Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance

Ridiculous, funny, overtly political and shockingly prophetic. MGRR combines the idiosyncratic characters and storytelling Metal Gear is known for with Platinum's radical lack of subtext for a story that in it's best moments comes alive and speaks to the player in it's own uncompromised language. It's a pointed critique of the American military industrial complex and a broader contemplation of the nature of war and ideals, though it's characters are so eccentric that those who seek no deeper meaning will still enjoy themselves. Unfortunately it suffers from an all too vague and inconclusive ending that offers a bunch of "where are they now" fluff while bringing no resolution to the question at the heart of the games narrative (I don't want to speculate but this feels like an ending designed to make way for a sequel :/ ). Nevertheless MGRR makes up for it's shortcomings with a consistently baffling ability to predict the future. Despite being first released in 2013 it creates the illusion that it was released yesterday (no doubt due to Platinum's aforementioned lack of subtext).

MGRR's gameplay can be a bit of a mixed bag, between an awkward camera system, underexplained mechanics and some truly boring (but optional) VR Missions, it can be a slog at some points. However, when MGRR is at it's best it is nigh electric and distinguishes itself from it's spectacle fighter ilk. Whereas games like Bayonetta or DMC give players somewhat accessible tools to pull off long and flashy strings, MGRR demands quick reaction times to pull off parries while still pressing your advantage. You will inevitably be funneled into constantly using the game's masterfully animated centerpiece, the Zandatsu, a move that I have likely seen 500 times and have not yet tired of. The game is undeniably at both it's most fun and most challenging when pitting you against a boss. Unfortunately there is a bit of a power differential, some (like Sundowner and Mistral) are relatively easy while others (like Armstrong and the clones) will push you to your limits. But even the easiest boss is amped up to 11 by what I can only refer to as their "stage presence". MGRR is the only time a taunt line from a boss has made me legitimately angry, and that speaks as a testament to how well these fights are framed.

Overall MGRR is a game in which disparate elements combine to make a game occasionally frustrating but always interesting, despite being from 2013 it is one of the few games within the past 5 years to legitimately shock me with it's audacity and bluntness. As big budget games become more homogenized and inoffensive, MGRR is likely a phenom we will never see again.