Bonus Post - Konami has a REVENGEANCE Fan Survey Up, Hints at Sequel

This is just a quick PSA for the folks like me who liked Metal Gear Rising:  REVENGEANCE and would like to see more of it happen.  Konami has a fan survey on their Official Metal Gear Solid page (linked both in case the former is not a direct link, as I've already taken the survey so it's telling me I can't take it again).  The survey prompt -might- shift around a bit, but currently it seems front and center, so it's something that they clearly want to draw attention to, though I'm not quite sure if they've actually done that.  So I'm helping because REVENGEANCE is a damn good game and deserves the attention.

It's a rather lengthy survey, unfortunately, but it does have a few questions towards the end that are along the lines of "Would you like a sequel?" and "If there were to be a sequel, what would you like to see in it?" and things of that nature.  Could be nothing.  Could be an indication that there's a real, quantifiable interest there to make another game in the Rising series which would be incredible and is definitely something I am behind.  Something I am all for supporting.  Something that I want like I want air in my lungs.  Which is a lot, clearly.

I bring it up because, as said, I'm not sure it's being properly advertised anywhere.  I only knew about it because I saw a NeoGaf thread that mentioned it and I dropped literally everything I was doing to sit down and take the survey right on the spot.  So, you know, if you're reading this and you haven't taken the survey, but have played REVENGEANCE, well, give a little bit of your time if you would.  Anything and everything that could lead to a sequel is worth attempting, so let's hope for something good!

please, Konami, make a sequel, I will love you forever

REVENGEANCE is Officially Heading for PC

You know how sometimes there's news for a game that you -really- want to talk about because it's something that you're really excited for, but the news is essentially a single sentence?  Like, "Metal Gear Rising: REVENGEANCE is getting a PC Release" and that's really the whole of the news available for it?

Yeah.

This is one of those times.

Of course, me being me, I want to be able to say more than just that because of the reason why I bring it up in the first place.  That being:  REVENGEANCE is sweet-as-hell and you should all buy it because there's literally no excuse now.  Er, soon.  No excuse soon.  Ish.  Unless you're a weird person who solely games on Nintendo things. But, as stated, those people are weird. (I'm mostly kidding, clearly)  Really, with the game soon-to-be-available on all of the major platforms (Wii U notwithstanding) then there really is very little reason that you could not pick up the game, though whether or not you -should- is clearly where the question lies.  If you will allow me, I would like to make a very strong argument as to why you -should- buy it on PC if you truly do not have the means to have already purchased it on PS3 or 360.

Metal Gear Rising:  REVENGEANCE is probably my Game of the Year at this point.  That I haven't actually sat down and written about it in a manner that befits it is criminal and I don't really know -why- I haven't done that aside from creative barriers and the like that have suddenly cropped up.  However, I have meant to, and I have alluded to that fact several times by this point.  It doesn't make up for it, of course, nor does it excuse it, but it at least makes it less of a 'surprise' at this point.  In all reality, it might be that I simply have a hard time quantifying what I feel when I actually play REVENGEANCE and, hell, when I -remember- playing the game.

When I say it's probably my Game of the Year at this point, I say that with full knowledge that I've actually played quite a few new releases already this year with many more on the horizon.  I say it because there are few words that can effectively convey the fun and joy that I experience when I actually play it, though I suppose mentioning fun and joy is a good start.  Playing the game, actually playing it....is just a dream.  It's less about playing the game, about the mechanics, about anything than it is about using everything you have to just have as much fun as you can.  Every room full of enemies is a new chance to pull off some sort of amazing combo, if not in numbers, but in executions.  A chance to dismember every one of them in a different way if that's your thing, or a chance to find new and exciting ways to take them out as you get new weapons added to your armory.

The thing about REVENGEANCE is that, despite its fairly linear structure by nature, there's a staggering amount of freedom when it comes to the fights because of how freeform it can be.  Not only with weapons, with sub-weapons, but with little things like appearance and style as well as the Wigs that enhance your abilities in some fashion.  Throw on the Brown Wig and become a Grenadier.  Stun everyone with whatever's handy before you eviscerate them.  Stay back and pelt everyone with rockets because you have a rocket launcher in your pocket and you ain't even -care-.  Do whatever you want.  Do whatever makes the game fun for you because there is a way for that.  I cannot fathom someone playing REVENGEANCE and not, eventually, finding a way to play it that makes it an enjoyable experience for them.

Beyond actual confirmation from both Kojima and Platinum saying that REVENGEANCE will be on PC, there's...really nothing else that we know.  No release window, no price, no anything.  If it's towards the end of the year, we could probably hope for a Not-$60 pricetag or, if it has one that the Sam and BladeWolf DLC packs are included with the purchase.  Being that they're both already out -now-, it stands to reason that they are going to be part of the porting process and, one would hope, bundled with the game to make it a more enticing purchase.  But regardless of any of that, the game should be an enticing purchase because it is friggin' Metal Gear Rising:  REVENGEANCE.  Buy it when it comes out.  Enjoy it.  Because it's a hell of a ride.

I still recommend "The Frank Jaeger Experience" as a method of playing REVENGEANCE

Well, This is Something - REVENGEANCE Trophy List Mentions "PS Vita"

Earlier today, after I got my Platinum Trophy for Guacamelee! I checked my trophies just for posterity and noticed something....strange.  Something new.  As you see above, the entry for Metal Gear Rising:  REVENGEANCE suddenly has PS Vita listed in its trophy section.  A quick Googling reveals that, no there isn't any news about this that I managed to miss, but I am not alone in noticing it either.  Obviously the idea is that this points to a possibility that REVENGEANCE will see a Vita port despite past suggestions that it would not, but it could just as easily be some kind of error.  And while I obviously would hope for the former, I'm not going to suggest that the latter is the more obvious of the two possibilities.  Even though the former would be really, really cool....in theory.

So let's play around with the theory for a bit.  Let's say that, despite all previous indication, Metal Gear Rising:  REVENGEANCE is indeed heading for the Vita in some form.  That right there is the first question - what form is it going to come in?  Physical and digital is almost a given, but more to the point, I meant what state of being.  Since the PS3 and 360 versions are already out and have DLC put out for them, is the Vita version going to come afterward and include all the DLC to justify a stand-alone price?  Or is there going to be some sort of Cross-Buy/Cross-DLC situation so people like myself who are already entrenched in REVENGEANCE financially don't have to shell out an extra $40-60 for that entire experience on the go as well?  Mortal Kombat and Disgaea 3 on the Vita have sort of set a precedent for the former, if nothing else.

Honestly, doing stand-alone would probably be the easier and smarter option for everyone.  Much as I would like to avoid making my entire Metal Gear Rising:  REVENGEANCE investment ~$210 by buying the Vita version (provided it bundled the JetStream Sam and BladeWolf DLC at the very least), I would do that in a heartbeat.  REVENGEANCE is just too good and the ability to play it whenever I want is a dangerous one indeed.  Oftentimes, while playing REVENGEANCE, I only stopped playing because I knew I -had- to because of other obligations, or because I beat it.  Again.  It quickly transcended from "Game I need to play because I want to and I just bought it" to "Game I need to play because oh my god" and all the way to "Game I want to play forever because oh my god".  While I was doing practical things like farming the arms that the game wanted me to pick up and S-Ranking whatever I could, I was -also- stuffing about with things like "The Frank Jaeger Experience" in which I just suited up in the Gray Fox suit with the Fox Blade and ran around cutting things with abandon, yelling "HURT ME MORE".  Also giggling.

The game is just fun.  I could be more specific and I will be some night after I have sat down and played it a bit more (since I have played Tomb Raider, Deus Ex:  Human Revolution, Disgaea 3 and Guacamelee! at least in the meantime since I have played it) and can elucidate my points a little easier, but the general gist is that REVENGEANCE is just a fun thing to play.  And I like fun things.  Fun things are, indeed, fun.  So while I am constantly struggling to keep at least two gigs of space on my Vita's paltry 16 Gig memory stick, I would certainly kick out some of the things I have tried to keep in the off-chance that I will want to play them to make space for REVENGEANCE, should it arrive in a form that would require a lot of space.  Like digitally.  Like in a delayed cross-buy scenario.  Which I doubt would happen, but I am open to the possibility.

In practice, it's a hard thing to imagine, though.  The Metal Gear Solid HD Collection also set a precedent for being a stand-alone, full-investment game that only offered Transfarring (also known as Cross-Save), which I would also expect in a case where REVENGEANCE got a Vita version.  It also set a precedent for being roughly the same price for less game than the console counter-parts (completely lacking Peace Walker in -any- capacity, including a download voucher) which is...less than inspiring in that it makes me think of a scenario where I can only play as Sam on Vita if I pay another six dollars.  I also worry on the technical slant of things because, while the PS3 and 360 versions ran quite smoothly (and needed to, being the type of game that REVENGEANCE is), I'm not sure I have faith in anyone's ability to port it faithfully, keep the framerate tight while -also- not muddying up the visuals a lot, as they did in Mortal Kombat.  The Vita is a powerful machine, make no mistake, and I think it definitely could be possible to do it...I just don't have a lot of faith in developers putting in the required effort to make -it- happen.

Of course, this is all basically just posturing here.  If Metal Gear Rising:  REVENGEANCE is announced for Vita, you could just find that gif of someone throwing money at a computer monitor over and over again and that would be me.  (that's a thing, right?  Someone make that a thing)  There is no way that I -wouldn't- buy REVENGEANCE on another platform that I could play it on because it is just that good of a game.  So while I hope for a lot of things, that it would be put out at a reasonable cost, that it would run smooth and look great and that it would justify a late port with more base content, I can't honestly say I would take a moral high ground or anything if it didn't.  I would just buy the hell out of it and play the hell out of it.

Forever.

or at least until Terraria comes out....then I will probably play that for a long time

Music! Metal Gear Rising: REVENGEANCE Edition (For Real This Time)

In the middle of my third playthrough of REVENGEANCE, I've finally come to the realization that it's not only Mistral's Theme that I'm a fan of, but rather the entire soundtrack, now that I've heard it so many times.  It's not a fondness through repetition, nor was it something that is particularly catchy - It's simply that after hearing the tracks enough times, I could pin it down.  When you find yourself humming along with it, or timing your movements to certain parts of the song, well, yeah, you know it well enough.  That I'm listening to them outside of the game is probably proof-positive enough that I enjoy them, I would say.  Especially considering the versions I'm using require more than just listening to the soundtrack I got (since mine was just the instrumentals).

I didn't exactly plan it this way and it is technically a slight spoiler to sort of...state things this way, but I'm going ahead with it.  Of the three remaining boss fights (of the core group anyway, not counting the final bosses, you know the drill), I ended up sort of ranking them, and wouldn't you know it?  I like them in the exact order through which they come up.  Beyond my above-and-beyond enjoyment of "A Stranger I Remain", of course, which is outside of this post anyway, so no worries.  That said the first song of tonight is "The Stains of Time", which is Monsoon's theme, the second member of the 'Winds of Destruction'.  (Mistral being the first)

I'm just using the Remixed versions of every song since, given they're the closest we have to 'Official' as I ranted about, it's just the easiest way about things.  I've noticed that, compared to Mistral, not a whole lot is lost in the three remixes for tonight which is comforting even if they are still way too short by their very nature.  It's hard to really pin down -what- I like about "The Stains of Time", but if anything, I'd have to guess the guitar, because let's be honest, it is pretty damn kickin'.  The vocals are delivered well and fit the song pretty nicely, while the lyrics are actually pretty good as well.  The chorus being the best part of it all, if only for the punctuated delivery you get.  That would be the part of this song I tried to synch things up with when I was fighting Monsoon, but, well, that didn't happen.  Still was fun trying, though!

After the Monsoon fight, actually quite a while after, you end up fighting Sundowner who is the first member of the Winds of Destruction that you're introduced to in the game.  For good reason too, as he's actually the leader of the three of them. Presumably their basic cyborgs as well, but mostly the three of them.  (Mistral, Monsoon and Sundowner).  There's some codec conversations in the game that describe their theme and their name origins which, of course, all have to do with winds and specific regions.  Sundowner, specifically, is some type of wind condition in California or something - honestly it's interesting in the game, but I can't retain that sort of thing.  Still, nice that they put some thought behind it.  Continuing his little theme with 'sun', his theme is titled "Red Sun".

Not gonna lie; the vocals of this song are really what drew me into it.  The opening riff is nice, but it doesn't carry very far into the song.  When it ends, though, the vocals pretty much kick in right then and I didn't even really pay attention to the lyrics the first few times I really started listening to it.  When I did, though....it's almost kind of silly how out of place the lyrics -are-, in a sense.  When you play REVENGEANCE for yourself (and you damn well better if you haven't already) and are in scenes with Sundowner and eventually fighting him, remember that "Only love is with us now, something warm and pure / find the peace within ourselves, no need for a cure" is part of his official theme.  And then hold your head like a Psyduck and get back to enjoying the game.

The last video tonight is the theme of Jetstream Sam who is probably the most featured bad guy in all of the trailers that have been shown for the game.  With good reason - Sam is pretty much awesome, even though is is a bad dude.  Now, I know I said there were only three members of the Winds of Destruction and they all had Wind-themed names and yes, Sam has a wind-themed name, but he's not an official member.  He's just sort of working with them for the bigger picture in REVENGEANCE which I am not going to say anymore about because spoilers and I've spoiled enough as it is.  Still, Sam's theme might actually be my favorite of all four now, and I don't want to stall anymore.  So without further stalling "The Only Thing I Know For Real".

I....am pretty certain that I don't have to explain why I like this song.  Nor do I have to point out what there is to like about it.  I will do the latter point, however, and tell you what is great about the song:

Everything.

There's a really interesting sort of fusion feeling behind it, with the 'whistles' you get that are reminiscent of Samurai duels and the like, along with the rockin' guitar and such.  Which, funnily enough?  There is a reason for it that's openly given in the game in several different ways.  And it is similarly pretty awesome.  When you actually get to hear it in-game, it cranks up the intensity to 11 and makes it one of the more memorable sections.  All of this is purposefully said to entice you to play/buy the game, of course, so please do that.  In droves.  Because I want Metal Gear Rising 2:  RE-REVENGEANCE.  So do you.  But mostly me.

There are other songs on the soundtrack that are equally worth a listen, but these are pretty much the most important ones, by virtue of being the boss themes, so that they're awesome is good.  Quite good.  And really, that's all I wanted to convey.

Music! Metal Gear Rising: REVENGEANCE (Kind Of)

So, this is going to be a slightly different type of Music! post in that I'm not going to solely gush over three particular pieces of music from the mentioned Metal Gear Rising:  REVENGEANCE.  What I am going to do is express my appreciation for -one- song and then point out my annoyance with the way the whole OST has been wobbled.  Because, in all honesty, it has kind of been wobbled in one of the honestly weirdest ways I've ever seen something as simple as a soundtrack done.  I suppose that's....impressive in a sense, but really, I would've preferred things been easier since REVENGEANCE honestly has a really good soundtrack and this all is only going to detract from opinions of it.

The song I really want to focus on here tonight is possibly my favorite song off the entire soundtrack, which is Mistral's Theme - "A Stranger I Remain".  Mistral is the first real boss fight that you experience in the game as REVENGEANCE Raiden, so perhaps there is something of a different connection there, but really, I do rather enjoy the song that accompanies the fight.  Or...rather, I like -a- version of the song that accompanies it.  This statement requires a two-fold explanation of just what I mean - the first being the easiest.  One of the cooler things that REVENGEANCE (yes, all caps all the time, deal with it) does with the soundtrack is that there is an Instrumental version and a Vocal version of every song.  If you enter a fight with a full Blade Mode gauge (possibly even accrue a full gauge during the fight), you will be treated with the Vocal version, otherwise you just get the Instrumental.  That's pretty cool.

The other facet to the explanation is that there really seems to be no 'official' version of any particular song beyond what are on the actual, printed Soundtrack CDs out there.  The issue with this is that there are two Soundtracks - the Instrumental Soundtrack that came with the Limited Edition, and the Vocal Soundtrack that is available in stores and such.  Except, the Vocal Soundtrack is a little mis-named because it is actually the Remix Soundtrack since every song on it (bar one) is either a Platinum Remix, a Maniac Agenda Remix or a "Low Key" version.  There are also 12 Instrumental tracks that are, of course, the remixed versions of said tracks, so they're not Vocals at all.  Which means that there is no -Official- Soundtrack with the original versions of the songs available anywhere.  This is bad.  This is a Bad Thing™.

I think the easiest way to show off this disparity is by just getting right to it.  First up is the version of the song that's actually on the soundtracks and actually in the game, which is the Maniac Agenda Mix.

So, it's pretty simple, really.  A short tune meant for looping because Boss Fights will either take a little bit or less than a little bit and you're probably not really paying attention to the music.  Being that it's slightly more electric and metal than the original version (which is next) it makes for a little higher energy for the fight which is most welcome.  Unfortunately with being such a short remix, there's quite a bit of the song that is cut out which is a bit of a shame because it's a good song all told.  Well, kind of.  Again, it's all a bit of a complicated situation which I will further expound on now.

So, now that you've had the Remix, it's time for what is -possibly- the original version of the song.  I say possibly because, in truth, I have no damn clue if there's an easily accessible version of the originals of -any- of the songs, much less A Stranger I Remain.  Still the uploader is "MetalGearRisingOST", so I would assume this is kind of the only thing they are doing and thus I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt in this.  As said, this is (kind of, possibly) the 'Original' version of the song.

I would like to point out a couple things with this song.  First off the two minute rock interlude is a little self-indulgent and I always dislike this in songs.  It just irks me unless it's like a really mega-kickin' riff.  Secondly, you get to hear the parts of the song that -aren't- in the remix version, which I actually really like these parts.  Those parts are what got me to like the song overall, honestly, though it wasn't that version of the song that I listened to to hear them.  That is, in fact, the third part that I wanted to mention which is the most hilarious of them at all.  In that entire song, the whole five minutes and twenty-one seconds, compared to the two minutes twenty-six seconds of the remix, it actually leaves the entire first verse of the remix version out.  I don't know if that is exclusive to the remix or what, which seems silly if so, but it adds to the confusion.  The lyrics that are missing, by the by:

I've come here from nowhere
'cross the unforgiving sea
drifting further and further
it's all becoming clear to me
that violent winds are upon us and I can't speak
internal temperatures rising
and all the voices won't recede

I cannot imagine how this is a thing that has happened.  The only thing I can figure on, like I said, is that that verse was recorded solely for the remix version of the song, but that's rather silly and I don't know if I want to believe that.  It's something that, as said, further complicates what is already something of a complicated thing.

And just to add another layer of confusion to the whole basket, neither of those is the version of the song that I've been listening to.  Because there's yet -another- version that has -all- the lyrics that I stumbled across first, and, as such, it's the version I'm used to.

I'm honestly not sure if that's a fan-made version, but I can't tell of any obvious splicing and the background to the missing verse in this version doesn't sound like the background to the same verse in the remix.  Where it actually shows up.  So, in all honesty, I have not a damn clue what version of the song is the actual version of it.  Because I have a version with all the lyrics in said song that I've heard in other versions combined, and then I have a version from what seems like the closest to an 'official' uploader that is missing an entire verse while also including a mentioned over-indulgent two-minute guitar solo.  I personally like the last version I embedded, but that might also be because I am used to listening to it and such.  Still, the verses are all in it and they're all fairly nice.

It's a rather unfortunate situation that mars an otherwise really good soundtrack.  In that you have no idea what's -actually- there to give props to the artists, and what is possibly the work of someone else who took a song (possibly multiple versions of it) and played around for a few hours in a music program.  I'm holding out hope that they're going to do a digital release of the original tracks which will kind of cement just -what- is real, but I don't know why they didn't just do that when they released the game and the Vocal Remix album, if they were actually going to release the originals.  Still, there's a monetary gain to be had in doing so, so there might yet be a chance that it'll come out in the following weeks.  In the meantime, we do always have youtube, I suppose.

CUT ALL THE THINGS

If you will allow me one thing before I get started...

Ahem.

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee~!

Alright.

So, obviously, I picked up my Limited Edition copy of Metal Gear Rising:  REVENGEANCE (I will be doing a Bonus Post to go over the box, the contents and offering pictures.  Also bragging.) today and brought it home after a few detours that cut into my playing time drastically.  That was not so great, but it's a thing that happens sometimes.  When I did manage to get home and unbox the thing finally, the first thing I did was pull out the Soundtrack and pop that into the ol' PS3 to import it, taking a look at what we were talking about in terms of Video Game OST here.  Since a lot of "included" OSTs tend to be like, 10 tracks when the -actual- OST has like 40.  I figured that would be the case here since, really, how many tracks could the game have, and how many were they just going to 'give away' like that?  So, imagine my surprise when I popped up the little disk icon on the XMB, hit Triangle and hit Import and was first introduced to the 32-Track, 630 (ish) MB, Hour and change long OST.  I will assist you in this venture:  my surprise was vast and all encompassing.  I haven't -actually- listened to it yet, just imported it, but I will because I've already heard some pretty great things in the game itself.

That was not the first, nor the last surprise that I was visited by this game and specifically this Limited Edition.  No, the first surprise was when I walked into GameStop, informed the clerk of my reason for being there, and he reached down and pulled out this massively tall box (comparatively speaking) by a handle on the top of it and placed it on the counter.  "Holy crap", I said, unable to stop myself.  "That is huge."  "Yeah, I was really surprised with just how big they were.", said the clerk with a little grin that I myself shared.  Right then and there, I knew my purchase was 100% justified, yet it would astound me hours later when I didn't even know the half of it then.  "It's blue."  someone chipped in from behind me.  Both myself and I looked back to another customer in line directly behind me, as he was pointing at my box.  "The sword lamp.  The electricity is blue, it's awesome looking.  My friend sent me a picture of it earlier because he knew I had to wait until later to get mine."  He then produced his smartphone, brought up the picture of the arcing blue electricity contained within another sword lamp to which myself and the clerk "Oooo"d and "Ahhh"d over for a moment.  Good times were had by all, I concluded my purchase (After also pre-ordering Tearaway, Soul Sacrifice, Deadly Premonition:  Director's Cut, Tomb Raider and The Last of Us Suvivalist LE since the Post-Apocalypse is all sold out whyyyy) and left, eager to get my foray into REVENGEANCE started.

Hours later, when I got home after the annoying sidethings I had to do, I went through the process described above, popped in the disk and allowed its Day One patch (presumably for the DLC, both pre-order and non) before it then had to install as well.  These times, when these things are downloading and installing, these are the hardest times ever, and it's only when a game like Binary Domain and Metal Gear Solid 4 comes along and -does- something with Install screens that you truly appreciate them for doing that.  Because the install wasn't that big, nor did it take too long, but the minutes stretched into hours and I only steadied myself with a quick couple rounds of Jetpack Joyride on my Vita - the last mission eludes me yet, but I will accomplish it one day.  Eventually, the download, the install were all done and I could finally, finally begin seeking revenge with a vengeance.

Like with the just mentioned Binary Domain, I didn't know quite what to expect, walking into REVENGEANCE, but I did expect something good.  Something fun.  And much the same as with that situation, I got a -lot- more than I expected, finding that at no point in my four hours of playing did I stop grinning, did I stop chuckling and getting excited by all of the wonderfully awesome things on the screen.  The game is beyond fun, it's beyond good - it is exquisite, and it's a whole different beast than I was expecting, but a beast that I've been wanting without knowing it.  I'm only a couple boss fights into the game as it stands, but it has already been a goddamn experience and my mind has gone wild with the possibilities and the realities of just what this is.  And what REVENGEANCE, so far, is, is a game where you do so much cool shit, so much fun shit, that it makes your head spin.  I jumped on a string of missiles to cut a Metal Gear RAY in half.  I remote controlled a Dwarf (those things with the arms) to zap a bunch of guards into unconsciousness where I then went around, cutting them up and absorbing their sweet, sweet electrolytes.  I cut a Gekko into 100+ pieces while wearing a Sombrero.

Cut all the things indeed.

Oh Lord, This REVENGEANCE Trailer

Okay, we are all aware that I am completely and totally hyped for Metal Gear Rising:  REVENGEANCE, yes?  Yes?  Of course.  You are probably like "Mogs, I do indeed know of your hype level for Metal Gear Rising:  REVENGEANCE because you have spoken of it several times and, in fact, I do not know how you could be -more- hyped for it."

TO THAT I SAY WATCH THE EMBEDDED TRAILER.

I'm not sure I can really put into words, coherent ones at least, what it is about that trailer that gets my blood pumping in the best way, but good goddamn if that's not the game I'm anticipating the absolute most at this moment.  I mean, yes, we still have The Last of Us coming this year but The Last of Us won't let me cut five guys into chunks in the span of three minutes and then also cut two giant robots into slightly larger chunks, but still chunks nonetheless, in the following two.  The Last of Us won't feature a goddamn cyborg ninja driving a car for unknown reasons.  It also probably won't feature gravelly Raiden voice acting that I can't help but like despite the inherent cheese to it, mostly because of the dialogue.  The Last of Us will have plenty of good things, wonderful things, but it won't have these things and these things are what I want right stat now.

The thing I like about that trailer, aside from everything, is that it showed story -and- gameplay right after one another, letting you see how the transition goes which is rather smooth.  The story is going to be all levels of silly, even moreso than a normal Metal Gear game, and that is just fine by me.  I am expecting high action with some intrigue and a few twists thrown in here and there, but beyond that?  Not a whole lot more.  I don't see how I'll be disappointed on that front.  The more batshit crazy it's all presented, the happier I'll be, I suspect as even though it's canon with Metal Gear Solid as a series, this is obviously going to be a wild ride, being a Platinum/Kojima project.

The gameplay though.  Oh man, the gameplay.  I have gotten over my whinging about the classic "I cut stuff and it doesn't come apart" Action game gripe, which is the whole of the combo system, mostly because it seems like your foes will all be non-organic, or at least mostly non-organic.  This?  This I can handle.  And Zan-datsu is obviously a more focused cut, so it will obviously be way more effective than a regular slice and I am justifying this yes, but for good reason.  Because the game looks awesome and fun as all holy hell.  I'm not quite sure, but it seems like Zan-datsu is something you can enter and leave freely (with the express purpose of spine-hunting, of course, but also for cutting ALL OF THE THINGS) which is astounding to me.  Mostly because it serves some utilitarian purposes as well - at one point, if you were watching carefully enough, you'll notice that Raiden sliced a missile in half as it was flying towards him, effectively disarming it.  And you really don't have to cut right for the spine - you can just lop off an arm or leg(s) if you feel like it, and the combinations of all that will be really, really fun to explore.

Metal Gear Rising:  REVENGEANCE is going to be one hell of a ride and I honestly am counting the very minutes until it's released on February 19th.  If at all possible, I know now that I'll be shelling out the near-ridiculous price for the badass Collector's Edition, simply because yes, I want it that much.  I want all of it that much.  If not for the super awesome lamp, then for the badass soundtrack that will be full of tasty guitar riffs and high intensity.  But still, mostly for the super awesome lamp that I may or may not ever plug in because it is -too- good.  But one way or another, the game will be mine as soon as it is earthly possible and that day will be a glorious one indeed.  It will really make me wonder what the rest of 2013 can hope to offer in terms of something that will top this.  Because this is pushing all of my buttons in the best way possible.

Apparently, This is REVENGEANCE'S NA Box Art

That is what Joystiq has told me today and that's...that's pretty cool.  Box art has been kind of a thing lately, what with the Bioshock Infinite situation and such, so I guess it makes sense to make something of a deal about it for a little while until things sort of taper off and we all go back to not really caring one way or another.  More so than just about any other game I can think of, however, REVENGEANCE'S cover will probably be the one that'll cause the last few ripples if only because it is the cover art for the game that I figure will still end up being even more polarizing than your normal Metal Gear game for the simple fact that REVENGEANCE is not your normal Metal Gear game.  I will never get tired of people who complain about things never changing, everything's a sequel, blah blah, and when something different happens, the same people whine because someone is 'ruining' a franchise by doing something different.  It is the height of silliness, to be sure.

That's pretty much where we're at with REVENGEANCE (no, I am not going to not cap it because it is that awesome) and I don't see that changing....well, ever.  That's kind of a good thing, though, I guess?  If nothing else, it'll keep people talking about it since, if there's something the game will need, it'll be exposure and word of mouth.  Metal Gear Rising won't have the full audience that a Metal Gear Solid title can expect because some of that audience is part of the group all in a huff because it's so different and is ruining the sanctity of the entire franchise and blah blah blah.  To top that, the group that will latch on to this game simply because it's from Platinum Games probably won't be enough to bring it back up to how popular it could be -expected- to be.  So really, the box art here is a lot more important than one might assume from just not really paying a lot of attention to box art.  I know I certainly don't unless I just see something that -really- pops and that's not really a concern lately.

I'm trying to be objective about the cover and I just can't tell if I am succeeding or not, because I just think it's really damn cool looking and I am also fighting off a little sinus trouble or a cold that has my mind all muddled.  It conveys the message that had been broadcast loud and clear since the name "REVENGEANCE" got put at the end - this is an action game about cutting shit.  Like, a lot of it.  In awesome ways.  Like a goddamn Ninja.  Which, coincidentally, Raiden -is-.  I mean, I know that I am biased, which is why I can't say for sure that it's a -good- cover, but I know that I like it and despite being the target audience anyway, I would probably pick this up off a shelf if I saw it and knew nothing of the game.  Hopefully that happens, because I want this game to succeed.  It's one of the handful of games I'm already hyped for next year and that's only going to grow and grow as it draws nearer and nearer.  And as I wonder if I'll still be able to switch my pre-order to the Limited Edition with the lamp.  Because goddamnit, I am making money and I am allowed to be a whore.  So whoring it is!

Wait, shit, that didn't come out right.

Wii U Scores Bayonetta 2 As An Exclusive

Ridin' off to new platforms....or just the one, really.

So, arguably the most talked about piece of news from the entire Wii U media blitz dust-up and such is the fact that, at some point in the future, which is undetermined currently, Bayonetta 2 will debut on the console exclusively.  As in, the direct sequel to Bayonetta, the game on PS3/360 which is touted as one of the best action games ever, will only be available to anyone who goes out and buys a Wii U when it comes out.  Or, you know, at some point between when it comes out and when the actual game itself comes out, which is probably going to be a good half a year at least.  Probably more, seeing as Platinum has a lot on their collective plates as is, which is a bit of good news, at least.  This is probably the busiest they've ever been, and it's most likely going to make some good bank for them.  And good - it couldn't happen to a better studio, I should think.

That said, I still have yet to play Bayonetta.  I know, I know, I'm a filthy heretic and such, but as you all might know, I haven't had a whole lot of PS3 time in these summer months and it's only now that the temperatures are falling....sometimes....that I have been able to really turn the system on and have some fun with it.  And that said, my first task is to finish Sleeping Dogs since I absolutely adore the game and not being able to play it has been torture for me because of that.  After that, I'm not sure - it depends on what strikes my fancy.  But I can't definitely say it will be Bayonetta and it's for now two very, very clear reasons.  The original, which was the one that gave me pause to start with was that I -know- that it is a technically inferior version of the game, and that sort of thing eats at me and just really kills my enjoyment.  Even with the patch, I've seen accounts that say the 360 version is like playing a whole other game and that is not something I like to hear.  The second reason is now that I know if I actually enjoy Bayonetta and want a sequel, I'll have to shell out $400-ish to get to it in about half a year or better, provided the Wii U hasn't price-dropped by then.  (It probably won't.)

But it could always get ported, right?  I mean, that would be the sensible thing, right?  Sensible or not, it is not a game that is going to get ported and that's just simple fact right there.  There's two basic reasons floating around out there with the people discussing the game, and they have a bit of the truth in them, but neither of the reasons is -the- reason, and one of them is actually just kind of poorly thought-out.  The first, biggest reason that people don't expect a Bayonetta 2 port is because Nintendo themselves is publishing the game on Wii U.  It's actually being suggested that Nintendo is putting a little more money than just that into it, but it's hard to say if that's for sure or if Nintendo is just sort of 'guiding' the game as it's being built.  Regardless, the case generally is that if a company publishes the game, they're fronting some dough and just having that game out there to generate revenue isn't going to cut it in terms of their own benefits for doing so, so generally some exclusivity is guaranteed to make it so that you're the only place someone can go for this particular game.  Everybody does it and there are very well-documented cases of it out there, but there are also many, many cases showing that Publishing a game doesn't mean it can't stray elsewhere.

Publishing contracts are just sort of a nebulous thing that generally infers -some- expectation of exclusivity, but really, just how much of that is never assured.  XBLA exclusivity with promotions like Summer of Arcade and the like, where Microsoft -does- publish the game seems to last something like a year, after which the developer is free to take their game to whatever else platform they desire using whatever the hell means they want, basically.  And even on-disk publishing isn't an exact guaranteed 100% exclusive thing, as Ninja Gaiden 2 showed us all, releasing on PS3 a year (again) after the 360 release as a self-published game from Tecmo KOEI (then Tecmo).  So for anyone saying "Nintendo's publishing it, which means end of story", that really is not completely true, as history has proven.  It solely depends on just what sort of contract they have with Platinum Studios (and Sega by proxy) regarding the exclusivity, which is likely determined by just how much Nintendo is doing to help fund it and/or what additional resources they're putting into the game (actual development time or even just marketing).

The other reason that I've seen for why the game simply 'cannot' be ported to PS3/360 is because, and I am probably directly quoting someone with this, "it just won't work because the Wii U is just so much more powerful" which is...well I won't say patently ridiculous as I wanted to, but it's not an accurate comparison.  Firstly because we don't -really- know what kind of power the Wii U is pushing, as in the CPU/GPU, and we probably will not learn this for some time, but it's not going to be -miles ahead- or anything.  All we do know is that the Wii U apparently has an entire gig of (console) RAM (which is different than Computer RAM) dedicated to the games, where the other gig that it has is dedicated to running the OS and such.  This is not an uncommon practice.  None of it is indicative of the Wii U being 'so much more powerful' than the PS3 or 360 that you can't put Wii U games on those consoles, and made much more a silly notion when you consider just how many friggin' PS3/360 ports are scheduled to release on the Wii U.

Despite all that, the core of the matter is that, while it's not going to be a launch window title, Bayonetta 2 is slated to release fairly early into the console's lifespan and unless Nintendo are stepping in to show Platinum just how to make the game sparkle and shine with technical wizardry, it -likely- won't be making full use of whatever power the console has to offer.  Which means that power is honestly not much of a variable to bet on in this whole situation.  Nor how little 'power' actually means in down-porting which is, as we know, still a fairly common practice and if you're really looking to make some extra sales, you're going to do it right.  In such a case, I'm sure Platinum -would- do it right, but I'm not quite sure who would publish it which is, honestly the issue here.  This is precisely the reason why Bayonetta 2 is likely going to stay exclusive to the Wii U, if there is any.

As we all know, Sega, not Platinum Games, is the owner/holder of the Bayonetta 2 IP which means any game in the series has to be done with their blessing.  Platinum Studios was the developer of that game as per a four-game deal they signed with Sega (the other three games in the deal being MadWorld, Vanquish and Infinite Space) but that and the fact that they're working on Bayonetta 2 doesn't mean they hold reign over the Bayonetta series.  Being the IP holder, Sega could arrange for just about any other studio out there to make a Bayonetta game, and that's where the problem is.  Sega has themselves convinced that they just can't afford to pay attention to games beyond their basic top-selling series and has basically pulled the plug on any sort of Western releases of anything beyond those series.  (Which, unfortunately leaves Yakuza up in the air for now, but that's another issue entirely)  It could likely be inferred that Bayonetta 2 is only a thing that exists because Nintendo fronted the cash they did, which means for the game to show up on any other platform, in theory, Sony and/or Microsoft would probably have to front the same amount of cash to make it happen.

Worldwide, between the two platforms Bayonetta released on, the game sold somewhere in the neighborhood of 1.3 million copies.  Again, worldwide.  It didn't set the world on fire with sales, is basically what I'm saying, as generally a good-selling game could break or come close to a million in a single region.  So it's already a hard sell to Sega because of that, and then you have to consider just what you're looking at in costs otherwise.  Nintendo's already fronted for Bayonetta 2 so Sega has that money and they likely don't care anymore beyond that.  But to convince them that they need to work out a publishing deal with -somebody else- to take Bayonetta 2 to PS3/360 would require that they can prove there's reason to.  And this is where it gets tricky because this is where splitting your fanbase really, -really- comes around to bite you in the ass in the end.  Or, at least it should in theory.

What I mean by that is that even if we're not all heavy in somebody's corner, we're likely going to follow series rather than platforms.  Platforms grow by featuring certain series to them exclusively or at least in a way that makes it the place you want to get it on so that when the next iteration of the platform comes along, you can bring along those people by continuing the series.  It's pretty simple really and to use something as an example, we'll go with Yakuza.  The first two were on the PS2 and the second two on the PS3.  This is just a basic progression, as it's not that much of a stretch to think if you bought a PS2, you might buy a PS3.  It's linear logic in a vacuum, basically as it doesn't account for anything beyond that, but you'll be hard-pressed to tell me how it doesn't make sense on some level.  You lose that when you try to say "Because you bought a PS3, you'll buy a Wii U" or "Because you bought a DS, you'll buy a Vita".  The actual words to quantify what I'm getting at escape me at the moment, but using 'something like linear logic' as a vague indicator will probably work, as I'm sure you're all understanding where I'm coming from.

What -that- all means is that those 1.3 million copies sold on PS3/360 for Bayonetta does not, in any way, shape or form, guarantee 1.3 million copies sold on Wii U.  Generally speaking, even if the majority of games are bought as a series by the same people (meaning people who buy game 1 buy game 2 and 3 when they come out), not all of them are, as you have to account for people who didn't care for the first and thus don't buy the second as well as people who buy the second without caring about the first existing.  So, by that logic, Bayonetta 2 could really out-sell its predecessor if a lot of people who didn't play the first buy it, but if you're trying to market the game -to- the people who bought the first, and counting on them jumping ship as it were, you are definitely not going to get all of those people.  Even in a straight console progression, you don't get all those people, so that much less for abstract console progression.

So -basically- what I've danced around saying without just getting to it is that the real reason Bayonetta 2 won't see a PS3/360 port is that the game probably just isn't going to sell well enough to justify it to any one party.  For a Bayonetta 2 port you're going to have to A) Make it worth it to Sega (which will be hard enough) and then B) Hope Platinum can port it.  Point A pretty much entirely depends on Bayonetta 2 selling well on the Wii U which is an entire gamble in itself as for that to happen you have to assume that everyone who bought the first buys this, as well as many, many more people, which would entice Sony and/or Microsoft to approach Sega to do it.  I say it's this way simply because of Nintendo's involvement as Sega was clearly ready to step away from the series entirely for the time being before Nintendo threw some money at them.  And in all reality, Bayonetta 2 selling really well on Wii U would signify that your potential buyers elsewhere have already bought it.  It's a vicious circle, really.

A lot of people, including myself, don't really like it, but that's pretty much how it is.  For my part, I only dislike it because I just don't like abstract console progression since I like following series...es, and when I cannot without throwing down cash beyond the game itself, I lose interest rapidly.  That's why I never bought into Dead Rising 2, as the first is never going to come to the console I want to play 2 on, so I simply wouldn't enjoy it.  Dead Rising isn't the best example, of course, as it's not particularly story heavy, but it doesn't really -matter- to me; if I have to cross platform lines to play a whole series that is linear, then it has to be damn well worth it, and I'm not convinced a whole lot of games are.  Of course it becomes a lot more palatable if I have both consoles that the series is on, but not entirely so because I am picky like that.  Again, this is just with the sort of crazy jumps across platforms and not the natural progressions.  And I suspect I'm not alone in this, but I do like to think that I'm at least a bit more rational about it.  I really don't hold any ill-will to Platinum, Sega or Nintendo over this whole Bayonetta ordeal, but I suspect it might be because I don't have an attachment to the series yet.  Still, if it tickles my fancy enough, I suppose I'll have to weigh it against the other prospects of owning a Wii U, since I don't expect Bayonetta 2 to stray anywhere else from there.

I Should Be Doing a Big E3 Post...

....But I can't help but watch this Metal Gear Rising:  REVENGEANCE trailer.  Again and again and again and again.  Honestly, though, can you blame me?  Just watch it yourself and tell me that either A) That is not something you would watch over and over again or B) You at least understand why it's something that I am compulsively watching and re-watching.  Because at least one of those two responses has to be true for you unless you're just a new reader who just so happens to dislike the direction in which REVENGEANCE (all caps every time) is going with all the freedom of being a side-story that doesn't feature Snake as a main character can offer.  In which case, Hi!  Thanks for reading.  Now tolerate my incoherent ramblings of how much I love everything about the game, or read any of my other non-Metal Gear Rising related posts, of which there are probably hundreds at this point.

If it's not obvious by this point, I have pretty much grown to love everything about REVENGEANCE since the last time I talked about it which was basically when it was revealed.  Since that point, I've grown more and more giddy for the game by the day, and with this new trailer for the game, it almost seems like sweet sweet vindication for being so excited about it.  Granted, I doubt a whole lot has -really- changed, aside from it seeming a lot faster paced (certainly the hitting things who don't instantly fall apart is there - see the part of the video where Raiden wails on that guy with....a naginata?) but it does do a good job of being high-intensity.  So much so that I feel like I have to calm down from watching it (be it my enthusiasm or because I'm drawn into it that much) to be able to actually write anything about it as I am now.  And even now, it's still running....just in the background.  So I'm just listening to the narration of it alongside Depeche Mode's "Wrong" out of friggin' nowhere.

I will applaud the trailer's usage of the 'zan-datsu' mode that has managed to stay in the game and be utilized properly despite the drastic overhaul of the core gameplay.  Even though I -know- that I won't be able to do that to -every- enemy (at least, not before wailing on them ala "Every other Action Game"), knowing that I -can- do that eventually is quite the payoff - especially since they've shown it used in some stealthy ways.  On top of that, the speedy parkour, the aerial juggles, the spinning a Gecko by an unbreakable chain, it's all wonderful and was used rather masterfully if I do say so.  This is pretty much the perfect "Get Hype" trailer, though I admit that I am incredibly biased in saying that considering, well, I just love this game already, despite not even really being well-versed in Platinum Games.....games.  I have yet to grab Vanquish, my copy of Bayonetta sits un-played considering it's the PS3 version, my backlog and the fact that I'm not playing my PS3 until we get some cool days, and my time with MadWorld has and continues to be short, but rather sweet.

Maybe it's that level of unfamiliarity that makes this perfect for me, however.  I can go into this unspoiled by their previous works to just take what's here at face value because I can have that faith.  I'm told Platinum Games are rather masterful with action games, as the constant praise for Bayonetta being 'the best action game to date' will attest to, and they certainly know how to make a trailer.  The game mechanics are solid in that you -cut- and things -die-, wherein the challenge and the gameplay comes in to describe the how, the difficulty to do that, and to etch out just how satisfying it will be.  Going into this with nothing, I can just take it as it is and imagine it's very satisfying considering that, unless something changes from now and release, you can at least cut a few things in the environment to whichever angle you desire, making anything a tool of destruction in your capable hands.  Again, I point you to the trailer at the point where Raiden cuts through a pillar to cut a guy in half, as well as the part where the leg of a radio tower or something gets cut up and then it moves to something big (presumably the thing that just had its leg cut) falling onto a car.  Presumably because it was cut.  By Raiden.

I think it's indicative that, out of -everything- that's been leaked, announced and said as a possibility, this is the -only thing- that I can talk about tonight.  I can't form cohesive thoughts about anything else because I'm just stuck on this trailer, so I'm not going to try.  I can't even say anything about Resistance:  Burning Skies, despite beating it today, because it's like "Psh, whatever, REVENGEANCE TRAILER".  So, yeah, I hate to say it, but that's all for me tonight.  I'll be playing Burning Skies again ala the New Game+ and will likely get through it again so I'll be well prepared to talk about it tomorrow.  Or...at least, that's the plan.  I'm not sure if it'll be a review or just a straight-talk about the game because it doesn't really....invoke a whole lot.  I'm sure if I were assigned to review it, it would be a challenge, far beyond simply finding the words, which makes me hesitant to attempt it.  We'll see what formulates, however.  For now, I'm just going to watch this a few more times and imagine all the ways I will cut fools with this game.

Update!:  It's worth mentioning (which is funny considering I've meant to mention it for two nights in a row and forgot to edit it in) that anyone who purchases Zone of the Enders HD Collection gets Early Rising Demo Access, but whether that's in the form of the disk containing the demo, or merely coming with a download code is unknown at this point.  I'm hoping for the former, of course, since the demo is likely going to be a couple gigs, but it will likely be the latter.  As such, it won't have any impact whatsoever on my intention to get the Zone of the Enders HD Collection (Though it might push me to double-dip as I was starting to think I might just wait for the Vita version, and barring some terrible porting I am -definitely- getting the Vita version), but if the stars align and I get to play the demo just by putting in the disk, then that would be a great bonus.  Definitely something to keep an ear to the ground about.