After being announced earlier this year by Konami, Zone of the Enders HD Collection finally came out this week, giving gamers the opportunity to rediscover two of Hideo Kojima’s lost masterpieces from the PlayStation 2 era. But along with those reconditioned games, the package also comes with a sweet little bonus – a demo for Metal Gear Rising Revengeance. At first, we were expecting just the same tutorial mission that we had played before at Konami events at both San Diego Comic-Con and Penny Arcade Expo. But to our surprise, there’s an actual mission here, and one that really lets you get the hang of Raiden’s capabilities.
Though only bits and pieces of the story were shown, we do see Raiden land in a remote area being controlled by enemies, including soldiers and the organic mutant walkers that first made their debut in Metal Gear Solid 4: Sons of Liberty. Raiden keeps in radio communication with Boris, a Russian counterpart who talks through his CODEC, providing direction and tips. It turns out the enemies you’re battling against work for Desperado Enterprises, a group behind random terrorist activities. Since you’ve got the means to do the job (mainly through a large electrical blade), you’re up to bat.
The demo does include the tutorial we saw previously, so if you need to get a hang of the game’s controls, you can do so. To be honest, though, Platinum Games, the same team behind Anarchy Reigns and Bayonetta, have done an excellent job simplifying them for the action crowd. Raiden is able to attack using various melee moves, including a speedy air kick and multiple slice techniques, which he can also utilize to destroy items in the environment. But his real power lies in precision slicing. To access this, you simply hold down the left trigger, then use the analog stick to choose where you’ll slice, then push it immediately in the opposite direction to execute it. You’ll get opportunities galore to hack and slash in the tutorial before you move into the mission.
As for the mission itself, you’ll cover ground both indoors and out, sneaking up on enemy soldiers and getting the quick cut on them before you’re discovered. Thanks to the assistance of a heads-up display and an alternate viewing mode, you can watch out for these guys from afar and attack. Some might prefer going after the enemy agents and then moving forward, but the game isn’t built like your usual stealth mission. You can easily take on multiple agents at a time, then cut them to ribbons before moving forward.
Raiden does use an energy meter, so he can’t really utilize precision slicing all the time. However, during your combat scenarios, you’ll be prompted to hit certain buttons to finish off enemies. You’ll want to take advantage of this, as it results in Raiden removing their power core and smashing it, re-energizing himself in the process. You can also launch enemies into the air and finish them off with stylish finishing maneuvers, using the same technique.
So far, the graphics look outstanding, mostly moving at 60 frames per second (except for more extreme situations with two larger enemies on the screen at once, like the mutant walkers). There are some noticeable camera problems, like when it zooms past Raiden, instead seeing out into the distance, but we’re sure they’ll be cleared up with the final release. And the effects of your devastating slicing are pretty awesome, as you watch everything from corpses to watermelons collapse into chunks.
One neat aspect to this demo is you actually have a boss fight at the end of it. But instead of facing the helicopter you faced in the tutorial, you instead find yourself pitted against a ferocious robot dog, one capable of whipping its tail into a fire-powered frenzy. It can also charge at you, which could mean big problems for your energy bar.
Fortunately, you’re able to counter incoming strikes using Raiden’s parry abilities, which in turn leave your enemy open to tear it apart. It has an energy meter, and once it reaches a certain point, you can use precision slicing to put it out to digital pasture. This boss fight can be pretty challenging, but it also tests Raiden’s capabilities to their fullest.
The gameplay is excellent thus far. Though most of the game shies away from the stealthy action of the Metal Gear franchise, the new direction is certainly welcome, especially if you’re used to Platinum Games’ over-the-top game presentations. And to think, we’ve only seen the first level. Can you imagine what other epic boss encounters and situations Raiden will face? We’re guessing he’ll need that blade.
We’ll have additional preview coverage and hands-on reports for Metal Gear Rising Revengeance as we play more of the game. But you can look forward to playing the finished product on February 19th here in the States, and a few days later worldwide.
