Overall Feeling:
Keeping a few of the longstanding Metal Gear elements such as stealth, cardboard boxes, and hidden posters of Gravure models, Metal Gear Rising injects an amazing amount of personality and gameplay depth to the franchise. Platinum Games clearly have molded the new exploits of Raiden around their strong suit of dazzling action, but the studio has done an excellent job at making the combat accessible yet skillful all while not forsaking everything by making it too easy. There may be a few minor rough spots here and there, but Metal Gear Rising is a simply brilliant game that easily ranks as one of the best games in the Metal Gear franchise.
The Pros:
+ Zandatsu mechanics and combat offer some amazing scenarios due to the amount of depth that’s provided.
+ Boss battles offer some nice variety and stunning combat choreography.
+ Controls are perfect since nothing is complicated or clunky.
+ Special graphical effects such as chopping stuff up is convincing and looks cool.
+ Plot has some good character flourishes all while featuring the standard serious Metal Gear narrative.
+ Voice acting is a bit corny in some spots but it works since each character is memorable.
The Cons:
- Camera is a bit too close to Raiden which results in it being difficult to view everything.
- Enemy lock-on could use some work.
- Some of the environments look a bit drab and are missing a sense of character.
One of the many goals of any video game is to immerse the player into the experience. Usually the key thing a development team often strives for, immersion within a game is not an easy goal to achieve since there are so many factors to take into consideration. With things such as the narrative, gameplay, and visuals to take into account, making the player feel truly connected to the character they’re controlling is something that truly sets the great developers apart from the rest.
