Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance emerged from a troubled development in which studio PlatinumGames took over the project, and the result is one of the most distinctive action games on PlayStation 3. You play as Raiden, a cyborg with a katana, several years after the events of Metal Gear Solid 4. The world has since turned into a marketplace for private armies, and Raiden becomes a tool in a conflict that starts as protection detail for an African head of state and ends with reflections on who actually decides on war. The series thus abandons stealth and turns into a fast-paced hack-and-slash, while still keeping its wordy radio calls and oversized conclusions.

The core of the gameplay is Blade Mode. Time slows down, you get a freely controllable cutting plane, and you can slice an enemy exactly where you want. It's not just a flourish: from a sliced-open body you rip out an energy core to refill your health, so aggression directly pays off. There's no dedicated block button. Instead, you push the stick against the attacker and strike at the same time, parrying the attack. This system is unforgiving at first, but once mastered gives fights a dance-like flow. The bosses rank among the best in the genre, from a katana-wielding swordsman to an enemy who controls magnetism.

Technically, the game aimed for a high frame rate, and on PS3 it managed to keep pace even with large numbers of enemies and debris on screen. The visuals are pure sci-fi, sharp and legible. Music is a key element, since boss fights are accompanied by metal tracks with vocals whose lyrics tie directly to the given opponent and kick in fully during the final phase. Reviews were very good, and the game quickly built a devoted cult following. Today it ranks among the most frequently recommended action games of its generation, because it's short, dense, and utterly confident in what it wants to be. You can finish the main story in a single weekend, but higher difficulties, mission rankings, and unlockable weapons make it a title many players return to again and again.