Happy Anniversary Rising, and Happy 1 Year to these reviews! Thank you all for being here with me for it all. This video was going to be all the cool things in Rising, but then that would have just been all my footage playing at 1x speed. Accept this _brief_ video instead.
Honestly, I don't see a lot of people calling out Armstrong's bullshit when they do these videoessays and honestly I love it when I do see them call him out for what he is. People like Sam and Raiden and, hell, even all the other Winds of Destruction members all have more tragic backstories, Armstrong doesn't, but he's such a narcissist that he's created a whole fictional narrative about how he's the most oppressed of everyone. The worst thing that happened to him was he didn't go pro and joined the Navy, contrasted to literally every other character in the game.
1:01:11 adding another layer to this, what makes this scene more powerful is that these are the _basic grunts_ in the game that you had absolutely no trouble killing while more advanced enemies that posed a bigger threat like gekkos, mastiffs, raptors, GRADs, etc were lifeless husks being controlled by AI, the actual humans were simple enemies you had no regard for and zandatsu immediately - on a meta level, you consider them nothing more than healing items
Dude, I didn’t know parrying only happened if you block at the last possible second. Thank you bro. Legitimately. Cause this is going to hell with revengance difficulty a ton
@@localcancersurvivor Rooftop Run literally has a section where you are running up/down a clocktower? How can Sonic Awful 2's, "City Escape" stage be more similar???
For what you said about Rosemary, Raiden actually mentions her in a codec with BW during the city mission. Wolf tells Jack to stay focused on the objective, which brings Jack to sarcastically joke about “picking up a souvenir for Rose”. BW calls him out on it, prompting Jack to respond about teaching the AI about sarcasm. Which then leads to BW respond with (probably one of my favorite lines in the game) “I see your attempts at humor, I simply do not find them entertaining.”
The albino ninja saying “you’ve gotta be fucking kidding me!!” When he saw the US senator power up like a Dragon Ball character completely changed my life.
@@justinianmwh3684 that’s what kills me; after everything that happened before, it’s a completely sincere moment!! We got giant robot fights and assaulting a major US City, and we’re reached the moment our impossible character throws his arms up and wants to walk out of the theater. On top of that, the debate going forward is a frighteningly real one, but presented through this bombastic, ludicrous lens that gives me whiplash. It’s my favorite metal gear thing.
I'd like to add, that during the pain inhibitor scene before fighting Monsoon, if you're on controller and have rumble on, you can feel Raiden's heartbeat through the controller rumble
The game absolutely knows what it's doing with its tone. When Armstrong does his sumo stomp and Raiden says "oh you've gotta be kidding me", he is just as baffled as us, the players. All this game he's been through a lot of unexpected stuff, but given his past adventures, this is the only moment where he genuinely goes "...WHAT?" Then the good senator does his thing.
Minor detail, but I'm pretty sure Armstrong's mech is actually based on a worker ant, it has the front jaws of one. It fits with the theme of his song! This video essay was excellent, thought.
I also love during the monsoon bit that raiden admits to moonson that he is a strong person who prays on the weak, but the weak in his mind is are people like desperado and world marshal. And he fucking loves killing those kinds of assholes.
Raiden is a broken kid and a high functioning psychopath, but he does care. He cared ever since he learned from Snake that his past didn't define his whole life. It's especially sweet to see him risk so much for Sunny and George.
Also it's a small detail but its one of my favorites. 1:10:43 has a different voice line that plays when you beat him without emp grenades. While Monsoon plays dirty, you can play dirty with him via EMP grenades. During the final beat down he basically accepts his loss with the line you showed. Though, if you choose to stick to your sword, he still plays dirty. Making his demise not only all the more satisfying for you, but all the more terrifying for Monsoon, who begs you to stop as you're dishing out the flurry of finishing strikes up on the side of that skyscraper. One of my favorite bossfights in any single player game.
He also sometimes laughs maniacally when dropping down after the first junk wheel bit, rather than saying "I've won this!", which fits so wonderfully with the lyrics bursting in at the same time!
@@adjustedbrass7551 if I remember correctly, it's based on how aggressively you play it's a checklist of sorts and while there's nothing to confirm it, I suspect it requires: - no damage - long combo - disabling his magnetism using counter-parries instead of relying on EMPs - just overall continuously mashing him without leaving any space to breathe take it with a grain of salt though, as these are just the things I noticed help get that dialogue through my many replays of the fight
I love this game so much simply for the music, it's so goddamn good. The game is also really fun and the characters are extremely memorable even though they get like 20 minutes of screen time before you slice em up 💀
the characters work so well because 1: their writing gets them across really efficiently by giving them exaggerated personalities 2: their themes pretty much explain their entire philosophy and character while also being bangers so the association sticks
If I am remembering correctly the “sir yes, yes sir” at #45:36 Is a reference to how dogs in the U.S military are usually a rank higher than their handlers
the fact that this 2 hour deep-dive into a masterpiece of action interactive media has so few views is a crime. Found this channel today due to the doom wad video, but this is the video that earned my thumbs up/sub.
When this game came out I bought the $150 deluxe thing and it came with a metal case with game and soundtrack, also a lightning lamp with a sword in the middle The lamp stopped lightning-ing last week It lasted 10 years I’d say money well spent
After watching Max0r's 1st part, I went in blind and played Hard mode with 0 health/blademode upgrades, still dont have any on Very Hard for tradition sake. *Armstrong pushed my shit in on Hard.* I'm dead serious when I say Armstrong has been the second most difficult fight I've had in a game. If I decide to Zandatsu, I _genuinely_ have a full 3/4ths of a second to find the weak spot on VH Mode, which will come to bite SO hard when I see Armstrong again. _First place going to a special blue soul with snakes for arms in another game..._
What you may have expected was the final boss being hard. What you didn't expect was being assaulted by a gorilla in the sewers after suplexing a building sized bionicle figurine
I've seen a ton of MGR reviews, this is the best one. You're the only one who actually draws parallels from the past games, with stuff I didn't even know about or remember. I actually love this game MORE now. The teams behind this were awesome
1:20:32 Snake *technically* appears. In the Japanese version of Metal Gear Rising, within the VR Missions DLC, was the Hebidamashii, which cost 10,000 BP from the upgrade shop. It functions virtually the exact same as the Wooden Sword, but has a virtual replica of Solid Snake’s soul imbued into it. Snake will comment on your gameplay, and specifically will comment on the Men In Boxes. Probably the closest we’ll ever get to an official Solid Snake: Let’s Play! series.
If I remember correctly, the first health bar for Armstrong isn't his. It's his shirt's. And even after we struggle to even scratch it, he rips it off no problem.
As someone who has never played any of the Metal Gear catalog I clicked on this video out of sheer curiosity and could not put it down until it was over. This is a great love letter to what was obviously a fun and amazing game!
I want to add that when raiden called him put saying he doesnt know what it was like to be poor and weak to fight and kill just to survive, armstrong DID NOT DENY IT he infact doubbled down pretty much saying "Yeah i dont but you DID survive proving my point, through your own rules you are now facing someone like me"
Monsoons words about memes/memetics being a meme in itself does honestly prove its own philosophy. As social creatures, we live off patterns of recognition. Memetic imagery, sounds, phrases, etc. all connect to create the people and communities will build. They can be used for good, or evil. In the wrong hands they can influence millions to be horrible, but touched on right and it can make new causes.
I love the running joke of Raiden getting hit in the chin, and then in the Armstrong fight he manages to dodge a hit to the chin and chuckles to himself, just to get blindsided and his chin scraped across the floor.
As one of those people who didn't get on the parry train properly in the tutorial, I've never seen those head and tail blade mode segments on Ray until now, and I played the game in 2013 I ended up getting stuck on Monsoon (also because I didn't know you could upgrade your stuff) and just ground the first mission over and over again until I got the insta-cut Gray Fox sword and brute forced him with it
If you want further frustration, you can parry any parry-able attack by flicking the left joystick up and pushing attack. Following the incoming attack is possible, but you instantly parry the closest one if you just flick up
Ah, Metal Gear Rising, the best and most intense musical there is. Seriously though, it's a very dope game and I'm very glad that people appreciate it to this day. I'd love to see a sequel, but honestly MGR feels like a lightning in a bottle and it would be very difficult to recapture it even under ideal circumstances, and we don't have those. But, just as you concluded, I'm freaking glad it exists and I'm happy I've experienced it.
41:55 look at the longest combo number Also love to see that people are still riding on the high that is metal gear rising REvengeance. Keep it going lads and never stop!
1:45:59 For those who don't know, both Armstrong and Donald Trump were taking after Ronald Reagan in the 1980 presidential campaign with that slogan, neither created that slogan at all. for people like me who didn't know that fact until recently, there's the origin for that slogan
One really cool feature/details about MG Rising Rev.'s soundtracks is that each bosses not only have their own soundtracks dynamism, the singer/voices used in those are often related to the boss itself such as the gender or even style of voice of the singer. The way the soundtracks were recorded and used is actually really brilliant! Each transition during which the soundtrack changes have micro-moments which can be waited/skipped so that the soundtrack switch at key moments and so that the change feels natural and dynamic as the boss battle evolve to its final stage.
I love how Senator Armstrong's speech is so iconic that the Roguelike game Enter the Gungeon has an item called "Nanomachines" and the subtext for that item is just a singular word. "Son."
Monsoon, an actual nihilist, a fromer gang member who was infamous for his unnecessary cruelty, a person who witnessed, survived, one of the most horrific genocides in our history, BACKS AWAY when Raiden shows Jack the Ripper. Jack is so terrifying and intimidating that, maybe for the first time in quite some time, Monsoon feels fear.
Raiden didn't just say that he takes pleasure in the pain he causes for the greater good. He said the greater good is an excuse he uses to let him cause that pain
Thanks, dude! I watched the whole thing through. This was my equivalent of rewatching a beloved movie after 10 years. Seeing other people gushing over something you love is a powerful drug!
This. Was. AWESOME!! It's a sublime example of following the "Rule of Cool," and that cringe and hype are often two sides of the same coin. Oh, and if you're ever in Kansas City, I'll introduce you to some of the smokiest, tenderest (I'm not sure that's a word), objectively best barbeque the world has ever known. I'm being serious. Just hit me up. Seems like the least I can do for enjoying your content so much!
It probably counts as character progression if he tried to forcibly change by actively repressing that part of him. Now he accepts that as part of him, which may not be a good thing, but he understands himself better and still does the right thing. He's a hero and all that jazz, and still believes people should NOT be like him so he works to stop that.
MG Excelsius is a Metal Gear in name only for advertising purposes. It's a semi-autonomous intimidation unit meant to be used in active war zones and city assaults to primarily intimidate enemy soldiers. There's a codex call with Borys where he goes through it.
Unrelated to my prev. comment, my brothers visit every so often, me being the eldest in a line of siblings of nerds and memers, they find quite a few new games through me. I'm extremely happy when they caught on to how parries work with some guidance and watching them enjoy themselves being beaten down and cutting through is a new memory I'll cherish. They didn't put down the game and it was partially from me. :D
One of my favourite parts of the game is when you die during the sequence where you’re running down the tower avoiding projectiles from Metal Gear RAY. Raiden just falls to the side and screams and it’s such untapped meme material. I love it.
You know... I now understand (after about a decade of replaying the game once every 1-2 years) the reason behind Raiden's mental breakdown in the lab and Denver. He couldn't comprehend the greatness of his game's album.
Even after 10 years, I still look at Metal Gear Rising with the same amount of wonder and joy as I did when I first played it. The fact, that you made this love letter of a video confirms that this gem of a game holds a special place in many people's hearts - I couldn't wipe off the smile from my face while I was watching the video. Bloody good job mate :D
I somehow ( 9:26 on first play through) managed to beat mgrr on normal with never blocking, I could never figure it out until a friend told me, even then I loved the game.
I think for most people it’s less that it needs one and more that more of the same would be cool as fuck. Same thing happened with Super Mario Galaxy, sequel was entirely unnecessary and was yet beloved by the community
@@jacobhafar538 Agree, but I absolutely do not want a sequel anytime soon. The industry is a trashfire right now, and I don't want any of the filthy gremlins masquerading as devs nowadays defiling this masterpiece's legacy. Give it five or ten years for everyone to die and be replaced with talented people, and then we can talk of sequels.
only after watching this video for the third time, did i realise the little and subtle foreshadows with, for example "I'll mis this smug guy, but it has to be this way"
I first played the game last year, and used the power of ramming my head against concrete to pass Wolf without learning to block (you can avoid all his kill moves with a perfectly timed jump, and get very luck in whittling him down). I didn't learn to block until Monsoon, where I discovered it by accident and realized I had been missing it the whole time.
"Let's make America great again" was actually used by Reagan (if I remember correctly) in the 80s, but it's still funny how it became relevant again only a few years after MGR
Monsoon has to be my favorite Boss fight with Armstrong beeing a close second. The whole fight is so much fun, with all the blocking. I remember when i found out for the first time that you can block his big junk wheel thingys and then cut them into Pieces. Absolutely amazing. Amazing Video about one of my favorite games ❤
I beleive that jack is ultimately what armstrong wants out of the world, people who are not afraid to fight for their beleifs, who have truth to their words, who can pick themselves up and win through their own merit instead of something dumb. if you are too weak to rule and someone stronger comes along he will just kill you, which is exactly what happens to him. he wants to make a world where people can live exclusively off of merit but he does not realize that it is simply not a possible goal.
I remember when fighting Armstrong, I decided to dodge the boulders instead of slicing them up to gain more health. I literally wanted a fair fight with him. Not many bosses in gaming have made me feel that way before or since all those years ago.
A friend of mine. I visited her house a couple of days ago. And after talking to her and then the friend of her's. I saw that one of the Xbox games that her family had was Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance. So I asked if I could borrow it. I was told yes and I've been playing it ever since. For my first time playing a Metal Gear game I decided to do the Difficulty of Hard. Elden Ring has taught me that I need to play the Actual game. Not the weak version known as Easy and Normal. So with that I learned right away that Death will be something I know by heart when I started this game. There was times in the game where I just got Stuck. Dying over and over and over. Each time I try and do better. But I either do worse or I get so close. But then I actually learn from my Past mistakes. Don't repeat the same mistakes. Parry perfectly when I need to. And then I continue forward and keep pushing through the game. At the moment I'm fighting the Clones of Mentral and Munsoon. Mentral is the easy part. Munsoon is the Hard part. And because I'm indoors. Makes everything worse. But I'll beat him eventually and then get to Senator Armstrong. From what I've heard and seen. I'm going to have one hella time with him when I get to the end. This game. May not be Entirely hard. It's quite easy at times. When you use your memories. But it has a Great Story, edgy, emo, and is SO Fun to play. Whenever I see the moment where Raiden is able to turn the torso of any Cyborg into a light blue. I smirk before cutting them in pieces. Then tearing their Blue Guts right out and squishing it. I get so Cocky at times. When I'm fighting a Group. I get so cocky that I use Parry more
An absolute masterpiece in style and art. And a complete fresh new approach to the stealth series bringing some interesting new concepts into the game.
Well that explains it... I played this game years ago and got all the way to Armstrong without parrying, it was then that I realised I had to be missing something and finally learned how to do it. To this day I'm still convinced that you can't beat Armstrong without parrying. I actually fell in love with how hard the game was to play this way and still feel really fondly about it. But I never realised how bad the tutorial was at teaching you to parry and do feel a little less stupid for getting so far into it without learning. That said, I still cherish that experience. I spent every day after school for about a week slamming my head against Sam. I had to learn how to avoid every one of his attacks just by spacing him out, blocking what could be blocked, and dashing at the last possible second for some. I spent an entire week watching that sunset and I hope I never forget it.
Can I just say I love how you structured this? I've played this game through easily several dozen times (i have no damage on revengeance on every battle and top rankings on every stage on every difficulty) but i never thought about some of the stuff you've already mentioned just in the prologue. Also 10/10 armstrong foreshadowing.
1:48:08 there's a beautiful thing to see that kind of reminds me of one of the poses I wonder who could it be maybe the greatest captain of the universe can answer this question or maybe he can just steal that body after all they have is pretty strong and not only that he did his post or he can possibly hire him
Funny thing about zandatsu mode: Any non-boss enemies caught up in an active zandatsu Y+B event can be cut up too, so any mid tier enemies like the gorilla bots caught up in a grunt's zandatsu can be insta killed.
It is the most medal scene that he cuts George in half throws him in the freezer and then gives him a new cyborgs body so you see him find in the next scene just bam
The fact even the latest Sonic the goddamn Hedgehog game has nods to Metal Gear Rising is a true testiment on how influental and amazing this game was. I replay MGR once or twice a year, I love it all around!
To be fair, if I saw something so horrific that I couldn't process it, I hope that my first reaction would be to seek out something lighthearted just to lessen the emotional weight. I wouldn't avoid it forever, but I would back away to get a run-up before facing it head-on.
Just finished it on steam deck. Runs flawlessly on max settings 60fps cap. I didn’t even knew that there were issues with pc port before this video. Game is excellent
It took me until fighting Sam’s boss fight where I realised I needed to move the analogue stick towards the enemy every attack instead of just holding it there and pressing light attack
