Metal Gear Solid is undoubtedly a franchise worth knowing at this point, and if you don’t know about Metal Gear, it’s time to crawl out from underneath that rock you’re living under.  With the next title Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance being released sometime early 2013, it’s hard not to soak up any videos available. The images and videos from E3 2012 are probably still resonating in everyone’s mind.  They are a sight to behold and made the fans drool with anticipation to get their hands on the next game in the series.  However, as more game play was revealed a small worry began to grow in the back of everyone’s mind.  The action looked amazing, but it’s the action that is worrying some hardcore fans.  The Metal Gear series has always been a tactical stealth game.  Even Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots was a third-person shooter, but still heavily influenced by a stealth element.  Now with the most recent game play footage of Revengeance displaying Raiden as an absolute beast in all forms of the word, fans are worried there won’t be any stealth.

Well the fact of the matter is; there won’t be much stealth.  Yes, there is some, sneaking up behind enemies and slicing them with your sword is about as good as it gets (which is pretty great).  It didn’t even seem like Raiden had to sneak quietly since the guards were blissfully unaware of a cyborg sprinting with heavy footsteps behind them.  There’s also the occasional jumping down from a rooftop to land on an enemy who wished he wasn’t standing so close to a ledge.  Supposedly, there will be multiple ways to progress through the levels but the main focus will be on the action.  More or less, it’s probably going to be as stealthy as some other action games, where you can be quiet and sneak up to someone, but if you get caught, no worries, just draw your sword and unleash hell.  However, it feels as if something is missing, as in that heavy aura of failure and blow to your ego whenever you’re discovered attempting to sneak quietly behind someone because now, it’s almost a reward to be discovered since that’s when the true gameplay shows off.

As a result, it seems going into this game comparing it to previous Metal Gear games is the wrong idea.  This game is described as an action hack-and-slash, not a tactical stealth, and they aren’t hiding that, so a gamer shouldn’t expect it. The developers are Platinum Games, the people who created Bayonetta, so you can expect full action. Even Platinum Games’ producer Atsushi Inaba said, “this is not a stealth game.”  Making it abundantly clear to all fans of the Metal Gear series that this game will be different.

This isn’t exactly bad news, it’s simply stating the game will be different.  It’s supposed to be a game that can stand alone (to an extend) so everyone can play it, and many people who enjoy Platinum Games other works will look forward to a game from a series that they may not have cared previously about.  The game play looks amazing, fluid sword fighting and lightning fast intensity with parrying and combos makes any action gamer thirsty for more.  Not to mention the incredible ‘free slicing’ mode which slows down game play and allows you to swing your sword in any angle, whether a steal beam or a person, it’s a perfectly accurate cut in some spectacularly gruesome ways.

No doubt about it, Metal Gear Rising Revengeance looks like it will be an amazing game and one that many people can’t wait to be released.  The action mechanics look top notch, and Raiden is as remarkable as ever, even capable of taking down Gekkos and helicopters. Still, it can’t help being said that there will be some feelings of emptiness in the stealth department which was the staple for the Metal Gear series.  Nothing will replace crawling an inch at a time for five minutes as you try to make absolutely no sound moving throughout the area or having almost no health left, surrounded by enemies, and hearing your heart pound in your ears as you crouch in a box praying they won’t peak underneath it.

Did you like this? Share it:

About The Author

Neil has had a passion for video games ever since the Atari entered his life so many years ago. He's been writing about them for over two years and sees no end in sight. Reach out to him on twitter @nconnors13

  • Adam Osman

    As an avid MGS fan, I was infatuated by its gaming mechanic. Its stealth-based play was a winner throughout the series.
    Upon the announcement of Metal Gear Rising, the change from “Tactical Espionage Action” to “Lightning Bolt Action” was one indicative of Kojima’s removal of stealth from the upcoming title – a massive disappointment to me.
    :(