Regular readers of What Culture will remember
my article last month after having played the Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance demo and being none too pleased. I remarked that the gameplay was clunky and the visuals didn't pop in the way I expected; basically, it just felt like Platinum Games cobbled together a messy spin-off that would quietly be forgotten. Oh, how wrong I was, even if PG were pretty daft for putting out such an underwhelming and dull demo of their product. Indeed, Revengeance is, for the most part, pretty damn awesome. Now, a few of my original complaints do stand - yes, it's breezy and nothing at all like an MGS game - but some of these end up working in its favour given the nature of the gameplay. It's not a game I would necessarily recommend spending £40 on, because there's not a whole lot of content therein - it can be easily raced through in a night - but when the price drops or if you're happy to trade it in as soon as you've finished, then the short time it lasts is glorious indeed. Here are 10 reasons why Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance is awesome...
10. It Works As A Standalone Title
Better than I ever could have expected, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, dumb title aside, really does work as a standalone addition to the MGS franchise. Granted, it's very different and won't please everyone, but aesthetically and thematically, this ties right into the formula that fans know and love, while not alienating those who have never played an MGS game in their lives. Though the game is rooted in the MGS universe - it's set a few years after the last game - it doesn't require a fastidious knowledge of the characters and events to get by; in fact, those events are rarely referenced and the game doesn't have a wealth of plot twists that hinge on being surprised by recurring characters and so on. Instead, it establishes a contextual framework that will appease hardcore fans, and then sets about cementing itself as a viable standalone title that will appeal to far more players. And it mostly succeeds.