Well, I Finished Metal Gear Rising

Metal Gear Rising is a fantastic game, the gameplay is solid and flowing, and the upgrades, collectables, and multiple difficulty modes give it lots of replay value. Unfortunately, as glowing as that topic sentence was, the game has its shortcomings as well. The easiest game to compare Rising to is Bayonetta, the two are very similar in terms of gameplay, collectibles  and extra missions. This is of course not a bad thing, as Bayonetta is amazing, but unfortunately Rising doesn't really live up.

The biggest thing I can count against Rising is the length of the campaign. It is criminally short, a mere 7 missions, 1 of which is just a boss fight. The biggest shame here of course is that the game is a blast to play, and I wanted it to last longer. There is an excellent variety in the weapons and tools available, as well as the enemies to fight, and the boss fights are huge and amazing in typical Platinum Games fashion. In addition, there are hidden VR missions to find and complete, similar to Bayonetta's Alfheim missions, and they are a fun distraction from the main story, but I still feel like there is a lack of content. DLC is available, which adds another campaign, but I haven't played that yet.

My only other real gripe is that the story is kind of a mess. Now, the Metal Gear franchise has never been known for simple, easy to follow stories, but everything makes sense and works mechanically. The cutscenes in this game, while fantastically written individually, don't work together to make a coherent story. Side characters are introduced suddenly, and removed from the narrative just as quickly one mission later, and we are expected to care about their plight, and believe that affects Raiden. I can't believe I'm actually saying this, but this is one Metal Gear game that could have actually used more cutscenes.

These are minor gripes though, the gameplay is extraordinary. If you are a fan of Devil May Cry, God of War, Bayonetta, or any other game in the spectacle fighter genre, Metal Gear Rising is a totally worthy addition to your collection. The blade mode mechanics add a unique twist to the otherwise tired and true formula, which Platinum Games has gotten down to a science. It says a lot about a game when my biggest complaint is that I wish there was more of it.

In other news, PAX East is this weekend, and I'm very excited for that. 

You may have heard of it.

I'll be there all three days, and I have a full schedule of stuff to see. 343i is having a panel about the future of Halo and the upcoming title updates, which I'm very interested in for reasons I have stated before. Gearbox is also doing a panel about Borderlands where they will be announcing the new character and the next DLC. Blizzard is supposed to be making a big announcement as well, Wizards of the Coast, too, and more. Next week will be my PAX East travelogue, which should be good. I'm definitely going to be starting a video series to go along with this blog as well, which may include convention videos. It'll be interesting to see what the future brings.