kind of cool. But then again, there are a lot of things Revengeance isn’t, an entire

list of things sure to upset the Metal Gear purists. Because of all the things Revengeance

isn’t, the most important...is that it isn’t Metal Gear Solid.

And it’s not too often this kind of thing happens in gaming. When a franchise as established

as Metal Gear has the guts to try something different, to take all the assumptions and

demands and expectations...and slice them to pieces.

And if Revengeance does anything well, it’s slicing things to pieces.

Now, after a quarter century of games in which your primary objective was to move slowly

and go unnoticed, Metal Gear Rising can seem a bit jarring. This game is about speed, flashiness

and most certainly...being noticed. And that’s reflected by the change in protagonists. Solid

Snake, the stoic and deliberative war veteran, is out. And in his place is...well, the exact

opposite of stoic and deliberative.

So obviously, the first major change in Metal Gear Rising is its hero. You assume the role

of Raiden...the whiny pretty boy turned cold-hearted, cyborg killing machine. This substitution

is for more than just narrative purposes. Raiden, as a character, is the embodiment

of the design changes that drive Metal Gear Rising.

He defines Revengeance, both functionally and symbolically.

So what are the design changes? Well, the gameplay, most obviously. Rising is an action

game, in the purest sense. Call it what you will. A brawler, a beat ‘em up...the terms

apply. Raiden is like this industrial strength slicer, or a razor-sharp propellor spinning

out of control. And just like Master Splinter, he strikes hard.

Doesn’t worry so much about the “fade away without a trace” part.

And to its credit, this is a smart action game, as it addresses all the things that often drag

these games down...repetition, most importantly. Enemies come fast, varied and often massive.

And the pacing is just right. One battle leads seamlessly into the next, and the storytelling

keeps up. So you get a Metal Gear experience in a much more concise and succinct form.

And, you know, without the half-hour cutscenes.

Another defining element of Rising is its focus on cutting. Specifically, this idea

of free cutting. Raiden can essentially slow time...and when this happens, you can freely

slice in any direction using the right analog stick. Cut any thing in any direction—the

game reacts. In fact, you can almost dissect your enemies...which Raiden can use to harvest

fuel cells. It’s a really cool technical feat and it works well, but to me, it feels

more like a gimmick than a vital gameplay element. And constantly slowing time in a

game that’s otherwise fast eventually starts to feel counterintuitive.

And as enjoyable as the combat is, another minor flaw is that it does try to add some

stealth. But it just feels out of place. Although Raiden controls great at high speeds, he’s

hardly optimized for quietly sneaking up on enemies.

Of course, nitpicking about a game this good feels a bit...nitpicky. Honestly, there’s

a genius to this game that other franchises could really learn from. I’ve never been

a huge Metal Gear fan personally, but with Revengeance...it was love at first slice.

It’s far from perfect, and stealth lovers may scoff, but the new Metal Gear is a great

Metal Gear.

After all, once in a while, every blade needs sharpening.