8. Too. Many. Cutscenes.
Complaining about the number and length of cut-scenes in a Metal Gear Solid game is a stupid thing to do - I'll be the first one to admit that. Moreover, I
love how densely-plotted the MGS games are, and relished the absurdly long ending sequence of MGS4 in particular. However, this isn't Metal Gear
Solid, as the developers have made pains to clear up; Revengeance is an entirely different type of game under the Metal Gear tenet, as best exemplified by its totally different gameplay mechanics and breezy style. While the combat is fast-paced and manic, the problem is that breaking into the action every two minutes for a cut-scene doesn't really do that style justice. While I was happy to sit around and soak in the story for the taut, tense, stealthy, deliberate thrills of the MGS games, when a game touts itself as belonging to the hack 'n slash genre, I expect to be able to partake in that tradition free of interruption. Though you get a little more lee-way towards the end of the demo, the overarching feeling is still that the action is too segmented by a rather misguided attempt at an intricate story. If you're going to make an arcade-style action game, then stick to that tone; otherwise, save the wordy cut-scenes for a plot that people actually care about. Is this dismissive? Perhaps, but that's how the game was marketed to us, so that's what I expected going in.