The Binding of Isaac

The Binding Of Isaac - PC

Ratings
Ign: 7.5/10
Metacritic: 84%
Eurogamer: 9/10

Binding of Isaac is a Indie developed 2D Action Rpg Developed by Team Meat. The game was originally released in the Humble Indie Bundle on 1 November 2011. The main goal of the game is to get the final basement level and beat your Mom along with other bosses along the way. It takes inspiration from The Legend of Zelda in its mostly Dungeon Crawling Gameplay and Boss fights. There are just over 60 different boss fights which you can fight. It is praised for its Simple and fun gameplay and its incredibly high replay ability and addiction level.

Game World and Visual Style
The world of Isaac is a very hellish world and feels like it is based around the insides of the body. The visual style is a Cartoon Style but it is still a very hellish. Most of the character designs for the bosses are quite vile in design and some people consider very disgusting in its character design. Some levels have Poo in them which you are allowed to shoot to try get items. I feel that the visual style of this game helps it to immerse the player in the game. The developers chose this visual style to help the game stand out from other games and because it is the developers usually visual style and game world in which they have a lot of visceral looking game worlds which can be seen in there other games such as Super Meat Boy.

This image shows some level design and its Grotesque Design

Characters

There are 7 playable characters which each have unique stats and abilities. Most Characters are based of the  bible and all have a reference to the bible.

Isaac
Isaac is the main playable character in the game and he has the best all round stats and he also starts with a Bomb. His Bible reference is that he is the son of Abraham who god asked to sacrifice in Binding of Isaac.



Magdalene
Magdalene is one of the unlock able characters who starts with more health but less attack which most players enjoy the trade off because they can survive longer. She also starts off with Yum Heart which allows the player to fill one empty heart container which would also benefit the player. One bad point about Magdalene is that her base speed is only 85% compared to Isaac's 100%. Her Bible reference is that she is one of the Jesus's friends and is also known as Mary.

Cain
Cain is also a Unlockable character in the game who has high speed and attack base stats but he has the lowest range out of all Characters. He also starts with a lucky key which will unlock chests which helps the player chests in the game which can help you heal or get more keys so you can upgrade your stats. Cain also has the highest base speed out of any character at 135%. His bible reference is that his the son of adam and eve and the brother of Abel.

Judas
Judas is the fourth unlockable character in Isaac. He has the lowest health which is his main disadvantage but he does have the highest attack which makes up for his short comings. Hes starts off with 3 Coins and a item called The Book Of Belial which doubles your damage and the range of your tears. His bible reference is that he is the man who betrayed Jesus.

Eve
Eve is the fifth unlockable character in Isaac. She Has probably the worst base stats out of every character with only One attack and 3 speed being her highest stat. She starts with the item the dead bird which attacks any enemy which attacks you. She also has the item Whore Of Babylon which increases the players damage and speed. Her Bible reference is that she is the first human god created.

???
The final unlockable character is ??? Who has no actual health but starts with soul hearts which cannot be recovered. Many people feel that he is the hardest to complete the game with because you cannot recover health. His item is The Poop which can be used to block enemy attacks. Players will usually use this character to have a big challenge.

Samson

Samson is a DLC character ins Isaac. This Character has Low health but well rounded other stats. He has one soul heart and has the item BloodLust which increases damage with damage with every kill that the player gets. He has 110% health and his tear speed is 131%.

                                                               

Conclusion

I feel that the developers chose to have all of these unique characters so they could extend the gameplay further than it originally would of been. They did this to give more game for the consumers money by adding DLC characters as well they extend the game which would help with the games popularity sales and general playtime.

Other Non-Playable Characters

Most Non-playable characters include Vendors and other random character who may give you items if you give them something in return. One of the best vendors in the game is the devil who gives you a variety of strong items in return for your health. A lot of players usually risk this so they can kill bosses and other creatures quicker. Vendors are usually a room by them self with no enemies to attack you. 

The devils room

Enemies and Bosses

There are 100's of different enemies in the Binding of Isaac and a couple of dozen for each different level you go on E.G. The Depths, The Basement ETC. There are also over 60 different bosses which you may encounter in the game and also some unique bosses which may spawn in a room all by them self, examples of these bosses are the Sins and the Harbingers.

The Bosses in the game are always by the doorway to the next level when you beat them they also drop a random item which may increase your health or increase your stats. Most bosses may only spawn on certain levels like the enemy's in the game. Some people will usually hope for certain bosses over the others because they may find them easier than the other certain bosses. Just like with the characters the developers of the game added many different bosses to the game so that they could extend gameplay and throw off any players who might think that there is always a certain boss in a room so they could easily make the game more fun by adding in a random factor such as different bosses on random floors and a possibility of spawning in any other mini-boss in a room.

Isaac's many bosses

Isaac's Many bosses.

Interface

Isaac's interface is very basic and easy to use because it tells you every thing you need to know without taking you out of the game in any way. It Displays you health items and map in one very easy to use and simple bar this helps the players to become more immersed into the game because they don't have to pause the game in any way to find out what items they have or where they are or how much health they have. Even the death screen gives the player a good overview of what happened in that run which they just had. The developers made the interface basic and simple so anyone could easily understand what was going on in the game at any point which is good for newcomers to the game because they can almost immediately pick up on what was and is going on in the game. 

The first room you spawn in.                                                         The Death screen explaining how you died.

Perspective

The perspective you get in Isaac is a top down 2D view. This allows the players to see the area they are in freely without any annoyances such as a wonky camera, the top down view helps players to see all the enemy's which are in one room. This also helps when fighting bosses and dodging obstacles which are in your way. The best thing in which the perspective helps out is the combat because you can only aim 4 different ways you can easily see where you need to shoot in order to defeat you enemy's. The developers chose to have a top down perspective so they could fit whole rooms of a dungeon on the screen and so the players could keep track of all the enemies/bosses in the room, this was a good idea because it helps the player see what they have to do in the room which will help new players to the game. 

Boss Fight showing combat.

Interaction Model and Modes

The Binding of Isaac is a primarily a single player game which benefits the game more than it hinders it, personally i feel that game would be to hectic and there would be to much going on the screen if you had more than one player, also due to its interaction model you may sometimes loose where your character may be on the screen which may cause you to die. You can see an example of how over crowded the screen may get above. The developers chose to only have single player because they would have mainly not have the budget to develop multiplayer for such a game especially because they are a indie developer and because the interaction model of the game would not work well with multiplayer because all players would have to be in the same room which would damage the framerate of the game.

Narrative and Setting

The main premise behind The Binding of Isaac is that you are Isaac you are living with your mom and one day your mom is given a message by god to sacrifice Isaac as a show of her faith you are forced to flee to the basement in order to survive which is also where the majority of the game takes place. A better explanation is in the video below.

The game is also loosely based around the bible which may put some people of but overall the story is not what keeps people coming back to play the game. The setting is a good one because it is unique and hasn't really been done before so it brings people in.

Challenges/Rewards

The main challenge of the game is to complete the game with all the characters and also to try and collect all of the items which are in the game. There are also achievements which you may get which are on steam. Also there are higher level of difficulties which you may complete the game on. The challenges have kept people coming back to this game for many hours which proves that challenges and rewards obviously feel gratifying when you receive them. The decision for the developers to add in achievements was made to add more playtime to the game as well as encourage multiple playthorughs of the game in which the players would have to try and get all of the items which they would want to collect adding to the length of the game for certain people.

1st Page of the item list and some Achievements.

Player Actions

When playing Isaac the player cannot really change the game world very much though they may be able to blow up some walls which may reveal secret rooms which either have special items there or a boss depending on what the game decides to spawn. The player also destroy certain items in a room such as poop or fire. There also rooms which have slot machines which the player may destroy in order to gain some money. 

A Secret room.

Player interaction may be low with the environment but there many NPC's which the player may interact with such as the beggar who asks for money and if you give him enough he may give a item in return. The player can also interact with vending machines and a fortune telling machine. These all help to immerse the player in the game world a little bit more which is good for developers because they get more play time on their game. The developers decided to add in some these shops for the player to interact with to make the game easier on the players so they could possibly heal get a item to help with enemies or to find a key to unlock a door or a chest this is good because the game would be harder if these shops weren't in the game so adding them made it easier for the players.

Game Mechanics/Structure

The games mechanics are very easy to use and learn which may seem like the game is to simple and does not keep players playing but there are many different mechanics to the game which only expert players know about such as some of the items in the game never really explain what they do but for expert players they know what they do and the right time to use them. Also certain bosses have patterns which you need to learn in order to kill him efficiently. Also some of the secret hidden rooms may not be found by a beginner to the game but may be easily found by a veteran. The basic structure of the games controls also look simple but if they are used effectively then they can used to great effect against some of the harder bosses and enemy's allowing for fast speed runs of the game. Overall the games structure may be simple but it does not hinder the game in anyway but it benefits it. The developers made the game mechanics and structure so simple so that any player of any skill level could buy there game and enjoy it which is always good to see from developers because it shows that they care more about the consumers.

                                         

Final Boss Speed Run.

Addiction Level

The Binding of Isaac usually only costs £3.99 but for this price you get probably one the most addictive games in a very long time you may start playing Isaac and after a while realise that you have wasted 8-10 hours of your life just playing this game. When you do finally feel like you have completed this game there is also a dlc which only costs £1.99 this Dlc called "Wrath of the Lamb" adds even more play time to your hours or days of which you have already had on the game. The main reason for Isaac's high addiction level is that it is simple and it never feels like the game is overwhelming you with information or telling you what to do you always feel like your in control of the game which is nice in the age of the corridor shooter. Overall The Binding of Isaac is an absolute bargain when your looking for hours of fun at a low price.

Conclusion

Overall The Binding of Isaac is a incredibly addictive and well made game which any gamer should check out namely because i can run on almost any PC. The game shows that you do need multi-million dollar funding in order to make a game and is a true showing of how to make a excellent game. All the decisions that the developer made for the game were made so that game could be a good game and well made and so that any type of player could pick up the game and enjoy it.

Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm 3

Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm 3

Ratings

Ign 8.6/10

Destuctiod 8/10

Metacritic 77/100

Naruto Ultimate ninja storm 3 is a fighting game based on the incredibly popular Anime and manga series. It has all your favorite characters and moments from the shippuden. Although there may be some long cut scenes and dialogue sequences it still is the best game for Naruto and anime fans. Its developed by CyberConnect2 and way released on the 8th of March 2013.

Game world and Visual style

The game world is very tightly based of the anime and manga series which means it obviously has an anime visual style the game also looks very much like the anime. The game world in general is very colorful and vibrant which matches the anime, but it also is dark and grimy wherever it needs to be. The developers made the decision to have the game to look the anime to draw in more fans and make so people knew its was Naruto. The developer had to go with the anime world and visual style so that the fans of the series will recognize the series and introduce any new players to what the anime would look like if they were to watch it.  

Anime Visual Style

Characters

Naruto ultimate ninja Storm 3 has the biggest character roster in it with over 80 playable characters in the game, not all of them are in this games story but previous ones but the developer kept them in for the sake of it.

Main Playable Characters throught the story

 Naruto Uzumaki

Naruto is the main character throughout the game and the anime. He is the nine tails jinchuuriki and a member of the hidden leaf. His parents were killed when he was born and grew up with most of the village resenting him. In game Naruto is very quick and strong he uses a variety of rasengans to reflect what he does in the anime. Naruto has also become the strongest character in the anime and is trying to bring Sasuke back to the leaf village. A lot of people route for Naruto because of his history and determination which gets then immersed in the Naruto universe.

Naruto in Sage mode

Sasuke Uchiha

Sasuke is a rouge ninja who was once a member of the leaf village. His entire clan was wiped out by his brother when he was young and he wants to avenge them by killing his brother. He has done this in game and learned truth about his brother and is now out for revenge on the hidden leaf village itself. Sasuke isn't liked by a lot of fans because they think he should stop trying to destroy the village after what he knows. Sasuke can be called the opposite of Naruto.

Sasuke in-game

Killer B

Killer B is a member of the hidden cloud village he is also a jinchuuriki and he is friends with Naruto. Killer B was the first jinchuuriki to be able to fully control his tailed beast which is the main reason he is friends with Naruto. B is known for rapping in the anime and he also does this in game which makes him one of the more loved characters.

B ready to fight

Kakashi

Kakashi is Naruto's team leader and sensei he was also trained by Naruto's dad Minato. Kakashi has one eye as a sharigan which he took from his friend Obito when he was dying. Kakashi feels that he is responsible for Sasuke leaving the village and wants to make up for that even though Naruto wont let him. Many people like Kakashi for his laid back style and funny remarks.

Kakashi and his Sharingan 

Main Enemies in the story

Tobi

No-one really knows who Tobi is in the game because he mainly wears a mask all people really do know is that he is a member of the Uchiha clan and he calls himself Madara. Tobi's sharingan allows him to let attacks slip through his body he can also suck in objects from the world to an alternate dimension. tobi also started the fourth great ninja war. Tobi used to be very jokey which made him like by gamer's and watchers of the anime but after he became serious he is now more hated which keep people watching and playing the game so they can see him be defeated or killed.

Tobi declares the start of War.

Madara

Madara is the most powerful member of the uchiha clan and one of the founding members of the hidden leaf village. Although he is dead he is resurrected be Kabuto using the edo tensei jutsu he comes back at his prime along with his Rinnegan which are the most powerful eyes in the anime and game. Madara is hated by a lot of people for starting the original cycle of hatred which has happened to countless other ninja such as Naruto and Kakashi.

Madara's Sharingan

Kabuto

Kabuto was a assistant of Orochimaru but he absorbed his power after he was killed by Sasuke. Kabuto is the main reason for a lot of dead ninja being back such as the previous Kage's and Madara. He is using a resurrection jutsu to bring them back and also controlling ones who do not fight on their own accord. Kabuto  is mainly hated for bringing back loved characters who have already died such as asuma who was also a Sensei and team leader like kakshi.

Kabuto from the anime

Other Characters

The Five Kage

The Five Kage are the five leaders of the biggest lands like the hidden leaf and hidden cloud they will usually be the strongest ninja from that respective village in order to become that villages kage. They fight against Madara in the game and just about win but this is different from the manga and anime.

The Five Kage about to fight Madara

Resurrected jinchuuriki

These are the six other tailed beat holders who were killed they are all playable in the game but take a while to unlock. These six help out Naruto in the final fight with Tobi. They are all controlled by Tobi in the fight but Naruto knows its not the person themselves actually fighting so he beats them. 

All the jinchuuriki and there tailed beats

Other Characters

There many other playable characters in the game but there are just too many to all list out and some aren't even relevant to this games story. It is good that this game has a ton of character because it adds a lot of variety but there are still certain characters missing from the roster that should in the game. The developers went for such a large roster of characters so that they could cover all of the characters from the anime and you could play as your favorite character from the anime which would result in more people buying.

The Massive Character Roster!

Interface

The main gameplay screen for nearly of the fights is very basic and shows you every thing you need to know also the combo list which is in the menu is basic and let you easily read off what you want to read. The developers did this to make it easy for the younger fan base of Naruto get into the game easier. The developers use this interface because the base of it is one the most used interfaces for fighting games with the added in parts such as the chakra and substitutes so they could add there own unique part of their fighting game.  

Perspective

The game will usually keep a locked camera during all of the fights it also moves the camera based on the characters on the screen's position. The same can be said in the free roam part of the story mode, because the camera only moves when you are unable to see the character on the screen. The general story switches between many different characters but is usually based around Naruto and Sasuke's story although not as much Sasuke in this as game compared to other ones. You also switch to Kakashi, The Five Kage and other  ninja who are on the battlefield. The developers used this way of perspective so that they could cover all of the parts of the perspectives from the anime and manga which will draw in more players who have read the manga and want to see certain fights be animated and fight them for themselves. 

The Camera locked behind.

Interaction and Modes

Naruto does have a multiplayer mode in it where you can play ranked matches against other players around the world or with your friends in player matches. The ranked matches may become frustrating sometimes though because of people who either exploit the game or spam a certain characters move. The interaction behind Naruto's single player is some free roam where you can find and make new items and complete missions within the game. Although the free roam is mainly after you complete the game it was a decision made by the developers to make the game a bit longer. Multiplayer being added in this game would of been a very easy decision to make because every fighting game will hsve multiplayer and they added in the free roam to the single player so that the game time in single player is extended and add more playtime to the game.

Narrative

The narrative mainly follows the anime and manga series which is the story Naruto and sasuke where Naruto mainly tries to save Sasuke but in this game it is mainly about the fourth great ninja war in which all the ninja team up in order to protect Killer Bee and Naruto and defeat Tobi. The game does follow most of what the manga does but the story isn't the ending from the manga because that hasn't finished yet so they made up there own ending instead of the one which will happen in the manga.Just like the game world and visual style they have the developers have to follow the manga because that is the story which they had to follow apart from the end which they made there own because they didn't know what the ending of the manga is so they had to make up their own ending.

Story summed up. 

Game Setting

The game is set in the Naruto universe there are at least 3 hidden villages the player can visit in the game and a lot of the main settings for some of the main story points these areas contain collectibles and some missions which you can complete to get the games money which can also be used to unlock characters and titles for multiplayer. The game is set in the Naruto world obviously because the game is for Naruto fans which want to play the game and explore the world of Naruto. Again just like the game world they used had the use the same setting as the manga/anime so the didnt derive from the original story and setting that a lot of people love.

Village Hidden in the Cloud

Challenges and Rewards

As far as challenge goes only a few boss fights are very challenging but there are other modes that you can unlock such as survival mode which presents a whole new challenge where you have to fight characters one after the other on only one set of health. In the game there are a lot of rewards in the game such as new Characters, Titles and Pictures for your info card online. The gameplay in general is very easy to pick up which is why some players may find the game to be boring after a while especially if they usually play more advanced fighters such as street fighter but i think the developers made the game this way so younger Naruto fans could pick up the game and still have fun with it which would also help with sales and the amount of people playing the game. The developers added in these challenges and rewards to extend the gameplay of the game.

One of the Ninja info Cards

Player actions and Game Mechanics

In the story mode there a decisions that will slightly alter some gameplay in the game these decisions are called "legend" and "hero" decisions they give you points to the a meter on either decision which will give you items which you can use during fights. The game usually changes from its normal gameplay during a boss fight when it adds in quick time events which will eventually unlock a secret factor from the story. The normal gameplay is very easy to pick up and will maybe cause some players who are veteran fighting game fans. I think the main reason they put in quick time events in the boss fights is to make them more interesting because they are sometimes not that fun to watch in the anime so the developers didn't want to copy them. 

An example of a fight changed for the game

Addiction Level

Naruto can be an incredibly addictive game if you know what you are doing this is though can also make the game boring as well because you can nearly learn all the combos in a very short time, but you will still have to learn how to use your dodge block and ultimate justsu's properly in order to succeed. I think that the developers made the game basic to make Naruto fans enjoy the game more though and not have to learn incredibly complicated combos to hit there favorite moves with their favorite characters.

Some of the easy combos

Conclusion

Overall Naruto is a very fun game which is mainly made for Naruto fans any fighting game fans may find this game to be too easy or boring, but overall most of the design decisions made in the game are ones which help the game to bring in all of its fans. All of the decisions the developers made were for the sake of making the game more addictive or more fun.

Metal Gear Rising: Revengance

Metal Gear Rising Revengance 

Ratings

Ign 8.5

Metacritic 80/100

Gamespot 8.5

Metal Gear Rising is a action, hack and slash game made by Platinum Games. It is a spin off to the very popular Metal Gear Solid Series and was released on the 22nd of February. The game involves you playing as Raiden from Metal Gear Solid 2. The game is mainly praised for its very fun and addictive combat and gameplay. It also uses the same story telling as MGS with long cut scenes and conversations.

Game world and Visual Style

Metal Gear Rising's visual style is a lot like MGS's in that its a very realistic but good looking game which pushes the boundary's of the platforms which it is on. The futuristic style allows the game to have some of its future tech seem possible which helps the player immerse them into the game. The game world of Metal Gear Rising is set 4 years after the last metal gear solid game this world is full of cyborgs for Raiden to kill and the world allows for some amazing boss fights, which are also nostalgic to some veteran metal gear fans. The developers chose this game world and visual style so that the longtime fans of the metal gear series would know where the game is set and would recognize any characters from past games.

Nostalgic Boss Fight.

Characters

There are many different characters in Metal Gear Rising most of them are unique or stereotypical characters but they all work for the game in the long run.

Raiden/Jack

Raiden is the main character in the game he has a very dark past in which he explores in the game. He is mostly the same from MGS 2 but he now has more cyborg enchantments. Raiden has a family but was also a child solider at one point in his life. The fact he was a child solider and has a family makes the player feel sorry for Raiden and route for him which also immerse's them in the game. There is also another side to Raiden called Jack the Ripper which was his persona from when he was a child soldier and was forced to kill who also makes a appearance in the game and make Raiden more powerful.

Raiden's alternate personality "Jack the Ripper"

Non-playable Characters/Enemies

Bladewolf

Bladewolf is at first one of your enemies who you have to fight but once you beat him he becomes an ally. Bladewolf was originally programmed to kill Raiden but was overridden by Maverick ( Raiden's Agency) after he was defeated and brought back to Maverick. Bladewolf''s personality was at first to only kill and follow orders but during his fight with Raiden he began to question himself and why he fought. Most players find Badewolf to be one of the funnier characters after his reprogramming.

Bladewolf and Raiden.

Boris Vyacheslavovich Popov 

Boris is look's over Raiden's missions in the game and tells him information he is not a very prominent character in the game but still is the president on  PMSC Maverick Security Consulting, Inc. he is also the instructor of Raiden. Boris was also a former soviet solider for USSR. Even though Boris is not a main character he is liked by players for his funny remarks.

Boris.

Kevin and Courtney

Kevin and Courtney are also a part of Maverick and are part of Raiden's support team in the game. They both appear in short cut scenes and like Boris don't appear that much in the game. Courtney though can be used to save through the codec.

Doktor

Wilhelm "Doktor" Voigt is a German scientist hired as a adviser and scientist for Maverick. Doktor installs Raidens enchantments and and also is the one who reprograms Bladewolf. Doktor will also ask you to collect the left arms of certain enemy's in the game he gives a nice reward for you doing this he also helps Raiden escape during a mission and converts cyborgs brains for work. 

Samuel/Sam

Sam is a member of Desperado Inc. he is also the one that nearly kills Raiden at the start of the game and questions Raiden's motive for killing. Sam also has ties with Bladewolf  for a couple of missions. You can use Sam's sword after you complete the game. Sam's codename was Jetstream Sam. Sam is liked by many player's for his swordsmanship and other traits of his personality. 

Sam in action

Bosses

There are a total of 5 Bosses in the game who you have to beat including Jetstream Sam. The each have unique story's and some are hard to beat which gives the player a higher sense of achievement when he finally beats them. You may get three side weapons of three different bosses which make spice up some of the gameplay a bit. They also each have there own theme when you fight them which makes the fights feel more unique. These boss fights also test skills that you have learned and aren't just pushovers like most bosses in other games. The developers made these bosses hard to beat so that the player would feel a sense of accomplishment when beating them and the game which would allow for the player to enjoy the game more.

Revengance's Five bosses.

Interface

Metal Gear Rising's gameplay interface is very basic and only shows you what you need to see like things such as health, no. of hits and your fuel cell bar. Whenever you complete a fight in the game you also get a rank which shows your rank for that fight and how many Battle points you get. 

GamePlay interface.

There are other interfaces in the game which help you to see your objective and where enemy's may be on the map. There is also a interface which allows you to switch weapons and equip healing items and secondary weapons. The last of the interfaces is the codec which allows you to call your team and save or go to VR missions or upgrades. I feel that some of the interface may be a bit overwhelming when your trying to look for a certain item which also may take the players out of the game. The developers made the Interface like this so that metal gear fans would know what most of the interface was and they made the interface like this to show that it is in fact a metal gear game and not anything completely different.

The Codec interface.

Perspective

Metal Gear Rising perspective is a 3rd person view mainly from Raiden's point of view. The camera in the game is movable it allows you to spin it around to look at Raiden fully. There is also a lock on feature which you will mainly use against bosses such as monsoon. One bad points the players may have is when you lock on to a boss you may have to parry multiple hits which backs you into a corner and messes up the camera causing you to loose sight of the boss and possibly get hit. In the game most cut scenes are viewed from different perspective than gameplay for example there is one cut scene in which you see a first person view from Raidens eyes. The developers have a third person camera so that the game is incredibly fast paced so any other camera which you would use such as first person would not work properly for the game because you would not be able to keep track of all that was going on if you were to play in first person.

First Person Cutscene

Interaction Model and Modes

Metal Gear is primarily a single player game with absolutely no online play-ability. I feel that it is for the best that this game is not online because some of the mechanics of the game would not work very well online. Also Metal Gears interaction model of being able to destroy anything in the game world would probably make the games frame rate lag. The benefits greatly from its interaction model making the game play fun and addictive which makes players keep on coming back to the game. The developers chose for mainly single player because the metal gear game is a single player series and because the games gameplay would not translate very well to multiplayer especially with the slow time mechanic.

Destruction!

Narrative

Set 4 yours after the events of Liquid ocelots insurrection Metal Gear Rising story starts of with Raiden, working for a contractor protecting a VIP, training soldiers and other PMC duties. Maverick a American based PMC in Colorado is helping to try piece back together countries after a bloody civil war. Raiden Largely works for his family without having to be involved in direct combat situations. Raiden is protecting his VIP when they are attacked by a cyborg organization led by Samuel, which leads to Raiden being completely defeated. Raiden is then reconstructed by Maverick and the search for Sam and his company drives him into a quest for vengeance. The story for the game is OK but nothing players would ever go back to just okay unlike previous Metal Gear games. 

Raiden vs. Sam

Game Setting

The Game is set in the same universe as all other Metal Gear games. This means that it is set in the future and also a war based economy is in play. The setting for the game never exactly follows what previous Metal gear games have done but it is fresh and does things in its own way. The games setting allows it to do ridiculous things such as have the main character be in enchantments by cyborgs and cut enemies into hundreds of different parts. Because this game is set in the metal gear universe it helps it self get recognition and draw in more fans which is probably why the game might have been made in the first place. The developers chose for this game setting mainly because it is well known to metal gear fans so they would know where they are and in what context this game is to the other games.

Using the game setting for fun gameplay

Challenges and Player Actions

This game has many challenges on the main ones being trying to get a S rank on all the missions on the hardest difficulty. The game also rewards you for completing it on certain difficulties and if you were to get an S rank on all missions you would be able to buy some new costumes and upgrade weapons and buy combos. The player can do a lot of different actions in the game which gratify's the player they may buy upgrades to make the game easier or they may run around destroying a cutting every object in the environment into hundreds of different pieces. The developers chose to have these player interactions and challenges to make the game more fun and to also extend the game play of the game because overall the story isn't very long unless you play through the game more than once on the harder difficulties or if you play the VR missions.  

Game Mechanics and Addiction Level

Metal Gear Rising's makes the game very fun to play which also adds to its addiction level. For example it is sometimes very hard to make Raiden move around with ease killing all of his enemies but once learn how to properly do it you may never want to stop this adds to the games addiction level because you may want to keep playing through the game multiple times to get down its hard combat and blocking system. Some bad points about the game may be the parry system in the game it personally took me a while to figure it out which caused a lot of pain and frustration on the later boss levels. Another bad point is sometimes the lack of gameplay compared to the cut scenes for example you might have been watching a cutscene for a very long time then you will finally get to enjoy some combat only to thrown back into another conversation or cutscene straight after, but in the long run there aren't many games which are hard to play any more. The games mechanics were made like this by the developers so that they could emulate a very famous cutscene from MGS 4 where you see raiden fight the addiction level is mainly down to the gameplay and anyone who would want to get all of the achievements of the game but other than that the decision to make the game play how it plays was due to the cutscene from MGS 4 where you see raiden fight like he does in the game.

Enjoyable addictive combat.

Conclusion

Overall the game is very hard to put down at some points but at other points is hard to pick up and get into due to hard game mechanics and lengthy cut scenes but overall i think this game is a proud member of the Metal Gear franchise and i hope that will make another one. Also all the decisions that were made in this game was to make sure that it was a part of the metal gear franchise and nothing else but some decisions were made so it could be a stand alone from the metal gear series and not only known as that metal gear spin off. 

Adios Amigos!