Whether you are a long-term fan of Metal Gear Solid, recently joined the fan base, or have never actually heard of the series ever before, Rising is sure something to talk about. The admired franchise has (momentarily?) ditched their much loved hero, Snake, to make way for a new, or should I say old, protagonist…

          The much controversial character who made his debut in MGS2, Raiden became more appreciated as he returned in MGS4 as none other that a badass cyborg ninja, (way to make a character more likeable) and since then his whiny, effeminate mannerisms and appearance from all those years back seem forgivable. 

          Rising sees Raiden wielding his signature weapon, the High Frequency Blade, with the games unique selling point being that the user has the ability to ‘Cut at Will’. Certain objects, enemies and scenery in Rising appear to be interactive with your weapon and can be sliced and diced in no time at all. 

he trailer showcased some of the action we can possibly expect from the game. Raiden is looking more vicious and powerful than ever, and with such strength, he makes no hesitation cutting vehicles, dismembering soldiers, and making himself a fruit salad - nice to see the series still keeping its sense of humour. Some may be quite disappointed that there was no mention of more stealthy elements, which really defined the series and seems a shame it wasn’t enough of a feature to brag about. Could MGS really be heading to join the ranks of the apparently endless stockpile of current action titles and franchises?

          Well, from the trailer alone, we shouldn’t assume anything so far. However, Shigenobu Matsuyama, the game’s new leader of the project and producer (yes, my friends, I’m afraid our loyal friend Mr Kojima is sitting out on this one) wishes to draw the attention of new audiences to the series. He says:

‘…I don’t want to make the users feel they can’t enjoy unless they know MGS or MGS2, or they’ve played MGS4. I don’t want to puzzle people who never played MGS too much.’ 

He stated in another interview he was planning to focus less on story and dramatically reduce the time of in-game cutscenes. Matsuyama promised some stealthy gameplay to keep the long-running followers of Metal Gear Solid happy, but wanted more fast-paced action to be included in order to widen the fan base of gamers who perhaps wanted a bit more gut-slicing rampage.

          …now hold on just a minute! Sure, it is important for companies to introduce new features to expand their audience, but in this case, the developers really run the risk of alienating a very devoted fan base, whose members are in mad love with the MGS basic formula e.g. lengthy cutscenes, intricate storyline and vast emphasis on stealth. On the basis that Rising was intended to not be a spinoff of the series, why change the essence of MGS so much??

          As a game, Rising is a fresh new idea which has the potential to be a really enjoyable experience for gamers who like their action games served with a huge, unstoppable sword which shreds everything into tiny pieces. As a part of the Metal Gear Solid series, I have my doubts. Bare in mind how much the followers, and I mean the ones who have been there since the foundations of MGS, value the series for what it is and what they can expect from its gameplay. From what we can gather so far, such players may be disappointed by nothing more than a glossy cover to a game series shrouded by the ideas and interventions of someone determined to sacrifice substance for style. Before such theories are confirmed, let’s hope until then that I’m wrong about this.

          But say what you want, it’s a game we ought to all stick around for to see if it delivers. It can be expected on shelves around 2012 and will be available, for the first time in MGS, for the Xbox 360 as well as the PS3.