History of Metal Gear: Revenge...ance? (Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance) - Article
by Taneli Palola , posted on 11 September 2018 / 6,986 Views
Although Metal Gear as a series is easily among the most eccentric high profile video game franchises of the last 20 years, most of its games have still retained at least some core principles that have carried over from one title to another to this day. Things like stealth-based gameplay, certain characters appearing in majority of the titles, and so on. However, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance pushed much of that to the side, deciding to focus almost entirely on fast-paced hack 'n slash combat and introducing a number of characters not seen in the series.
That's not to say that there are no familiar elements and characters in the game, most notably Raiden as the main character, but a lot of what makes Revengeance stand out is the fact that it doesn't adhere very closely to the series' tradition. A lot of this has to do with the fact that it's one of the few titles in the franchise not developed by Kojima Productions, or by any other in-house Konami studio, but by PlatinumGames.
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance – Nanomachines, Son
The initial concepts for what was eventually to become Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance were conceived some time after the release of MGS 4, with the idea being that this would eventually lead to the development of Metal Gear Solid 5. Those early ideas called for the game to focus on The Boss and her soldier unit as something of a prequel to the entire series.
This project, as we now know, never materialized, and many of those early plans were completely scrapped. In its stead, a new project was brought up, one focusing on the story of Raiden who had just recently been featured in Guns of the Patriots. However, even then the original plan was quite different to what the final product turned out to be.
As Metal Gear Solid: Rising, as it was then known, went into production, its story was meant to chronicle the events that led to Raiden's change into the cyborg he appeared as in MGS4. Of course, the game ended up going through some rather extensive changes before it was finally ready for release. Work on the project began in 2009 at Kojima Productions, but problems quickly arose as the team had difficulties figuring out how to make the gameplay work.
While this version of the game was shown off at various different events between 2009 and 2010, the development issues eventually become so severe that Kojima even considered cancelling the project altogether in late 2010. Fortunately, he decided instead to move the project to an outside studio, one that might be better qualified in creating a suitably fast-paced and visceral gameplay style centered around sword fighting and the concept of cutting enemies into pieces. Enter PlatinumGames.
The change in developer was born from a meeting between Hideo Kojima and Atsushi Inaba in 2011, which soon led to Kojima requesting that PlatinumGames take over the game's development. This new version of the title was then unveiled in December of that same year with a trailer that also denoted a change in its name to Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance.
Under Platinum, Revengeance saw a number of significant changes compared to its original version, most notably the stealth elements were at first dropped entirely from the game, but were later brought back because Inaba felt that it would have been too dull and one-note if it was nothing but fast-paced action from beginning to end.
The music for Metal Gear Rising was mostly composed by Jamie Christopherson, a clear departure from the main series as there was no involvement from any of the composers usually associated with the Metal Gear games. This can quite clearly be seen in the vastly different musical styles the score employs compared to other games in the series, most notably going for a rock and metal influenced style and featuring numerous vocalists throughout.
In storyline terms, Revengeance is set in 2018, four years after the events of Guns of the Patriots, with Raiden now working for one of the many Private Military Companies (PMC) operating in war zones around the world. At the beginning of the game Raiden is working as security for the prime minister of an unnamed African country, who ends up dying under his watch in an attack by another PMC which also leaves Raiden heavily wounded.
After recovering from his injuries and getting an upgrade to his cyborg armor, Raiden infiltrates the nation of Abkhazia after he learns that the PMC which injured him – Desperado – is leading a military coup in the area. What follows is what you would generally expect from a Metal Gear story. Numerous twists and turns, villains with supernatural powers that are explained with technology (nanomachines in this case), creative boss fights, and a Metal Gear tank to fight at some point.
The most hyped part of the game pre-release was without question its action focused gameplay, specifically Raiden's ability to cut enemies and parts of the environment into pieces with his katana. With this in mind, it's not a surprise that most of the focus in Revengeance is on its action, but stealth hasn't been completely thrown out either, providing some nice variety to the gameplay. Still, the main focus is undoubtedly the action part.
Raiden can also unlock various subweapons, sometimes only by defeating bosses. This gives the gameplay some additional depth as the player isn't restricted to using just one weapon throughout the entire game. In addition, the player can buy upgrades to Raiden's equipment. During missions the player is, after a certain point in the campaign, accompanied by a robotic dog called Bladewolf that can gather information about the game area.
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance was released in February 2013 on the PS3 and Xbox 360, and early the following year on PC. Upon release it received predominantly positive reviews, and although it wasn't quite as successful in terms of commercial performance as many of the mainline entries in the series, it has gone on to sell around 2 million copies on the two consoles alone.
Most Memorable Moment
Ultimately, while there are certainly a number of different moments that stand out, the one that has remained the most vivid in my mind is the final battle against Senator Armstrong and all of the cutscenes before, during, and after it. A large part of that is certainly just how over-the-top and silly much of that section really is, but that's kind of the point, and it doesn't change the fact that is a genuinely unforgettable moment in a game that isn't afraid to throw away all pretence of seriousness when it wants to.
The boss fights in general are some of the best ever put into a Metal Gear game. Outside of Senator Armstrong, fights against Jetstream Sam and Metal Gear EXCELSUS are among the standout fights, though nearly all of the boss battles are wonderfully designed and play into Revengeance's strengths.
Does Metal Gear Rising Still Hold Up?
Yes, without question. It's not a perfect game by any means, but it still serves as another remainder of the fact that PlatinumGames is quite possibly the best action game developer currently working in the industry, especially in regards to creating fast-paced, fun, and engaging combat systems. The storytelling can be a bit wonky, but there's a certain charm to that side of it as well.
The best part of the game is the gameplay. It's just fun to slice through enemies and see them crumple into small pieces in front of you, while the environment around you is falling apart as well. It's an exceptionally well designed central gameplay element that lends itself to a wealth of entertaining moments and fits into Raiden's design and character perfectly.
In terms of story, Revengeance can be quite divisive. It really depends on whether or not you're willing to accept the ridiculousness you're going to encounter. If you are, then Revengeance actually provides a very well written arc for Raiden that develops his character into new and interesting directions. The story and characters just come with the usual Metal Gear tropes and silliness attached. If you're already a fan of the style, then this'll be perfect for you, but it's unlikely to convert a lot of new fans to the series' admittedly rather bizarre canon.
The soundtrack for Metal Gear Rising is simply wonderful. The shift to an almost entirely new style of music might catch some fans off guard initially, but it honestly works perfectly with the more action-focused gameplay that Revengeance features. I'm also a big fan of rock and metal music, so that helps as well. Regardless of your musical preferences, Jamie Christopherson's score is a great example of music that complements and enhances the game it is attached to.
Another aspect that I must commend are the boss fights, which are really well designed both in terms of gameplay and story. What also helps in these boss fights is that many of them are well-rounded characters who we actually get to know during the story, giving those fights against them a lot more meaning and weight.
Of course, Revengeance isn't without its faults. For example, the camera can at times have issues keeping up with the hectic pace of the gameplay, which can lead to some frustrating moments and unnecessary mistakes. The story can also be a bit too weird and silly for some players, though that's entirely up to everyone's personal preference. However, what shortcomings Metal Gear Rising has are ultimately just minor issues in an otherwise excellent package.
If you're a fan of either the Metal Gear series or PlatinumGames as a developer, I strongly suggest you give Revengeance a chance. The game is still very easily available on PS3, Xbox 360 and PC, but the Mac version is apparently no longer playable due to issues with its DRM that emerged after the ports' developer went out of business. Fortunately, the other versions are still widely available and easy to find.
Fun Fact
Revengeance's place in the Metal Gear canon is a curious one. Kojima has stated that while it is a continuation of the story of Metal Gear Solid 4, it's PlatinumGames' interpretation of the events that followed and not what Kojima himself envisioned would happen after MGS 4. This makes it both a continuation and a side story at the same time, and considering the state the series is in now it might remain the only version of that part of the story for good.
We're getting very close to the end of this particular series, so join me next time as we take a look at Metal Gear Solid V and wrap up this retrospective with what could end up being the last truly great entry in the long running series.
Sources:
More Articles
To this day, MGR:R is one of my favorite hack and slash games. On par with Bayonetta, Devastation and other Platinum games in the genre. The crazy over the top action and music in these games is what makes them great. Looking forward to Devil May Cry 5, as that game is certainly looking to be crazy and over the top. Will be interesting to see how DMC 5 does in 2019, as the first three games really defined the genre.
Excellent article.
