamer to the old games to make this one worth it plot wise. There were so many abbreviations left and right that I felt like I am missing something grand. Don't get me wrong, as I have stated, I get the main course, but the others, well, again, it's me not steering to Metal Gear's direction that perhaps made Raiden's story less enamoring.

7/10


Gameplay: Now this is something I can praise and somewhat admonish. From what I know, Metal Gear had always been about stealth play and such. Considering that Raiden is a ninja, you would think discreet like gameplay would be in abundance and almost always be the highlight of the game, not so much. Now don't get me wrong, there are some sneaking around involved and certain stages it is encouraged(subliminally and through conversations with Raiden and the supporting characters), however one could go through the whole game without even touching that aspect. To an extent, I damn near didn't touch on the notion of stealth.

Stealth Kill.

Now while it would've been helpful to delve into being illusive, the main highlight of this game's mechanics is Raiden's prowess. For a ninja, this guy is flashy as all hell to say the least! Which in turn adheres to how exuberant the gameplay is when Raiden is engaged with his assailants. Like most games, Raiden is equipped with a light attack and a strong attack with the use of his signature katana, or later on if one chooses, Raiden can gain weapons from 'mid-bosses' he would encounter. Basically there is the common hack and slash method, then every once in a while (especially with much more finessed enemies like 'Sam') the player must parry. The timing in parrying doesn't have to be immaculate, it just has to hit an allotted timeframe and Raiden will ward off most attacks! Basically, a pretty methodical tactic with a little bit of berserker barrage involved.

Now Raiden's unique abilities are his 'Zan-Datsu' and his 'Jack-The-Ripper' mode. Let me first get into Zan-Datsu which is pretty much a norm thread in a lot of anime-related video games with the whole kanji-slice-em-dice-em technique. For this game it's about pressing a button and then Raiden will see everything in a much slower state and the enemies are prone while he astutely cuts them into pieces. This mode will perpetuate for as long as the player has the proper amount of 'health' for this second bar(separate from his life bar). This will lead to a QTE moment which Raiden indulges in replenishing his health and his Zan-Datsu bar by ripping out some sort of energy-cell apparatus from his opponents. So it's usually a must if one is trying to make sure one's life is properly set for a few more bouts!

As for the 'Jack-The-Ripper' mode, it's basically something one must accumulate enough combo points(or taking energy cells from shredded opponents) and then voila! It's basically a very common thread with this genre of games. In this mode, Raiden's attacks will inflict more damage, so forth and so forth. Honestly, the addition is a little farther in the game(short game, mind you) so it's FULL usefulness for me came in for the last boss, and believe me, that final boss was all about tactics rather than mindless button mashing.

And of course! Quick time events are present in this game
as well, though they weren't completely too intricate since they are mostly adhering to making sure the player is competent enough to distinguish between his/her buttons. Major bosses called on decent amount of such QTEs and again, nothing too grand with the way it was done but as always, QTEs have an inextricable flavor that can't be denied since it gives players a different beat to drum to and deters the insipid rhythm.

All in all, I had a terrific time with this portion of the game. Nothing too original extreme in terms of 'something done differently or new' type of deal, but again, unique to its own right. Perhaps my prowess and opinion would've been a lot more in tuned if I had any sort of care or respect for the character/s that are within this world. It had a really fun concept and the boss battles are especially something to be enamored by! Raiden is fluent and far from your normal Shinobi, which in turns could be his downfall for certain perception. Overall, if solely for the gameplay, this game is a must.

8/10

Graphics:

This game is indeed gorgeous to say the least. One of the things I really enjoyed are the character designs, to an extent. While Raiden himself could look like a drag queen(a badass one) who can wield a hi-tech katana with his hands and his feet(yes, his feet), the uniqueness of his armor designs could be something I can indulge. The intricate fusion of human anatomy and technology does him and the rest of the cyborgs justice. It's especially noteworthy during the cut scenes. Now the art style may be a bit too intrusive for some and to be honest, it could be a bit overwhelming, but take it for what it is, they are impressive.

Some enemies are only conjured up through the means of creativity or perhaps insanity. Who can really fathom? Fact of the matter is, the game had no qualms about taking cybernetics to a different level of aesthetics.

In game, the special affects are something to be enamored by as well. When explosions are called for they came in fancy colors. Things are kept vibrant enough that there wasn't really a dull side when looking demolishing machines with legs or dealing with a pesky politician. Character designs and the graphical appeal did not clash and again, this is probably one Metal Gear Rising's strong stance. There wasn't a time when I was playing this game that I felt like the designs or what not lacked in flavor. It is what to be expected. It was for sure enjoyable to look at.

9/10



Voice Acting/Audio: I wouldn't necessarily say that the voice acting was bad. In fact, I'd like to say that it wasn't but it's just that the bland way the characters are to me makes the voice acting more or less a pestilence. Raiden especially since he just seems like such a tool. Corny lines and the voice fluctuation just doesn't do the job and not to mention he was a bit on the over dramatic side for a badass ninja. The other characters didn't serve as detrimental factors for me to not favor the voice overs, it's just that their rapport with Raiden also caused deterred any sort of 'like', more or less.

While there might be some homage to the older games that I might've appreciated between conversations and such, I must elaborate once again that I was lost in translation within all of those abbreviations. But I must give them some praise for the humor that they offered. Though it might've been sparse in content, the laughable things that came about was appreciated. The area with the audio was for sure something to marvel about. The high energy music that was a mix between rock and J-rock(I think) concurred quite well with the explosions and enemy taunting. If the music was a norm or non-existent, then perhaps the rating of this would be on the low side. But would it be fair for me to judge voice acting because I abhor the characters (or don't care for them)? Possibly not. But it is what it is.

7.5/10


Difficulty: I think there is something to say with a game that makes sure you are well aware of the main character's forte which is his parrying. Of course the players must be in tuned with the combos, how to use the weapons (and which), and be very responsive when the QTEs emerge, however the main deal is Raiden's parrying. I'll be the first to admit that my prudence in getting the hang of this said skill wasn't until the second to the last boss; honestly, the difficulty in the game(normal mode) didn't really take a peak until 'Sam'. After a few deaths, it was then that I realized that it was time for me to learn such skill! Once I got the hang of that, going through the stages wasn't as bad and it had a bit more of different gauge of fun factor.

Enemies that were once impervious to my presence became a bit more of a pushover and bosses are a different breed altogether once that said skill is somewhat mastered. But don't misconstrue, that isn't the main course to winning the fight! When something like a gargantuan Metal Gear comes along, one must really be able to discern through patterns, time parrying just right, be able to jump through hurdles, and of course a whole hell of a lot of health bars; unless of course it is possible to get through a boss battle WITHOUT taking damage, but I'm not that kind of a gamer. For me, fighting the final boss was a pain in the arse and getting the pattern down was just enough!

Upgrading weapons and health bars would be prudent as well and again, going back to that asshole at the last stage, it proved valuable to last! QTE's don't have an encumbering presence to them so going through it won't be that much of a hassle. All in all, there is a good challenge with this game and if one is looking for something that is beyond the mindless button mashing, there is something to be said about this. Having Raiden's Jack-The-Ripper mode and being knowledgable about the Zan-Datsu is also most valuable to one's prowess, so all in all, fun and challenge have a good mix to this game. Though the most difficult part for non Metal Gear fanatics is the story and having to endure Raiden's obnoxious and less than cool ambiance.

9/10

Overall:

I had a bad feeling about this game the moment I started it. Again, I wasn't at all impressed with the first few fights, the characters were dull to me, and not to mention the graphics took some time to get used to(the art style I should say). But once I got into the first hour and more I had a really good time with this game. The last boss offered some frustration, but that was me being impatient and once I got the scheme of it, I had a pretty well enjoyable experience. Again I think in order for one to REALLY get the full bliss of this game, one must REALLY be in tuned with the past games. But don't misconstrue, one can enjoy it without the past games, but I can't vindicate myself from my ignorance. I feel like there was something I was missing every single conversation!

To capsulize my experience, I'm glad I didn't pay full price for this and I was able to return it with full refund. The game took me two days to REALLY beat and that's me playing sparingly. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a good challenge and a very artistic hack and slash, and perhaps if one is well equipped with knowledge with the past game, this one is for sure a hit! I still think DmC was the better out of the two. With that said...

7.5/10

It's Kadaj taking a DOOMP!