Revengeance - The Verdict On The Re-Reveal

Revengeance - The Verdict On The Re-Reveal

Feature

The Metal Gear series is one of the most well known and well established in gaming history. With the reveal of the latest iteration, Rising Revengeance, there are clearly some deviations. Are these for better or worse?

Then, of course, there’s Vamp; the supporting villain in both MGS2 and 4, and Raiden’s personal nemesis. Having been slain by Raiden repeatedly in MGS2 (but killing Ocelot’s sister Emma), Vamp returned in MGS4 for one last bout with the ol’ cyborg ninja, who finally dispatched Vamp after learning that it was nano-machines keeping him alive. A quick jab from a nano-machine disabling virus finally rendered Vamp mortal, enabling Raiden to kill him and take his revenge(ance) for Emma. It was a satisfying, heroic conclusion to the tale of a villain who just wanted to die.

SO WHY THE HELL IS HE BACK? The answer is that he isn’t. Not quite. Early on in the trailer, a character who looks to be the main antagonist is revealed, and he looks like Vamp. Sort of. Skin tone, face shape, the beard of a 16 year old; he has a few defining characteristics of Raiden’s nemesis, as well as a noticeable face scar that Vamp never had. My question to Platinum is, if this character is not the Vamp we know and despise, why make them look so similar? Considering the Metal Gear series’ plots of clones, biotechnological enhancements and mind-controlling arms, it isn’t too far-fetched that this new character may have a bit of Vamp in him somewhere. This may even be a good thing if it brings that familiar wacky character development into the game. More likely it's an indication of the vacancy of ideas for fresh villains and the consequent need to resurrect an enemy who already had one of the most satisfying deaths in gaming.

Revengeance - The Verdict On The Re-Reveal


So the plot is mostly a 50/50 deal at this point. There is one aspect hinted at in the trailer that I am very interested in though. Raiden’s schizophrenic rant at the end of the trailer suggests that his ‘Jack The Ripper’ persona (left over from his youth as a child soldier) may have returned, enabling all sorts of split personality plotlines. To be completely immodest, this is an idea I had in mind for Rising since it’s E3 reveal. I envisioned a ‘rage mode’ where Raiden enters into his Jack persona for a power boost, but I’ll let Platinum deal with the technicalities. Handled correctly (by which I mean not letting Raiden slip into his whiny bitch persona from MGS2) this could be some smart storytelling that is on par with the MGS series.

The Final Verdict


When it comes down to it, Revengeance is not adding up to be a traditional Metal Gear game. Logic tells us fans that this means that it is going to be a bad Metal Gear game. It’s going to miss out on a lot of story elements that should be told, it shows a concerning lack of stealth, and if I’m honest it looks like the setting and the plot is going to be very similar to MGS4, which is obviously well tread ground.

Strip Metal Gear from the title, however, and you have Bayonetta crossed with Vanquish. Hurrah? Two fine games, though not without their flaws, that when mixed together will give a strong hack and slash experience that will probably ensure a solid score in the reviews. That’s the problem though. This is not a new IP. In fact, it’s the furthest thing possible from that. Metal Gear is a series with an incredibly strong and innovative history, and Platinum Games are going to have to respect that. Ultimately, this entry into the Metal Gear franchise is an unpredictable one. It’s safe to say that the title Revengeance has already knocked a point off either way though.