| Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance | |
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| Developer(s) | Platinum Games[1] |
| Publisher(s) | Konami |
| Producer(s) | Kojima Productions Yuji Korekado (producer) Hideo Kojima (executive producer) |
| Designer(s) | Yoji Shinkawa (concept artist) |
| Writer(s) | Etsu Tamari |
| Series | Metal Gear |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 3 |
| Release date(s) | TBA 2012 |
| Genre(s) | Action hack and slash |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
| Rating(s) |
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| Media/distribution | Blu-ray Disc, DVD-DL |
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (メタルギア ライジング リベンジェンス Metaru Gia Raijingu: Ribenjensu)[2] is an upcoming action video game under development by Platinum Games and produced by Kojima Productions as part of the Metal Gear series, for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 .[1][3][4][5][6][7] The game was originally announced and developed by Kojima Productions as Metal Gear Solid: Rising (メタルギアソリッドライジング Metaru Gia Soriddo Raijingu), an interquel action game set between the events of Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty and Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots,[8][9] before being reannounced as Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance under the development of Platinum Games. The game is now set to take place several years after Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots and is a spinoff that is "not part of the Metal Gear Solid series".[10]
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Players assume control of cyborg ninja Raiden, the katana-wielding ally of series mainstay Solid Snake. Unlike previous titles in the Metal Gear series, Rising is strictly an action game, focusing on swordfighting and a sophisticated cutting system. The game's cutting system allows players to engage in third person melee combat, as well as precisely slash enemies and objects "at will" along a geometrical plane using a "free slicing" mode. Virtually any object in the game can be cut, including vehicles and enemies, though elements of the environment were intentionally limited to structures such as pillars and walls to better facilitate gameplay. The free slicing mode is similar to other aiming modes in previous Metal Gear Solid titles, but produces a special targeting reticule in the form of a transparent blue plane which can be rotated and moved, tracing orange lines across the surfaces of objects to indicate exactly where they will be cut; it can also be used to enter a bullet time state, giving players the opportunity to precisely slash targets during moments of action, such as slicing through a falling target from multiple angles before it hits the ground. These features can be employed strategically, for example disabling opponents, finding weak points and gaps in armor, severing support columns to collapse ceilings or walls onto enemies, deflecting enemy fire, or cutting through objects to remove enemy cover.[11][12]
Although Raiden's main weapon will be his high-frequency blade, he will also have "sub-weapons", Kimura revealed; gameplay footage has briefly shown Raiden wielding a dagger in his left hand.[12][13] In the debut trailer for the rebooted title, Raiden was also seen grappling and throwing large robotic enemies, and dramatically increasing his running speed for short bursts.
A key gameplay feature initially announced for game was titled zan-datsu (斬奪 lit. "cut and take"), and would have involved "cutting" through enemies and "taking" parts, energy, ammunition, items, and information from the bodies of dismembered cyborgs and robots.[11][12] [13] For example, in the E3 2010 trailer, Raiden tears a battery — in the form of a glowing mechanical spine — from a dismembered cyborg enemy, which he then crushes after absorbing energy from it to heal himself.[11][12] This gameplay element will not remain as the focus of the game, but will still be optional as of the move to Platinum Games, dialogue in the most recent trailer discusses such extracting of fluids from enemy cyborgs in order to obtain electrolytes.
The game's original director, Mineshi Kimura, stated that Rising would carry on the series tradition of encouraging players to progress through the game without killing, noting that there is a moral difference between attacking cyborgs or robots and attacking human beings, and that there's a "certain virtue to simply disabling your enemies instead of killing them."[11] While it was considered important to give the players freedom to do what they want, the game's original producer Shigenobu Matsuyama, indicated that players would never be rewarded for killing human opponents, and that the game will be designed so that players are never forced to do so.[14]
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Metal Gear series fictional chronology |
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Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater |
The events of Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance take place several years after Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. Details on the game's specific plot have yet to be unveiled, but Raiden appears to be a lone warrior fighting against various PMCs while following the samurai code of bushido. The most recent trailer also discusses the need for weapons and warfare as a deterrent, and the concept of weapons as tools that exist solely for the purpose of battle.
Teasers have at various points depicted Raiden's body with portions of the body armor missing, and in his Metal Gear Solid 4 armor with sword drawn, crouching on the back of what appears to be Crying Wolf.[15][16] The E3 2010 trailer depicted Raiden fighting a humanoid enemy equipped with a cybernetic exoskeleton similar to those worn by Metal Gear Solid 4's Beauty and the Beast Corps, which also bleeds the same artificial white blood that Raiden uses.[12]
Matsuyama also hinted that Raiden's past as a child soldier may be elaborated on, and that his personal weaknesses as a human, such as his resolve, will be explored.[14] At the end of the debut trailer for Revengeance, Raiden appears to mentally regress into his child soldier persona, a violent killer known on the battlefield as Jack the Ripper and the White Devil.
The game was first hinted during Hideo Kojima's keynote presentation at the 2009 Game Developers Conference in San Francisco. His presentation followed the long development process of the Metal Gear franchise up to Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots and eventually leading up to the future with the final mission title being "The Next MGS" with Cyborg Raiden standing next to the title.[17]
Prior to the announcements of the game, Kojima Productions featured a countdown timer on their website, having weather going from cloudy to extremely heavy rain with thunder and lightning, until the day that Rising was announced, leading to sunny weather. At the conclusion of the countdown, the site was replaced with image of a brick wall featuring a splash-screen graphic for Metal Gear Solid: Rising. The series' traditional tagline of "Tactical Espionage Action" was also altered to "Lightning Bolt Action," a play on the fact that Raiden's name is Japanese for "thunder and lightning."
The game was officially announced at E3 2009 at the Microsoft press conference. A teaser trailer was released by series' director Hideo Kojima, although he will be serving only as executive producer for the game. The game was initially only announced for the Xbox 360 but was later confirmed for the PlayStation 3 and Microsoft Windows platforms.[7] According to the "Kojima Productions Report" podcast the game will use a brand new game engine, rather than the MGS4 engine.[18] It was also announced that Kojima will be involved with the game but will not have a large input, as 100% of his input is with Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker for the PlayStation Portable.[19]
The game's original cover artwork was leaked on Xbox Live on June 10, four days before E3 2010, but was soon taken down and replaced with the official logo.[20] During Microsoft's E3 press conference on June 14, Hideo Kojima introduced the game's original lead designer, Mineshi Kimura, who unveiled a new trailer which included cutscene and gameplay footage and introduced the concept of zan-datsu (斬奪 lit. "cut and take").[12] In a follow-up interview with Famitsu, Kimura and the game's creative producer, Shigenobu Matsuyama, discussed the title's new style and gameplay elements, as well the traditional stealth and "no kill" elements of the Metal Gear series that would be retained.[11] Kimura and Matsuyama again presented the trailer on June 16 during Konami's E3 press conference, then took stage, further clarifying the game's "take" mechanic and again emphasizing that the game will contain stealth elements.[9]
Specifically, the games stealth elements would have emphasized Raiden's considerable speed and agility through what Matsuyama describes as "hunting stealth." Unlike the "waiting stealth" of previous titles, in which players remained hidden and avoided combat, players in Rising will instead quickly stalk their enemies and use acrobatic maneuvers to stay out of sight while closing in. This ties in with the game's zan-datsu feature, allowing them to prey upon enemies to obtain weapons, items, and energy.[14] Kimura noted that he wanted Raiden to be able to move like he did in the MGS4 trailers, and to show "the stealth of the sword, and the strength of not even losing to the gun, and the fear and power you have with this blade."[13]
Metal Gear Solid: Rising was originally conceived as an interquel that would chronicle the series of events that resulted in the transformation of Raiden, the protagonist and player character of Metal Gear Solid 2 into his cyborg ninja persona in Metal Gear Solid 4.[11][13] Rising would have taken place during a point in the series' chronology at which Raiden had already begun his transformation into cyborg form, albeit with a different and somewhat more cruel appearance from the one seen in MGS4.[8][13]
Concern has risen over the game's realistic depictions of human dismemberment during player-controlled sequences, a hard limit for Japan's Computer Entertainment Rating Organization, which may necessitate censorship in the domestic Japanese release of the game. As a result, the version of the E3 2010 trailer available for viewing on the game's official Japanese website has had such scenes removed.[21] This may have been a factor in changing the game's setting to take place after Metal Gear Solid 4, in an era where technology has advanced such that most of the enemies have become inhuman cyborgs.
At TGS 2010, Sony announced that the PlayStation 3 version of Metal Gear Solid: Rising will be playable in 3D.[22]
In January 2011, several pieces of concept art for Rising were displayed at Yoji Shinkawa's two-week exhibit, The Art of Yoji Shinkawa, hosted by the Konami Style Shop in Tokyo. The artwork included various illustrations of Raiden and other cybernetically enhanced characters, vehicles and equipment, scenery, and a hand-painted model of a feminine cyborg carrying a sword and a robotic infant. Several pieces of the concept artwork were also featured in merchandise sold at the exhibit.[23]
In November 2011, it was announced over Twitter that Shigenobu Matsuyama had moved to a different division within Konami and that Yuji Korekado had taken over as the game's lead producer.[24]
In the December 2011 issue of PlayStation Official Magazine UK, Hideo Kojima said Metal Gear Solid: Rising is "moving forward". Kojima told the magazine that Rising remains significantly different to existing Metal Gear games, although he has retained an element of control over it and won't let it stray too far from the series' roots.[25] He stated that "If somebody thinks 'I love Snake' and just really wants traditional stealth gameplay and that experience, then it may be hard to get into Rising, but for people who are more open and willing to try new things, it shouldn't be a problem."[26]
Despite having thought out stories and scenarios for the game, Kojima Productions were finding it difficult to design the game around the cutting concept. The project was quietly cancelled in late 2010, and whilst Kojima had considered moving the project to developers abroad, he felt that a Japanese developer would be more suited to produce a ninja action game. In early 2011, Kojima approached Tatsuya Minami, president & CEO of Platinum Games, about restarting the cancelled project with them. Platinum Games accepted the project and took over development with Atsushi Inaba as producer, reworking the game from scratch using their own engine, whilst Kojima Productions handling cutscenes and story elements, revising the story to now take place after Metal Gear Solid 4 to reflect the new development style.[27][28] This new version, now titled Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, was first revealed via a trailer shown at the Spike Video Game Awards on December 10, 2011.[29][30]
The trailer also confirmed that Raiden will once again be voiced by Quinton Flynn, who had previously stated that Konami had not contacted him regarding the game.[31] While Platinum Games is confirmed to be part of the project, Bayonetta director Hideki Kamiya, initially thought to be involved, has confirmed he isn’t part of the games development.[32] The game's title was changed to Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance to reflect that it isn't part of the main Metal Gear Solid series, but is instead a spinoff that takes place after Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. Kojima also confirmed Rising will run at 60 frames per second, a requirement he personally requested to Platinum Games.[33][34] Inaba took to his Twitter feed to address fans' concerns over the project. He has acknowledged the mixed reaction to the unveiling of Rising, but hopes gamers will spot "a glimpse of the future" in the trailer. Inaba promises its "love and respect will shine through." The negative reactions came from fans noticing the genre switching to a "hack and slash" game.[35]
Inaba has stated that the PlayStation 3 version will be the lead platform. The decision was made due to performance issues of Bayonetta on the console.[36]
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