Metal Gear Solid: Rising is now apparently called Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance

A few years ago at E3 2009, Hideo Kojima revealed to the world the next 2 Metal Gear projects: Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, starring Big Boss and taking place after Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops and before Metal Gear, and Metal Gear Solid: Rising, starring Raiden and taking place between Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty and Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. The MGS:R trailer didn't detail very much, but it was generally viewed that the trailer would explore how it was exactly that Raiden became a cyborg ninja and his exploits between games, including contacting Big Mama to locate the body of Big Boss.


Since then, information about MGS:R has been limited to a few small trailers here and there, including one showcasing the game's cutting mechanics that are an obvious rip-off of No More Heroes and Afro Samurai. Many jokes spread through the internet that MGS:R was "The Real Watermelon Cutting Simulator," lampooning Gran Turismo's slogan and a questionably lengthy segment in one trailer showing Raiden cutting apart watermelons.


Japanese parent groups were also concerned with the game's emphasis on dismemberment, having successfully managed to get extremely violent images off of Japanese television and tone down the violence of games released in Japan. Japanese trailers for MGS:R had scenes of Raiden dismembering soldiers censored out of the videos. After no news of MGS:R appeared at E3 2011, there were concerns that the game had entered development hell, especially since Hideo Kojima had earlier announced that he would only be serving as a producer, not director.


At the 2011 Spike Video Game Awards, there was a surprising trailer for the now-named Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance. Featuring a LOT more blood, cyborg human enemies, one enemy in particular who looks a lot like Vamp, Raiden reverting to his Jack the Ripper persona, and Raiden throwing a Metal Gear RAY with his bare hands, the game was also revealed to be now developed by Platinum Games, the makers of Bayonetta, headed by the creator of Devil May Cry.


At this point, the trailer is getting mixed reviews. Although the game looks successfully as ridiculous as Devil May Cry or Bayonetta, it is simply too bizarre even for a Metal Gear game. The game also no longer takes place between MGS2 and 4, now being a direct sequel to MGS4. The reason for the change in time placement is to allow Platinum more creative freedom, probably out of fear of Platinum creating time paradoxes.


Look for Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance on PS3 and Xbox 360 (no PC release) most likely in late 2012 or early 2013.


Fake Update made to look like an Update: Hideo Kojima is reporting that Metal Gear Solid: Rising was actually cancelled when the dev team ran out of ideas beyond Raiden cutting up people in the time between MGS2 and 4. Platinum Games expressed interest in the game, so Konami gave the reigns to them to see what they could do. Hearing that Kojima was so down on the game that it was cancelled doesn't bode well for MGS fans who treat Kojima's opinion as fact.