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Preview: Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance

To be honest, you could tell that every representative at the Konami booth yesterday was a bit nervous. The question on their minds was clear on the first show day of the expo: just how WOULD people take Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance? Was it going to divide fans as an action title in a series known for stealth?

In my opinion, Konami has nothing to worry about.

In its latest batches of marketing, Konami’s made it very clear that Revengeance  is all about slashing things to bits. In that simple premise, the title really delivers. Right from the get-go of my hands-on demo, I had a samurai blade in hand and made quick work of a training dummy. And then another. And then a real dude (hiding in a cardboard box, no less).

I almost felt sorry for the first “real” man I sliced to bits…and then I got over it as my handy blade work sent a surge of excitement through me.

Revengeance‘s “Blade Mode” is what we’ve been seeing in most of the game’s marketing. Holding down the left trigger, you slow down time to plan your slices. The left analogue stick controls the camera while the right stick controls your blade arcs. I was a bit disappointed to find that the right stick didn’t actually move the blade in one-to-one fashion; instead, it’s a point-to-point type of scheme that follows a number of pre-set angles, like straight left to right, diagonals, and so on.

I got better at Blade Mode very quickly, but to become an expert, you’ll really need to get your camera angles down as you control the blade itself…and that’s something I struggled with. The camera isn’t hard to control, but I just kept putting it in the wrong spot. I feel sorry for the hostages I cut to bits cause I was a little too far to the right.

Another thing I couldn’t help but wonder as I sliced through baddies is how the title’s going to be received by the Australian Classification Board. The game is by no means overly bloody, but it is one that actively encourages you to slice people into as many bits as possible, egging you on with an on-screen counter. We’ll soon see if we’ll have a bit of an issue on our hands.

Overall, the game has a definite Metal Gear feel, but one that exists without doing the stealth series an injustice. If Snake was the star, there’d certainly be a problem…but we’re playing as a teched-up Raiden, so it works.

With Konami confirming that the same Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance demo will be available with the Zone of the Elders HD Collection, estimated for an October release date, you’ll soon be able to cut into the title and form your own opinions.


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About the author

Steve Wright

Steve's the owner of this very site and an active games journalist nearing twenty (TWENTY!?!) years. He's a Canadian-Australian gay gaming geek, ice hockey player and fan. Husband to Matt and cat dad to Wally and Quinn.